"Earth Release: Fissure Earth Palm!"Almost the moment Fukai attacked, cracks suddenly burst across the flat ground and rapidly extended toward his location.
It turned out that another Iwagakure ninja, who had been hiding in the shadows, launched an Earth Release jutsu at the same time Fukai made his move.
"Boom!"
Fukai fiercely pushed off the ground with both legs. In a flash, his figure leapt onto a tree and, with practiced agility, quickly moved to another branch outside the jutsu's range. When he glanced back, the place he had just stood was now buried under a pile of fallen trees.
At the same time, the other Iwa-nin evaded Fukai's slash and once again closed in on him for another attack.
"Clang!"
The harsh clashing of metal echoed. The two figures rapidly shifted positions, trading blows and leaving behind blurred afterimages on the trees.
"Damn, at this rate, I won't be able to escape. Looks like the only way is to kill them. Hold on, Bee!"Not far off, Fukai was analyzing the situation while thinking up a strategy:
"Their coordination is seamless. If it were a one-on-one, I could easily take them. My sword speed doesn't even give them time to form hand seals for ninjutsu. But with one attacking head-on and the other sneaking around, I need to be extra cautious. I'll have to find a chance to take one of them out instantly."
At that moment, the Iwa-nin saw that Fukai wasn't attacking and mistook it for stalling. He leapt at Fukai again, pulling several shuriken from his ninja pouch and flinging them with a "whoosh whoosh" sound.
The battle continued to tangle on.
"Lightning Bomb!"
Suddenly, a loud shout erupted, followed by a thunderous explosion. Fukai, still fighting, was startled when he heard it."No enemy has ever survived that move during missions. Looks like I need to finish things up quickly too… Can't let Ai outshine me."
"Zzzzz…"
"No—!"
Just then, an unfamiliar, terrified voice cried out. Moments later, on the other battlefield, an extremely shrill sound like birds chirping pierced the air.
"Perfect timing!"
In a split second, Fukai caught a flicker of shock in the eyes of his opponent. It was disbelief—a brief lapse.He knew that was the opportunity. In the blink of an eye, Fukai vanished. The Iwa-nin only saw a flash of lightning.By the time realization hit, everything in front of him was already fading to black.
Fukai, still gripping his blade, didn't even glance at the now headless corpse at his feet as he rushed off toward the remaining enemy.
Rewind a few moments earlier.
On the other side of the battlefield, Killer Bee was frozen in terror as a shadowy figure loomed closer.The man exuded a murderous aura like a demon. Killer Bee, having never encountered something like this, felt his scalp crawl and his entire body freeze up. Even his legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Such terrifying killing intent…"
That expression of despair—yes, that was it. The Iwa-nin named En, with a cruel smile, approached slowly."I didn't expect someone with mid-level Chuunin chakra reserves to be such a fragile sapling. Can't even handle a bit of killing intent. I'm so lucky."
"Step… Step…"The figure drew nearer. Each footstep sounded like a ghost from hell seeking vengeance.Bee's body shook, cold sweat pouring down his cheeks. His mind screamed,"Move! Come on, move!"
"Die!"With a twisted grin, En lunged, kunai in hand, aiming for Bee's heart.
"Zzzz!"
The next moment, En's body abruptly went stiff. He felt a sharp, numbing jolt, like being electrocuted—he couldn't move at all.
"How…?"His eyes bulged in disbelief. He looked at his own hand—The kunai had indeed pierced Bee's body, but there was no blood. Instead, lightning surged where Bee's heart should be.It all made sense now—the numbness was because of the lightning! His face contorted in terror.
Bee looked down, staring blankly at the kunai stuck in him. Rage flooded his mind.There was only one thought left:
"I'll kill him."
"Damn you!"With a roar, crackling lightning surged around Bee's hand. In seconds, a sharp "chirping" sound filled the air.
Bee's version of Lightning Release: Chidori appeared. His palm sparked with blinding electricity.The intense light obscured everything else—but Bee could clearly see his enemy's horrified expression.
"Pshhh!"
In an instant, Bee's left hand pierced through the enemy's chest.
"No!"
The Iwa-nin screamed in agony as the searing pain overwhelmed him.
"Bang!"
Bee pushed the man away, then placed his hands on his knees and slowly stood up.His legs still trembled. His face was wet—covered in his enemy's blood. The metallic stench filled his nostrils.
He was confused."Before I came to this world, I had hemophobia. So why… am I not dizzy now? Why do I feel… a bit thrilled?"
Time passed.
Bee's legs finally stopped shaking, but his heart still pounded. He looked up through the leaves at the burning red clouds lit by the setting sun.Only after ten seconds did his heart begin to calm.
His entire aura had changed.
"So what if I killed someone? This is a world where strength rules. If it weren't for my power, I'd be the one dead now."
"I… must become even stronger."Bee thought with determination.
Minutes later, with his incredible recovery ability, Bee's chakra had fully replenished.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, a figure appeared. It was none other than A.Seeing that Bee was uninjured, he sighed in relief.
"You okay, Bee?"
So big bro was the first to arrive. He must've already defeated his opponents. Bee thought silently, then replied,"Sorry for making you worry, big bro. I'm fine—didn't get hurt."
A looked surprised."I'm shocked. You managed to unleash such a powerful jutsu. I could hear that sound from all the way on the other side. What kind of Lightning Release was that?"
"Chidori."
"Chirp chirp…"That sound rang out again. Instantly, Bee's hand lit up with the Lightning Release: Chidori.