A violent rush of air split the night.
Ryuuto and Gwen tumbled through the sky, locked in each other's arms. The city lights below blurred into ribbons of gold and white. Gwen looked up at him—his sharp eyes, his maddening calm—and for a heartbeat, she forgot the world was trying to kill them.
Her heart felt full enough to break. If time could stop, she'd have chosen this moment.
"Wait—bows? Seriously? Three arrows in a row?"
Ryuuto's tone turned from soft to deadly sharp. His Sharingan flared crimson, tracking every glint in the darkness. The first arrow had missed him by a hair, but two more sliced through the night—perfectly aimed at his heart and throat.
Whoever was attacking him wasn't some amateur.
"Tch. Cute trick, but you'll need more than that to kill me."
In one motion, Ryuuto twisted midair, grabbed Gwen tighter, and flipped into a spiraling dodge. The two arrows tore past, close enough to shave the air off his skin. He landed on a nearby rooftop, not a scratch on him.
"Ryuuto, put me down! I can handle myself!" Gwen protested, her eyes serious now.
He smiled—warm, fleeting, annoyingly confident. "Then do me a favor and don't die. I'll handle the idiot with the bow."
He set her down gently, brushing the stray hair from her face. "You're Spider-Woman. You don't need saving. Just… watch your back, alright?"
She nodded, fingers tightening around his. For a brief moment, the chaos disappeared.
Then the sky screamed again.
Dozens of glowing arrows rained from above like a metallic storm. The sound alone sent chills down their spines.
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Ryuuto cracked his neck, grinning darkly. "You're really out here trying to farm me for EXP?"
He yanked the decapitating broadsword off his back—its blade gleamed under the city lights—and charged forward instead of dodging.
"Gwen! Stay back! I'm about to turn this archer into modern art!"
He met the incoming barrage head-on. The rooftop exploded with the sound of clashing metal. Arrows split like bamboo under his swings, fragments scattering around him like a halo of sparks.
When the dust cleared, Ryuuto stood tall amid a field of broken shafts, his sword resting on his shoulder.
"Alright, my turn."
He inhaled deeply—chakra surged.
Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!
A blazing inferno erupted from his mouth, devouring the remaining arrows and lighting up the sky. The city below briefly looked like it was under a red sunrise.
The acrid scent of burning metal filled the air.
But Ryuuto's grin widened. He wasn't done.
"Think you can hide behind the shadows? Fine. Let's play tag."
He spun his arm, launching a chakra-forged shuriken with lightning speed. The Ten-Hand Blade shot across the distance like a flash of death, embedding itself in a far-off lighthouse.
"Boom!"
The tower erupted. A cloaked figure leaped from the explosion—fast, but not fast enough.
"Finally showing yourself? Took you long enough!" Ryuuto surged forward, his body blurring into a cyclone—Leaf Hurricane!
"Eat my arrow!"
The assailant reacted instantly, drawing his bow in a smooth, disciplined arc. The string snapped forward with the force of thunder—an arrow charged with killing intent screamed toward Ryuuto's forehead.
For a moment, time froze. Only two existed in that world—the archer and the shinobi.
Ryuuto smirked. "Too slow."
Instead of dodging, he raised his hand.
"What the hell—he's going to catch it?!"
The archer's pupils contracted. Hawkeye's instincts screamed that no one—not even a super-soldier—could intercept that arrow by hand.
Then came the impossible.
Snap.
The sound was quiet. The arrow's deadly momentum vanished in Ryuuto's grip. He landed, calm as ever, spinning the captured projectile between his fingers.
"Heh. Nice aim." He flicked it aside with a grin. "But you're kind of a jerk, you know that? I didn't even do anything to you."
He stepped closer, expression hardening. "So tell me—why the hell are you shooting at me, Hawkeye?"
Hawkeye's bow lowered. His confident smirk was gone, replaced by a tired, almost haunted stare.
"…You win."
The words came out flat, quiet, like he'd just watched a ghost.
...
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