*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Just as he narrowly evaded the scalding wave of Vapour-style, a sudden barrage of shuriken whistled toward Asahi, slicing through the dense fog in deadly arcs. They came from every direction—sharp, fast, merciless.
Blinded by the thick veil of mist, Asahi had no choice. He reached for the coordinates etched into his mind and immediately vanished with the Flying Thunder God Technique. A ripple in space-time bent reality for a split second, and he emerged safely at another pre-marked location.
But he didn't even have time to exhale.
A shadow lunged from behind the instant he reappeared. Its movements were swift and precise—another ambush. Asahi instinctively activated the Flying Thunder God Technique once more, disappearing again in a flicker of light and chakra.
However, his next landing point was no safer.
As soon as he materialized, another Kirigakure shinobi burst from the mist with a deadly cry, blade poised to strike.
'This isn't a coincidence...'
'They've mapped my kunai.' Asahi realized grimly, his thoughts racing. 'They're using my own teleportation points against me.'
He narrowly avoided the enemy's slash and flickered several meters away. But the Kirigakure ninja was unrelenting, swinging his blade again and again with blinding speed. Every strike forced Asahi backward, step by step.
Pain flared through his left arm—fresh blood dripped from a deep cut. During his second teleportation, he'd been a moment too slow. The enemy's blade had found its mark.
The HiddenMist Jutsu was more than just a smokescreen. It was a battlefield of confusion, terror, and ambush. By manipulating water particles with chakra, the Kirigakure ninjas turned the environment into a trap. In this white void of sight, they became phantoms, flickering in and out of visibility.
Not every Kirigakure ninja was a sensor-type, but their coordination with the HiddenMist Jutsu was elite. Trained ears could track footsteps, distinguish breath, and detect even a slight rustle in the fog. Special abilities like enhanced hearing, vibration sensing, or echolocation turned them into lethal predators.
At first, Asahi had full confidence he could eliminate the three Kirigakure Anbu that had confronted him.
But now, more reinforcements had joined.
A new squad of elite Kirigakure ninja had joined the fray, and the tides had turned.
Eventually, while fending off strikes and teleporting to stay alive, Asahi found his back pressed against a towering tree. Trapped. No escape routes. His surroundings swirled with fog and killing intent.
His expression changed in an instant. His pupils sharpened.
No more running.
Clapping his hands together, he activated both the Hardening Technique and Chakra Enhanced Strength. Instead of dodging, he lunged forward head-on, trading pain for opportunity.
His opponent slashed.
Asahi took the blow—intentionally.
And then, with a roar, he smashed his right fist into the Kirigakure ninja's midsection. The sheer power of the punch sent the shinobi flying backward, crashing into a tree with a thunderous crack!
But even that wasn't enough.
The Kirigakure ninja had done their homework.
When he sensed Asahi's aggressive shift in tactics, the enemy instantly retreated rather than engage directly. He knew about Asahi's brute force and refused to fall for it.
'Tch. They have made tactics targeting me specifically.'
Asahi's thoughts were sharp and cold. These Kirigakure ninja had more than battlefield awareness—they had intelligence. Their countermeasures were too precise. His taijutsu, teleportation routes, and even his sealing methods had been factored in.
Suddenly—splishhhh!
A torrent of corrosive yellow acid rained down from above, sizzling as it struck earth and bark, melting everything it touched.
Lava Style ∙ Lava Monster Jutsu!
Without hesitation, Asahi activated the Flying Thunder God Technique again and blinked away—this time appearing directly in front of the Kirigakure ninja who had retreated earlier.
Before the enemy could even register his arrival, Asahi surged forward with explosive chakra from his soles, slamming his fist into the man's chest. The impact sent the ninja flying again—this time crashing through a tree.
Unseen, Asahi had already etched a Flying Thunder God seal onto the man's weapon during a previous clash. As Terumi Mei began channeling her Vapour-style, the distraction gave Asahi a fatal opening.
He struck.
A voice suddenly echoed from the fog.
"Joseph!"
Asahi didn't hesitate. His hands flashed through seals.
Earth Style ∙ Earth Dragon Bullet Jutsu!
Water Style ∙ Water Formation Wall!
He weaved through the jutsu back-to-back. Then, forming another seal, he created a shadow clone, wrapped it in explosive tags, and sent it charging forward.
*BOOM!*
The thick fog ruptured under the violent explosion. Asahi still couldn't confirm whether the enemy was dead, but the blast had thinned the mist enough for him to glimpse multiple silhouettes ahead.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Kunai flew again—and once more, he responded in kind.
But then—
Lava Style ∙ Lava Monster Jutsu!
The attack forced him to abandon his pursuit and teleport away to avoid it.
Vapour Style ∙ Solid Fog Jutsu!
A new voice echoed as the dense fog re-formed—thicker than ever.
Asahi squinted.
"So… Lave-style and Vapour-style back to back, huh? Two Kekkei Genkais at once."
No reply came from the mist, only the subtle rustle of hidden movement.
Terumi Mei had never mentioned her Vapour-style openly to Asahi before. But he already knew. That alone sent a subtle ripple of unease through the Kirigakure formation.
These two Kekkei Genkai were no joke.
Asahi knew how dangerous Vapour-style was. In the original timeline, even Sasuke's Susanoo—a near-impenetrable armor—was dissolved by Mei's boiling mist.
Asahi didn't have anything remotely close to that kind of defense.
If it weren't for the interference of other Kirigakure ninja, he would've already fallen under her corrosive attacks.
This confrontation also exposed a glaring weakness in his fighting style. Aside from his super-enhanced punches and space-time jutsu, Asahi lacked one-hit kill ninjutsu.
He couldn't afford to drag this fight out.
"Five minutes have passed since the start of this battle." a cold voice mocked from within the mist. "Your chakra reserves must be close to empty."
"Don't worry." Asahi replied coolly. "It's enough to take care of you."
Truthfully, his chakra was dangerously low. But he still had one last resort—the Yin Seal, dormant on his forehead. It was his trump card, and he refused to play it unless absolutely necessary.
"You could've escaped." the voice continued. "But you're still here. Why? Did you forget to set coordinates elsewhere?"
"Escape?" Asahi smirked. "You're giving yourself too much credit. I'm still here because I want to be."
As he finished, he whipped out three kunai and hurled them toward the origin of the voice.
This was it.
His first real attempt at the Flying Thunder God Technique: Second Stage in live combat.
He didn't know how effective it would be. But it was time to try.
Terumi Mei saw the kunai flying toward her and instantly dodged. She had no idea which one would be his anchor.
That hesitation was all Asahi needed.
*Whoosh!*
The moment she moved, he locked onto her.
He warped.
And appeared behind her.
Long brown curls. Graceful back. Elegant and deadly—there was no mistake. It was Mei Terumi.
Even if the second stage of Flying Thunder God wasn't executed perfectly, Mei's instinctive movement gave him a rare window.
He twisted mid-air and delivered a brutal kick to her back.
*CRACK!*
She went flying, vanishing into the mist.
*****
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