37: The ascension of a tool
A month quickly passed under the grueling training Escanor forced our protagonist through. The young boy's body was pushed to the limit and tested constantly.
The power which he possessed grew to absurd heights—but so did his philosophy.
"All people are nothing but tools, but I myself am but a tool. Does that make us the same? No it does not. Because I will become a perfect tool"
When the sentence hit the ears of Escanor, an unintentional recoil was made mentally. Despite the overwhelming arrogance that plagued his words—the expression the boy held remained completely stable.
He truly believed his words.
One year flew by in the blink of an eye as Benimaru's training continued. Backbreaking physical exercises, shadow boxing, mental matches against himself, sparring with Escanor. Even through it all, the boy remained quiet.
No snappy remarks, no cocky statements, no arrogant laugh, not even complaints when pushed too far. Almost like he cared for nothing other than his growing strength—and it was terrifying.
His movements were perfect, no wasted motion. His stance was composed and calculated—like a machine. No opponents or weakness could be detected.
At this point in Benimaru's training, the only way to beat him—was to be stronger than him.
The ninja world was filled with uncertainties. Just because you held more power didn't mean you would win.
Tactics, IQ, battle IQ, adaptability, terrain, skill level. All of these factors would determine the outcome of a battle. But the current Benimaru excelled in all.
Escanor had personally taken Benimaru to a battlefield and appointed him as a leader of a group of peasant demons. Within a week, they had taken out a quarter of the opposing army.
After two weeks, the enemy's colony had been taken over. And by the one-month mark, the war was over. All had surrendered and the leader was dead.
But the scariest part was…
Benimaru didn't even fight. He simply commanded his troops and gave orders. Through his IQ and tactics alone—he had single-handedly won a losing war.
The boy's battle IQ and adaptation was not lacking in any way. His ability to constantly surprise Escanor—who was easily in the top three demons in the world—proved his exceptional capabilities.
At this point, the only ones who could directly oppose Benimaru—either physical or political…were the trinity.
Escanor gazed from above as Benimaru focused his mind. His legs crossed over each other, eyes snapped shut in concentration.
A mental image of himself fought against a seemingly perfect enemy. Over a period of observations, the boy had decided this was the best course of action.
If he purposely designed an enemy with no notable weaknesses—he would absorb that into himself and grow even more.
In the pitch-black arena in which Benimaru had designed, darkness began to creep upward in the shape of a person—forming Zeldris.
Neither spoke, but then…
CLANG
Astral left its sheath in an instant as Benimaru gripped it tight. His foot blasted off the ground and sliced at Zeldris. The blade at Zeldris' waist raised upward, blocking the slice with minimal difficulty.
Despite his attack being stopped, the face of the young boy remained unreadable as he struck again—again and again and again.
His strikes became sharper and faster with every growing defeat to land a solid hit. The soles of his feet rocketed off the ground at full speed.
Astral shined brightly even in the dark space. Their blade struck again, except this time—a look of struggle appeared on Zeldris' face.
In the next second, Benimaru vanished in a puff of white smoke. His body reappeared above him, as the demon king's eyes gazed upward to look.
A blade wielded by Benimaru slammed downward upon him. But at the point of impact, another puff of smoke appeared as the boy vanished.
Zeldris' eyes glanced in every direction but was at a loss. Until a heel struck cleanly into his abdomen—sending him skidding backward.
Once he regained his footing, he was surrounded by four clones of Benimaru at all angles. His legs sprang up into the air to escape, but a dual axe hand embedded into him from above.
His body landed on the floor directly in the line of fire. The blades of the clones pierced skin and bone—ending his life instantly.
The clones disappeared and only the original remained. Even through that battle, his face remained unreadable.
In the real world, his eyes snapped open. His muscles flexed instinctively as the new power flowed through him.
As Benimaru's chakra coursed through his body in a normal manner—a huge surge escaped him. A compressed blast of chakra felt only by three specific people.
The trinity were untouchable to most low-ranking demons. But as of right now, they could all feel it—a wave of chakra shot forth into all three members.
Escanor, who was the closest to the source of chakra, felt an unimaginable pressure forced upon him. His knees almost buckled under the weight, but he kept steady.
Although he held no outward reaction, the orange brow above his lips curled slightly in intrigue.
"Interesting…" he muttered under his breath.
In the royal palace, the wine glass which was gripped deftly within Zeldris' fingers—shattered completely.
A look of pure horror plagued his mind as a ripple of chakra shocked him to the core.
"W-what is this p-power. N-no demon should be this powerful," rapid stutters escaped his curt lips as his hands clenched his skull tightly.
In a dark and gloomy cave, all members of the Ten Commandments were in attendance for a meeting.
Until the words in Meliodas' mouth suddenly stopped flowing.
"What's wrong, Lord Meliod—?" Melascula was cut off as her neck was held tightly. A blade perched itself at the side of her head—aiming to kill.
The bloodlust produced by Meliodas' body was enormous as all the Commandments were forced to their knees.
Sweat poured down their faces as terror was clearly plastered on them.
"What…was…that?" Meliodas' voice was raspy and instinctive, like a monster.
But a split second later, the bloodlust faded as his chakra retreated into him. Instinct had taken over him for a second before realization appeared on his face.
Only one person had the power to cause this kind of reaction.
"Benimaru… I was wondering when you would join our ranks."
…
After six months, Benimaru had decided to leave Escanor's tutelage and find his own way—his own path.
A cloak adorned the body of Benimaru as he traversed the seemingly endless desert he aimed to cross.
A group of demon bandits cornered him by the roadside. A group of red demons, dressed in tattered rags and worn-out clothes. They were obvious robbers.
"Hey, you. Give us all your money." One of the demons stepped forward, presumably their leader. His fingers held a small knife which looked blunt and cheap. The other demons rallied behind him—attempting to scare him.
Their actions were completely ignored by our protagonist, who simply ignored them. His foot hit the ground as he attempted to walk past.
The palm of the demon leader reached out. It perched itself on Benimaru's shoulder.
"Hey, you can't just ignore u—"
His sentence was cut ever so short, the top half of his face disconnected itself from his body. A loud thud was created when the dead body fell to the ground.
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
The gang members cried out at the loss of their leader. The blue demon among them gripped their boss' knife.
His grip was shaky as he pointed it at Benimaru's retreating figure.
His leg sprung forth as he dashed in the boy's direction. The knife aimed to kill.
Instead of simply killing the man like Benimaru normally would, a thought graced his head.
By manipulating the chakra particles in the air, he would enforce his rule upon the air and space around them.
The chakra in his body flowed intricately into the air as it merged with the particles in the air.
Controlling his chakra expertly, it became interwoven with the space around them. A barrier was formed—but a permeable one.
The blade entered the barrier as Benimaru's focus heightened. His control over space reaching its peak as the attack appeared to slow down—ever so slightly before returning to normal.
The blue demon, unaware of what was happening, continued charging forward. The wrist of Benimaru flicked slightly—causing the blade to shatter on contact.
The blue demon and the rest of his comrades fled in fear of death.
While Benimaru stood there motionless, a new idea forming in his head.
CHAPTER END
Naruto Shippuden is almost here, guys. Just keep waiting and you'll get to see Benimaru mop the floor with the Akatsuki.