______________________________________________________________________________________________________
A confident smile rested on Akira's face.
Just as the water prison was about to trap him completely, his body suddenly expanded. White flames burst to life around him, roaring across his entire form.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!"
Akira raised his arm high. The scorching heat melted the surrounding water in an instant.
A blazing white fireball slammed into Fuguki Suikazan's Water Prison, smashing it apart completely.
The flames immediately spread, swallowing Fuguki whole. He let out a miserable scream as the fire burned across his body.
When the flames finally died down, Fuguki lay sprawled on the ground in a sorry state. His entire body was charred black, bits of debris scattered around him.
Struggling, he forced himself to stand and brushed the grime off his clothes.
"Haah!"
He exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke.
"You bastard… You actually dared to look down on me!"
His eyes turned bloodshot as an icy aura surged from his body.
"I'm going to kill you!"
The chill around Fuguki intensified. A powerful pressure of wind surged toward Akira.
With a low shout, a thin layer of white chakra covered his palm. He lashed out with a kick, and the violent gust blasted Akira hundreds of meters away.
Akira steadied himself after landing. He rubbed his shoulder, frowning. One of his bones might be cracked. It wasn't a serious injury, but he had definitely taken a hit just now.
Fuguki slowly climbed back to his feet. His clothes were completely ruined. Seeing the state he was in, his face twisted with fury.
"Akira! You've really pissed me off! I'm going to kill you!"
Akira's figure reflected in his pupils as he raised his right hand.
"Water Clone Technique!"
Three Fuguki clones leapt up from the ground. All of them rushed toward Akira.
For the first time, Akira's cold expression grew serious.
His hands quickly formed seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
The dirt beneath them surged upward, forming a thick earthen wall that blocked the three attackers.
Fuguki slammed a kick against the heavy wall.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Sword!"
Sharp earthen blades suddenly erupted from the ground, stabbing straight through the wall.
"Earth Flow Sword Dance!"
Countless earthen blades twisted together, forming enormous serpent-like shapes that lunged forward.
Akira frowned.
The hardness of that earth had completely surpassed normal stone. It made no sense at all.
"That shouldn't even be possible."
His voice was cold.
"I don't believe it. Break!"
With a sudden burst of strength, he slammed a punch into the earth wall, shattering it instantly.
Fuguki chuckled.
"Heh. Your weakness just showed itself. You think that's all I can do? I've got plenty more tricks than flashy ninjutsu."
He slammed both hands onto the ground.
"Secret Technique: Lightning Spear!"
Thin arcs of lightning sparked from his fingertips, forming small spear-like bolts about ten centimeters long.
They shot toward Akira like a swarm.
Akira shifted his body to dodge the lightning spears, but the bolts changed direction midair and continued chasing him.
"Lightning Spear — Thunderlight Cannon!"
Another blast of lightning shot out, though this one struck the ground off to the side.
A cruel smile crept across Fuguki's lips.
His body suddenly dissolved into water, diving into the ground before rolling out behind Akira.
"You've lost!"
Fuguki roared as a water spear shot straight toward Akira's head.
But just before it could strike—
Akira spun around.
He grabbed the spear with one hand, reversed his grip, and stabbed it backward.
"Damn it!"
Fuguki instantly retreated.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Several wounds suddenly appeared across Fuguki's body.
Clutching his injuries, he growled through gritted teeth.
"You damn bastard!"
Akira's eyes began to glow red. A violent wave of chakra burst from his body.
Purple lightning wrapped around him as he stared at Fuguki with blood-red eyes.
"You actually dare challenge my authority?"
Fuguki froze for a moment.
That line… it sounded strangely familiar. Akira had said something similar earlier.
Soon his face twisted into a vicious grin.
"If that's how it is, then let's settle this for real!"
The lightning surrounding Akira slowly faded, but his gaze remained icy.
"Fine. Let's fight."
"I want to see whether your Water Release is stronger… or my Fire Release!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Both of them unleashed their jutsu at the same time.
Akira's massive fireball crashed into the torrent of water Fuguki created. The collision triggered a violent explosion.
Water burst apart, and the surrounding ground cracked from the impact.
Fuguki was blasted backward by the shockwave. A bloody hole had been torn open in his chest.
"Damn it… I won't forgive you for this!"
He roared furiously.
"You'll learn the price of crossing me!"
Akira simply scoffed.
He spread his hands as a floating fireball appeared in front of him. His body suddenly rose into the air.
The fireball twisted and shifted in midair, changing shapes.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Technique!"
A massive blazing sphere dropped from the sky and smashed straight into Fuguki.
BOOM!
The entire house collapsed instantly.
Akira quickly dashed aside to avoid the debris. Blood hung at the corner of his mouth. That last attack had taken quite a toll.
"Cough… cough…"
He breathed heavily.
"As expected… my strength still isn't enough."
Akira gave a bitter smile.
"I need to get stronger if I want to truly compete with monsters like these."
Cracking sounds echoed from inside his body.
His knees bent, and he dropped low to the ground.
A powerful pressure of wind began to rage around him.
Akira slowly opened his crimson eyes as a streak of purple lightning flashed across the sky.
"Eight Gates… Unlock!"
A powerful surge of force flooded from his limbs into his entire body. His muscles swelled violently, his body expanding like an inflating balloon.
"Ahhh! This feels incredible!"
Akira shouted with excitement.
A shocking transformation was happening inside his body. His skin became smooth and crystal-like, almost like polished jade. Even his pupils turned a faint violet.
His skin was now tougher than steel.
"How is that possible?! Your body actually reached this level?!"
Fuguki stared in disbelief, jealousy burning in his eyes.
Akira straightened up and spread his arms.
"This… is my final form."
"Now I'll send you to the afterlife."
He slammed a fist into the ground.
Purple lightning spread outward from beneath his feet. His fists clenched tight, and the pressure of his punches tore through the air with a sharp howl. Murderous intent burned in his eyes.
Rumble…
His fist struck the earth, and a deep thunderous sound echoed throughout the forest.
Cracks spread wildly across the ground.
Fuguki's face turned grim. He quickly formed hand seals, and a curtain of water appeared around him as a shield.
Akira's gaze stayed calm.
He began throwing punches one after another, each strike powerful enough to knock down massive trees.
"Damn it… I've actually been pushed into a corner!"
Ferocity filled Akira's eyes.
His arms suddenly shook as he grabbed the ground with both hands and tore upward with brutal force.
The entire section of earth shattered.
Every vine and root nearby was destroyed in an instant.
Akira snorted coldly.
"So that's all your techniques amount to."
"Haha… did you really think that was all I could do?"
Suikazan Fuguki burst into loud laughter, a vicious grin spreading across his face. "I've got plenty more tricks where that came from!"
His hands flashed through a series of hand seals.
"Secret Art: Water Prison Chains!"
Thick chains of water formed in his hands, one after another. In an instant they wrapped around Akira's arms and legs, binding him tightly.
Akira struggled hard, twisting and pulling, but the chains wouldn't budge. Before he could break free, Fuguki dragged him down into the basement.
"What are you trying to do?"
Akira glared at him.
"Oh, like I said, I've got plenty of techniques." Fuguki smirked darkly. "But today, I think I'll start by torturing you to death. Didn't you say you wanted to see the Land of Water's special techniques? Fine. I'll grant you that wish."
He slowly approached Akira with a dagger in hand.
A chill ran down Akira's spine. His pupils shrank as he shouted, "Hey, don't do anything stupid! I'm the Hokage, one of the Five Kage! If you lay a finger on me, you'll regret it!"
Right now, bluffing was the only option he had. He knew Fuguki's personality well. If he provoked him too much, things might truly end badly.
Fuguki suddenly stopped moving.
As Akira stepped forward, Fuguki's body began to disappear. With a soft poof of white smoke, the form of the giant dissolved. In his place stood a much smaller, far more agile figure with sharp teeth and a predatory gaze: Ringo Ameyuri.
"A substitution?" Akira hissed, realizing the Fuguki he had been pummeling in the basement was merely a decoy to drain his chakra.
Ameyuri didn't waste a single word. She didn't need to. Her hands blurred through a sequence of seals so fast they were nearly invisible. As the basement walls around them shattered—revealing that the entire "underground" fight had been an illusion staged. She launched her counter-offensive.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A roaring dragon made of water burst from her mouth and charged straight at Akira.
Facing the incoming water dragon, Akira remained calm. His own hands moved through seals.
"Earth Style: Great Earth Spikes!"
Several thick stone pillars erupted from the ground beneath his feet, rising just in time to block the water dragon.
The two attacks collided with a violent explosion. The resulting shockwave tore across the nearby grassland, leaving it in shambles. Even the surrounding trees were blown down.
Both Ameyuri and Akira stepped back several paces before steadying themselves.
"Looks like you've learned Earth Style now," Ameyuri said with a faint smile curling on her lips.
"Hmph."
Akira's face carried a proud, almost arrogant expression. "If that's all you've got, you're actually pretty weak."
"Oh?"
Ameyuri sneered. "Aren't you a little too confident?"
Her hands moved again.
"Fire Style: Great Blaze Technique!"
A scorching wave of flames burst from her lips, surging toward Akira with terrifying intensity.
Seeing the fierce firestorm rushing toward him, Akira's eyes flickered. He pushed off the ground with his right leg and rolled sharply to the left, barely dodging the flames.
Boom.
The spot where he had just been standing was now marked by a deep, blackened scar. If it had been an ordinary person, they would have been burned alive.
Ameyuri glanced at him with contempt. "So? Hurts, doesn't it?"
Akira didn't answer. He simply stared at her in silence.
Seeing that reaction only boosted Ameyuri's confidence. She knew how dangerous her flames were for Akira. Yet he had no way to counter her directly, so he could only keep dodging and avoiding her attacks.
"Haha, look at you, running around like a stray dog," she mocked. "Isn't this what you wanted? So why keep hiding and running?"
"You're strong," Akira said calmly. "Stronger than I expected, actually."
"But none of that matters to me."
"…Because…"
"I don't need to fight like this to win."
Akira slowly lifted his head. His gaze turned firm, his voice cold.
"What I want to achieve… is far beyond something like this."
"Who… are you?"
The moment he said that, Ameyuri's heartbeat sped up.
For some reason, she suddenly felt danger creeping closer.
A sinister smile curved across Akira's lips as he slowly formed another set of hand seals.
"Lightning Style: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
In the next instant, a gigantic lightning spear appeared behind him, towering like a lance that could pierce the sky. It shot straight toward Ameyuri.
This was Akira's signature technique: Chidori Sharp Spear.
Ameyuri's pupils shrank to pinpoints. She had never expected him to use a move like this.
"Back when he fought Itachi, Akira had used a similar attack. Even from the sidelines, she had felt the pressure and realized she could barely have resisted it."
But now… she had no way to block it.
BOOM!
The massive spear slammed into the ground, sending dirt and smoke billowing into the air.
Ameyuri struggled to stand. But she didn't notice a small pebble near her foot. The moment it rolled to the ground, it disappeared.
Akira had done that on purpose.
He wanted her guard down.
Although Ameyuri's reflexes were sharp, she still fell into his trap. Her foot slipped and she dropped heavily onto the ground.
"Hahaha! You lost!"
Akira's arrogant laughter echoed through the area.
He had finally won this round.
"Did I?"
Ameyuri suddenly smiled in a strange way. "I don't remember surrendering."
The moment he heard that, a surge of danger flooded Akira's mind. He quickly tried to retreat.
Too late.
Click.
A soft sound rang out. Something struck his chest, and the next moment his entire body was blasted backward.
Ameyuri seized the opening. In a flash, she appeared in front of him, her right fist clenched as she smashed it down.
BOOM!
Akira's head slammed into the ground, sending clouds of dust exploding into the air and obscuring everything.
Ameyuri paused for a second.
Suddenly, it felt like her chest had been struck by a heavy hammer. The pain made it hard for her to breathe.
Clutching her chest, she glanced at her right hand.
Bright red blood was seeping out between her fingers.
She lowered her head to look at her arm. Her sleeve had already been soaked in blood.
"Cough… cough…"
Akira's coughing reached her ears through the dust.
"You… how are you still fine?"
Ameyuri stared in shock.
"Heh. That kind of attack?" Akira climbed out from the smoke and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "I don't even care about it."
"Your strength is impressive. You've earned my respect."
He grinned.
"But…"
"I'm not weak either."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The wings on Akira's back beat powerfully. His body turned into a blur as he vanished and instantly appeared right in front of Ameyuri.
Both palms shot forward—striking with a thousand blows.
"..."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________