"Where did this guy come from?"
The Iwa-nin's eyes narrowed in confusion at Lock's sudden appearance—but his instincts kicked in immediately. Both men struck at once, weapons clashing in a flurry of ringing steel.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew in the chaos until a sharp crackle of lightning split the air. Lock's pupils constricted—the Iwa-nin's blade was wrapped in crackling blue light, a surge of lightning chakra dancing along the edge.
"—Tch!"
A line of blood appeared on Lock's cheek. If his reflexes had been even a heartbeat slower, it wouldn't have stopped at a scratch.
Lightning Release…
Lock's eyes darkened. The Iwa-nin was skilled not only in kenjutsu but in channeling lightning chakra through his weapon. The speed and cutting power were dangerous—even Lock barely managed to avoid a fatal blow.
Without hesitation, he threw down a smoke bomb and lunged forward through the haze. His kunai gleamed as he slashed, vanishing in a flicker before reappearing behind his enemy. A line of blood sprayed across the smoke—but the Iwa-nin twisted just in time, the wound deep but not fatal. Lock's follow-up kick sent him staggering back several meters.
"He's the Konoha ninja who infiltrated our village last time," the Iwa-nin growled.
He remembered the attack on Iwagakure—the chaos, the humiliation of the village when a single Konoha shinobi had escaped after injuring their elite. Now, face-to-face, rage flared in his chest.
"Killing him would be worth ten jōnin," he muttered through gritted teeth, lightning flickering across his blade once more. "Even if it costs me my life."
His killing intent exploded. Rather than retreat, the Iwa-nin charged straight through the smoke toward Lock.
"What the hell is he doing?"
From a short distance away, Sarutobi Shinnosuke watched the scene, his expression twisted in disbelief. As one of Konoha's squad leaders, he had been dueling this same Iwa-nin moments earlier—barely holding his ground—until Lock appeared out of nowhere and drew the enemy's attention entirely.
Now, the Iwa-nin fought with a kind of madness, completely ignoring his surroundings, fixated only on Lock as though possessed.
Lock himself felt the intensity of that rage. The man's eyes were wild, every strike filled with killing intent that seemed to burn from the inside out. Lightning danced around him like a second skin, each swing faster than the last.
"Tch… since when does Iwa have so many monsters?" Lock muttered, parrying another lightning-charged slash that nearly grazed his ribs.
His smoke cover was gone, and the Iwa-nin's speed surged again—far beyond normal.
"I need to slow him down."
Lock's hand blurred through seals. "Ninjutsu—Darkness Technique!"
The air around them dimmed instantly, plunging the Iwa-nin into a pitch-black void.
"An illusion!" the man realized, his instincts screaming a warning. He tried to flare his chakra to break free—
"Too late."
Lock's voice came from behind him, cold and close. A kunai stabbed toward the man's heart.
Thud—!
It pierced flesh, but not where Lock intended. The Iwa-nin had caught the blade barehanded. Blood poured down his palm—but his grip didn't loosen.
"What—"
Before Lock could pull back, lightning surged up the Iwa-nin's arm and into his own body. His muscles locked up, a jolt of electricity numbing every nerve.
The man's face twisted into a bloodied grin. "Got you."
Then, with a crazed roar, he headbutted Lock full-force.
BOOM!
The impact cracked through the air like thunder. Lock staggered back, vision flashing white. Warm blood trickled from his forehead, blurring his sight—but his opponent fared no better. The Iwa-nin's face was split open, blood streaming down like a mask.
From the sidelines, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's eye twitched violently. "What the hell… these two are supposed to be elite shinobi, not brawlers!"
The pair looked more like drunken street fighters than high-level ninja—locked in a brutal, head-to-head struggle where every strike hurt both sides.
Lock gritted his teeth, trying to wrench his hand free, but the Iwa-nin clung to him with insane strength, ignoring the kunai still buried through his own palm.
"This lunatic…" Lock hissed.
The man's bloodshot eyes met his, a twisted grin on his face. Lightning still crackled faintly around his arm.
And Lock understood—this Iwa-nin had decided that if he couldn't kill him cleanly, he would drag him down through sheer madness.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San