Chapter 11 — Mission Completed
Raizen's pupils contracted sharply.
The eighth person…
That meant seven people before him had already died. Before he could process the full meaning of uu's words, the door to his room exploded inward with a deafening crash.
Wood splintered across the floor as the fragile door was violently kicked open. A towering man with a thick black beard stepped through the ruined doorway, his heavy boots grinding against the scattered debris. Resting casually on his shoulder was an oversized katana, its dull metallic sheen reflecting the fading light of dusk.
His eyes gleamed with naked greed.
"Ha! Never thought I'd find such a fat sheep in this miserable place!"
His voice was loud and coarse, filled with gloating delight. The wanted notice had been very clear.
The man named Raizen was supposedly weak—so weak that he was practically defenseless. The only reason he had been classified as an A-rank target was because he had been accompanied by two mysterious women whose abilities were unknown. But today, the bearded man had been watching for hours.
Those two women had not appeared even once. They were probably separated. Or gone.
Which meant the prey standing in front of him now was nothing more than an easy payday.
"Heh heh heh…"
The man chuckled darkly.
"Twenty million ryō… do you know how many jobs that covers for someone like me?"
His gaze drifted toward the weapon in Raizen's hand.
A long spear.
The man snorted with disdain.
"That thing? It's just for show, right? Who the hell still uses a spear nowadays?"
Raizen didn't respond. His expression remained calm—almost unnervingly calm.
Slowly, he lowered his stance and leveled the spear forward.
The cold metal tip pointed directly at the bearded man's throat.
The bounty hunter's smile faltered for a split second. A faint unease crept into his chest.
He swallowed unconsciously. His palms began to sweat.
He forced himself to regulate his breathing. Years of experience had taught him one important rule: even the weakest opponent could kill you if you became careless.
Still, his personality was reckless by nature. He casually shifted the massive katana from his shoulder, resting it lazily in his hands as he sneered.
"Tell me something."
He tapped the blade against the ground.
"That spear of yours is over two meters long, right?"
He gestured around the cramped inn room.
"Do you really think you can swing something like that properly in such a small space?"
His grin widened maliciously.
"Or maybe… you don't even know how to use it."
His laughter rang loudly through the room. He was exhilarated. Without those two women around, this hunt had become far more entertaining.
Truthfully, he had always enjoyed this part of the job the most. Watching prey struggle when they realized death was coming.
Seeing panic and despair slowly creep across their faces. That moment—right before hope disappeared—was intoxicating.
Raizen's eyes narrowed slightly. The man's arrogance was suffocating the room.
Good.
Overconfidence created openings.
Without hesitation, Raizen thrust the spear forward. The weapon shot out like a striking serpent.
The bearded man's pupils shrank, but his body reacted instantly. Despite his crude appearance, he was far from incompetent. His tall frame moved with surprising agility as he twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the spear's tip.
The thrust missed.
But Raizen had never expected it to land.
His expression remained perfectly composed.
The moment the thrust ended, he pulled the spear back and swung it horizontally with explosive force.
The iron shaft cut through the air with a sharp whistle.
The bearded man's eyes widened. He had expected another thrust—not a sweeping strike.
Instinctively, he reached out, attempting to grab the shaft.
But he was too slow.
Bang!
The heavy spear slammed into his waist with tremendous force.
The impact sent a shockwave through his entire body.
"Ghh—!"
The man staggered backward several steps before crashing against the wall. The waist was one of the body's most vulnerable points. Even a solid fighter couldn't ignore a blow like that.
Pain spread through his abdomen like wildfire.
Raizen didn't give him time to recover.
Calm. Precise. Merciless. He drew the spear back once more and thrust again.
This time, the strike was even faster.
The bearded man cursed and raised his katana just in time.
Clang!
Metal collided violently.
The spear's point deflected, but the force of the blow rattled his arms.
"Damn it!"
Panic flickered across his face.
"Where the hell is this guy getting that strength?!"
The wanted notice had said the target was weak—practically powerless. But the man in front of him fought like a trained warrior.
"Damn those Konoha bastards! 'Handless weakling'? What kind of joke is that?!"
Raizen's spear moved again.
And again.
And again.
The weapon seemed to come alive in his hands. It twisted and struck like a coiling dragon, its attacks relentless and unpredictable.
The spearhead flashed again and again, faster with each strike.
The bearded man struggled to keep up. He blocked desperately, his katana ringing with every impact.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Each strike was heavier than the last.
His arms began to tremble. His breathing grew ragged.
Raizen's attacks only became more violent.
The spear roared through the air like a raging storm.
Then—
Pshik!
The spear suddenly slipped past the katana's guard. Tip pierced directly into the man's chest. Straight through the heart.
The bearded man froze. His eyes widened in disbelief.
Raizen exhaled slowly. But before he could relax—
Bang!
A cloud of white smoke exploded around the corpse.
When the smoke cleared… The body had vanished.
In its place stood a wooden stake. Raizen's entire body went cold.
Substitution Technique!
Instinct screamed at him. Without thinking, he leapt forward.
A flash of cold steel sliced through the air behind him. The blade narrowly grazed the side of his head.
A strand of hair floated slowly to the floor.
"Bastard!"
The bearded man's furious voice rang out behind him.
"Took me half a day just to deal with you!"
Another strike came instantly. Raizen rolled desperately across the floor as the katana chased after him like a venomous serpent.
He wasn't fast enough.
The blade slashed across his chest.
A deep wound tore open, and blood sprayed violently across the floor.
"Ahhhh!"
Raizen roared like a wounded beast. Pain surged through his entire body.
"The farce ends here."
The bearded man licked his lips slowly. His eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction.
Twenty million ryō.
Despite the unexpected trouble, the result was still the same.
Victory.
He stepped forward and planted his foot heavily onto Raizen's chest. The weight forced the air from Raizen's lungs.
Then the man raised his katana high.
After all, the bounty required the head.
Raizen's heart pounded violently.
Was this really the end?
No.
There had to be a chance.
His eyes flickered.
The man was confident.
Too confident.
At this moment, the bounty hunter believed Raizen was completely helpless.
The spear had slipped out of his grasp. And with the man's foot pressing down on him, retrieving it seemed impossible.
The katana descended.
In that instant—
Raizen suddenly grabbed the man's wrists.
The bearded man sneered.
"Heh!"
"You really don't know when to give up, do you?"
He pushed downward with all his strength.
The blade slowly cut into Raizen's neck.
Blood began to flow. The pain was unbearable. But Raizen's grip tightened like iron.
The katana pressed deeper.
Blood dripped onto the floor.
Their eyes locked.
The bearded man gritted his teeth.
His arms trembled, clearly exhausted from the earlier exchange.
"Damn it! Why struggle when you're already dying?"
His voice turned impatient.
"Just accept it. I'll make it quick—no pain."
Raizen noticed something. The man's strength was fading.
Just slightly.
But it was enough.
Suddenly—
Raizen tilted his head aside and kicked upward with all his strength.
His foot slammed directly into the man's groin. Because all his strength went into the kick, his grip weakened for a moment.
The katana dragged across his neck, carving a long, bloody cut.
But the attack had already landed.
The bearded man's face twisted instantly.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
He howled in agony, instinctively clutching himself.
Raizen seized the opportunity. He rolled across the floor, grabbed the fallen spear, and thrust upward.
The spearhead pierced straight through the man's throat.
The scream ended abruptly and silence returned to the room.
Raizen remained frozen for several seconds.
Then he slowly exhaled. Relief flooded through him. But the exhaustion hit immediately afterward.
His vision blurred, having lost far too much blood. That last kick had been a desperate gamble. If anything had gone wrong, he would have died instantly. Even the bearded man had never imagined Raizen would risk such a reckless move.
Then a familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
"Mission completed."
"Reward obtained: Ten magic crystals."
"Chakra refinement method granted."
Raizen barely heard the words. His consciousness was already fading.
With the last bit of strength he had left, he whispered a single command.
"Heal…"
Darkness swallowed him.
---
UU appeared quietly beside him. Her silver eyes were wide with amazement.
"What courage…"
She knelt beside the unconscious Raizen.
"The katana was already at your neck, and you still dared to gamble like that."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Well… perhaps it wasn't courage."
"More like fear forcing you to fight desperately for survival."
Either way, she smiled softly.
"Congratulations, Master."
"You passed."
Outside the room, the innkeeper had already heard the earlier commotion.
He hadn't dared interfere before. But now that everything had gone quiet, he cautiously approached the door and knocked.
"Guest…? What happened in there?"
UU glanced toward the door.
If the situation was discovered, things would become troublesome.
She raised her hand.
A golden card appeared between her fingers.
With a flick—The card dissolved into light.
A pair of pure white wings suddenly sprouted from her back.
She lifted Raizen effortlessly into her arms.
In the next instant—She shot out the window like a falling star.
As the system spirit, UU could freely use items stored within the system.
The item she had just activated was known as a Costume Card—a one-time-use artifact capable of granting temporary abilities.
It worked much like the magical transformation cards seen in certain magical girl series. And tonight, It had given them wings.