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Boom!!
The earth split apart.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Sarutobi Shinnosuke were exposed.
It had been Shinnosuke who tunneled beneath the plaza and rescued his father at the last second.
"Die!!"
A chakra greatsword formed in the purple skeletal hand and came crashing down.
Clang!!
Hiruzen summoned Enma in staff form to block. The impact still blasted him backward like a ragdoll.
"Father!!"
Shinnosuke roared, slamming his palms onto the ground.
Earth Release: Earth Dragon Spears!
Jagged earthen spikes burst upward toward Akira.
They didn't even scratch him.
With a flick of his finger—
Whoosh!
An air bullet shot forward.
Pop!!
Shinnosuke's head exploded. Blood sprayed. His headless body swayed, then collapsed.
"Shinnosuke!!!!"
Hiruzen's eyes nearly tore from their sockets. Something inside him snapped.
He charged, swinging Enma's staff wildly.
"Throwing your life away," Akira muttered.
The Susanoo arm smashed down.
Bang!!
Smoke burst outward.
A shadow clone.
"I've got you! Die, Uchiha Akira!"
Hiruzen's voice came from behind him.
"Forbidden Technique — Dead Demon Consuming Seal!!"
A chilling aura flooded the plaza. It felt like hell itself had opened a crack in the world.
Civilians fled instantly. Even most shinobi retreated. This level of battle wasn't for them.
Hiruzen laughed, unhinged.
"Come to hell with me!"
Behind him, the phantom image of the Shinigami appeared.
A ghostly arm burst from his body and plunged into Akira's chest.
Hiruzen's eyes gleamed with savage triumph.
"Did you think I had no way to deal with you? This is the Uzumaki clan's ultimate sealing technique — the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Once struck, your soul will be dragged into the Shinigami's stomach. Eternal damnation!"
"No matter how strong your body is, you can't defend against a soul attack! Hahaha!"
His expression twisted in agony. The Shinigami's arm tearing through his body wasn't painless.
But if he could trade one life for Akira's, it was worth it.
"I didn't want to use this… but you forced me!"
"Take his soul, Shinigami!!"
Because his soul was being seized, Akira could now see the Shinigami clearly.
Unhurried, he reached into his system space and pulled out a pair of blood-red gloves.
The Soul-Seizing Gloves.
He had obtained them some time ago. Finally, a chance to use them.
Perfect timing.
Let's see what this so-called god of death is worth.
Watching Akira calmly slip on the crimson gloves, Hiruzen sneered coldly.
"Thinking about resisting? Useless. That's the Reaper. He's a spirit—intangible. You can't even touch him, let alone fight back!"
But what happened next made Hiruzen's eyes bulge in shock.
Akira's right hand, clad in a blood-red glove, shot out and seized the Reaper's outstretched arm.
"T-That's impossible! It's a spirit! How can you touch it?!"
Hiruzen stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Th-That glove of yours?! Damn it… Since when did the ninja world have tools that can touch souls?!"
He gritted his teeth and roared, "It doesn't matter! The Reaper is invincible! He rules the underworld! He's not someone a mere mortal like you can defeat. Hand over your soul and accept your fate!"
"Want to rip out my soul? Ask my fists if they agree first."
Akira grabbed the Reaper's arm with both hands and yanked hard.
As the towering spirit was dragged closer, a savage grin spread across his face. His fists came crashing down again and again, hammering into the Reaper's body.
The Reaper opened his mouth and let out a shrill, agonized scream.
Truth be told, the Reaper wasn't that strong in direct combat. He was terrifying because almost no one in the ninja world had a way to interact with souls.
Now, with the soul-stealing glove letting him strike spiritual beings, Akira beat the Reaper mercilessly.
"T-This can't be real!!!"
Hiruzen's eyes were bloodshot as he watched the so-called ruler of the underworld get pummeled without the slightest chance to fight back. His entire worldview shattered.
This was the Reaper.
The sovereign of the netherworld.
How could he be beaten senseless by a human?
Boom!!!
With one final crushing punch, the Reaper's form scattered, torn apart by sheer force.
Whether he had been destroyed or forced back to the underworld, no one could tell.
Akira slipped off the glove and looked at the stunned Hiruzen with a cold grin.
"Old man. You're next."
He closed the distance in an instant and threw a punch.
"Ahhh! I will not go down without a fight!"
The sheer force of the blow snapped Hiruzen out of his daze. Roaring, he swung the Adamantine Staff—Enma transformed—toward Akira's fist.
Boom!!!
The staff bent grotesquely under the impact. It reverted to Enma's monkey form, but before he could say a word, he was forcibly sent back to the summoning realm.
As for Hiruzen, Enma could only think: good luck. Picking a fight with someone like Akira was his own doing.
With his staff gone, Hiruzen retreated at once, trying to widen the gap.
But how could he outrun Akira?
Akira was on him in a blink, another punch aimed straight at his chest.
At the last possible second, Hiruzen twisted his body, narrowly avoiding having his chest blown open.
The price—
His right shoulder exploded. His entire arm was pulverized and sent flying.
Blood sprayed everywhere. Hiruzen's face turned deathly pale.
Akira shifted from fist to palm and seized him by the throat, voice icy.
"Still struggling at a time like this? You want to live that badly?"
"Heh. I'm no coward afraid of death," Hiruzen rasped, eyes burning with resentment. "I just refuse to die at the hands of a despicable brat like you."
"What a shame. Anyone who dares lay a hand on the Uchiha only has one ending."
Akira tightened his grip, ready to crush his throat and finish it.
"Stop! Let go of the old man! Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
A furious shout split the air.
A shadow descended from above.
A long, pale leg packed with terrifying strength came crashing down onto the arm that held Hiruzen's neck.
Crack!!
The sound of bone fracturing rang out.
Tsunade sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back, landing in a half-crouch. She clutched her shin, staring at Akira in disbelief.
"What is your body made of?! That blow can shatter steel. And it did nothing to you. Instead, I'm the one injured. Is your body harder than steel?!"
"You dared to sneak attack me. Looking to die?"
Akira glanced at her coldly and lashed out with a lightning-fast kick aimed at her chest.
He had no intention of going easy. If someone attacked him, they'd better be ready to pay with their life.
Thud—
The kick was fast and vicious. Though Tsunade had been on guard, she clearly underestimated his speed.
Her chest was pierced clean through. A gaping, bloody hole appeared, blood pouring out endlessly.
Her face went as white as paper. Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Hemophobia.
"Not bad. As expected of someone with Senju blood. Your vitality is impressive. I wonder if you'd still survive with your head kicked off."
Expressionless, Akira whipped another kick toward her head.
The howling wind of the strike carried certain death. If it landed, her skull would shatter.
At the brink of death, Tsunade forced herself to overcome her fear of blood. She bent backward at an extreme angle, barely avoiding the blow.
It seemed nothing cures a mental block faster than imminent death.
But the violent movement worsened her already critical wound. Blood flowed as if it cost nothing.
"Tsunade!!! Hold on!"
Jiraiya, rushing in from afar, saw everything. His eyes turned red with fury as he roared and accelerated.
He could not let her die!
Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane!
In less than a breath, Jiraiya completed the seals. His white hair extended wildly, wrapping around Akira and binding him tightly.
Amenotejikara!
In an instant, Akira swapped places with a chunk of rubble in the distance—Hiruzen still in his grasp—and slipped free of the hair binding.
"Are you okay, Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked urgently, helping her up.
"Hah… This kind of injury is nothing to me."
Supported by Jiraiya, Tsunade exhaled, then formed hand seals and shouted:
"Yin Seal: Release!"
The diamond mark on her forehead spread apart, branching into black lines that extended across her pale face.
The seal broke. Immense chakra flooded her body.
At the same time, her wounds began healing at a visible rate.
The gaping hole in her chest closed rapidly, flesh knitting together until it looked as though she had never been injured.
The body was restored.
Her clothes, however—
"You're okay! That's my Tsunade! Big, fair, and unstoppable!"
Jiraiya blurted out, swallowing hard at the sight briefly revealed through the torn fabric.
Smack!
"Is this really the time, Jiraiya? The enemy's right in front of us and the old man's life is hanging by a thread, and you're thinking about that?!"
Tsunade punched him on the head, furious, while hastily adjusting her clothes.
"I couldn't help it! You're just too… impressive," Jiraiya muttered under his breath, rubbing his head.
He coughed, forced the image out of his mind, and turned serious as he faced Akira.
"Kid from the Uchiha clan, let the old man go. We're all shinobi of Konoha. Comrades from the same village. There's no need to kill each other. Whatever misunderstanding there is, we can sit down and talk it out."
Akira didn't answer. He glanced at the half-dead Hiruzen in his hand.
"So you called in reinforcements. No wonder you dared smear me like that earlier."
"I didn't smear you. I spoke the truth!" Hiruzen growled. "Release me. Tsunade and Jiraiya are not only powerful—they are heirs of Shikkotsu Forest and Mount Myoboku, the two great sacred lands! Those places have stood for a thousand years. They are not something you can afford to offend."
He knew full well that even Tsunade and Jiraiya probably weren't Akira's match. He could only hope the reputation of the two sacred lands would make Akira hesitate.
"Brat! Didn't you hear us? Let him go!" Tsunade shouted, furious.
"Fine. I'll let him go."
Akira nodded.
Relief flooded Hiruzen's heart. As expected—he still feared the two sacred lands.
Just as the joy of surviving washed over him—
Crack!!!
A sharp snap echoed.
Akira tightened his hand and crushed Hiruzen's throat.
Then he tossed the lifeless body at Tsunade and Jiraiya's feet.
"There. I let him go."
"Old man!!!"
Tsunade rushed forward. Green chakra glowed in her hands as she grabbed Hiruzen's broken neck, trying desperately to heal him.
But he was dead. Completely dead.
No medical ninjutsu could bring back the truly departed.
"You bastard! You actually killed him!"
Once she confirmed there was no pulse, Tsunade exploded in rage.
Yes, there had been rifts between her and Hiruzen. Yes, she had left the village over their disagreements.
But he had still been her teacher. The man who raised and taught her from childhood.
And now he lay dead in front of her.
She lost control.
Her foot slammed into the ground, cracking it apart. Like a cannonball, she shot toward Akira, appearing before him in an instant, fury blazing in her eyes.
"Monster Strength Punch!!!"
"You're dead! Pay for the old man's life!!"
Akira grinned wide. He didn't dodge. Didn't step back. He simply threw a punch of his own.
"In a contest of fists? I've never been afraid of anyone!"
Boom!!!
The two fists collided with a deafening blast, like a bomb detonating between them.
A violent shockwave tore outward. The ground split apart. Chunks of stone shot into the air.
Tsunade was sent flying, even faster than she had charged in, crashing through three residential buildings in a row.
At the same time, Akira was knocked back as well, skidding across the earth before forcing himself to a stop.
"Now that's interesting. You're the first person who's ever pushed me back head-on." He steadied himself and looked at Tsunade, who had already returned to the battlefield without a scratch. He licked his lips, eyes gleaming. "So this is the legendary Super Strength Technique. It lives up to the name."
"Tsunade, this is probably the first time you've ever lost in a pure strength contest, isn't it?"
Jiraiya spoke, but his eyes never left Akira for even a second. Against an opponent like this, he didn't dare relax.
Tsunade let out a long breath, her brows tightly knit.
"Yeah. Ever since I mastered my monstrous strength, I've never been beaten in raw power." She flexed her slightly numb hand, staring at Akira in confusion. "This brat looks sixteen, seventeen at most. No bulky build, no obvious muscle… So how the hell is there that much power packed inside him?"
She couldn't understand it. How could that seemingly ordinary body completely overwhelm her in strength?
"..."
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