Nara Kazuki turned his head. He was already standing on the outskirts of the village, and at its entrance, the battle was still raging.
"So damn troublesome..." Kazuki narrowed his eyes. In the fight just moments ago, he'd figured it out: that Jōnin and the two missing-nin were acting in tandem. The two defectors were particularly skilled at combo techniques—experts at fighting in perfect sync.
Kazuki had picked up on it quickly. One would attack while the other restricted his movement, and the suspected Kirigakure Jōnin was always a step ahead, predicting where Kazuki would dodge and striking preemptively. He had to admit—this mission might've been above his current rank.
Still, Kazuki had found a way to break their rhythm.
Suddenly, he launched himself forward, his left foot hammering the ground, propelling him into the fray. In his hand, a Rasengan quietly formed, and then Kazuki veered with an absurdly sharp curve at high speed.
"Aaaaargh!" A pained scream shattered the air. Everything went to hell.
A ninja rushing ahead got a Rasengan planted squarely in the crotch. Blood sprayed violently.
"Tch." Kazuki raised his blade, flicked it clean, and tucked it away. Then he lunged again, gaining speed with each step.
"Maybe next time I'll try Chidori," Kazuki mused. He could barely see the path ahead anymore, but that didn't matter.
The Rasengan in his hand screeched with power.
It would guide him to the enemy's weak point—and land a critical nut shot.
Yes. Critical hit.
Moments after Kazuki passed, the ninja who had been howling, clutching his groin, suddenly fell silent. He gripped his throat. Blood gushed out from the cut. He staggered, crumpled, twitched—then went still.
That moment when Kazuki had raised his blade? He'd slashed the guy's throat with the tip. Unless he was a battlefield medic with god-tier first-aid, there was no way he was walking away from that.
That's why Kazuki hadn't hesitated to charge ahead.
"Aaaaaooooww~!" A scream like Tom from Tom & Jerry—another man stumbled into Kazuki's view. Another victim of the Death Nut.
Kazuki raised his sword. The blade flashed, and blood sprayed. The man collapsed.
Kazuki's vision cleared—he could now see the main battlefield.
One of his shadow clones had activated the Flame Demon Mode. In the thick fog, a vague human silhouette raised a massive fireball.
Kazuki licked his lips. Then he opened his mouth—
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A gust of hurricane-force wind blasted forward, carrying with it a burst of lime powder that Kazuki had tossed into the air and sliced open mid-flight.
The gust cleared the mist in a single sweep and carried the powder into the enemy ranks. The fireball, catching the wind, expanded and surged across the field like a blaze out of hell.
"Jinyo."
Kazuki spoke the strange syllables. The Fire Dragon roared skyward.
The Jōnin, midway through hand signs, suddenly staggered. Dizzy. Disoriented. That strange incantation from earlier echoed in his mind, messing with his flow—he couldn't finish the seals.
But the Jōnin wasn't Kazuki's target.
His real focus was on the two missing-nin from Konoha. The ones who worked too damn well together. He had to take them out now—before things got even more annoying.
So Kazuki didn't hesitate.
Rasengan in hand, he dove into the storm.
Incoming—a blade, tip aimed straight at his eye.
Kazuki felt it.
Genjutsu.
Chakra surged—he broke it instantly.
What he saw next? The blade had actually been aimed at his heart.
Kazuki stomped hard, dashed left, and slammed the Rasengan into the crotch of another ninja trying to ambush him.
Third nut cracked.
But the fight wasn't over. A ninja, charred black from head to toe, rushed Kazuki like a flaming zombie. Simultaneously, the earth beneath Kazuki's feet turned soft, becoming sludgy muck.
They were trying to pin him down.
Kazuki remained calm. Another Rasengan formed.
In his other hand, his blade flashed toward the attacker's throat.
But the guy had armored up—despite getting nut-blasted, he'd still guarded with iron plating.
Duang~
The strike bounced off. Kazuki's back caught a heavy kick.
A cold sting trailed behind.
BOOM!
A lightning bolt tore through the sky. Kazuki was bathed in flames.
The blade aiming for his kidney? Vaporized by the thunderclap.
Kazuki grinned.
Now this was fun.
He'd expected pushovers—nameless chūnin who barely had screen time in the manga. But these guys were full of surprises.
"Flame Demon?" the Jōnin muttered, recognizing Kazuki's form. His brow furrowed. Escape was possible—but gathering a team again afterward would be a nightmare.
So, despite not wanting to fight... he had no choice.
Kazuki exhaled deeply. His chakra reserves, refilled after the clone-swap, surged inside him.
Time to return the favor.
Both hands extended—three Great Fireballs erupted simultaneously, aimed at three enemies.
His shadow clone unleashed three Fire Dragons at the same time, afflicting each target with a plague effect.
"Not bad..." Kazuki watched one of the ninjas immediately drop. Knocked out cold. Who knew what status effect got triggered?
"Brother!" cried the other missing-nin, finally speaking for the first time in this entire battle.
But the raging fireballs didn't let him break focus.
"Brother, huh?" Kazuki's Rasengan took shape again.
The spinning chakra ignited the fire around him, forming a small cyclone of flame. Kazuki teleported beside the downed ninja—still writhing in agony from the burns—and pressed the Rasengan against his chest.
"Ahhh! It hurts... bro—!"
The voice cut off.
"So painful, brother..." came the echo. The surviving missing-nin's bloodshot eyes locked forward.
And there he saw it.
The flaming monster holding his brother's severed head.
The face was charred beyond recognition. If they hadn't been so close, he might not have even known who it was.
Rage erupted in the man's soul.
He charged, screaming soundlessly.
That was all he had left—his only family.
Kazuki's eyes glinted with cruelty.
Anger made people reckless. Predictable.
He vanished.
The moment the missing-nin lunged, pain tore through his chest. The flaming demon was gone. All that remained was a hand—burning with fire—piercing straight through him.
"Sweet dreams," Kazuki whispered, leaning close as he withdrew his arm.
Too bad.
If you'd been standing in front of the Sun God, and I was Akainu, maybe we could've recreated a famous scene.
Flame-Flame Fruit vs. Magma.
A searing pain tore through Kazuki's back.
He turned—saw the Jōnin staring at him—then vanish into the mist.
Kazuki grinned.
Flame Demon Mode enhanced his Fire and Lightning Release... though he hadn't mastered many lightning techniques yet. For now, he relied mostly on fire.
The more he fought, the hotter his anger burned. But he could still control it. He wouldn't become a slave to rage.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."
Kazuki spread his arms. Six fireballs erupted into existence, hovering behind him like blazing ornaments.
They burned away the remaining mist—revealing the battlefield again.
And there he saw him.
The Jōnin, already mid-hand seals. Kazuki's eyes narrowed.
The final signs—Monkey, Rabbit—
Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!
A massive torrent crashed toward Kazuki.
Steam exploded around him as the intense heat met the flood—scalding vapor hissed in every direction.
Steam burns were even worse than boiling water.
Kazuki didn't fear them. But he wasn't about to take the Waterfall head-on.
He dodged.
The battlefield cleared.
Empty.
The Jōnin had fled.
Kazuki grinned and flashed a seal.
Wind Pulse Detection.
No chakra within range.
But inside the village—chakra signatures were on the move.
Running.
"He ran?! The bastard actually ran?!"
Kazuki angrily gathered the remaining enemies.
Fifteen ninja total, according to the intel.
He'd killed eleven. Four escaped.
The Jōnin ran using the Waterfall Jutsu as cover. The others probably bailed once they saw the tide turn.
Typical rogues. No shame. Just survival.
"But at least these two are dead." Kazuki searched the two defectors. He found their identification tags. Good enough to report back.
The younger one... well, that was beyond saving. Kazuki had crushed his head in Flame Demon Mode—nothing left to recover.
Still, there was enough evidence to prove the kills.
"Oh right," Kazuki muttered. "Wind Pulse Detection can be upgraded now."
He'd gotten the notification mid-battle, but hadn't had time.
Now he did.
[Path of the Gale]: Easier to detect targets. Forms a gale trail between you and the target. Gain +50% movement speed while pursuing. Ends when combat begins.
"Solid. Better detection's always good." Kazuki nodded. Not bad at all.
But there were other options.
[Ultrasense]: Consume 1–10x chakra to greatly enhance detection radius and clarity.
"...That's good too. Simple, but expensive." Kazuki scratched his head. It'd be great for recon, but risky if the chakra drain was too high—easier for enemies to notice.
Especially the ones who were sensitive to sensory jutsu.
[Last Whisper]: After casting Wind Pulse Detection, receive a random clue about your enemy.
"?"
Kazuki tapped a mental question mark.
What kind of weird upgrade was that?
Still... first and second options were solid. The third?
Well, it could be useful—if the clue was legit.
But if it gave nonsense like "he wore red boxers today," then it'd be worthless.
"Damn, can't pre-select..." Kazuki sighed. If he could preview them properly, this choice wouldn't be so hard.
"Gale gives me tracking and speed, Ultrasense gives raw power, and Last Whisper is... who knows." Kazuki scratched his head. Decision fatigue was kicking in.
"If only I could take all three..." he muttered.
Just then, a sound caught his ear.
He turned.
A few villagers were cautiously stepping out from hiding—holding a handful of crumpled, worn bills.
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