"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Backed into a corner, Natsume Yō's potential flared. No way was he going down like some side character. Just before the storm of wind blades struck, he unleashed a sweeping fan of water, throwing up a wall to take the edge off the attack.
But the water wall shattered instantly. The gale tore through both water and flesh, hurling Yō away, his body carved open with bloody lines as crimson sprayed across the sky.
Gritting his teeth, he bit down the pain and vanished in a flicker with Wind Body Flicker. A flash of thought, and twenty gold coins vanished from his system stash. A vial of [Holy Recovery Water] materialized in his hand, which he gulped down in one go.
Ding!
"Fine. If it's a fight to the death you want—then let's go. Who's afraid of who?!"
Yō drew the ANBU-issue short blade strapped to his back and flickered forward again.
By now, Shiyō and the others were fully entangled with Suna's forces. Only Yō had split off, throwing himself at a lone enemy.
Clang!
The Sand operative caught his first strike, blades locking. Yō twisted hard, kicking off to create distance—then flicked his wrist. Two kunai spun through the air, tags burning bright.
"Explosive tags? On me? Kid, you must not know how to spell 'death,'" the man sneered, hands flashing into seals.
Yō's lips curled into a cold grin midair. "Heh… oh, I know it just fine. Question is—do you?"
"Explode!"
BOOM!
The tags went off in a thunderous blast. The Sand ninja's eyes widened; he leapt back fast, just barely avoiding the brunt of it.
"Wind Sword Style!"
But Yō was already there, cutting in from the side, short blade whistling with compressed wind.
Clang!
Steel met steel. The Suna shinobi snarled. "Brat, you think you can catch me off guard? You'll regret underestimating me!"
He hewed down hard, driving Yō back several paces.
"Let me show you the gap between us!"
His long blade flared cold light, cleaving through the air toward Yō. Yō braced, channeling wind into his sword to meet it head-on.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The alley lit with sparks as their blades clashed again and again. Every strike from the Sand ninja aimed to kill; Yō was forced on the defensive, his body nicked and bloodied with every exchange. Only his solid fundamentals kept him standing.
Still, the tide was against him. For every shallow cut he landed, he received two in return. His vision blurred red, his breathing ragged—but he refused to yield.
Then—an opening. After nearly a hundred strikes, Yō's arm surged with sudden strength. His blade knocked the Sand operative back. In the same instant, two kunai whistled from his hands, streaking toward the man's vitals.
"You think toys like that can hurt me?" The enemy sneered, swatting them from the air.
But Yō was already grinning.
The shinobi's eyes widened. Behind him—BOOM!
The kunai he'd dismissed erupted in a second blast. His body jerked as he realized too late—another kunai was already burying itself in his back.
He spun in fury, blade raised to cut down the "attacker"—only for the figure to burst into splinters of wood.
Substitution.
And then—
Yō was in front of him. Bloody, battered, eyes blazing. His short blade carved through the air, plunging straight into the man's chest.
The Sand ninja's gaze froze on him in disbelief as his heart was pierced clean through.