The mountain clearing was silent except for the dragon's breathing.
Kyro stood over it, hand resting against the thickened ridge of its spine. The scales were harder now—denser. Natural Evolution had begun accelerating beyond his control.
"That flight bought us time," he murmured. "But you're not ready for long distance travel and combat ."
The dragon's golden eye narrowed.
Kyro exhaled and activated the System.
A distortion of space folded inward.
The massive body dissolved into shards of ember-light and vanished, stored within the System space where time flowed slower and recovery was optimized.
Silence returned to the forest.
Now he stood alone.
Good.
His eyes hardened.
He needed points.
Genin. Chunin. Smaller targets. Consistent gains.
It was time for harvest but before crossing borders, Kyro accessed the System shop.
Purchase Confirmed: Shinobi Combat Garment – "Purple Night Variant"
Origin: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Cost: 35 Points
The fabric materialized around him.
Deep violet layered cloth. Reinforced black plating at forearms and shins. Tight-fitting, silent, designed for assassination and vertical maneuverability.
Light.
Deadly.
Invisible in moonlight.
He flexed his fingers.
Good.
He turned north.
Journey to the Border
Three days later, frost began coating the trees.
The air thinned.
Snowfields stretched across rolling hills as Kyro approached the outskirts of the Land of Frost, a minor territory near the border of the Land of Lightning.
Small villages dotted the terrain. Some loosely affiliated with Kumogakure.
Meaning:
Lower defenses.
Rotational patrols.
Young shinobi on assignment.
He could work with that..
Kyro crouched on a frozen cliffside overlooking a modest shinobi outpost.
Torches burned along wooden palisades.
Two sentries at the gate.
Four chakra signatures inside.
Young.
Unrefined.
He closed his eyes.
No hesitation.
He moved.
Snow muffled his steps.
He scaled the back wall silently using chakra adhesion.
A genin lay asleep near the watchtower interior.
No scar tissue on hands.
Probably first winter rotation.
Kyro's blade slid across the throat in one motion.
Blood steamed against frost.
+8 Points
No sound.
He vanished into shadow.
Inside the barracks,
Two more chakra signatures.
One stirred.
Kyro was already behind him.
Snap.
Neck broken.
+12 Points
The final genin reached for a kunai—
Too slow.
A palm strike crushed the trachea.
+9 Points
He left before the blood fully cooled.
Night Two
This time, a chunin accompanied the patrol.
Older.
The fight lasted thirty seconds.
The chunin's lightning jutsu scorched Kyro's sleeve before Kyro stepped inside the guard and drove a blade under the ribs.
The man tried to speak.
Kyro twisted.
+25 Points
He disappeared into the forest as alarms began ringing.
System Notification (After 12 Nights)
Genin Eliminated: 14
Chunin Eliminated: 6
Points Gained This Operation: +221
Current Total: 671 Points
Kyro wiped blood from his blade under the northern lights.
Unseen.
He no longer hunted for survival....
POV SWITCH – Hidden Cloud
Inside a fortified chamber of Kumogakure, masked operatives knelt before a towering figure.
The air itself felt heavy.
Electric.
At the head of the chamber stood the Third Raikage,
Massive. Arms folded. Eyes sharp as stormlight.
The ANBU captain spoke first.
"The creature has achieved unstable aerial capability."
A pause.
"It adapts mid-combat."
The Raikage's jaw tightened.
"And the host?"
"Strategic. Increasingly disciplined. He has shifted targets."
"Explain."
The captain lowered his head slightly.
"Border shinobi in the Land of Frost have begun dying at night."
Silence.
One of the Raikage's fingers tapped the stone armrest once.
Lightning crackled faintly around his skin.
"He's training through killing."
The words carried weight.
"Small kills first Safe growth."
Another ANBU added:
"We believe he stored the dragon and not dispelled it, as there wasn't the common smoke of a summon returning to its realm, No large Chakra signatures detected but their was energy fluctuations that were detected..."
The Raikage stepped forward.
Stone beneath his feet cracked slightly from the pressure of his presence.
"He's learning."
A pause.
"Double patrol rotations along the Frost border."
"Yes, Lord Raikage."
"And dispatch a ANBU hunter squad."
The room stiffened.
Not simple ANBU.
Hunter-nin were different.
They specialized in erasing rogue threats permanently.
The Raikage's eyes narrowed.
"If he wants to grow… let him."
Lightning surged briefly around his frame.
"But make sure he understands."
"The storm grows faster."
Far north, unaware of the full escalation forming behind him, Kyro watched another patrol from the treeline.
His breath no longer fogged in the cold.
His heartbeat remained steady.
He had crossed a line now.
Not survival.
Not defense.
Systematic eradication.
And with 671 points,
He was getting closer to something far greater.
The System interface flickered to life in the cold night air.
Kyro stood alone beneath the skeletal branches of a snow-laden forest, violet-black shinobi attire dusted in frost.
His point balance glowed faintly.
Current Points: 671
He didn't hesitate.
Item Available: Advanced Physiology
Enhancement Serum – Mk II
Cost: 450 Points
Warning: Severe systemic shock. Survival not guaranteed.
Kyro's eyes narrowed.
"Purchase."
450 Points Deducted.
Remaining Balance: 221 Points
A cylindrical vial materialized in his hand.
The liquid inside was darker than the first serum, almost metallic, swirling with crimson and gold threads that pulsed like a heartbeat.
System text scrolled before him:
Serum Effects (Permanent)
Base Strength: Increased to 200 tons
Height: Adjusted to 5'9"
Maximum Ground Speed: 500 km/h (short burst capability)
Regeneration:
Lost limbs fully regrow
Fatal injuries repaired within 30 seconds (chakra core intact)
Stamina: Sustained combat capacity up to 4 consecutive days without degradation
Bone Density & Musculature: Reinforced to support enhanced output.
Kyro stared at it.
Then turned and moved deeper into the forest until even patrol scouts wouldn't sense him
A hollow between ancient trees.
Snow insulated the ground.
Silent.
He removed his glove.
And injected it into his neck.
For one second,
Nothing.
Then his heart stopped.
His body convulsed violently as veins darkened beneath his skin. Bones cracked not breaking, but reforming.
He collapsed into the snow as his muscles tore themselves apart and rebuilt thicker.
His spine elongated slightly.
Ribs widened.
Blood steamed against frost as his body temperature spiked beyond normal human limits.
His vision went white.
Then black.
His left arm shredded at the muscle fibers,
And regrew in seconds.
The system was testing.
Rewriting.
Reinforcing.
His jaw clenched so hard it fractured,
He felt it heal instantly.
The agony didn't fade.
It escalated.
Every cell multiplied in efficiency.
Every tendon reinforced.
His skeleton compacted with greater density.
Snow around him melted in a wide radius from the heat pouring off his body.
Thirty seconds passed.
Then sixty.
Then silence.
Kyro rose slowly from the crater of slush and steam.
The forest felt… smaller.
His breathing steady.
Heartbeat controlled.
He flexed his hand.
The air cracked.
He stepped forward,
And vanished.
A sonic boom exploded through the trees as he crossed nearly a kilometer in a blink, stopping effortlessly without strain.
No dizziness.
No tearing muscles.
Just control.
He looked down at his forearm and drew his blade across it deliberately.
The cut split deep.
Bone visible.
Thirty seconds later,
Perfect skin.
No scars.
Kyro exhaled slowly.
"Two hundred tons…"
He clenched his fist.
Snow across the clearing detonated outward from sheer air pressure.
Now he was no longer hunting cautiously.
Now he was hunting with certainty.
POV SWITCH – Frost Shinobi Outpost
Inside a wooden watchtower, three shinobi sat around a dim lantern.
One slammed his fist against the table.
"That's eighteen now."
"Genin and chunin both," another muttered. "No bodies left behind long enough for burial rites."
A third spoke quietly:
"No large chakra signatures detected. No summoning traces. Whoever this is, he moves like a shadow."
"They're saying it's the Cloud bounty rogue."
Silence followed.
One of them swallowed.
"The one with the monster?"
Another shook his head.
"No monster sightings."
That was somehow worse.
"If it's just him…" the first whispered.
None of them finished the thought.
Outside, wind howled against wooden walls.
They had no idea the predator was now far stronger than any report suggested.
POV SWITCH – Hunter-nin Arrival
A squad of five figures moved across the snowfields in perfect formation.
Unlike standard shinobi, they wore no village insignia.
No pride.
No color.
Only muted grey armor and sealed masks.
Hunter-nin.
One knelt and pressed fingers into the snow.
"Residual heat signature detected in the northern quadrant. Roughly twelve hours old."
Another scanned the horizon.
"Cloud ANBU intelligence confirms target recently escalated physically."
The squad leader stood tall.
"Good."
A pause.
"We were sent because ANBU failed to secure."
He tightened his grip on his blade.
"This ends cleanly."
Snow began falling harder as they advanced deeper into the forest.
Behind them, distant thunder rolled across the mountains.
Ahead of them
A newly reborn predator waited.