"What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"
Akaza attacked as he questioned, his voice carrying a mocking edge. "Is it because you agree with what I said that you can't refute it?"
Naruto remained silent, focusing only on parrying Akaza's relentless blows. Cuts and bruises spread across his body, and his strength was steadily being worn away.
"Hahahaha!~"
Sensing Naruto's weakening state, Akaza assumed his words were taking effect. He laughed even more smugly and shouted, "Uzumaki Naruto, do you feel it? This is the difference between humans and demons. If you nod your head now, you can obtain a body like mine!"
"Shut up!"
Naruto suddenly raised his head, blocking Akaza's attack head-on. His eyes burned with irritation as he snapped, "You're so annoying!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Naruto exerted force through his nichirin blade. Akaza's attack was halted instantly—and in the next heartbeat, Naruto slashed across Akaza's chest, sending him flying backward.
"How is that possible?!"
Akaza steadied himself as the wound on his chest healed instantly. He stared at Naruto in disbelief. "Your body should have reached its limit. Why do you still have this much power?"
"How should I know?!"
Naruto replied impatiently. He held his nichirin blade horizontally and said coldly, "It's probably because you talk too much."
"Wind Breathing Seventh Form: Gale-Sudden Gusts!"
Naruto swung his sword, unleashing multiple tornado-shaped spiral wind blades that tore toward Akaza.
"Destructive Death: Flying Planet Thousand Wheels!"
Akaza countered immediately, releasing a barrage of punches that shattered the incoming wind blades as he charged straight at Naruto.
"Destructive Kill—Annihilation Style!"
A devastating blow crashed down with a deafening sonic boom. Naruto barely managed to parry before being sent flying dozens of meters by the sheer force of Akaza's fist.
"Give up, Uzumaki Naruto—you can't beat me!"
Akaza pressed forward relentlessly. "No matter how hard you struggle, you cannot defeat a demon. Admit your weakness as a human and accept my invitation, or I'll kill you right here—"
Pfft!
Akaza abruptly halted mid-movement.
A sense of danger washed over him.
Without thinking, he leaped backward, forcibly widening the distance between himself and Naruto.
What… just happened?
Why did his instincts scream that staying close would mean death?
For a fleeting instant, Akaza saw a vision—his own head severed, his body collapsing at Naruto's feet. The image vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving him unsettled.
"…Tch. You just keep rambling on and on."
Naruto slowly raised his head, holding his nichirin blade horizontally beneath his eyes. The emerald blade reflected his sharp, impatient gaze as he stared at Akaza.
"Didn't I already tell you? I won't become a demon. You keep talking and talking—it's annoying."
Naruto was drenched in blood. Three wind-blade-like scars ran across each cheek, symmetrical like the whiskers of a beast. Heat rose from his body, warping the air around him.
It felt as though his body was burning—yet power continued to surge forth without end.
"This kid…"
Akaza didn't understand what had happened, but he could clearly sense it.
Naruto was no longer the same.
But it didn't matter.
No matter how much he changed, he was still human.
"…I don't really get what's happening," Naruto muttered, gripping his blade tightly with both hands, "but I feel like I can win right now."
In a flash, he vanished.
Naruto surged forward like a violent whirlwind, spinning as he slashed fiercely toward Akaza's neck.
"Eighth Form: Primary Gale Slash!"
"So fast—!"
Before Akaza could fully react, Naruto was already in front of him. The nichirin blade flashed—
Pfft!
Akaza instinctively stepped back, but the blade still sliced through his neck, severing nearly a third of it.
The wound regenerated instantly.
Akaza retaliated at once, unleashing a storm of rapid punches that rained down on Naruto.
"Destructive Death: Eight Layered Demon Core!"
"Wind Breathing Third Form: Clean Storm Wind Tree!"
Naruto swung his sword, releasing multiple wind blades centered around himself, deflecting the barrage. His movement flowed seamlessly into the next attack as his figure circled Akaza like a raging tempest.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Countless wind blades struck simultaneously, severing Akaza's arms and carving deep wounds across his body. One slash nearly split him in half at the waist.
Even so, Akaza regenerated in the blink of an eye.
"It's useless!"
His arms reformed instantly as he assumed a battle stance, aura surging violently. "No matter how many times you cut me, I recover instantly. But one solid hit from me is enough to kill you!"
This was the absolute gap between demons and humans.
"How annoying."
Naruto brandished his blade dismissively. "How many times do I have to say it? I refuse."
"…What a pity."
Akaza sighed. His eyes sharpened as a snowflake-shaped formation spread beneath his feet. He spread his arms, palms facing Naruto—then clenched his fists.
"Final Form: Blue Silver Chaotic Afterglow!"
Hundreds of punches erupted forward in an instant, each strike carrying the weight of a meteor, sonic booms tearing through the air as they surged toward Naruto.
Akaza had sensed Naruto's resolve.
So he chose to kill him outright.
Naruto inhaled deeply.
He gripped his sword with both hands, bent his knees slightly, and his aura rose like a spiraling storm.
For a moment—
The world went silent.
Then Naruto exhaled.
And moved.
His body became a gentle breeze, slipping through the storm of attacks as if carried by the wind itself. In a single step, he appeared before Akaza.
The nichirin blade flashed.
Like a tempest sweeping across Akaza's neck.
"Breath of the Wind Ninth Form: Idaten Typhoon!"