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Chapter 198 - Chapter 198: The Hunt Part 10

Shisui POV

I was collapsed on the ground and in very bad shape, my muscles overstrained. My chakra network was so damaged from the clash of the seals that performing ninjutsu would be difficult without relying on my Mangekyo Sharingan to guide it. My vision was already blurry from the overexertion of my dojutsu. Even if I survived this battle, permanent damage had already been done to my sight. My chakra was still heavily sealed, the hostile augmented seal tightening around me and leaving me as an easy target. The real enemy would most likely strike now, and I was proven right.

"You are very powerful indeed. Your eyes are incredible. To kill two elite jonin that easily with one technique speaks volumes of your ability and dedication. They will serve me well." My eyes widened in horror as the man with a hawk mask and a distorted voice walked slowly toward me with deliberate, careful steps, scanning the area for any hidden trap. I could tell that he was old, experienced, and overly cautious. I asked "who are you really? Knowledge of a seal like the ANBU seal is kept very closely."

The man replied, "Why does it matter? You will die soon enough after I take your eyes and perform the experiments I need on you."

I tried to move, but the seal's chakra suppression was too strong and my muscles were locked. If it was not for the genjutsu I cast on myself, I would probably be writhing on the ground from pain.

"You did good, now rest," he said as he stretched his hand toward my left eye, his full focus locked on his next action.

A sharp whistle tore across the clearing.

Before either of us could react, a long spear shot past me from behind, slicing through the air like a bolt. Hawk wrapped himself in wind at the last possible moment, his body blurring as he shifted aside with startling speed. The weapon skimmed past my cheek so close I felt the sting of air on my skin.

But he had been too focused on my eyes. That tiny moment of obsession slowed him just enough.

The spear clipped his arm with a harsh crack, and lightning surged through him in a violent burst. His body jerked uncontrollably as the current tore through his muscles, flinging him toward the ground. He caught himself inches before impact, wind surging upward in a desperate roar as he forced his hands into a series of seals.

Noa blinked to my side with tremendous speed. He slapped a scroll onto the ground and pressed both hands to it, releasing an incredible amount of lightning chakra into the formula. A lightning barrier rose around us as vacuum bullets began to bombard it, the impacts destabilizing the barrier fast.

Noa looked at me with a strained smile. "Sensei, good thing I made it on time." He pressed his hand to my shoulder where the hostile seal was located. "Sorry I took too much time."

I shook my head. "You should not have come back. This is too dangerous."

He sighed. "I will not let another sensei die on me."

I bit my lip, remembering what had happened to Daiken. Noa continued, "Sensei, this barrier will not hold for long, especially with wind attacks since that is my weakness. I will use lightning chakra to purge your system and try to weaken the seal's hold on your chakra. It will hurt like hell because I will do it fast without holding back."

"I already put myself under a genjutsu, so go ahead. I will be fine," I replied.

Noa nodded as lightning chakra surged into my body. Using his seal work and precise control, he aimed the current at the weak points of the hostile array. I knew he would not fully disable it, yet I was certain he could break it down enough to give me room to fight back.

My body began to twitch as the violent current spread through my muscles. The twitching grew sharper with every passing moment, and with it I felt my chakra strain against the seal that held it down. Little by little, my chakra began to rise, roaring back into motion as the seal's grip weakened. The pressure holding me in place slowly loosened while Noa increased the flow, pushing the current deeper into the interference points.

"Noa, the barrier is about to fall." In front of me, multiple vacuum bullets struck the dome, shaking it. The barrier scroll on the ground was losing its shine fast, almost darkening completely as cracks spread across the shield. "Noa."

He finally pulled his hands away as my chakra exploded outward, almost two thirds of my usual flow rushing back. I managed a small smile. "Good job." I pushed chakra into my muscles, easing the lingering lock on my body and sharpening my movement with a surge of strength.

Noa smirked as he stood. He activated a chakra seal on his hand, and his lightning spear appeared with a puff of smoke just as the barrier shattered completely.

Hawk halted his attack, his posture shifting as he sensed my chakra surging back to life.

I looked back at Noa, and my eyes lingered on the spear in his hand. He understood my intention right away.

I moved first, activating my Mangekyo Sharingan as fresh blood leaked from my eyes and trailed down my already bloodied face while my hands flew through the seals with my usual speed.

I inhaled and released a sharp, focused blast of wind chakra that shot straight toward Hawk. My Mangekyo traced the current instantly, mapping every swirl and spiral of the air. I shaped the wind into a narrow, controlled path, tightening it into a spiraling tunnel aimed directly at our enemy.

Noa reacted the moment he saw the path open.

Lightning flared along his arm, racing across the spear in a bright surge. The sealwork etched into the metal lit up at once, each line vibrating under the force of the chakra he poured into it. Stormdrive bloomed around him, the ground creaking as his leg stamped down and cracks spread beneath his foot. With perfect form and every muscle tightened by the current, he hurled the spear with a full power throw.

It entered the wind tunnel with a violent crack, and the effect was immediate. The spiraling wind wrapped around the lightning-coated metal, gripping it, sharpening it, accelerating it. The spear became a spinning drill of storm energy, its speed multiplying as the wind carried it forward.

My Mangekyo adjusted everything in real time, controlling the wind chakra, shifting pressure where needed, guiding the spiral, preventing a backfire, and stabilizing the lightning flow.

The spear became a blazing streak of blue light, tearing through the clearing inside a spiraling column of wind that roared around it like a summoned storm.

Hawk sensed the danger the moment he saw Noa's throwing motion, even with how fast it was. Wind exploded around him as he formed a barrier, his chakra flaring with urgent force. He reinforced the wall with everything he had, layering wind over wind in an attempt to slow the incoming strike while seals shot from his hands to strengthen the wind wall.

It barely mattered.

The spear slammed into the barrier with a deafening crack that sounded like stone shattering under lightning. My wind ripped his apart, and the combined force of my control, the spear's piercing momentum, and the lightning tearing through his seals blew a clean tunnel straight through the wall. The impact sent heavy shockwaves rolling across the clearing, flattening the grass in a wide circle.

Hawk jerked his body at the last instant, but it was nowhere near enough.

The spear carved across his ribs with a sickening, wet crack, slicing through flesh and muscle while bone scraped against metal. A heavy spray of blood burst from the wound, splattering across the air in thick red arcs. The force threw him back violently, his body hitting the earth with a dull, meaty thud before skidding across it.

He slid several meters, grinding a long trench into the dirt. A dark, smeared trail of blood followed perfectly along that carved path, marking every place his body bounced, dragged, and rolled.

Noa resummoned the spear back into his hand, a defiant grin tugging at his lips. I kept my eyes on Hawk while Noa lowered his weapon and began carving a seal formation into the ground beneath him, each stroke precise and steady despite the chaos surrounding us.

Hawk pushed himself upright, one hand pressed to the wound on his ribs. The moment he drew a steady breath, the air around him tightened. Even without focusing my Mangekyo, I could feel the shift. He was preparing something far more dangerous than anything he had used before. Wind began to coil inward, drawn toward a single point.

He exhaled slowly.

A dense sphere of compressed wind formed in front of him, spinning so fast that the surrounding air warped. The pressure alone cracked the dirt at his feet. This was no simple projectile. He was shaping a chamber of wind chakra meant to detonate.

He took a deep breath, then drew in another, deeper this time, his lungs expanding with the steady control of a veteran wind user.

He exhaled, and dozens of thin slicing wind waves shot from his mouth in rapid bursts. Each one was sharp enough to carve stone, yet he did not aim them at us. He directed them straight into the rotating sphere.

The blades struck the surface and were immediately pulled into the rotation, swallowed by the spiraling currents. Through my Mangekyo, I saw the internal spin accelerate the moment each blade entered. The rotation sharpened, and the blades grew even stronger, building pressure layer by layer until the entire sphere vibrated with unstable force. The tension thickened into a low hum. Leaves lifted from the ground and hovered. Dust trembled in place. Even my heartbeat felt out of rhythm.

Hawk pressed his palm toward the sphere and compressed it further. The rotation tightened, the sphere shrank slightly, and the pressure doubled in an instant. The sound deepened into a long, resonant groan.

Then the sphere detonated.

The blast ripped through the clearing with overwhelming force. This was nothing like an ordinary detonation. The compressed slicing waves burst free along the shockwave, carried outward as countless unseen blades. The grass vanished instantly, stripped down to bare soil in long, jagged streaks. Loose earth tore open beneath the pressure, sending clumps of dirt and stone scattering like shrapnel. The shockwave carved deep, straight gouges across the clearing, as if an enormous cutting edge had been dragged through the ground toward us.

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A/N: Have no fear, Noa is here (okay, maybe have a little lol). I want to hear what you thought of this chapter. I love reading your comments, so do not be shy. Let me know in the comment section what you thought of Noa's first appearance on the big stage. <3

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