"There's no need to be so surprised," Shiki said lazily.
"Even if you came straight from the Hokage's house... your identity doesn't matter to me."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's eyebrow twitched.
"Is that so? You seem awfully confident."
"Confident?"
Shiki almost laughed.
Then should he Panic? Why would he panic?
The sheer stupidity of that question nearly made him smile.
Shinnosuke continued coldly:
"I know your reputation, Shiki. Your dual-blade style is… impressive.
But today, you're not carrying your swords."
True — Shiki rarely brought blades when wandering around the village.
And today, he carried nothing.
That was why Shinnosuke thought he had the advantage.
It was adorable.
Flashback: Asuma's Stupidity
A few days ago, Asuma had run crying to his older brother.
Shinnosuke had been speechless at the kid's whining…
But he was still his younger brother.
So here he was — to "teach Shiki a lesson."
"Don't worry," Shinnosuke said, righteous and stupid.
"I'll beat you up a little. I won't kill you."
Shiki's expression didn't change.
If anything, he looked even more amused.
"The Sarutobi boys really are something else…"
He muttered softly.
"First the brat. Now the genius big brother.
You two really stand on the same foundation of overconfidence."
"Hmph! Without your blades, what exactly are you!?"
He still hadn't seen Shiki's true strength — only rumors.
And Shinnosuke was a recognized genius of Konoha, an elite jōnin.
To him, Shiki without his swords was nothing special.
"Earth Style — Split-Earth Turn!"
The ground cracked open, jagged lines racing toward Shiki.
Shiki whispered:
"Ground Roll."
The earth stopped instantly, freezing mid-rupture as if obeying him.
The forest returned to silence.
"Kekkei genkai…?"
Shinnosuke frowned.
It was the same earlier — no hand signs, no chakra build-up, just instant manipulation.
Shiki's lips curved slightly.
"With your level of insight…
Even if I explained it, you wouldn't understand."
"You—!"
Insulted, Shinnosuke clenched his jaw.
"Originally, I only planned to give you a warning.
But now—"
His eyes sharpened.
"I'll break one of your arms."
He scoffed.
"Let's see you use dual-sword style after that."
"Body Flicker!"
He vanished, leaves scattering in his wake.
Shiki didn't bother to move.
Didn't even shift his stance.
Through his Observation Haki, Shiki heard every movement, every breath, every flick of muscle.
Shuriken burst from the shadows — sharp, spinning, fast.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Shiki raised his arm casually.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
Metal rang against something harder — sparks flying as the shuriken bounced off.
Shinnosuke froze behind the trees.
"…Nani?"
Blocking shuriken with bare skin — impossible.
But Shiki's arm was wrapped in pitch-black Armament Haki.
Shiki lowered his arm slowly, eyes fixed on Shinnosuke's hiding spot.
He smiled.
And Shinnosuke's instincts screamed.
Danger.
Danger.
DANGER.
The air around Shiki felt wrong — predatory, oppressive, heavy.
Before Shinnosuke could reposition, Shiki's voice echoed:
"Ground Roll."
BOOM.
The forest floor cracked open — a stone dragon burst upward, roaring, tearing through the earth, lunging straight toward Shinnosuke.
"Damn—!"
He flickered away.
The dragon followed instantly.
Every time he moved — the dragon turned with him.
It wasn't failing to catch him.
It was playing with him.
"Impossible…!"
He was a genius, an elite jōnin — and he was being toyed with like a training dummy.
Shinnosuke counterattacked on instinct.
"Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Splitting the ground, firing hardened soil like artillery — aiming directly at the unmoving Shiki.
Still, Shiki didn't move.
A stone wall shot up from beneath his feet, blocking every projectile.
Shinnosuke clenched his teeth.
"What… what IS this kekkei genkai!?"
Control over earth?
Enhanced chakra manipulation?
No — something else.
Something he couldn't classify.
The stone wall sank back into the ground.
Shiki's smile faded — replaced by something cold.
"You're running out of tricks."
"Hmph! Even if I can't beat you quickly — you aren't going to take me down either!"
Shinnosuke tried to regain confidence—
Then Shiki vanished.
One moment there.
Gone the next.
"This—"
BOOM.
A fist slammed into Shinnosuke's ribs, throwing him across the forest floor.
He gasped, collapsing onto the dirt.
He barely lifted his head before—
THUD.
Shiki landed beside him and planted his foot on Shinnosuke's skull, grinding him back into the earth.
"You—!"
Shinnosuke reached to grab Shiki's ankle—
SWHIP!
A stone spike shot from the ground at Shiki's hand gesture — stabbing through Shinnosuke's wrist and nailing it to the dirt.
"AGH—!"
Pain shot up his arm, blood splattering onto the soil.
But pain wasn't the worst part.
It was disbelief.
It was humiliation.
It was the crushing reality that—
He never stood a chance.
"I'm… the Hokage's son…"
Shinnosuke's voice trembled between pain and fury.
"How dare you… how dare you do this to me—!"
Shiki crouched down, staring directly into his widened, desperate eyes.
His voice was calm.
Almost gentle.
"You thought being the Hokage's son would protect you?"
He tilted his head.
"That's adorable."
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