Hidan was surprised to find out.
The little Sand Ninja in front of him had actually dodged his flurry of attacks with surprising agility. He found the gaps in Hidan's scythe swings and closed the distance between them.
Rakkan shouted loudly.
"Elements Breathing Technique!"
Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—each aligned with fire, wind, lightning, earth, and water. Alongside the yin and yang affinity, they formed seven sources of his energy.
"Wind Breathing. First Form—Palm Wind Cutter!"
Rakkan crossed his arms and struck Hidan's ribs with a powerful palm attack.
A miniature tornado formed between Rakkan's palms in his chest that contains sharp blade of winds.
CRACK.
Two of Hidan's ribs snapped instantly.
He let out a pained yell, his violet eyes widening in shock. But Rakkan wasn't finished.
Mufasa had once trained him and the other students harshly, drilling them endlessly with brutal methods. He had always emphasized:
"A relentless assault is the key to victory. Overwhelm your enemy before they can react!"
Rakkan's gale palm strike surged forward like a raging tide, slamming into Hidan's abdomen.
A sickening gag escaped Hidan's throat as he vomited bile. His body was sent hurtling backward, smashing through multiple trees before coming to a stop under the wreckage.
Rakkan didn't pursue immediately. A normal person would be either unconscious or gravely injured after taking those hits. He steadied himself, taking note of his own body's reactions.
"Optic nerve enhancement."
"Dynamic visual boost."
"Pain resistance."
"Increased blood circulation."
…
He was still testing the capabilities of the symbiote inside him, gathering data for the researchers.
Just as he was analyzing his condition—
BOOM!
The broken trees flew into the air as Hidan's scythe tore through them, sending splinters everywhere.
Hidan stood up.
His wounds were gone.
He glared at Rakkan, his expression twisted with fury and excitement.
Rakkan's eyes narrowed.
How is he still alive?
No—more than that, how is he completely fine?!
Hidan tore off his Akatsuki cloak, tying it around his waist and baring his torso. His grin widened maniacally.
"Bet you didn't see that coming!" he cackled. "I've been blessed by Lord Jashin himself!"
"I'm immortal!"
Rakkan scowled. "I don't believe in immortality. If you can't die, I'll just break every bone in your body until you can't move."
"Then come try!" Hidan sneered, kicking off the ground and swinging his scythe as he charged.
"I hope you can kill me! If you can't—"
"Then I'll beat you to death!"
Hidan's insane grin made Rakkan uneasy. This guy was completely insane.
'Fine. Then I'll just knock some sense into him.'
The symbiote inside Rakkan sensed his intent and activated, reinforcing his muscles and reflexes.
The two clashed again.
Hidan's scythe spun like a deadly wheel in front of him, making it impossible to get close.
Then I'll change my approach.
Rakkan leaped back, narrowly avoiding the tip of the scythe grazing his nose. Twisting mid-air, he landed with his feet on the spinning blade, using its momentum to propel himself upward.
"Fire Breathing. Second Form—Blazing Train!"
His heart pounded, surging heat through his body as he channeled his strength into a devastating palm strike.
BOOM!
The impact snapped Hidan's neck with a gruesome crunch. His head flew off, bouncing off a tree before rolling to a stop.
Rakkan exhaled, finally relaxing.
A severed head was enough proof that his opponent was dead.
Just as he lowered his guard—
SHNK!
Hidan's body, still standing, swung its scythe in a brutal arc.
Rakkan barely dodged, twisting his body unnaturally. His spine bent into an unnatural U-shape, avoiding a fatal strike.
But the scythe still grazed his neck.
A single drop of blood fell.
Hidan's severed head burst into wild laughter.
"HAHAHA! I TOLD YOU—I'M IMMORTAL!"
His body casually picked up his head and reattached it with a sickening pop.
He rolled his shoulders and grinned at Rakkan. "Still alive, huh?"
Rakkan gritted his teeth, his spine snapping back into place with a painful crack.
Hidan's eyes gleamed. "Damn, kid! You're a freak too, huh?"
Rakkan's unnatural dodge had bent his spine ninety degrees—something that should've left him paralyzed, if not outright dead.
But the symbiote had repaired him.
Thousands of tiny, red tendrils worked inside him, reconnecting nerves, reinforcing muscles, and sealing damage.
Of course, it still hurt like hell.
Rakkan clenched his fists and glared at Hidan.
"You really are immortal," he admitted.
Hidan chuckled. "Too late to back out now."
His expression darkened with excitement.
"I'll offer you as a sacrifice to Lord Jashin!"
He lifted his scythe, licking the blood off its blade.
"Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood!"
Black veins snaked across his body, forming eerie skeletal patterns on his skin. A ritualistic circle appeared beneath his feet, glowing ominously.
Hidan reached into his cloak and pulled out a jagged black spear.
His eyes burned with religious fervor.
"Die for me!"
With a crazed grin, he stabbed the spear into his own heart.
Rakkan watched in horror as Hidan plunged the black spear into his own chest, the sharp tip piercing his heart with ease.
He didn't understand it at first—why would his opponent stab himself? But then, an unbearable pain ripped through his own body, as if the spear had struck his heart instead.
Rakkan gasped, his breath caught in his throat. A crushing agony spread from his chest, stealing the strength from his limbs. He clutched at the wound, his fingers slick with blood, and collapsed to his knees.
"What… the hell…?"
A thick stream of crimson spilled from his lips as his body convulsed. His vision blurred, his heartbeat faltering. He could feel his life slipping away, and yet, Hidan stood there, grinning like a madman.
"Heh… you're tougher than I thought," Hidan mused, pulling the spear out of his chest.
Rakkan felt the fresh wave of pain crash through him as the weapon was withdrawn. His body curled inward as he collapsed onto the battlefield, struggling even to groan.
Hidan licked his lips, raising the spear again. "Time to finish this."
But then—
A mechanical whirring sound filled the air. A group of drones hovered over the battlefield, their scanning lights flickering over the scene.
"Tch." Hidan clicked his tongue, irritated. "Not this crap again."
He knew these things all too well. Cold, unfeeling machines—impervious to pain, immune to Jashin's will. And, more importantly, an absolute nuisance.
"Ugh, forget this," he muttered. With a frustrated grunt, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the treeline, fleeing the scene.
The drones, now free of interference, zoomed in on Rakkan's motionless body. The live feed was instantly transmitted back to the command unit.
Inside the operations vehicle, Mufasa's eyes widened at the sight.
"Rakkan?" His voice turned sharp. "Get a med team out there, now!"
The order was instant. Yoruya, a high-ranking field operative, dove from the transport and raced toward the battlefield. As he neared the site, his eyes landed on the massive pool of blood surrounding Rakkan's body.
Yoruya grimaced. "Damn… that's a lot of blood."
For a moment, he thought he was too late. The sheer volume of blood loss suggested Rakkan was beyond saving.
But just as he prepared to call it in—
Rakkan moved.
With a sudden, ragged gasp, he bolted upright, his chest heaving.
Yoruya's heart nearly stopped. "What the—?!"
Rakkan clutched at his chest, feeling his own heartbeat. It was strong. Stronger than ever.
What just happened?
He had died. He was sure of it.
But something inside him had refused to let go.
Deep within his body, the symbiote's grudge had reacted to his near-death state. The moment his heart had stopped, the parasitic entity had erupted in a desperate bid to keep its host alive.
Countless tendrils had shot out from his chest cavity, rapidly reconstructing his destroyed organ, sealing veins and arteries with terrifying efficiency.
In a matter of seconds, the damage had been undone.
Rakkan pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart.
Not only was he alive—he felt stronger. His breathing was deeper, his body felt lighter. Power coursed through his veins like never before.
Instinctively, he clenched his fists.
He wanted to test it.
Before he could, Yoruya's voice snapped him out of it.
"Hey! What the hell just happened?!"
Rakkan blinked and turned, finally registering Yoruya's presence.
He took in the man's combat gear—the exoskeleton, the three-dimensional maneuvering system, the twin high-frequency blades strapped to his back.
A white cloak billowed behind him, emblazoned with bold black kanji:
CITY MANAGEMENT
Rakkan straightened up, automatically saluting. "Sir!"
Yoruya crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Explain yourself, rookie. What happened here? Who did this to you?"
Taking a deep breath, Rakkan recounted the fight—Hidan's strange ability, the unbearable pain, and his apparent death.
Yoruya listened carefully, rubbing his chin. "So you ran into Hidan, huh?"
Rakkan frowned. "Who is Hidan?"
Yoruya scoffed. "You'll learn about him when you graduate. For now, just know he's bad news."
Then, Yoruya eyed him suspiciously. "But you… you should be dead."
Rakkan pounded his chest, grinning. "I feel amazing. Stronger than ever."
Yoruya wasn't convinced. "Yeah? We'll see what the doc says."
Without warning, he grabbed Rakkan by the collar and shot into the air, his maneuvering system propelling them toward the convoy at breakneck speed.
Minutes later, they arrived at the mobile medical station. Yoruya wasted no time.
"Where's the doc? Get him out here, now!"
A nearby medic winced. "Uh… Captain, Lord Kabuto is asleep. He said not to wake him."
Yoruya groaned. "Fine. Someone else check him, then."
The med team ran a full diagnostic. Heart rate? Normal. Blood flow? Stable. Brain function? Perfect. Despite everything, Rakkan was completely fine.
Yoruya didn't look convinced, but he had no choice but to accept it. "Alright, you're clear. Let's go."
Minutes later, they stood before Mufasa. The commander didn't waste time.
"Let me see."
Without hesitation, he placed a hand over Rakkan's chest. His electromagnetic eye flickered to life, scanning through muscle and bone.
What he found made his lips curl into a smirk.
The symbiote's grudge was pulsing with newfound energy.
It was no longer the dormant entity it had once been. It had evolved, fully integrating into Rakkan's body.
Mufasa pulled back, chuckling. "Well, well… looks like you've surpassed expectations."
He patted Rakkan's shoulder with approval.
"Good job, kid. You've done well."
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Word count: 1730
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