Chapter 34: The Price of Defiance
"But… is that all you have, Black Whirlwind Raiga?!"
Uchiha Naoki's stern voice cut through the roaring elements. The colossal lava fist, glowing with incandescent heat, suddenly swelled with renewed power, shattering through the thunder dragon storm with overwhelming, crushing force.
The sheer, raw power of the impact caused Raiga, standing at the heart of his own technique, to cough up a mouthful of blood. "How is this possible?!" he screamed in disbelief. "How can your power be so terrifying?! You directly overwhelmed a thunder dragon summoned from the heavens themselves!" This was a feat he associated only with a Mizukage or a Tailed Beast. But the boy before him was so young! How could he possess such strength? This feeling of being utterly crushed by pure power filled him with a deep, primal horror.
"I refuse to believe it!" Raiga gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. "I am an S-Rank rogue ninja! I will not be defeated so easily by a brat like you!" He poured every last drop of his chakra into the Kiba swords.
"ROAR!"
The thunder dragon's aura intensified, its form swelling several times over as it roared defiantly, momentarily pushing back against the advancing magma fist.
"Foolish persistence," Uchiha Naoki sighed, a note of pity in his voice. "It seems you still haven't grasped the chasm of strength between us. Then allow me to make you truly understand just how fragile you are before me!"
There was no visible surge of effort, no change in the size of the giant fist. Yet, its density seemed to multiply exponentially in an instant, becoming as solid and heavy as forged adamantine. It pressed down with irresistible weight, cleaving the thunder dragon apart in a matter of seconds. The construct shattered completely.
CRACKLE-BOOM!
The released lightning ran wild, ravaging the surroundings in a final, destructive tantrum.
Black Whirlwind Raiga vomited blood once more, his body failing. Before he could even stagger back, a blur of motion appeared before him. A sensation of suffocation and weightlessness hit him simultaneously as a pincer-like hand, hard as steel and hot as embers, clamped around his neck and lifted him into the air.
"Hand over the swords," Uchiha Naoki said, looking up at the dangling Raiga with a half-smile that didn't reach his eyes, "or die. The choice is yours."
Terror wiped all defiance from Raiga's mind. "I… I'll hand them over! The swords are yours!" The Kiba blades were precious, but his life was infinitely more so. There was no doubt in his mind that Uchiha Naoki would kill him without a second thought.
"A wise choice." After taking the Kiba swords and storing them in his system space, Naoki released his grip. Raiga, gasping, didn't dare linger for a second and scrambled away, putting distance between them.
That damn brat! Just you wait… Raiga began to curse internally, a seed of vengeful hatred already taking root. But before the thought could even fully form, a searing, unbearable pain exploded from his lower abdomen.
Guh!
He spat out a mouthful of blood, chunks of scorched organ visible within. He turned his head, eyes wide with stunned disbelief. "You…!"
Uchiha Naoki stood behind him, calmly pulling his glowing red arm free from the fatal wound he had just inflicted. His smile was gone, replaced by a gaze as sharp and cold as shards of ice. "If you had harbored no thoughts of revenge, I might have let you live," Naoki stated flatly. "But since you nurtured resentment and plans for retribution, and I happened to perceive it… my apologies." He watched as Raiga's body slumped to the ground, life extinguished. "Then I have no choice but to eliminate a potential future problem. Someone of your caliber would never pose a threat to me, true. But leaving loose ends is an act of irresponsibility to one's own future."
This was the shinobi world, a place where strength was the ultimate authority. He didn't care if others called him despicable, contradictory, or cruel. Uchiha Naoki's goals were simple: to survive and to realize his future ambitions. All else was secondary.
The death of Black Whirlwind Raiga instantly multiplied the pressure on Zabuza Momochi tenfold. This was no joking matter. A Scarlet Sand Scorpion was already a nightmare to face. And now, this terrifyingly powerful Uchiha Naoki as well? He was genuinely afraid he would die without a grave to mark his end.
Just how outrageously strong is this guy?! Zabuza thought, a chill running down his spine as he looked at Naoki's youthful face. Even for an Uchiha, this isn't normal! That was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen! A renowned master throughout the ninja world! Defeated so effortlessly, and then executed? In his experience, only a Kage possessed that level of overwhelming power. Has this kid already reached the level of a Kage at such a young age? The notion felt utterly absurd.
While he was lost in this stunned realization, Haku had already positioned himself firmly between Zabuza and Uchiha Naoki, his expression resolute. "I won't let you harm Lord Zabuza!" he declared.
Seeing this, Uchiha Naoki simply found a nearby rock and sat down, crossing his legs. "This is a battle between Brother Sasori and Zabuza. I will not interfere." He glanced at Haku's tense posture. "You don't need to watch me so vigilantly. In my eyes, your vigilance is ultimately useless." It was a blunt, perhaps cruel, statement of fact.
"Zabuza Momochi," the Scarlet Sand Scorpion's voice rasped, drawing his attention. "You offered me two choices earlier. Now, I shall extend the same courtesy to you." There was a hint of dark amusement in his tone. "I will fight you using only this puppet, Hiruko. I will not employ any other means. If you can defeat Hiruko, I will let you go free. If you lose, you join the Akatsuki organization. What say you?"
Zabuza gritted his teeth, his eyes hardening with a fierce light. "Fine! I hope you honor your word!" Even isolated in the Land of Waves, he knew the basics of puppeteers. Their strength was often gauged by the number of puppets they could control simultaneously. If he couldn't even defeat a single puppet, what did that say about him? It was impossible! He, Zabuza Momochi, a candidate to inherit the Executioner's Blade, was not so weak!
"Then… let us begin!" As soon as the words left Hiruko, its segmented tail shot forward like a lance, the speed so great that the resulting wind shear produced a piercing shriek.
Hiss! Zabuza's pupils contracted in horror. The tail sting radiated a killing intent so sharp it felt like it was cutting his skin even before it made contact. How can it be so fast?!
Shunk!
The tail pierced straight through his body. But Sasori felt no triumph, only a note of clinical praise. "A Water Clone. Not bad."
In the next instant, Zabuza's form dissolved into water.
"But still… a pity." Hiruko's tail sting, still extended, suddenly twisted in mid-air, changing trajectory with impossible flexibility to strike at an empty point to the left. "You are far behind the Naoki I faced during our first encounter."
When Uchiha Naoki had first fought him, he had launched a counterattack while being impaled, seizing the initiative. Zabuza could only dodge.
Meanwhile, with the Spectator
Uchiha Naoki, watching from his perch, noted the detail. Did Brother Sasori use the Chakra Metal on the tail sting? The way it spun and redirected in the air was far more fluid and rapid than in their first battle. The chakra conduction speed was on a completely different level.
Whoosh!
The moment Zabuza reappeared, Haku's warning cry echoed in his ears. "Lord Zabuza, above you!"
He looked up to see the cold, sharp tail sting already filling his vision, having predicted his landing point perfectly. There was no time to retreat.
My position… was predicted?! A wave of cold dread washed over Zabuza. This guy is just too strong! Gritting his teeth, he had no choice but to raise his massive sword in a desperate, last-ditch block.