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He wanted to beg for mercy, but the pain in his throat made even speaking impossible.
Akira pulled his hands back with a cold sneer. There wasn't a trace of pity in his eyes.
Over the past few days, he had faced far too many enemies.
His hands were stained with blotches of dried blood. None of it was his.
"Hmph. A bunch of idiots. You'll never understand what loyalty really means," Akira said coldly."You think what you're doing is right? No. All you're doing is pushing the Daimyo to his death."
With that, he turned and walked away, not even glancing at the bodies behind him.
When he reached the gates of the Daimyo's residence, a man stood waiting there with a sword in hand.
The man was none other than the strongest samurai in the ninja world—Genbu.
Without a word, Genbu drew his long blade and charged straight at Akira.
Seeing the attack, Akira's brow creased slightly, but his composure quickly returned.
He slammed his right foot against the ground and used the rebound to launch himself backward like an arrow.
The spot where he had been standing split clean in half under Genbu's strike.
Gasps erupted from the nearby townsfolk.
"Incredible!"
"Lord Genbu is amazing!"
Hearing the praise from the crowd, a hint of pride appeared on Genbu's face. But it quickly faded as he focused on Akira again.
From the movement and speed Akira had just shown, Genbu could already tell.
This opponent was stronger than him.
"Akira-kun, don't disappoint me," Genbu said.
Gripping his sword tighter, he rushed forward again.
His body moved like a ghost, each strike precisely targeting the openings in Akira's evasive steps, forcing him into difficult defenses.
His style was bizarre. Sometimes fast and ruthless, sometimes soft and flowing, sometimes twisting at strange angles that were almost impossible to predict.
But Akira was no amateur.
With a sudden burst of strength in his legs, he leapt into the air.
His palms came together as he unleashed a powerful strike.
This was Iron Mountain Crash, one of Akira's trump cards.
The force behind it was terrifying.
Feeling the violent gust of power rushing toward him, Genbu's pupils shrank. He immediately leapt backward.
But just as he turned to retreat, a sweeping leg suddenly smashed into his blade.
Clang!
The long sword shattered instantly.
With a loud crash, Genbu was thrown to the ground, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"Cough…"
He struggled to his feet and wiped the blood away.
Looking at Akira, he gave a bitter smile.
"Your strength really is unfathomable, Akira-kun. If this keeps up, we might still be fighting when the sun comes up…"
Akira snorted.
"Then you already know how this ends. Just surrender now. Otherwise, innocent people might get caught up in it."
"Heh."
Genbu sighed softly and raised what remained of his weapon.
"If that's the case… Akira-kun, I'll have to offend you."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he launched another attack, even faster than before.
In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Akira.
His blade flashed with icy light, as if it could slice the world apart.
His figure shifted constantly, unpredictable and swift.
Every strike was vicious, leaving no path for survival.
Akira remained calm, moving as though everything was under control.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The two clashed repeatedly, explosions echoing around them.
"Hah!"
"Slash!"
At last they collided head-on again. Genbu roared as silver light burst from his blade.
He aimed straight for Akira's neck.
And yet—
Akira didn't dodge.
He took the strike head-on.
Clang.
Sparks flew as the crisp sound rang through the street.
Genbu froze.
"What…?"
He stared at Akira in disbelief.
According to his expectations, Akira's clothes should have been torn open and his neck badly wounded.
But there wasn't even a scratch.
Aside from a slight tear in his clothing, Akira's skin was completely unharmed.
Even with strong defenses, taking his ultimate move Demon Slash should have caused some damage.
But nothing had happened.
"Genbu-kun. Good match."
Akira glanced at him indifferently.
Then his figure vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already behind Genbu.
"Death Thrust!"
A sharp whistle cut through the air as Akira's right foot pushed off the ground and his body shot forward like a cannonball.
"Watch your back!"
Genbu's face changed drastically as he shouted a warning.
But it was too late.
Akira's fist had already reached his back.
Reacting instantly, Genbu stomped hard and darted sideways.
At that exact moment, Akira's punch struck the ground where he had been standing.
The solid stone pavement shattered, leaving a deep crater.
Seeing that power, Genbu's expression grew even more serious.
He rushed forward, trying to close the distance and find another opportunity.
But before he could take more than a few steps, Akira was already on him like a shadow.
"Damn it."
Genbu cursed under his breath and raised his guard.
Boom!
Crash!
After several exchanges, Genbu began to lose ground.
Finally, Akira's fist slammed into his shoulder and sent him flying.
"Pfft—!"
Genbu spat out a mouthful of blood and barely managed to stand again.
He stared at Akira, unwilling to accept defeat.
"I never thought… I'd lose to you."
"You're strong," Akira replied calmly.
"But I'm not satisfied," Genbu said through clenched teeth.
"Not satisfied?"
Akira raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on his shoulder.
A surge of powerful chakra poured into Genbu's body.
"Huh?"
Genbu trembled violently.
A buzzing filled his head, as if something were echoing in his ears.
Moments later, when he opened his eyes again, they were filled with shock.
"This… this is…"
He tried to speak, but his throat had gone dry.
No sound came out.
Meanwhile, the aura around him began rising at an unbelievable speed.
"You… what did you do?" he finally forced out.
"You don't need to know."
Akira looked at him coldly.
Then he gripped the hilt of his sword and pulled it free.
The blade shot forward like a meteor under his control.
Whoosh!
The sword tore through the air with a piercing cry.
"Aaaah!"
Genbu screamed as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest.
A horrifying hole had been blasted through his left chest, piercing straight through his body.
Blood poured out, quickly staining the ground red.
"Captain Genbu!"
The surrounding samurai cried out in shock.
Drawing their spears, they pointed them at Akira and roared in anger.
"You bastard! How dare you hurt our captain!"
At that moment, Akira's figure blurred into afterimages and rushed toward them.
He was simply too fast.
No one could follow his movements.
The next second, he appeared in the center of the group, gripping a soldier by the throat.
"If you want to save Genbu," he said coldly, "come at me."
The samurai swallowed nervously, their steps slowing.
"Don't listen to him! He's alone. We attack together!"
Encouraged by their companion, they drew their short blades and charged.
A strange smile curled on Akira's lips.
His body suddenly dissolved into a streak of shadow.
Whoosh.
Thud!
In the next instant he appeared behind another warrior, grabbed him by the collar, and hurled him away.
Boom!
Two bodies slammed into the ground, blood spraying everywhere.
"Bastard!"
"Kill him!"
The remaining samurai roared and charged again with their spears.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Facing multiple spear attacks, Akira advanced instead of retreating.
His wrist turned smoothly, the sharp katana in his hand moving like a living creature, gleaming with cold steel.
Every strike he made knocked an enemy away with ease.
No matter where their spears came from, a blade always seemed to appear in Akira's hand to intercept it.
Slash!
One sweeping strike cut a samurai's arm clean off.
A thin white line appeared across the man's abdomen.
A moment later, blood burst from the long gash.
Thud.
He collapsed face-up, lifeless.
"Damn you!!"
The others grew even more furious and rushed him again.
But the result was the same.
Each time Akira moved, another warrior fell like a toppled wooden post.
In less than thirty seconds, not a single samurai remained standing.
Every one of them lay dead.
Akira narrowed his eyes.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
A massive surge of water roared into existence.
Towering waves rolled through the air, colliding with the flying sand and forming a huge wall of water that shot toward the sky.
Seeing this, Kazuma sneered.
"That's it? You think that makes you a genius?"
He formed another set of hand seals.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent gale swept across the battlefield.
Akira suddenly felt as if invisible chains had wrapped around his body, locking him in place.
Kazuma's face was dark with anger.
The type of person he hated most was this kind of so-called prodigy. Especially arrogant fools who thought they were above everyone else.
"Die!"
He pointed directly at Akira.
"Rasengan!"
Boom!
A powerful gust of wind swept through the entire area, lifting everything into the air. Chunks of broken stone rained down one after another, and Akira's voice vanished completely.
"Hah… useless trash. Just as disappointing as I expected…" Kazuma let out a relieved breath.
But in the next moment, the sound of footsteps echoed.
Kazuma's pupils shrank instantly."What's going on? I clearly killed him just now!"
He hurriedly looked up—and the familiar face came into view.
Kazuma's face turned pale."Impossible! How are you still alive?!"
A faint smile curled at the corner of Akira's lips as he stepped forward with his right foot.
"You're wondering… why I didn't die?"
The moment the words left his mouth, a sharp surge of chakra shot straight toward Kazuma's heart.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A massive column of water, nearly a hundred meters long, burst out behind Akira.
It slammed directly into Kazuma's chest, instantly soaking his clothes and knocking him flat onto the ground.
"You bastard! I'll kill you!" Kazuma roared.
His hands moved rapidly through hand seals.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Technique!"
The searing heat made Akira's brows tighten slightly. He didn't dare underestimate it and immediately responded.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Two massive water spheres collided midair and exploded, bursting into countless droplets that rained down from the sky.
"Damn it… this guy's way too troublesome. I have to finish him now!"
Kazuma gritted his teeth and formed another series of hand seals.
"Earth Style: Rock Collapse Technique!"
As his incantation rang out, a massive hill rose from the ground and crashed toward Akira.
"Hmph. Cheap tricks."
Akira sneered and flicked his wrist.
"Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
Whoosh!
A half-meter-long black kunai appeared in Akira's hand. With a single swing, it sliced straight through the towering mass of rock.
"How is that possible…" Kazuma's eyes widened in disbelief."Even a mountain can't stop you?!"
Akira gripped the kunai with both hands.
"With something this pathetic, you think you can block me? Break!"
He hurled the kunai with all his strength. It shot forward like a bullet, piercing straight through the giant mound of rock and continuing its deadly path.
"You damn bastard!"
Kazuma's face filled with panic as he tried to dodge, but he was a split second too late.
Slash!
A streak of blood tore from his shoulder down to his waist. The intense pain caused beads of sweat to burst across his forehead.
"You… damn you…"
Kazuma's expression twisted with rage.
At that moment, Akira suddenly vanished from where he stood.
Kazuma's heart skipped a beat.
"Not good!"
He spun around instantly—only to find Akira already standing right in front of him.
"Earth Release: Rock Spike!"
Kazuma reacted quickly, forming hand seals at lightning speed.
Thud!
A kunai pierced straight through Kazuma's abdomen. Bright red blood gushed from the wound.
His body froze where he stood, his hands still locked in the half-finished hand seal.
"Captain Kazuma!!"
Shocked cries erupted from the people in the distance.
"Hahaha!"
Akira burst into wild laughter as he looked at Kazuma.
"You think someone like you could kill me?"
"In your dreams!" Kazuma spat, his face ashen.
"Hm?" Akira frowned."In that case… I'll send you to the King of Hell first!"
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!" Kazuma rapidly formed hand seals again."Exploding Rock Spear Technique!"
BOOM!!!!
The soil around Kazuma instantly hardened into solid rock. Then countless chunks of mud surged toward Akira from every direction.
Akira crossed his arms to block, but quickly realized these hardened stones carried terrifying force. They pushed him backward again and again.
"Damn it!"
Akira's eyes turned icy as he pushed off the ground and retreated.
"Heh… still refusing to give up?" Kazuma grinned, revealing a chilling row of teeth.
Right then, Akira suddenly stopped retreating.
His left hand slammed downward.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
BOOM!!!!!
A massive blaze shot skyward, swallowing Kazuma in a sea of flames.
"Ugh…"
Kazuma groaned as he felt the scorching heat engulf him.
But he still struggled to his feet. He knew an attack of this level couldn't truly defeat him.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Akira gathered another blazing fireball and rushed toward Kazuma.
"You damn brat!"
Kazuma gritted his teeth. He had no idea why Akira had suddenly become so powerful, but now clearly wasn't the time to dwell on it.
His hands flew through hand seals again.
"Earth Release: Earthquake Technique!"
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!!
The ground began to shake violently, and Akira's body staggered under the impact.
"What's going on?!"
Confusion flashed through Akira's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
"No time to think!"
His eyes sharpened.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
A massive wave of flames burst from Akira's mouth, scorching the ground and extinguishing the burning terrain. Taking advantage of the moment, he leapt out of the battle zone, escaping Kazuma's range.
"Damn you!"
Kazuma burned with humiliation and fury. But after glancing at his crippled limbs, he sighed heavily.
"Fine… today's humiliation will be repaid tenfold in the future."
He took a deep breath and gathered his chakra.
"Earth Release: Great Rock Wall Technique!"
The ground bulged upward, and within the blink of an eye a thick stone wall rose up, completely enclosing Kazuma inside.
Akira raised an eyebrow.
So the guy did have some skill after all.
But so what?
Akira released a massive surge of water that wrapped around his body, guiding it to gather together.
"Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
"..."
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