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"Bang!"
The two fists collided, and a violent shockwave exploded outward. The surrounding houses and buildings were torn apart by the force.
The fighters were pushed apart.
Ringo Ameyuri staggered back several steps, barely keeping her balance.
Akira, on the other hand, stood exactly where he was, unmoving. His expression didn't change at all.
"You actually dared to take my attack head-on. I have to admit… that's surprising."
Clutching her aching chest, Ringo Ameyuri glared at him with dark, hostile eyes.
"You're not bad either," she said coldly. "You took my hit directly and didn't suffer any damage at all."
Akira stared back at her, genuine surprise flickering in his eyes. He hadn't expected her to possess this level of strength.
"But…"
His voice turned icy.
"Since you refuse to surrender, I'll have no choice but to defeat you. Or kill you."
"Is that so?"
Ringo Ameyuri's voice was still dripping with disdain.
"Whoosh—"
Akira spread his wings again and dove straight toward her from the air.
Ringo Ameyuri narrowed her eyes. Her aura surged violently, and masses of sand the size of cooking pots began appearing around her.
The sand rapidly gathered together, wrapping around her body and forming a protective sphere.
"Hah!"
Akira shouted coldly.
"Boom!"
His fist slammed into the sand sphere surrounding her, the impact sending destructive shockwaves through everything nearby.
"Hm?"
Akira frowned.
That layer of sand had actually blocked his attack.
But—
"Break!"
A massive surge of chakra gathered around his fist. In the next instant, the sand barrier shattered into powder, revealing Ringo Ameyuri inside.
"Rumble—!"
Lightning cracked across the sky as Akira raised his fist high and smashed it down toward her.
Facing such an overwhelming attack, Ringo Ameyuri showed no fear. She closed her eyes calmly, waiting until the attack was right upon her before opening them again.
"Boom!"
The impact felt like being struck by a cannonball. Her body was blasted sideways, flying through the air before crashing into a river in the distance.
Ringo Ameyuri struggled to push herself up. She spat out dirty river water and slowly looked up at the sky.
Night had fallen.
Dark clouds covered the moon, and in the pitch-black darkness, Akira stood proudly on the riverbank.
His cold gaze swept across the area. He could sense Ringo Ameyuri's chakra weakening more and more. It seemed she had finally been knocked down.
"Heh… you really are a monster."
Ringo Ameyuri laughed bitterly.
"If my strength hadn't been just a little higher than yours, you probably would've killed me already."
"But it doesn't matter. The ending will be the same anyway."
"I'm already tired of living. But don't think you're walking away alive either. Even if I have to fight to the death today, I won't let you harm anyone in our village!"
Her aura suddenly changed.
A powerful pressure erupted from her body. She looked like a razor-sharp sword now, aimed straight at Akira's heart.
"Hmph."
Akira snorted.
He noticed the change in her immediately, but there was no fear in his eyes. He was confident he could still kill her.
With a flick of his wrist, a kunai appeared in his hand.
He hurled it forward.
The kunai flashed like a streak of white light as it shot straight toward Ringo Ameyuri.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Several more kunai followed, flying from different angles and sealing off all her escape routes.
Ringo Ameyuri clenched her teeth and brought her hands together.
A shield suddenly materialized in front of her.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Every kunai slammed into the shield, yet not even a scratch appeared on its surface.
Akira's expression turned serious.
He realized Ringo Ameyuri had already undergone some kind of transformation. He would have to go all out now.
"Flame Technique!"
Blazing fire ignited in his hand as he thrust his palm toward her.
"Wind Pressure!"
Ringo Ameyuri responded instantly, summoning a powerful whirlwind.
The two forces collided.
Violent gusts exploded outward, tearing through the surrounding area. Wooden beams snapped, trees were ripped out of the ground, and debris flew everywhere. The scene was terrifying.
"Crack—"
Both Akira and Ringo Ameyuri were forced to step back several paces.
They stared at each other, hostility thick in the air.
"This time… I won't fail again."
Akira fixed his eyes on her.
"And I'm definitely not letting you go!"
Ringo Ameyuri growled through clenched teeth.
His words only fueled her anger. She had no intention of giving up.
The two clashed again, trading blows while constantly searching for openings—each waiting for the chance to deliver a fatal strike.
"Haah… haah…"
Akira breathed heavily. The battle had taken a toll on him.
He rolled his neck to loosen it, then looked toward Ringo Ameyuri in the distance.
She looked battered and miserable now.
But she was still alive.
"This can't drag on any longer. I have to finish her quickly."
Akira muttered to himself.
He gathered chakra again, pushing his body to the limit. His speed shot to its peak, his feet leaving shallow craters in the ground as he launched forward.
"Whoosh—"
Akira leapt into the air. The ninja blade in his hand carved a sharp arc as he slashed toward Ringo Ameyuri.
Her pupils shrank to pinpoints.
The attack was too fast. She couldn't react in time.
Yet a faint smile curled at the corner of her lips.
"Akira… did you really think I'd just stand here and wait to die?"
Her left hand pressed against her waist.
Seeing this, Akira immediately dropped downward, barely avoiding whatever she was about to unleash.
He steadied himself mid-air, his face cold as ice. Flames burst to life along his right arm as he aimed straight for Ringo Ameyuri's abdomen.
That was her weakest point.
"Splatter—!"
Suddenly, Ringo Ameyuri's abdomen burst open.
Blood spilled out instantly.
"Ugh—"
A pained groan escaped Ringo Ameyuri's lips.
"How is this possible? You actually tore open my stomach? That can't be right!"
She could hardly believe it. The injury to her abdomen was even worse than before.
"Heh. Something like that isn't enough to kill you," Akira said with a slight curl of his lips. "I'm pretty strong, you know."
"Bastard!"
Ringo Ameyuri roared. She kicked off the ground and shot into the air.
Both legs began whipping rapidly through the air, stirring up violent gusts of wind. Her body spun at high speed like a top as she rushed straight toward Akira.
Each kick stirred up a powerful gale. If one of those blows connected, even if it didn't explode someone's organs, it would definitely shatter bones.
But Akira was an elite jōnin-level fighter. Even with Ringo Ameyuri going all out, he could still barely hold his ground.
His eyes sharpened.
Seizing an opening, he spread his arms slightly and dropped into a half-crouch, bending his knees to gather strength.
"Earth Style: Great Dragon Bullet!"
"Pfft—!"
A massive dragon-shaped projectile shot out from between his legs and blasted toward Ringo Ameyuri with terrifying force.
Her pupils shrank.
She had no choice but to abandon her pursuit and dodge.
"BOOM—!"
"Crash—!"
Dust exploded into the air as the ground split apart.
The dragon bullet's power was terrifying. Even a small tree would have been blown to pieces by that attack.
Forced back, Ringo Ameyuri finally stopped.
Her figure slowly emerged from the settling dust. Her clothes had long since been torn apart, leaving her shapely body exposed to the air.
She pressed her lips together tightly. Sweat covered her face, and her body trembled slightly. That last attack had clearly done serious damage.
Akira didn't chase her immediately. Instead, he watched her cautiously.
That previous move of hers had been dangerous. If his reaction had been any slower, he might have been seriously injured.
"Cough… cough…"
Ringo Ameyuri clutched her chest and coughed softly.
"No matter what, I have to take you down."
Akira narrowed his eyes. He knew this girl was anything but ordinary.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Suddenly, Ringo Ameyuri unleashed a wide-area wind technique that instantly swallowed Akira.
She had no intention of giving him even the slightest chance. Even if she had to fight while injured, she would press the attack. Over the years, she had endured far too much hardship.
Akira felt the air currents surge around him. He immediately raised a chakra barrier, blocking the wind technique.
The moment it was stopped, Ringo Ameyuri's lips curled in satisfaction.
In the blink of an eye, she flashed in front of him and lashed out with a whip kick aimed at his face.
Akira raised his arm and blocked the strike, but she had no intention of stopping there. Borrowing the momentum, she lifted her other leg high.
Akira sensed her intention.
He stepped back and suddenly leapt upward, narrowly avoiding the next blow.
"Whoosh!"
The instant he moved, her foot slammed down exactly where he had been standing.
"Thud!"
A sharp, piercing pain shot through the sole of Akira's foot.
"Tch—"
He frowned. A deep footprint had been stamped into the ground where he had stood.
Akira clenched his fists. The muscles in his body ached terribly. That stomp had clearly caused serious damage to his foot.
Glancing at Ringo Ameyuri's hands, he cursed inwardly.
Damn it.
"Lightning Spear!"
He condensed a large amount of chakra, shaping it into a long spear of lightning before thrusting it straight toward Ringo Ameyuri.
"Water Style: Chidori!"
She didn't hesitate either. Gathering a huge amount of chakra, she unleashed a powerful water cannon to collide head-on with the lightning spear.
The moment the two attacks met, a violent shockwave exploded outward. Leaves were blasted into the air, while shorter trees nearby collapsed and crumbled into dust.
"Hmph!"
Akira snorted coldly. Gripping the spear tightly with both hands, he thrust forward again. This time the lightning spear was thicker and packed with even more destructive power.
He used this move because the previous clash had already taken a toll on his body.
Besides… Ringo Ameyuri had to be nearing her limit too.
"Water Style: Waterfall Turbulence!"
She responded with another secret water technique. A towering column of water surged into the sky, blocking the incoming spear.
"Just as expected from Ringo Ameyuri," Akira muttered in a low voice.
"BOOM!"
After a brief stalemate, Akira's body suddenly shook. The rushing water forced him back several meters, nearly knocking him to the ground.
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Hahaha!"
Ringo Ameyuri burst into wild laughter.
"Ringo Ameyuri!"
Akira wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with determination.
"You've already lost, Akira!" she shouted. "This time, you're definitely going down!"
She launched another fierce attack.
Her figure flickered like a ghost as she appeared beside him and slammed her elbow into his chest.
Akira groaned and staggered back several steps.
"Bang!"
She followed up with a brutal kick to his abdomen.
"Cough—!"
Akira spat out another mouthful of blood.
"Is that all you've got?" she sneered coldly.
Large spheres of chakra began gathering in her hands.
"This is my ultimate killing move."
"Don't underestimate it. It's powerful enough to flatten an entire hill."
"You forced me to do this!"
"Water Style: Giant Stone Fragment Barrage!"
As her words fell, countless stone fragments shot out with the water flow and rained down toward Akira.
Grinding his teeth, he forced himself to stay upright. His hands flew through hand seals as he muttered the incantation.
"Raikiri… Secret Art… Super Gravity Field!"
His hands clapped together.
A blue-white ring of light appeared, rapidly expanding until it stretched several meters wide.
The moment Ringo Ameyuri's water attacks struck the ring, they were sucked inside and crushed into countless fragments of powder.
"That technique's pretty impressive," Akira said while catching his breath as he stood up again. "But it still needs a little more work."
Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead. That move had consumed an enormous amount of chakra.
"Hm? You recovered that quickly? What a troublesome opponent."
A ferocious glint appeared in Ringo Ameyuri's eyes.
Her body began to swell.
"You're trying to get yourself killed!" Akira shouted angrily when he saw it.
What she was doing was basically suicide. They couldn't allow an enemy to pull something like that off. She had to be stopped.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Suddenly, countless water blades burst from Ringo Ameyuri's body, weaving together into a massive net that sealed off all of Akira's escape routes.
"This is bad…"
Akira's expression darkened. The area covered by the water blades was far too large.
"Crackle! Crackle!"
His hands moved rapidly as one lightning spear after another shot out, piercing through the incoming blades.
He didn't dare stay any longer.
Turning around, he ran.
"Trying to escape? Heh. Not happening."
Ringo Ameyuri formed another set of hand seals. Water droplets burst from her body like countless sparks.
"Chidori!"
Gathering immense water-style chakra, she hurled the attack straight at Akira.
Akira's face darkened.
He hadn't expected her to pull something so underhanded. Immediately, he accelerated, trying to shake off the water droplets clinging to him.
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion erupted behind him.
The entire forest seemed to tremble as a mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
When the smoke finally cleared, Akira's face was pale.
Although he had avoided the direct hit, the shockwaves from Ringo Ameyuri's attack had still slammed into him.
He looked down at himself. His clothes were shredded, and it wasn't just the fabric. Several of his ribs had been broken.
But that wasn't what worried him right now.
"Crap… did Ringo Ameyuri just kill herself?"
Akira stared in shock toward the area ahead and to his left.
"..."
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