Sarutobi Muraki narrowed his eyes as he watched Hayami's body swell with unnatural muscle, his chakra flaring like a blazing inferno.
"What…?" Muraki asked warily, shifting into a guarded stance. "What did you just do?"
Hayami's lips curled into a manic grin. "Hahaha! What do you think? I've gained power—real power! This is incredible. So this is what Lord Orochimaru spoke of? Hahahahaha!"
At the mention of that name, Muraki's expression darkened. Orochimaru was no ordinary rogue ninja—anything tied to him inevitably led to trouble.
Without warning, Hayami lunged forward.
"Boom!"
His fist slammed into the ground where Muraki had been standing a heartbeat ago, leaving behind a deep crater.
Muraki's brows shot up. That strength… it's increased this much?!
Hayami attacked again, his blows now too fast and powerful for Muraki to treat lightly. Forced onto the defensive, Muraki met each strike with calculated precision. The battle was suddenly even, blow for blow.
Hayami's raw power was staggering, and his speed had multiplied several times over. Even for a seasoned jonin like Muraki, this was dangerous.
"I hope nothing unexpected happens on the other side…" Muraki thought grimly, recalling the feedback from his Shadow Clone. "It's a good thing I left one there."
---
Meanwhile, Izumi was idly swinging the large sword she'd taken from her earlier opponent, testing its weight and balance. She was so focused on the weapon that she didn't immediately notice the subtle stirring among the captured enemy ninja.
One of the men regained consciousness. His eyes darted around, spotting his two still-bound companions. He nudged them awake, and the three began whispering in low, urgent tones. Then, without hesitation, they bit down hard on small capsules hidden inside their mouths.
A strange energy rippled through the air.
"Haa!"
The ropes binding them snapped apart under the sudden surge of strength, the fibers fraying like old twine.
Muraki's Shadow Clone, Yamamoto Kawa, Akido Jiro, and even Izumi stopped what they were doing and turned to stare.
"Wow," someone muttered in shock, "their clothes just… exploded!"
Muscle surged across their bodies, veins bulging grotesquely beneath the skin. In the blink of an eye, the three went from ordinary men to towering, hulking monsters, their frames easily twice their original size. Violent, suffocating chakra radiated from them.
"What's going on?" Yamamoto Kawa shouted over the sudden tension.
Before anyone could answer, the transformed men vanished from sight.
Too fast!
Izumi, being the closest, barely had time to raise her arm in defense. She hadn't even fully blocked when a massive fist drove into her abdomen.
"Bang!"
The impact blasted the air from her lungs, her face twisting in pain as her mouth gaped soundlessly. Her body flew backward, smashing into the trunk of a tree with a sickening thud.
"Ah!"
The other two enemies lunged toward Kawa and Jiro, but Muraki's Shadow Clone intercepted them, forcing the pair into a desperate exchange of blows.
Izumi groaned, forcing herself to her feet. She shot an accusing glare toward the clone. "Damn it, that hurt like hell! You could at least help me, you know—don't just save those two and ignore me!"
Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. One hand pressed against her stomach as she assessed the damage. "Luckily my body reacted on instinct and absorbed some of the force. If I'd taken that full hit…"
Her Sharingan activated, analyzing her opponent's condition.
Chakra levels through the roof. Circulating insanely fast… but the pattern is unstable. Wait. Life force is draining rapidly. He's on some kind of enhancement drug.
A smirk tugged at her lips. "If I just stall him, the drug will burn him out. Perfect."
She glanced at the Shadow Clone, still locked in combat with the other two. "Good. That means I get to handle this one myself."
---
They moved at the same time. The man's massive fist came crashing toward her, but Izumi twisted aside. Her hands shot out, seizing his arm. Using the momentum of his own attack, she yanked him forward in the same direction he was punching.
The sudden imbalance sent him stumbling.
Crack!
Izumi's elbow smashed into his abdomen. He roared in pain, but instead of collapsing, he straightened, his eyes now bloodshot and wild. Dark veins pulsed grotesquely under his skin, blood leaking from his nose, ears, and eyes. The sight was almost monstrous.
He's still moving?!
The man charged again, swinging his blade-like fists. Izumi slipped under his guard, countering with a punch to the chest.
It was like striking a wall.
With a frustrated click of her tongue, Izumi reached into her arsenal—quite literally. A length of elastic cloth extended from her outfit, snaking around the man's torso. It wrapped tighter and tighter, layer upon layer, until he was bound from shoulders to ankles.
The man strained against it, muscles bulging as he tried to tear free. But the fabric stretched and absorbed the force without breaking.
"This," Izumi said coldly, "is called using softness to overcome hardness. Remember it—because it's the last lesson you'll learn."
She snapped her fingers.
Fwoosh!
Sealing talismans embedded in the cloth flared to life, glowing with the kanji for Fire and Oil.
The seals released their contents in an instant. Oil soaked the cloth, and flames roared to life, racing along the bindings.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
The man's screams echoed through the forest as the fire consumed him. He thrashed wildly, smashing trees and gouging the earth, but the flames clung stubbornly to him. Rolling didn't help. Beating at them didn't help.
Minutes later, his movements slowed. His cries became hoarse, then silent. When the fire finally burned out, nothing remained but a charred, shriveled husk.
Izumi dusted off her hands. "Who says Fire Release can't kill? Hmph."
---
On the other side, the fight between the Shadow Clone and the other two drugged ninja had reached its own climax. Their power, while immense, was unstable, and the drug's effects were already fading.
One by one, their muscles deflated. Skin sagged over sharp bones as life force drained away. They collapsed, gasping and begging for help, unable to stand.
Izumi emerged from the trees, still clutching her stomach. She limped toward Yamamoto Kawa.
Kawa's eyes widened and he rushed to support her. "You're hurt—sit down."
Muraki's Shadow Clone looked up in surprise. "Izumi! Good, you're safe. I was just about to come help you."
Izumi shot him a flat look. "Sensei, if you'd waited that long, I'd already be dead. Fortunately, I held out until the drug wore off… and then burned him to death."
Muraki chuckled awkwardly. "Hahaha… I knew you could handle it."
---
Once the area was secure, Muraki arranged the enemy bodies neatly in a row. Then he contacted the client.
Not long after, a group of villagers arrived.
The moment they saw the corpses, several cried out. One woman threw herself over a body, sobbing uncontrollably. Others screamed the names of their fallen.
Izumi stood quietly, her eyes narrowing as she noticed a strange expression on the faces of the other villagers—smug satisfaction.
Yamamoto Kawa frowned. "What's going on?"
The client sneered. "Those men sided with the enemy ninja. They helped them oppress us. This is justice."
"That's right," another villager spat. "They deserved it."
The grieving woman's head shot up, her tear-streaked face twisted with rage. "My son protected you! He used ninjutsu to help you build homes, to hunt food for you ungrateful wretches! You're just jealous that he became a ninja! And now you've killed him—I'll kill you all!"
She lunged at the nearest villager. In an instant, the crowd turned on her, swarming her with blows.
Muraki shoved his way in, pulling them apart. His expression was grim as he helped the injured woman to her feet.
But she pushed him away, still sobbing, and stumbled off toward the village.
Behind her, the villagers continued to mutter darkly.
"They got what they deserved."
"Now their precious sons are all dead."
The air was heavy, not with grief, but with a bitter satisfaction that made even Izumi's stomach turn.
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