The high-speed Fire Dragon Flame Bullet flattened upon impact with the solid earth, then rapidly transformed into a crimson lotus that radiated outward from the point of explosion.
Had it hit the mark? Nagare appeared to be caught in the flames.
At that moment, however, Haseo—who was still midair—quietly pressed both hands together and then opened them again. His right arm extended straight, fingers pointing like a blade, while his left hand supported his right forearm. Then, a sharp cutting edge of air burst forth from his fingertips.
This high-pressure wind stream forced the flames below to split down the middle, flowing toward both sides. As Haseo rotated his inverted body midair, the wind blade stretched nearly ten meters, slicing through the fire wave first, then cleaving into the ground itself.
When he completed half a rotation and landed, the flames had been pushed aside, and a long, deep chasm now ran across the surface of the battlefield.
"So this is… the jutsu you've kept hidden," Nagare emerged, showing only signs of damage from the wide-range Fire Release technique. The more focused Wind Release attack Haseo had just launched had clearly missed its mark.
So he emerged—battered, but very much alive.
"It's my own original ninja technique—the [Wind Release: Ame no Ohabari no Jutsu]. But apparently, it didn't have the expected effect against you," Haseo said.
This Wind Release jutsu was essentially a Wind-style version of [Lightning Release: Kurigara]. Its characteristics included not only high-speed slicing but also visual deception and concealment effects. Its movement through the air was nearly undetectable—making it incredibly hard to evade. Haseo had designed this move specifically for inexperienced "redneck" ninja unfamiliar with something like the "Wind King's Barrier." It had worked well before, like when he assassinated an Amegakure barrier specialist.
However, any visual deception this technique offered was useless against Nagare—after all, he had no vision at all. In fact, the concentrated Wind-style chakra around Haseo's hands had been glaringly obvious to Nagare's sensory perception.
"Ame no Ohabari, huh?"
The legendary divine weapon "Ame no Ohabari" from myth was said to belong to the destined genius of the Uchiha—but that didn't stop Haseo from borrowing its name for his technique.
"Still a bit exaggerated, I'd say."
For the very first time, Nagare charged directly at Haseo—a maneuver he'd never executed during their earlier battle. Previously, he only ever gave chase.
Now, Haseo fully understood Nagare's taijutsu techniques. With his superior speed and a unique hand seal method—where each touch produced a new jutsu—he'd finally become a truly fearsome opponent.
In short, after over a year as a ninja, Haseo had finally become a real fighter.
Faced with the advancing enemy, Haseo didn't retreat. Instead, his hands swiftly formed seals in a sequence incomprehensible to ordinary eyes.
"Don't let him keep forming seals!"
That judgment caused Nagare to instantly rush in front of Haseo, forcing the latter to loosen his grip.
Haseo extended one hand to press down on Nagare's arm that was reaching toward him, immediately stepping into Nagare's guard. He drove an upward elbow strike into Nagare's throat, yet even at that close range and with all his speed, the blow was still stopped by his opponent's palm.
Yet now, when it came to hand-to-hand combat and martial techniques, Nagare could no longer make Haseo lose his composure.
Nagare pinned Haseo's leg with one foot as he attempted to lift it, while simultaneously grabbing Haseo's wrist with his other hand. With a sharp pull toward himself and a forceful push forward with the hand that had been holding down Haseo's elbow, Nagare sent Haseo staggering backward, yet his left arm remained caught.
Nagare stepped forward one step, draping Haseo's arm over his shoulder. Then, using a powerful forward thrust from both arms, Nagare twisted his body sharply—clearly aiming to dislocate and break Haseo's entire arm with just this move.
Once that arm was disabled, Haseo would have no chance of victory—completing hand seals with just one hand was practically impossible, no matter how fast he was.
But at this moment, Haseo stomped hard on the ground. With a dull booming sound, the earth caved inward from the immense force. Using the momentum, Haseo rotated his body along with the pressure. Then, with his other leg, he kicked powerfully into Nagare's waist, sending Nagare stumbling back before he could finish the fatal blow.
In terms of pure technique, Nagare still held the advantage—that was, after all, his specialty in Taijutsu. However, Haseo had now reached the point where he could exert his own speed and agility mid-combat. The gap in technical skill could now be compensated for through speed, which significantly reduced Nagare's earlier overwhelming threat in close-range fighting.
Haseo soared into the air—his arm wasn't broken, but it had been sprained.
Nagare, standing on the ground, took several steps backward from the impact. Then, he brought both hands together, unleashing the first elemental technique since the battle began:
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!]
Countless Wind Blades crashed against Haseo's body, slicing open his skin, spilling blood, and lifting his airborne form even higher into the sky.
Under wind attacks, the Lightning Release chakra that wrapped around Haseo's body offered little in the way of defense—wind countered lightning, and elemental dominance was an irrefutable rule.
"So you're also a Wind Release ninja..." Haseo mused, even amidst the chaos.
You see, in mid-air like this, a ninja's agility and evasive capabilities had dropped by at least ninety percent. A few simple Kunai or Shuriken could easily become life-threatening.
However… it didn't matter. Finally, Haseo managed to bring his hands together once again.
Amegakure's ninja—the one who taught me the art of battle—I shall repay you with my strongest three strikes. My personal version of the Dance of the Sword is mine alone to reveal—and it is only right that I show it to you!
Haseo's thoughts swirled, but his hands lost no time:
[Lightning Release: Kurigara!]
[Wind Release: Tengaippa!]
[Water Release: Rising Water Slicer!]
At this moment, Nagare sensed three deadly blades surging toward him from three directions. The high-density chakra signatures each carried the unmistakable aura of certain death. This time, escape seemed utterly impossible.
At this moment, Nagare's perception seemed to reach its peak in his life. Within his awareness, he could not only clearly discern the attack trajectory of every technique Haseo used, but even the time it took for those attacks to break through space and arrive before him felt slowed down.
With an agonizing twist, Nagare launched himself skyward—just as Haseo's Tenpen'usha tore through him, shearing off his arm at the shoulder. But that was all he would pay.
Under circumstances where three powerful Elemental Releases, three deadly strikes, were released and converged simultaneously, losing just one arm was already a remarkable outcome.
Not sacrifice—merely cutting losses with a lost limb. As a ninja, what is there that cannot be accepted?
However, right at this moment, their positions had already reversed.
Haseo landed while Nagare soared upward.
Haseo slightly squatted his body, interlaced his ten fingers, and extended his arms straight upward toward Nagare midair.
"Farewell, ninja from Amegakure."
As he twisted his wrist, the vertical gap between his palms suddenly swung sideways. From his hands surged out a torrent of Lightning Release energy, which immediately expanded into a massive beam one meter in diameter.
I've mastered your taijutsu… now let me finish you with my ultimate ninjutsu:
[Lightning Release · Kurigara – Grand Heavenly Phenomenon!]
This blazing azure beam vaporized anything in its path before merging with the cloudless sky beyond.
I've heard rumors about a sword technique that can... ahem, legal concerns.
When did it clear up? Without even realizing it, the skies have opened.
But...
Indeed, no matter how nimble or agile an artillery platform might become, even if you equip it with six pairs of road wheels, when the most critical moment of battle arrives, it still returns to its original nature and obediently becomes just an artillery platform again.
PS:
Thank you, Big Elder 'Zai San Xu Shen Zhong' (Again, Matters Need Caution), for becoming my Silver Patron. So this is how you write the character for 'silver'? I finally figured it out—I was excited.
This afternoon, seeing the donation display in the backend, it took me a little while to realize what actually happened.
It was genuinely surprising—no, more like shocking. Never did I expect that someone like me could receive such a generous reward. Grateful and astonished at the same time.
In the past, whenever I saw others' collections rising so fast, my first thought was always: this bastard must've bought fake stats.
Jealousy made me feel like my DNA was splitting apart from my cell membrane.
Now I understand—that's what they call the full-site boost for new Silver Patrons.
No more talking. It's time to put my veteran keyboard-fu to work. From now on, I'll update better and faster, adding extra chapters for happiness too.
I solemnly promise—if I watch Worlds again, I'm a dog.
By the way… who's playing whom tonight?
Three chapters today just to show my appreciation and share how I feel. The bonus chapter for patrons will come after unlocking.
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