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"Earth Style: Earth Spear Technique!"
In the next instant, the ground behind Akira burst open. Dense clumps of earth shot upward, hardening into long spears that thrust toward his back, sealing off his retreat.
The chain of attacks pushed Akira dangerously close to a fatal corner.
"Water Style: Water Prison Technique!"
Suddenly, a thin layer of mist formed in front of him, stopping the deadly strike just in time.
Then a brilliant flash of light appeared in his hand. Out of nowhere, a dazzling katana materialized.
Akira gave a short shout.
"Slash!"
Shing!
The blade flashed.
Shock filled Nauma's eyes as he hurriedly raised his kunai to block the strike.
Too slow.
A bloody gash tore across his left shoulder.
"How did your strength grow this much?!"
Nauma stared at Akira in disbelief. The last time they fought, their abilities had been roughly equal. How had Akira suddenly surpassed him?
Akira ignored the question. His hands formed seals.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb!"
Flames erupted from his body and gathered into a blazing sphere even larger than the one before. The fireball roared toward Nauma.
Nauma's body trembled, but he forced himself to stand his ground.
A glowing membrane formed around him again, taking the attack head-on.
Pfft!
The fireball slammed into him. The scorching heat burned away his clothes, and he groaned as a mouthful of blood spilled out.
Even though he had activated a defensive ninjutsu in time, the attack still dealt heavy damage. Without that protection, Akira's flames would have burned him alive.
"This guy…"
Akira looked at Nauma's battered state, surprise flickering in his eyes.
Nauma's defensive techniques were notoriously troublesome. Even Akira needed effort to break through them.
Yet the man had still managed to withstand his attack. That alone made him worth paying attention to.
Nauma struggled to his feet, fury blazing across his face. His pride wouldn't allow him to surrender.
"Bastard!"
With a furious stomp, he shattered the ground beneath him and shot forward like a cannonball.
"Ninja Art: Multiple Shuriken Technique!"
Boom boom boom boom!
A spiraling projectile formed from lightning and wind shot from Nauma's hand, ripping through the air and crashing into Akira's protective barrier.
Crackle…
A small crack appeared in the shield.
Akira narrowed his eyes.
"So that's the level of your power… troublesome."
He muttered softly. Then he extended a finger and lightly tapped the gap.
The crack instantly sealed, the barrier restoring itself completely. A faint chill spread from its surface.
"What?!"
Nauma's eyes widened. His full-power strike had vanished just like that.
Akira paid him no attention and continued his assault.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire!"
A massive fireball formed in midair, then unfolded into a huge flaming lotus that rushed toward Nauma.
"That kind of trick won't work on me!"
Nauma roared. His skin turned bronze as powerful chakra surged through his body, hardening his muscles.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear Lance!"
Sharp stone spears erupted from the ground and intertwined, forming a several-meter-tall earthen wall that blocked the flames.
Akira smirked.
His fingers formed another seal. A massive rock projectile appeared in the air.
"Fire Style: Great Flame Bomb!"
A giant fireball gathered before him. With a flick of his finger, it shot toward Nauma.
"Has this guy lost his mind?"
Nauma felt his body stiffen.
Because Akira was charging straight at him at the same time, clearly planning to attack personally.
Startled, Nauma quickly dodged the fireball while cursing himself for being careless.
It was a trap.
Just as he moved from his original spot, the fireball slammed into the ground.
BOOM!
Flames exploded outward, turning the surrounding area into a blazing inferno.
Nauma stared in shock at Akira approaching him. He hadn't expected the man to close the distance himself.
Still, he didn't panic. Instead, he sneered.
"Heh. You think I'm afraid of a brat like you?!"
The earth around him suddenly shattered.
Huge slabs of rock burst from the ground and shot toward Akira.
"Earth Style: Earth Collapse!"
Thunderous explosions echoed through the sky. The ground around Akira cracked apart, and a large section beneath his feet collapsed.
Yet Akira showed no pain. Instead, he grinned.
A shadow suddenly appeared beside him.
"Phantom Clone Technique!"
Bang!
As the clone took the hit, Akira's real body emerged from another direction.
"When did—?!"
Nauma's face changed dramatically. He hadn't realized the Akira in front of him was a fake. For a moment he even suspected the real one had been hiding all along, waiting to ambush him.
But the next second, the real Akira was already in front of him.
He raised his leg and kicked.
Boom!
The kick carried terrifying force. Nauma's body flew sideways and crashed deep into the distant forest.
"Cough…!"
Clutching his stomach, Nauma gasped for breath. Several ribs had clearly been shattered.
"How… how is his strength this monstrous?"
He could hardly believe the damage he had taken.
Looking up at the figure hovering in the sky, Nauma's expression flickered between fear and anger.
Akira floated above him, looking down with clear mockery.
He sneered.
"Is that all you've got?"
"Damn it!"
Nauma growled through clenched teeth and slowly raised his right hand.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Fortress Wall!"
A thick stone barrier formed around him.
Crack… crack…
But after barely three seconds, the wall shattered under pressure right before his eyes.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Without hesitation, Nauma unleashed his ultimate move.
BOOM!
The massive earth dragon exploded midair, sending dust and debris everywhere and swallowing both fighters in a cloud of smoke.
Moments later, the dust settled.
Akira stood there, his clothes slightly torn. The front of his shirt had been blown open, revealing a charred mark on his chest.
He glanced coldly at Nauma, killing intent burning in his eyes.
"Not bad, Nauma."
Akira opened his mouth slightly. A huge amount of chakra gathered, forming a gigantic fireball.
"Fire Style: Nirvana Fireball!"
Whoosh!
The enormous fireball shot downward with terrifying force, as if it could destroy everything in its path.
Nauma's pupils shrank.
He didn't dare block it and quickly dodged.
The fireball grazed past his head, leaving a thin line of blood across his forehead. He shuddered from the near miss.
Akira saw this and smiled faintly.
Then he stomped the ground.
"Earth Style: Ground Rift Shock Fist!"
The earth suddenly collapsed, and a massive crack tore across the ground for hundreds of meters.
Caught off guard, Nauma fell straight into the opening, his body shaking violently.
"What is this…?"
He stared in shock.
He hadn't expected this guy to be proficient not only in Wood Release, but also Earth, Water, and even Stone techniques.
A name suddenly surfaced in his mind.
The Tsuchikage's disciple?!
Years ago he had heard rumors that Uchiha Madara brought back a young boy. At the time he had thought it strange. There was no way someone like Madara would take an ordinary child as a student.
"So it was you all along… Akira!"
Nauma gritted his teeth.
Akira smiled calmly.
"Looks like you know quite a bit about me. As expected of the Fourth Kazekage."
"Hmph! No matter how experienced you are in battle, you're dying here today!"
Chakra surged through Nauma again. This time, however, his hands formed a strange seal.
"Earth Style: Rock Explosion Fist!"
He swung his arm violently. A massive yellow stone fist slammed straight into Akira's chest.
Akira groaned as he was pushed back several steps. A scorched mark appeared on his chest where the attack had grazed him.
"Is that all you've got?!"
Akira shouted coldly.
His right hand clenched into a fist as purple lightning began to coil around it.
"Lightning Style: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
With a sudden swing of his arm, a spear of pure lightning shot toward Nauma.
"Damn it! What kind of jutsu is that?!"
Nauma yelled as he hastily raised an Earth Wall in front of him.
Crack!
The lightning spear pierced straight through the wall, punching through Nauma's shoulder and left arm.
Blood splattered everywhere.
"AAAH!"
He screamed in agony.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Sword!"
From his back, a pair of earthen wings suddenly spread out. He leapt upward and drove his kunai straight into Akira's chest.
But the look on his face was one of pure shock.
He had attacked deliberately… yet Akira had still been just a fraction faster.
"What kind of speed is that?!"
Nauma burned with frustration. He had even used the Body Flicker Technique.
"Unless…"
His pupils suddenly shrank.
Because he realized something horrifying.
He was falling.
And worse still, his body seemed to be absorbing the surrounding earth elements. The more he struggled, the faster it absorbed them…
"Damn it!"
Nauma's expression changed instantly. He hurriedly shifted the chakra inside his body and condensed a thin protective membrane around himself.
Boom!
A terrifying impact blasted him away. Nauma crashed through a wall and slammed onto the ground, gasping for air, looking utterly miserable.
"Cough… cough…"
He spat out several mouthfuls of blood before struggling back to his feet. When he looked at Akira again, his eyes burned with hatred.
Akira sneered. "What's wrong? You can't even handle this much? Stop wasting your strength. You're not beating me."
Nauma's face darkened.
He never expected this young boy's combat skills to be so frighteningly refined.
Damn bastard…
He cursed inwardly, but he also knew the truth. Right now, he really couldn't beat Akira.
"If that's the case… then you can die!"
Akira's voice turned cold.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Reacting instantly, Nauma formed hand seals and raised a thick earthen wall between them.
Akira simply snorted. His left hand flashed through seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Flames exploded from his hand. Akira stepped forward and slammed his fist straight into the earthen wall.
In the next instant, the wall shattered.
What terrified Nauma even more was that Akira's burning fist was already right in front of him. There was nowhere to dodge.
Boom!
"Pfft—!"
Nauma spat out blood as he was sent sliding several meters across the ground. He stared at Akira in shock.
He had never imagined that this boy's chakra would be so overwhelmingly dense.
…
Back when he was in the Sand Village, he had never encountered anyone with chakra this terrifying.
Taking a deep breath, Nauma forced himself to stand upright and looked at Akira.
"Good… very good! The shame of the Fire Capital may finally be washed away today!"
Although he felt wary, Nauma still believed he could kill Akira.
Akira narrowed his eyes as he studied him. Something felt off.
He soon realized what it was.
Nauma wasn't fighting him with the strength of his body alone.
At first glance, his body looked perfectly fine, but that wasn't the case.
Across his chest and abdomen was a vicious blade scar.
The wound itself was shallow, almost invisible on the skin's surface. Yet that scar had drastically weakened his strength.
"I see," Akira said lightly. "You're relying on ninja tools to make up the difference?"
"Heh."
Nauma grinned, baring sharp teeth.
"Your eyes are impressive, I'll give you that. But don't underestimate me. My real strength is far beyond yours. Those ninja tools are just scrap metal!"
"Heh."
Akira let out a cold laugh.
He stomped the ground with his right foot. Cracks instantly spread across the earth.
"Earth Release: Mountain-Crushing Landslide!"
Nauma's fingers moved rapidly through hand seals. A massive pressure surged forward as the ground beneath Akira suddenly collapsed.
Akira's body shot backward, carving a trench dozens of meters long across the ground.
"That was close."
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Looks like I need to deal with that technique first… otherwise this fight's going to drag on."
Nauma stared at him in disbelief.
He hadn't expected Akira to tank the Mountain-Crushing Landslide with nothing but brute force.
Before he could even process it, Akira's eyes suddenly turned sharp.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Sword!"
With a sweep of his hand, several slender stone blades burst out of the ground.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
All of them shot straight toward Nauma.
His reaction speed was excellent. He quickly raised an earth armor defense to block the attack.
But Akira didn't waste the opening.
He dashed to Nauma's flank and spun, delivering a vicious roundhouse kick that knocked him flat onto the ground.
Without hesitation, Akira stepped forward and planted his foot on Nauma's body, his expression ice-cold.
Nauma was crushed beneath his foot.
Humiliation flashed in his eyes.
He was an elite jonin, yet now he was being trampled like this. It was a complete disgrace to the Hidden Sand Village.
He clenched his teeth tightly. Sweat dripped down his forehead.
A low gurgling sound rose from his throat.
His body began to tremble.
Inside him, a strange chakra started spreading. A powerful surge of energy slowly gathered within his body.
Akira sensed the danger. His eyes grew serious, but he didn't stop.
Earth Release techniques continued to flow beneath his feet as he stomped down harder and harder on Nauma's body.
Gradually, Nauma's gaze cleared.
Madness filled his eyes.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
With a low roar, he spat out an enormous stone from his mouth.
The rock was dark yellow and covered in intricate patterns. Rings of runic markings circled its surface.
It looked almost alive.
Its tail whipped violently as it moved.
Then it shot toward Akira at terrifying speed.
This time, Nauma held nothing back.
Akira knew he would have to give everything he had to block it.
"..."
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