Crackle... zap...
Pale blue lightning flickered and danced across his body. Beneath the arcing sparks, Akahi's face remained clouded with hesitation.
He frowned and demanded, "Brat... who exactly are you?"
A Jōnin at three years old? It was unheard of!
Wait... there was supposed to be a peerless genius in Konoha named Aoi.
But that kid was rumored to have died during the war with the Sand Village...
"Does it matter who I am?" Aoi scoffed, curling his lip.
"Or is it that you, the mighty Akahi, Demon of the Ghost Trident, are actually afraid of a three-year-old child?"
A provocation...
It was an old, tired trick, but Akahi had no choice but to take the bait.
Nearly a hundred subordinates were watching him right now. If he backed down here, the story would spread: The great Akahi was scared off by a toddler.
After that, how could he ever command respect or authority again?
"You really have a death wish, you little brat!" Akahi ground his teeth furiously. He slammed his tridents together, creating two eerie streaks of sparks.
"If you insist on throwing your life away, don't blame me for what happens next."
"Die!"
He thrust forward with deadly speed. Aoi simply shifted the Kusanagi blade lightly, blocking the first trident with effortless ease.
Akahi's eyes widened in shock as their gazes met. How is this possible? Just moments ago, he was barely managing to defend against this very move!
But there was no time to dwell on it. Akahi gritted his teeth and stuck to his signature pattern: the two tridents attacked in sequence — the first was a feint, meant to distract, while the second was the true, killing blow!
CLANG!
The Space–Time Kunai collided violently with the trident. Sparks showered as two immense forces met between the blades, locking together in a struggle for dominance.
They were perfectly matched!
Neither force could overpower the other, and neither combatant could gain an advantage...
"Impossible..."
Shock filled Akahi's aged eyes. In such a short time, he has increased his strength to equal mine?!
What terrified him even more was that faint arcs of electricity were traveling down the metal weapons and into his body.
In just this brief moment, nearly half of his arm had already gone numb...
If this stalemate continued, he would lose.
Realizing this, Akahi decisively withdrew his weapons and leaped back, retreating behind the ranks of his men.
Witnessing this, the samurai and shinobi alike stared in disbelief. How? Lord Akahi actually retreated?
"Don't tell me... Lord Akahi can't even beat a three-year-old kid?"
"No, that can't be! He's just holding back because he doesn't want to hurt him!"
"Hah! Since when has Lord Akahi ever been a merciful shinobi?"
Discordant whispers began to spread through the ranks — doubts, attempts to defend him, and mocking laughter...
"What? Is that all you've got?"
Aoi looked at Akahi with keen anticipation. This was his first real battle since leaving the training world, and it served as a perfect benchmark to clearly measure his own current strength.
Mission Triggered: The Battle of Verification.
Mission Details: A shinobi who possesses power is not yet a true strong man. Only a shinobi who clearly understands exactly how much power they hold is qualified to be called strong.
Analyze yourself. Know yourself!
Mission Reward: 1 High–Grade Treasure Chest; Character Scroll: Akahi.
Typical System behavior... Aoi thought. Even if I just think about testing my strength, you immediately turn it into a formal mission.
But this meant only one thing for Akahi... he was in for a hard time.
It seemed this fight was going to drag on for a while longer!
"Akahi... I've barely used a fraction of my power, and you already can't keep up?" Aoi sneered dismissively.
"I guess the nickname 'Old Man Pitchfork' really does suit you perfectly!"
"I WILL KILL YOU!"
Akahi shrieked in absolute rage. He waved his tridents wildly as a massive surge of chakra exploded from his body.
"Nin–Taijutsu: Dual Trident Asura!"
__________________
For more advance chapters visit patreon.com/bars45.
For 10$- All advance chapters.
"Schedule"
Monday - Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day
Saturday - Sunday - Off