Chapter 21: Come On, Kill Me! Dodai Steps Up to the Stage!
The Berserker's Rage
A fist smashed into Moroi's face, leaving a crater-like indent in his cheek and sending him crashing hard into the barrier wall.
BANG!
"Ugh!"
Moroi couldn't help but let out a muffled groan as he spat out three bloody molars.
The long journey had already depleted nearly half his stamina. He had then used the Body Flicker Technique, Fire Sealing Method, and Binding Barrier twice in quick succession, been struck by Tsukasa's combination jutsu assault, and finally deployed the massive Sealing Technique: Billion Vengeful Souls—
This had drained eighty percent of his chakra reserves. His body trembled from chakra exhaustion as he gasped for breath, trying to recover from the physical and mental fatigue.
What he hadn't expected was that even after being hit by the Billion Vengeful Souls technique, Tsukasa could still stand and attack!
Seeing Tsukasa approach with that horrifying expression, eyes bloodshot, crawling toward him like some dark demon, Moroi's mind went blank. His heart felt gripped by invisible claws, his entire body shaking uncontrollably.
Tsukasa sneered at the Kumogakure shinobi before him, the single tomoe in his Sharingan spinning wildly.
He forced himself upright and launched a devastating front kick, striking Moroi square in the face. Moroi's head slammed into the barrier wall as his hands flew up to clutch his face, howling in agony!
Then Tsukasa pivoted and delivered a brutal side kick to Moroi's left cheek.
With that single strike, the Kumogakure special jonin was sent flying, his entire body slamming into the shattered ruins in a cloud of debris.
At this moment, Tsukasa's vision was crystal clear—he could even track individual particles of falling dust.
Despite his body being pushed beyond all limits, a surge of unknown strength flowed through him.
But this did nothing to calm the rage and terror burning within.
Rage at having his death interrupted, and dread of an unpredictable future!
Tsukasa clenched his fists and tore off one of the few remaining explosive tags that hadn't been sealed by the ink. He pulled out the last kunai tied to his leg and wrapped the detonating paper around its tip.
His lips trembled as he remained silent, Sharingan blazing, approaching Moroi with a twisted grin.
His face was a nightmarish mask of blood, tears, and black ink. Drops gathered at his jaw before splattering darkly onto the ground.
But a closer look revealed he was trembling—teeth chattering, face twitching, pupils dilating with unstable emotion.
It was the expression of a demon caught between overwhelming rage and fear!
Moroi tumbled through the rubble, spitting blood and shaking his head violently.
Stars filled his vision and one ear had gone completely deaf.
After the ringing in his ears subsided, he faintly heard voices calling from outside the barrier—
"Moroi!"
"Moroi!"
It was Raimei and Dodai.
Moroi looked toward them in confusion.
Raimei, his face filled with anxiety, shouted: "Snap out of it!"
"Moroi, haven't you realized yet?"
"He's only using taijutsu! His chakra has been sealed by the Billion Vengeful Souls!"
Moroi suddenly understood!
At that moment, a kunai was already stabbing toward him!
Moroi immediately channeled his chakra, rolled aside, and grabbed Tsukasa's wrist.
The restrained Uchiha sneered, then with a sickening crack, deliberately twisted his own arm, breaking the bone. With his other hand, he pulled the explosive tag from the kunai tip and pressed it against Moroi's face.
The detonating tag ignited!
BOOM!
Two thunderous explosions! Both combatants were blown back by the hurricane force of the blast, tumbling to the ground through the smoke.
Moroi gasped for air, his face filled with terror.
"Madman! Complete madman!"
"Trading life for life—don't you want to live?!"
If Moroi hadn't knocked the explosive tag from Tsukasa's hand at the last second, they both would have been killed!
The Breaking Point
Tsukasa staggered to his feet, his crimson pupils blazing with fury.
"You said I'm crazy?"
Tsukasa bared his teeth, raised his head, and looked down at Moroi with his scarlet Sharingan, his gaze full of contempt:
"Who do you think you are to lecture me?"
"Do you understand what true peace looks like?"
"Have you ever experienced sitting comfortably at home, pursuing your dreams without fear?"
"I had everything, but for such a ridiculous reason, I was thrown into this hellish world!"
Tsukasa shouted in rage:
"You understand nothing!"
"You Kumogakure, and Konoha—you're all uncivilized savages!"
"With your primitive minds, you think you're qualified to preach to me?!"
Tsukasa covered his face and laughed maniacally:
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I've had enough!"
"Enough! Enough! ENOUGH!"
"This boring world! This world without technology, without entertainment, without comfort, without anyone I care about, without anything I desire—NOTHING!"
"NOTHING AT ALL!"
Tsukasa suddenly stopped laughing, the Sharingan tomoe spinning wildly, filled with ferocity, coldness, arrogance, and disdain.
And a rage that would burn everything to ash!
"This world is empty! It's meaningless!"
As if seeing through everything, Tsukasa looked at Moroi, his gaze piercing through him as though viewing the entire world beyond.
He gestured dismissively:
"Come on, kill me!"
Moroi's eyes went cold as he took a deep breath.
He didn't understand what Tsukasa was ranting about—technology, entertainment, comfort.
But he could tell that this worthless genin, who had only just awakened a single-tomoe Sharingan and was at best minor cannon fodder in the Third Shinobi World War, was actually mocking him!
"You've sealed your own fate!" Moroi glared coldly.
He drew his long sword in a reverse grip, narrowed his eyes, and positioned the blade along his arm in a combat stance.
Now that he knew Tsukasa couldn't use chakra, the situation was clear.
While he didn't have chakra for ninjutsu either, with his taijutsu skills as a special jonin, a mere Tsukasa was nothing more than a brat he could subdue easily!
Tsukasa wasted no time, charging forward with his hands positioned behind his back as if reaching for his ninja tool pouch.
Moroi sneered, shifted his stance, and swung his sword.
This was Kumogakure's Cloud-Style Swordsmanship: Deception Slash.
A horizontal cut that appeared to be a vertical chop, designed to force opponents to dodge incorrectly.
If they dodged left, he could follow up with Cloud-Style: Inner Slash, then spin to strike vital points on their back.
If they dodged right, they would face his finishing move: Cloud-Style: Crescent Moon Slash!
However, the sneer on Moroi's face froze in the next instant.
Tsukasa didn't dodge at all, allowing the ninja sword to slash from his left shoulder to right side, opening a hideous wound.
He then grasped the blade itself, blood dripping from his fingers to the ground.
His eyes were cold, mad, and fierce:
"So this is a special jonin? This is your swordsmanship?!"
"Not enough! This isn't nearly enough!"
"Come on, kill me!"
"Use everything you have—KILL ME!"
Moroi's face filled with shock. Fear crept back into his heart as he cursed internally: Complete lunatic.
Dodai's Intervention
At that moment, a furious voice roared from outside the barrier:
"Enough!"
"Moroi, drop the barrier!"
"I'll kill him myself!"
Dodai's face was savage, his hands rapidly forming seals, madness gleaming in his eyes.
Relying on that useless Moroi alone was no longer sufficient.
Under mounting pressure from Uchiha Setsuna's threats, he was losing his sanity.
Now he simply wanted to unleash massive jutsu, burying that brat, Uchiha Setsuna, and even Moroi together in one devastating attack.
Earth Release: Great Moving Earth Core!
Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique!
Two A-rank jutsu, ready for deployment!
End of Chapter 21
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