"Crash!"
Fine, scorched-smelling grains of earth mixed with fragments of decayed roots and leaves long buried underground pattered down, turning into one final shower of dirt pouring between the two black Rock Walls.
Hada Ichiba rose slowly to his feet amidst the dirt and dead leaves and roots raining down over him, letting the withered, scorched debris strike his body.
He had even lowered the hand that had been shielding himself.
"Shing—"
At the same time, as he stood, he slowly sheathed the black Ninja Sword he had not let go of even when his arm had been severed.
"Click!"
Then, the Ninja Sword slid into its sheath.
"Rustle!"
As the crisp sound of the sword being sheathed faded, the last grain of dirt fell.
In an instant, silence descended.
For a moment, aside from the smoke from the explosion curling up behind the black Rock Wall ahead, nothing around them moved.
It was as if the explosion had never happened.
Silence.
Silence so profound that a pin dropping could be heard.
Coupled with the dim surroundings and the vast forest that seemed unchanged despite the violent explosion, a suffocating atmosphere slowly spread through the area.
And as that atmosphere spread, every shadow in the clearing seemed to carry a faint but chilling killing intent, pressing in from all directions.
Simply standing in this area made one's shoulders feel heavy.
"Haa..."
At that moment, beneath an atmosphere where enemies seemed to surround him on all sides, Hada Ichiba took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Then it should be...
After exhaling, Hada Ichiba slowly closed his eyes.
His body shifted slightly to the side.
"Whoosh!"
Just then, amid the sound of something suddenly slicing through the air, a figure abruptly appeared to his left.
"No... no..."
Then came