Even though Haseo's heart remained calm, the place he now stood was undeniably a battlefield ablaze with intensity.
Just as he thought this minor skirmish had ended, suddenly the wall beside him exploded violently. A figure burst out like a thick-skinned rhino, crashing through one wall, then slamming straight into Haseo before carrying him through yet another wall. The sheer force of that impact shoved them both deep into the building's interior.
Haseo barely managed to brace himself in time, shielding his vital areas. Fortunately, the chakra naturally swirling around him boosted his defense, so while he rolled heavily from the blow several times, he eventually absorbed the force and regained control over his body.
Emerging from the bright outdoors into the dimmer indoor light, Haseo narrowed his eyes, adjusting to the change.
"You used Taijutsu. Where did you learn it?" The enemy ninja didn't continue pressing the attack but instead spoke up with this question.
From just that one sentence alone, it was clear this opponent had been watching Haseo even before they engaged in battle. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to bring up the subject of Taijutsu. Their battle wasn't some random encounter—it was a deliberate pursuit.
"You think it looks familiar? That's possible. I learned it from a Rain ninja named Nagare," Haseo replied lightly after a brief cough, steadying his breath.
"Nagare…huh?" The man's reaction at that moment implied recognition. He continued speaking, "Using Rain village's own combat techniques to slaughter its shinobi—now that is truly ironic...
The techniques you stole from Nagare, I'm reclaiming them today.
You may at least be grateful that I'll remember your name if you speak it first."
Such words, aside from being slightly arrogant, were also reasonable, coherent, and measured.
"Name…hmm? Considering how very 'ninja' I appear today, perhaps something like Solitary Thorn would fit better." Haseo calmed his breathing fully, locking his gaze on the enemy not far away.
His reply carried about as much sincerity as a snake wearing a smile. After all, at least one of them would die here soon enough—what purpose would giving a name serve?
Clearly, what he had offered wasn't really a name at all.
The enemy's pupils narrowed slightly, seemingly angered by Haseo's cheeky refusal to offer proper respect. Saying nothing further, he instead began forming Hand Seals rapidly with both hands.
Why should the enemy ever play along when you're trying to be cool? That's asking way too much.
In an instant, sharp, spear-like earth spikes shot up without warning exactly where Haseo had been standing moments ago.
[Earth Release · Spiked Earth Cavern!]
Combined with the unnaturally hard impact the enemy had made during his earlier charge—nothing like the sensation of flesh and blood—it became clear that this was due to an Earth Release hardening technique. Therefore, this ninja before him was clearly a specialist in Earth Release techniques.
Countless earth spikes pierced the spot where Haseo stood. The density was so great that his figure was completely obscured... Under normal circumstances, he should've been riddled with several holes by now.
But such a judgment only applied under normal conditions.
Earth Release ninjutsu was heavy and solid, often packing tremendous power — one of the most devastating techniques within Elemental Chakra Affinities. However, the problem was... the compatibility between Earth Release and Haseo was simply too poor.
Blinding flashes of light danced between the piercing earth spikes. Then layer by layer, the spikes shattered. A radiant dome of energy flared for a moment before vanishing entirely, and Haseo's figure reappeared.
He stepped forward twice, then in an instant, became a streak of light hurtling toward his enemy. This speed easily outpaced anything his opponent could manage with physical strikes.
Straight-line charge?!
The Amegakure ninja sneered. That's how inexperienced ninja usually act — always thinking speed is all there is. When their arrogant swiftness was shattered, the look of disbelief on their faces was truly hilarious.
Without hesitation, the enemy threw a punch straight at where Haseo was rushing.
Yet the moment his opponent moved, Haseo suddenly stopped mid-motion, tilted his head slightly, and dodged the punch perfectly.
But what good would that do? The Amegakure ninja knew that as long as he pressed downward with his arm, enhanced by the strength granted from the Earth Release technique, he could smash any ninja flat onto the floor.
However, there was one thing he probably never figured out until the very end — he who laughs last laughs loudest.
The enemy didn't get to see Haseo smashed flat. Instead, he realized that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't bring his arm down anymore.
Straight-line assault?
That was something Haseo only did before he met Nagare.
"This technique is called [Lightning Release: Kurigara]. Do you really believe your strength has reached a level where you can ignore the counter relationship between elemental natures? If that's truly your belief, then at least now you'll finally understand just how wrong it was."
From Haseo's hands extended a long sword made of lightning energy. He swung it upward in a slight arc, cleanly severing the enemy's arm at the shoulder. Then chakra surged from his legs as he launched himself upward, landing behind his enemy in midair.
Next, the blade of Kurigara plunged down diagonally from above, piercing straight through the enemy's chest cavity. Without stopping, it continued downward, piercing even the ground beneath his feet, as though the sharp blade could penetrate even the earth itself.
Pitting ninja against each other was brutal — every match demanded bloodshed. The problem with this enemy was, he fluently delivered the kind of lines meant for protagonists, yet ended up doing nothing more than a background character could ever accomplish… It was the kind of death legends were made of — the worst kind.
"I hope when my time comes, I get to go out with more style than you did... Also, if you ever meet Nagare, send him my regards."
If he had wanted to go through the motions and maintain the appearance of a proper duel, Haseo should have staged a brutal hand-to-hand battle lasting at least half an hour—with both sides trading brutal strikes until they were bruised and exhausted, only calling it quits when nearly drained of strength. The thing was, Haseo had no reason to hold back or pretend otherwise.
He wasn't interested in going through that charade either.
It wasn't until the enemy crumpled to the ground that Haseo feigned remembering something and went through the motions with a routine question: "By the way, do you know where your leader is now?"
"…Speak?!"
"Well then, I guess you don't know either."
The opponent couldn't speak anymore—barely able to catch his breath.
So what kind of answer could he expect from asking a corpse such a question, if not silence?
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