"Hiss—!"
In the distance, the remaining Iwa-nin sucked in a sharp breath, staring at Wakaze in disbelief.
He looked no older than five or six, yet he had just cut down a genin. Even if that genin wasn't particularly strong—only slightly above an ordinary civilian—he was still over twenty years old. And now he had been slain by a child.
The captain of the three, his expression dark, muttered:
"That weapon…"
Yes—the weapon.
Wakaze's katana came from the world of Swallowed Star. Forged from an alloy harder than diamond, it was in no way comparable to a Naruto-world kunai. When he had severed the kunai earlier, it had felt like slicing through tofu. When he cut down the Iwa-nin, it had been like cleaving air.
The blade was terrifyingly sharp.
Wakaze didn't know whether it could rival Orochimaru's legendary Kusanagi Sword, but in terms of sharpness alone, it likely wasn't far behind.
He exhaled slowly.
His hands trembled faintly as he forced himself to calm the shock in his heart.
He had killed someone.
He had always known that, in this world, bloodshed was inevitable. But knowing and doing were two different things. No matter how prepared he thought he was, the first kill still left a ripple in his mind.
From afar, a battered Nawaki shouted,
"Wakaze! Leave! Go get help!"
Wakaze immediately prepared to retreat—
But a sudden alarm rang in his mind.
At the same instant, his sensory ability detected something.
Without hesitation, he swung his blade forward.
Bang—!
A figure appeared out of nowhere. A fist slammed into Wakaze's abdomen.
He was sent flying, crashing into the far side of the training ground.
"Pfft—!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth as searing pain exploded in his stomach. His eyes turned crimson.
"Body Flicker Technique… You're a jōnin!"
Standing there was a man dressed in plain civilian clothes, his expression cold and detached.
He had just used the Body Flicker Technique—a high-speed movement technique mastered by elite shinobi. While not exclusive to jōnin, executing it at that speed and precision made his rank obvious.
The man glanced at his own shoulder, where a shallow cut bled from merely brushing against Wakaze's blade. His gaze sharpened as it fell back on Wakaze.
"What a sharp sword. Just a slight touch left this kind of wound. That trash didn't die unfairly."
He stepped over the corpse of the fallen genin and walked forward.
Wakaze gritted his teeth.
"How is this possible… An Iwa jōnin inside Konoha? Wasn't he detected?"
The two remaining Iwa-nin stood respectfully at a distance. There was no doubt now—this man was their superior.
The jōnin sneered.
"You Konoha shinobi are too confident in the Byakugan and Sharingan. Suppress your chakra to near-civilian levels, and you slip past their surveillance. The chakra I have left was just enough for that Body Flicker. Now it's nearly exhausted."
His lips curled.
"But a jōnin is still a jōnin. Even without ninjutsu, my taijutsu is more than enough to crush brats like you."
His gaze turned greedy as it locked onto Wakaze's katana.
"With that blade… combined with my taijutsu… even without chakra, I'd be among the strongest of jōnin."
From the side, Nawaki roared,
"Wakaze! I'll hold him off—run!"
He knew this disaster was his fault. His recklessness had led them here. If he died, so be it—but dragging Wakaze into it was something he couldn't accept.
His eyes burned red as he prepared to stake everything.
Meanwhile, Katsuyu, still entangled with the pangolin summon, shouted,
"Hold on a little longer! I've already notified Lady Tsunade! Lord Jiraiya is relaying the message through a summoning!"
At those words, a flicker of wariness crossed the jōnin's eyes.
He moved.
In a single step, he appeared before Katsuyu.
Crack—!
The slug was crushed underfoot.
Then he vanished again, reappearing before Nawaki.
Boom—!
A single punch knocked Nawaki unconscious. He collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"You think you can wait for reinforcements?" the jōnin scoffed. "You underestimate me."
Now, only Wakaze remained.
But the jōnin paused.
Wakaze had just swallowed a piece of pitch-black wood.
The man frowned.
"Swallowed a piece of wood? Some kind of medicinal herb?"
He approached slowly.
Wakaze lifted his head, eyes cold.
"Nawaki's unconscious… Then you can die."
The jōnin laughed.
"Me? Die? Perhaps in the future you might kill me. But without growing up, you're nothing but an ant."
Wakaze smiled faintly, feeling warmth spread through his body as the medicinal power took effect.
"As expected… the Qilin Blood Wood shows its true potential only in Sister Tsunade's hands. For me, it's just an excellent healing medicine. But that's enough."
His gaze sharpened.
"I may not like the father I never met… but I have to admit—what he left me is precious."
The jōnin halted.
"What…?"
Wakaze's eyes changed.
They turned blood-red. Within them, three tomoe spun—then distorted. A dark pattern bloomed like burning flames.
In that instant, crimson fire erupted—
The Iwa jōnin was engulfed.
He screamed.
He tried to move. Tried to flee.
But with his chakra nearly depleted, relying solely on taijutsu, how could he escape?
This was a Mangekyō Sharingan technique—sealed within Wakaze's eyes by his late father.
A manifestation of fury.
Wakaze felt it clearly—the anger carried within it.
Anger at his mother's death.
Anger at his father's decisions.
Anger at the loss of his wife.
Anger even at Wakaze's own birth.
Countless resentments had been compressed into this forbidden ocular power.
The crimson flames were flames of wrath.
The greater the anger, the more terrifying the fire.
In mere seconds, the arrogant jōnin was reduced to ashes.
The remaining two genin met Wakaze's gaze—
Crimson fire spread over them as well.
They didn't even have time to scream before they turned to dust.
Blood streamed from Wakaze's eyes.
An unbearable pain pierced through his skull.
Even without naturally awakening the Sharingan himself, forcibly activating a sealed Mangekyō technique came at a heavy cost.
As the flames faded, one of the black flame patterns within his eyes vanished.
Three uses.
Now only two remained.
But Wakaze didn't know that.
He only felt a strange tremor at his brow—
Then a faint smile curved his lips.
"More new garbage… has arrived."
With those words, he collapsed into unconsciousness.
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