Chapter 75: Uchiha Akira: S-rank Rebel Ninja, Is This All You Can Do?
Fugaku instinctively raised his Chakra longsword to block. The collision of two immense forces unleashed a surge of air that instantly swept away the surrounding house debris, turning it into dust.
"Father, your hesitation will only bring you more pain." Itachi's voice was devoid of emotion. "To protect the great tree of Konoha, pruning some branches that are about to sicken is a necessary sacrifice. The Uchiha must now withdraw from the stage of history."
Fugaku's chest heaved violently, and the Mangekyō in his eyes released terrifying ocular power due to extreme rage.
"Silence! What you protect is nothing but the power of Danzō and the Third Hokage! What you sacrifice is your bloodline, your family!" Uchiha Fugaku roared, swinging his longsword and launching a counterattack.
However, every one of Fugaku's strikes was off-target, consistently avoiding Itachi's core position. He wanted to subdue his son, not kill him. But Itachi's every move was lethal.
Meanwhile, deep within the Uchiha Clan Territory, at the Training Ground, Uchiha Akira stood in the center.
"Hehehe..." Orochimaru's laughter was the first to break the silence. "What an excellent stage. Akira-kun, you deliberately led us here; do you want us to witness your true power?" Orochimaru's golden snake eyes brazenly scrutinized Akira, his gaze filled with greed.
"Less talk." Kakuzu seemed extremely impatient. "Let's finish this quickly; I still need to collect another person's bounty." Kakuzu was, of course, referring to Uchiha Fugaku.
Akira calmly gazed at the two S-rank rogue ninja before him. "Make your move. Let me see how much a legendary S-rank rogue ninja is truly worth."
"Arrogant brat!" Kakuzu was thoroughly enraged. The black robe behind him suddenly billowed, and 4 monsters wearing different masks separated from his back, landing on the ground with a dull thud. "Let me show you how powerful I am!"
Kakuzu did not probe in the slightest; his first move was a killing blow. The Wind Release and Fire Release masks behind him opened their mouths simultaneously. "Wind Release: Pressure Damage!" "Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
A violent hurricane and a massive fireball instantly merged. The wind fueled the fire, forming a fiery storm that covered half the Training Ground, sweeping toward Akira. The high temperature of the flames instantly warped the surrounding air.
Orochimaru retreated a few steps with interest, crossing his arms over his chest, enjoying the battle. He wanted to see how this mysterious new Uchiha Clan Head would respond.
Facing this immensely powerful composite Ninjutsu, Akira did not even move a single step. His dark pupils reflected the sweeping sea of fire, a hint of mockery on his lips. "Playing with fire in front of the Uchiha? How... ridiculously foolish." He quickly formed hand seals, took a deep breath, and his chest suddenly swelled visibly.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!" A blaze even larger, hotter, and more violent than Kakuzu's fiery storm erupted from Akira's mouth. It was a vast, overwhelming, extremely condensed, deep crimson tidal wave of fire!
Boom—!!! The two flames collided with a roar in mid-air. Kakuzu's fiery storm, capable of incinerating a forest, was like a stream merging into a surging ocean before Akira's tidal wave. It failed to even stir a ripple, instantly swallowed, assimilated, and vanished without a trace.
Subsequently, the even more terrifying crimson fire wave continued its momentum, and, having devoured the opponent's flames, became even more turbulent, surging back toward Kakuzu.
"What!" Kakuzu's pupils suddenly constricted, a look of horror appearing in his eyes. The Earth Release mask behind him immediately shielded him. "Earth Release: Earth Spear!" Kakuzu's entire body was instantly covered by a layer of incredibly hard black rock.
Rumble! The crimson fire wave heavily slammed into Kakuzu, completely engulfing him. The entire Training Ground was enveloped in a dazzling blaze.
Orochimaru, observing from the side, smiled even wider. His golden snake eyes flickered with a fanatical glow. "This... what astonishing Fire Release... Akira-kun's Chakra, not only is its quantity astonishing, but its quality has also reached... an inconceivable realm!"
The firelight gradually dissipated. Kakuzu's figure reappeared. The rock armor on his body was charred black, covered in spiderweb-like cracks, and still emitting wisps of smoke. Although the Earth Grudge Fear secret technique prevented Kakuzu from sustaining a fatal injury, his apprehension toward Akira had reached its peak.
"It's not over yet." A cold voice sounded in Kakuzu's ear.
Kakuzu's internal alarm bells blared; he didn't even have time to turn around, only able to rely on his battle instincts to raise his body's hardening to the extreme.
Rip—! A fist wrapped in violent lightning firmly struck Kakuzu's back. The powerful penetrative force instantly dented Kakuzu's iron-hard back with a fist print, and countless fine cracks spread outwards from the fist print.
Kakuzu grunted, and the immense force pushed him forward over 10 meters, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the hard stone slab. Uchiha Akira slowly withdrew his fist. Kakuzu struggled to straighten his body; he could clearly feel that the hard rock armor on his back had completely cracked. Even the black tentacles of Earth Grudge Fear experienced a sluggish sensation when repairing the fractured meridians.
"Hehehe..." Orochimaru's morbid laughter rang out. "What a spectacular performance. Akira-kun, this perfect body of yours truly fascinates me more and more. With this strength, it's no wonder you could become the new Uchiha Clan Head. Uchiha Fugaku, in front of you, is simply like a ridiculous coward."
Kakuzu's face grew increasingly gloomy as he listened to Orochimaru's praise. "Stop talking nonsense, Orochimaru! Brat, I admit, I underestimated you." The 3 masked monsters behind Kakuzu floated up again, their eyes flashing with ominous red light, locking onto Akira.
"But to kill me with just this much skill, you're a hundred years too early! I've experienced more wars than you've eaten meals!" Kakuzu roared. "Today, I will definitely exchange your head for the largest sum of money!"
Facing Kakuzu's threat, Akira merely shook his head helplessly, his expression indifferent. "Is this all an S-rank rogue ninja amounts to? Then the warm-up is over; next..."