Facing Pakura, Kiyosuke gave a relaxed smile.
"You know you can’t beat me," he said calmly. "Coming here is just suicide."
Pakura’s Scorch Release was useless against him. She was walking into her own death and didn’t even realize it.
"That was during the exams—we weren’t allowed to kill back then. But now, this is war."
The difference between being able to kill and not being able to kill was like night and day. Ninjutsu may not have been invented for killing, but as time went on, it evolved toward maximizing power, speed, and lethality. It was designed for the battlefield.
Pakura’s Scorch Release was a prime example—boiling the moisture out of a person’s body in seconds, killing them by dehydration. Deadly, clean, and terrifying.
In the Chūnin Exams, where killing was off-limits, it was relatively harmless. But on the battlefield, it was an unmatched weapon.
Unfortunately for her, she didn’t understand what Kiyosuke was truly capable of. She was about to suffer for that ignorance.
"Die, Asakawa Kiyosuke!"
With a low shout, she launched a scorching fireball at him, clearly aiming to evaporate every drop of moisture in his body—turning him into a dried corpse.
Kiyosuke immediately burst out from the flames’ reach and charged straight at her.
Like a beast on the hunt, he lunged forward. Pakura reacted quickly, jumping back and hurling a kunai.
She was surprised when Kiyosuke didn’t even try to dodge. She didn’t believe someone capable of defeating her could be that careless.
But in the next second, her eyes widened.
The kunai pierced clean through his body, leaving several gaping holes. Flames filled the wounds, and yet his stride never broke. He kept charging forward, unfazed.
He raised his own kunai and slashed at her throat.
Clang!
Another kunai flew in from a distance, knocking his weapon aside. Kiyosuke turned to see a Sunagakure shinobi, who had interrupted while still engaged with a Konoha ninja.
"Pakura! Pull yourself together!" the Suna-nin shouted before diving back into combat.
"Got it!"
Steeling herself, she asked in a low voice, "What’s going on with your body?"
"That’s a man’s little secret. If you’re still alive in ten years, ask me then."
He chuckled and pointed his fingers at her. Sparks ignited at his fingertips.
"Flame Gun."
A hailstorm of fiery sparks rained down, giving Pakura no chance to form hand seals. She was forced into a frantic retreat.
Then, another Suna-nin came up from behind. His kunai slashed through half of Kiyosuke’s head. Though no blood spilled, the sight was horrifying.
Kiyosuke turned and slammed his fist into the enemy’s chest.
"Flame Fist!"
The fire exploded at close range, engulfing the man in flames and burning him alive.
"AAAAHHHH!"
The scream was unbearable. Kiyosuke spoke softly.
"Sorry. That’s just how war is."
He withdrew his hand just as two puppet blades sliced through him from both sides, cutting his body into four pieces.
Only his legs remained standing. The other sections burst into flames on the ground, and then reassembled in front of a stunned audience.
People who saw the grotesque scene were terrified. A group of Sunagakure ninja froze in shock.
Even Chiyo, who had been controlling the puppets, was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Konoha to have someone with such a strange technique. Still, as a seasoned veteran, she quickly spotted the flaw.
"Don’t just stand there!" she ordered. "That kid’s body is similar to the Hōzuki Clan from Kirigakure. They can’t resist Lightning Release. His body’s made of fire—it has to be weak to Water Release. Water team, go all in on him!"
"Yes, ma’am!"
Three water-style users from Sunagakure stepped forward and formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"
The last one used far more complex hand seals. While others only used a handful of signs, this one performed an entire sequence before shouting:
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
...
Kiyosuke ducked and weaved through the torrents.
"No wonder you’re a survivor of two shinobi wars. You saw my weakness instantly..."
Dodging the attacks, he landed on the water-covered battlefield created by the water techniques.
Chiyo was clearly not easy to deal with.
The water-style shinobi glanced at Pakura.
"Pakura-chan, leave this one to us. Go take care of the other Konoha ninja."
But the moment those words left his mouth, all three of them froze in place, horror etched on their faces.
A metal staff extended into view.
Bam! One of them was smacked aside.
Whack, whack! The staff spun, striking the other two square in the head—killing them instantly.
Shinnosuke withdrew the Adamantine Staff as Yūhi Shinku ended his genjutsu beside him.
The two continued moving across the battlefield in sync.
Kiyosuke spotted them and silently gave thanks.
Then he turned back to Pakura.
"You don’t stand a chance against me. Pakura, it’s a shame—but you’re going to die here today."
Flames ignited on his arm, distorting the air with heat. He drew a kunai, and the fire formed a blazing longblade around it.
Pakura gritted her teeth. Behind her, a Sunagakure jōnin shouted:
"Pakura, fall back! You’re not equipped to handle him! Water Release: Surging Wave!"
A torrent of water surged toward them.
Kiyosuke leapt up, dashing across the surface of the wave toward Pakura.
"I am Pakura of the Scorch Release! I will never run from an enemy!"
Even if she knew her chances were slim, Pakura wouldn’t retreat.
She drew her kunai and clashed with Kiyosuke’s flame sword, the heat scorching the air.
The two exchanged blows at close range, each strike a potential killing move.
"There!"
Kiyosuke knocked her kunai into the air with a sharp upward slash, leaving her wide open.
He brought the blade down with full force.
In the next instant, Pakura’s body split in half—then dissolved into sand as it hit the ground.
A sand clone?!
When?!
Before he could react, the water beneath his feet rippled. A figure burst out from below, sending up a spray that drenched him.
Kiyosuke’s body instantly solidified. A kunai shot toward his chest.
No time to dodge!
He clenched his jaw, and though his flames had vanished, the heat left in his kunai was still enough to strike back.
Blood spattered across the surface of the water.
Both retreated at once.
Kiyosuke clutched his shoulder as blood dripped into the shallow pool below, dyeing it red. Pakura held her right arm—badly burned, the flesh around the wound was cooked.
The scar would never fade.
Both had landed solid blows—but not fatal ones.
"Now!"
Two Suna-nin sprang at Kiyosuke.
"Fire Release: Great Blaze Technique!"
"Wind Release: Gale Breakthrough!"
Flames surged, forcing them back just as Shinku and Asuma arrived.
"You alright, Kiyosuke?!"
"I’m not dead yet."
Pakura was also receiving backup on her end.
It was clear—neither side would be settling this score today.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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