"Duo Chuan Haimeng… nice name."
Isamu watched her leave, a faint, self-mocking smile tugging at his lips.
"But I'm not the type to stay in one place."
Just then, the system notification rang out.
[Ding! Kill Kato Tsuru. Reward: 150,000 points. Failure consequences remain unchanged.]
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Isamu muttered. "You just want me dead if I fail, right?"
Still…
150,000 points… that's enough to exchange for the Seven-Tails, Chōmei.
"So that's your game," he said with a smirk. "You want me to collect all the Tailed Beasts."
"Fine. I'll play along—for now."
---
Three days later, near the border of the Land of Fire—
One man fled.
One man chased.
And the distance between them kept shrinking.
"Kato Tsuru!" Isamu called out, his voice cutting through the wind. "Stop running and surrender. You're not getting away."
Kato Tsuru let out a sharp laugh without slowing down.
"The so-called 'Asura of the Ninja World,' Uchiha Isamu? Not so impressive." He darted through the trees at high speed. "Once I cross the border, my allies will meet me. If you've got the ability, try and stop me!"
Isamu's eyes narrowed.
"You really think I can't catch you?" he said coldly. "I've got a hundred ways to bring you down."
His hands flashed through a series of seals.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
A barrage of fireballs shot forward, weaving unpredictably through the trees.
"Hah! That's it?" Kato Tsuru dodged effortlessly, leaping from branch to branch. "Tiny tricks like this won't—"
"Then try something bigger."
Isamu's expression hardened.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"
Four massive dragon-headed flames roared to life, tearing through the forest as they surged toward Kato Tsuru.
"Damn it—!"
Kato Tsuru's expression changed instantly.
"Lightning Release Armor!"
Lightning erupted around his body, amplifying his speed to the limit as he shot forward like a bolt of light.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fire dragons smashed into the forest behind him, exploding violently.
Kato Tsuru exhaled sharply. "That was clo—"
A distortion rippled through the air around him.
"What—?!"
A swirling spatial vortex formed, twisting space itself around his body.
"Ahhh—!"
He unleashed everything he had, forcing his way out with sheer power—
—but not completely.
Rip.
His legs were torn away.
Thud!
He crashed to the ground.
---
Isamu landed lightly nearby, watching him with a slight frown.
"…Only took his legs."
He shook his head. "Kamui really isn't ideal against high-speed targets."
Then he walked forward calmly.
"I told you," Isamu said, looking down at him. "I have plenty of ways to catch you."
Kato Tsuru's face was pale, blood pouring from the severed ends of his legs—but he didn't scream.
"I miscalculated," he admitted coldly. "Didn't expect long-range space ninjutsu."
He met Isamu's gaze.
"Do what you want."
Isamu's eyes sharpened slightly.
Something's off…
This wasn't the reaction of a man who had just lost.
Still, he didn't hesitate.
"Fine," Isamu said. "I'll make it quick."
He activated Kamui defensively, gripping his blade as he stepped forward.
But just as he moved—
"Regeneration!"
Flesh surged and reformed.
In an instant, Kato Tsuru's legs regenerated completely.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Strike!"
Crackling lightning gathered in his hand as he lunged forward.
"Got you!"
---
His strike pierced straight through Isamu's chest.
…or so it seemed.
Kato Tsuru froze.
His hand had passed right through.
"So that's your plan," Isamu's voice came from behind him.
Kato Tsuru spun around, eyes wide.
"How is that possible?! I hit you!"
"I was intangible," Isamu replied calmly. "You almost had me."
But now—
there was no trace of calm in his eyes.
"Regeneration, stolen techniques… interesting."
Kato Tsuru smirked.
"You should thank your own Land of Fire," he said. "I got that regeneration technique after wiping out a small village."
"Side effects are nasty, but it's perfect when it counts."
He chuckled darkly.
"I took everything. Their techniques… their lives…"
"The looks on their faces—"
That was as far as he got.
---
Isamu moved.
No hesitation.
No warning.
"Flame Release: Chidori!"
Black flames of Amaterasu fused with lightning, forming a crackling, jet-black blade in his hand.
In a single instant—
he was in front of Kato Tsuru.
Pierce.
The black Chidori drove straight through his heart.
---
"Pff—!"
Kato Tsuru coughed up blood, eyes wide with disbelief.
"You… when did you—"
"Stealing techniques is one thing," Isamu said coldly. "Killing is nothing new in this world."
"But wiping out an entire village?"
His voice dropped.
"Do human lives mean nothing to you?"
Kato Tsuru laughed weakly, blood spilling from his lips.
"…You don't get to say that."
His gaze locked onto Isamu.
"You attacked Iwagakure. How many people did you kill?"
"You have no right… to judge me…"
With that, his body went limp.
---
Isamu pulled his hand free.
The corpse hit the ground.
Silence returned to the forest.
For a moment… Isamu didn't move.
"…Was I wrong?"
He stared at the body.
"Was attacking Iwagakure just… pointless slaughter?"
The question lingered.
Ten minutes passed.
Then—
he exhaled.
"Wrong?"
A cold smile formed on his lips.
"In this world, strength decides everything."
"I killed because I could."
"And you…"
He looked down at Kato Tsuru's corpse.
"…were too weak to matter."
---
"Amaterasu."
Black flames ignited instantly.
Within seconds, the body was reduced to ash.
Nothing remained.
----------------_-_-_------------------
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