"What makes you think you can stop me?"
Furukawa Itoshiki's lips curled into a cold, amused smile.
He didn't hesitate. No testing the waters, no measured exchange—just raw, brutal force. His speed surged like a wild beast unchained, tearing through the battlefield straight toward Akikage Hata.
Hata's pupils contracted. The pressure radiating from Itoshiki was overwhelming—oppressive, almost crushing. This wasn't a man. It was a monster wrapped in human skin.
So you're strong in close quarters? Fine. Then I'll drown you in ninjutsu.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Hands wove signs in a blur. Chakra surged, and a massive wall of water erupted upward between them.
"Petty tricks."
Itoshiki's voice was low and dismissive.
He stepped forward, right arm cocked back. Chakra burst outward, distorting the air.
"Strong Fist!"
BOOM!
His punch collided with the water wall, and it detonated like a dam under siege. Water exploded in every direction, turning into high-speed droplets that struck like shrapnel.
Hata braced himself against the shockwave, heart sinking.
That wall couldn't even slow him down...
He moved on instinct.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A serpentine torrent surged from his mouth, roaring as it twisted through the air, jaws snapping toward Itoshiki.
But Furukawa didn't dodge. He charged.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A roaring dragon of fire burst forth, colliding with the water dragon mid-air. The impact erupted into steam—thick, white, and blinding—shrouding the entire battlefield in fog.
"He's strong. Too strong."
Hata's thoughts raced.
Taijutsu like that, and fire release powerful enough to meet a water dragon head-on? And yet no intel on him? Who is this guy?
He gritted his teeth. "I need to stall. Buy time. Reinforcements should be near."
Then—movement.
Chakra rippled through the fog.
He's here!
Furukawa Itoshiki erupted from the steam, right fist blazing with chakra, a missile headed straight for Hata's skull.
Hata twisted at the last moment. His left hand shot up, fingers extended and chakra-hardened.
"Water Release: Water Blade Slash!"
The two collided in a flurry of motion—mist swirling around them, air whipping from the force of their blows.
Each of Itoshiki's punches left miniature shockwaves in his wake.
Each of Hata's slashes sliced through branches, bark, and even stone.
They clashed and weaved through the fog. A blur of motion. Fist met blade again and again, driving each other back and forth through the ruined forest.
"His strength is absurd…" Hata thought grimly.
But his style... it's too precise to be pure brute force. His taijutsu is refined—disciplined. Leaf style... Steel Fist.
Dozens of exchanges passed in seconds. Then both leapt back.
They stood facing each other, breathing hard.
Itoshiki's left arm was torn open, a deep gash down to the bone. Blood trickled down his fingers, but his stance hadn't faltered.
Hata wasn't as lucky. His right shoulder had taken a direct hit—the entire forearm shattered and hanging limp, twisted grotesquely at the elbow.
But Hata's face held steady.
"As expected of a Jonin," Itoshiki said, panting. His eyes gleamed—not with malice, but with exhilaration. "But unfortunately for you… your reinforcements still haven't arrived."
He raised his fist again.
"And your time is running out."
Hata spat to the side, blood mixed with saliva.
"So is your chakra, isn't it? If it weren't, I'd already be dead."
He let out a low, sardonic laugh.
"Which means I've already won. All I had to do... was survive."
"You think you can kill me before reinforcements arrive? You overestimate yourself too much!"
Akikage Hata spat blood, glaring defiantly.
Furukawa Itoshiki didn't answer. His eyes slowly closed.
System, claim mission reward.
He invoked the command silently in his heart.[Mission reward claimed: A-rank Ninjutsu · Lightning Release: Chidori, Diluted Senju Bloodline]Suddenly, his eyes snapped open—an electric arc flickering faintly in the depths of his pupils. Deep within, a dormant power stirred like a beast waking from slumber.
His chakra surged. Cells across his body pulsed in unison, greedily absorbing the new energy. His heartbeat accelerated, pounding like a war drum, igniting his fighting spirit.
"This... is the Senju bloodline?"
He whispered the words, awed by the raw vitality coursing through him.
He raised his right hand. Sparks danced in his palm. A shrill, high-pitched chirping echoed across the scorched battlefield.
"Lightning Release...?!" Hata's pupils shrank.
"Impossible—you were nearly out of chakra just moments ago!"
Itoshiki didn't explain. He stepped forward. Chidori in hand, his body blurred into motion, carving a trail of lightning through the air.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Hata summoned his last reserves, forcing up a defensive wall—but it was a desperate gamble.
Lightning trumps water.
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
The bolt of chakra-laced lightning tore through the water barrier like paper, and Itoshiki's hand surged forward—aimed squarely at Hata's heart.
At the final second, Hata twisted, just enough to avoid instant death. The Chidori sliced through his left shoulder, leaving a deep, smoking wound down to the bone.
"Agh!"
Hata cried out, stumbling back, the pain robbing him of breath.
But there was no time to recover.
The second Chidori was already coming.
Hata couldn't dodge. Not anymore.
The lightning blade punched through his chest, and his body convulsed as electric chakra fried his nervous system from the inside out. His heart stilled mid-beat. The Jonin collapsed.
At that moment—hurried footsteps.
Itoshiki's gaze snapped toward the noise.
Reinforcements.
His expression darkened.
"Too soon… I need to leave. Now."
In the distance, a dozen Rain ninja burst through the treeline. Leading them—Takeda Shingen, a hardened elite Jonin and frontline commander of the Rain Village.
"Akikage!"
Takeda's voice thundered as he spotted his fallen comrade. Rage clouded his face.
Itoshiki didn't waste a second. He sprinted to the supply trucks, yanked open his tool pouch, and slapped dozens of explosive tags across the wagons. His fingers blurred through hand signs.
"Clone Technique!"
Five identical copies of him appeared in a flash and scattered in all directions, vanishing into the trees.
"Don't let him escape! Split up and chase them all!"
Takeda's voice cracked with fury.
The Rain ninja immediately fanned out in pursuit—each after a different Itoshiki.
Then, from somewhere in the distance, Itoshiki's voice echoed:
"Oh, right… forgot to mention. Those trucks? I rigged them with delayed explosive tags. They'll start blowing up in a few seconds. If I were you, I'd protect your precious supplies first."
Takeda's face twisted in horror.
"What?!"
The first explosion thundered through the forest—then the second, the third…
A cascading chain of detonations ripped through the trees, shaking the ground.
"Damn it! Protect the supplies!"
Takeda roared, grinding his teeth.
The Rain ninja had no choice. They abandoned the chase and turned back to guard the cargo.
In the chaos, the real Itoshiki slipped away—vanishing like a phantom into the forest.
Roughly five kilometers away, Furukawa Itoshiki finally stopped.
He leaned against an ancient tree, breath ragged. Blood still oozed from the gash on his arm, but it wasn't life-threatening.
Sunlight streamed through the canopy, speckling his face in fractured gold.[Mission Complete: Free Hunt]
[Evaluation: Excellent]
[All Rewards Claimed: A-rank Ninjutsu · Lightning Release: Chidori, Diluted Senju Bloodline]He could feel it—his body had changed.
The diluted Senju bloodline didn't grant him Wood Release, but it greatly enhanced his chakra reserves and physical resilience.
Combined with the lethal precision of Chidori, his arsenal was stronger than ever. His combat capability had entered a new tier.
But still…
"It's not enough."
He clenched his fists, lightning humming faintly in his palm.
"If I want to survive freely in this world… I must surpass everyone. Even the Six Paths."
Visions of the powerhouses to come—Akatsuki, Kage-level shinobi, even the Otsutsuki—flashed through his mind. His resolve hardened.
With the system on my side, I will stand above them all.
He adjusted his gear, took a final breath, and stepped back onto the path—toward the Konoha front lines.
He had escaped by the skin of his teeth, but the rewards had been worth every drop of blood.
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