"Earth Release: River of Mud!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Technique!"
"Earth Release: Granite Crush!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Dozens of Iwagakure ninjas attacked at once!
Earth and fire jutsu intertwined in waves of destruction, mingled with a storm of kunai and shuriken—filling the sky as they rained down upon Leo's position like a torrential downpour.
The overwhelming onslaught was something that even most jonin would never dare face head-on.
Beneath his ANBU Rakshasa mask, Leo's eyes remained utterly calm.
He was no longer the man he once had been.
In his arms, Tsunade's face was pale, despair clouding her eyes. She shut them tight—awaiting death.
"Watch me kill them all," Leo said coldly. "Then I'll take you out of here."
The next instant, as that storm of jutsu bore down like the wrath of the heavens—Leo simply raised a hand and grasped at the empty air.
Boom—!Boom—!
White smoke flashed.
The Cursed Blade Enma materialized in his hand.
He gripped it tightly—violet demonic aura spilling uncontrollably from its edge.
Slowly, Leo raised his right arm. Armament Haki flowed along it, coating the pale blade until it turned as black as ink.
Then—he swung.
Hum—!
A black arc of light split the world, a single streak of darkness slicing through a world of fire.
A black slash filled with pure Haki divided heaven and earth.
The blade pressure drew a perfect, straight line across the air, as though reality itself had been cleaved.
For an instant, even the sky seemed to split open—
and the storm of flames, rocks, and shuriken froze in midair.
Then—
BOOOOM!!!
The black slash eEXPanded outward like ripples across a still lake—
and everything eEXPloded.
All the Fire Release and Earth Release jutsu, every kunai and shuriken—were shredded and blown apart.
One strike.
To block every attack.
One blade.
To carve open the path between life and death.
Every Iwa ninja froze in place, hands halted mid-seal.
Their eyes went wide with disbelief and fear as they stared at the devastation before them.
"What kind of jutsu was that?! No hand signs—he used a sword! It must be some kind of forbidden technique!"
"Such… range! That slash just erased all of our attacks!"
The elite jonin Iwa Tsuchi and Ishi Mu looked horrified.
And it wasn't over yet.
They were fighting in the middle of a dense forest—but the aftershock of Leo's black slash tore through the area, cutting down the massive trees like blades of grass.
The colossal trunks, each so thick several men were needed to encircle one, all toppled in unison—split cleanly in half.
The forest was leveled, the battlefield laid bare.
That single slash had reached over a kilometer in length—
one swing had opened an empty clearing from chaos.
The black blade's power tore through everything, leaving Leo standing tall amid the settling dust.
Enma's tip touched the ground, his stance exuding supreme dominance—
a man born to face thousands alone.
Even before armies, he would never bend.
In Leo's arms, Tsunade was completely stunned.
Moments ago, when she'd heard his words—"I'll kill them all and take you away"—she had thought he'd gone mad.
Now… she wasn't so sure.
There was something hauntingly familiar about his voice and chakra presence—
and she almost remembered who he was… until that devastating strike shattered both the enemy's attack and her train of thought.
Her mind was in chaos. Since when did Konoha's ANBU have such a monster among them?
Even in her prime, using her monstrous strength, she could barely have matched that power!
But she didn't know—Leo was no longer the man he had been half a year ago.
His strength had evolved beyond measure.
With Enma, the demon blade, and his Flowing Sakura Haki, he could truly cut through anything.
Without that sword, his power would be diminished—but even so, he was terrifying beyond reason.
Tsunade's shock slowly gave way to something else—hope.
Maybe, just maybe, they could make it out alive.
She could tell—this Konoha ANBU was strong, perhaps even stronger than her at her peak.
At worst, he was her equal.
Ahead of them, more than thirty Iwa nin stood—two or three jonin among them, plus an elite jonin commanding the group.
Taking a deep breath, Tsunade said firmly,
"ANBU… even for you, facing thirty Iwa ninjas alone is reckless.
Even Sakumo Hatake wouldn't find that easy.
Don't linger—look for a chance to withdraw."
Leo nodded slightly. "You're right," he said softly.
But his feet didn't move.
He just stood there—calm, composed—raising Enma once more.
And in that same soft voice, he murmured:
"Sometimes… whether it's one man or thirty—
It doesn't make a difference."
His tone was casual, but his eyes were cold—cold enough to freeze a river solid.
"The difference between one piece of trash and a pile of trash…"
He tilted his head slightly. "…is just the number of swings."
"If one swing isn't enough, then two will do."
"These will serve well as fuel on my path to power."
His voice was eerily calm—almost bored—as if he were talking about taking out the trash.
Tsunade's heart tensed.
He was furious—these Iwa nin had hurt her, and that alone had sealed their fate.
"Wait—don't do anything foolish!" Tsunade warned.
"Hold on to me," Leo said simply.
"I'm going to clean up the garbage."
Without thinking, Tsunade's arms wrapped tightly around him.
And then—
Shu!
Shave!
In the blink of an eye, Leo vanished—reappearing inside the Iwa formation like a phantom.
"One-Sword Style Secret Art: Thirty-Six Calamity Winds!"
A whirl of black steel erupted around him—thirty-six arcs of sword energy spiraling outward in a vortex, shredding everything in range.
Stones shattered.
The ground erupted.
The sword energy carved through the air, lifting the Iwa nin into a storm of blades.
Moon Step!
Leo kicked off the air itself, descending with Enma—
Slash!
One Iwa ninja was cut cleanly in half, blood spraying like rain.
Shave!Shave!Shave!
Each flash of motion left behind a corpse.
Each reappearance claimed another life.
Heads fell.
Bodies split.
Some were torn apart by the shockwaves alone, limbs scattering across the field.
Screams echoed, one after another, until they merged into a chorus of agony.
Leo moved like a ghost—unstoppable, untraceable.
And the most terrifying part—
was that he did all this while still holding Tsunade in his arms.
To fight like that—unrestrained, unflinching, inhumanly fast—
while protecting someone at the same time…
It was beyond comprehension.
Tsunade could only stare, eyes wide, as the man beside her—his Rakshasa mask gleaming darkly—moved like a demon of war through rivers of blood.
Scarlet blossoms of gore bloomed all around them, painting the battlefield red.
Her heart skipped violently in her chest, breath caught between awe and disbelief.
Who on earth… is he?
Even she couldn't look away.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/HorizonStudios0