"Fuck you! I'm a man!"
Kento Nanami vanished from where he stood and kicked Todo Aoi. At that moment, he had returned to his invincible self.
Having roughly understood the principle behind the technique, Todo Aoi had no intention of tangling with him any longer. He planned to retreat for now and see if he could stall for a few minutes.
Estimate—every time Kento Nanami hit the jackpot, music would accompany him, and he himself could not use the "Reverse Cursed Technique." Otherwise, he would have used it the instant he had been kicked into the wall. The reason he could use the "Reverse Cursed Technique" on his own was probably because of the jackpot.
In theory, it would end in four or five minutes. As long as he held out until the jackpot ended, Kento Nanami would have to draw again.
"Boom!"
Kento Nanami shattered the ground with a kick and chased after Todo Aoi. The enormous cursed energy made him feel omnipotent. During the 4 minutes and 11 seconds after hitting the jackpot, he was immortal!
Theoretically, if he was lucky enough, he could even arm-wrestle the strongest, Gojo Satoru.
And so, a chase began. Natsu Hiraku watched with great interest, since he was not the one getting beaten up.
Until... the system panel appeared.
[Mission: Hold out for two minutes while Kento Nanami has hit the jackpot. You must not lose consciousness or flee during this time, otherwise the mission will be judged a failure. Mission reward: 30 points, permanent increase of 200 cursed energy.]
"..."
System, were you sick of me living too long?
Couldn't you see what state Kento Nanami was in right now? A casual punch from him could punch straight through me...
Natsu Hiraku watched Kento Nanami chase Todo Aoi, the corner of his eye twitching. Every blow left a deep crater in the ground, and Kento Nanami did not restrain his cursed energy in the slightest. He swung with full force.
After hesitating over the system mission for ten seconds, Natsu Hiraku took his first step.
Onto the road to death...
"Damn it, I'm going all out today!"
Natsu Hiraku shouted, "Kashiwagi-senpai! Since you can't catch Todo Aoi anyway, how about we spar?"
"Get lost! Otherwise, I'll drag you in and beat you too."
Kento Nanami had already gone mad from fighting and did not care who Natsu Hiraku was. Right now, all he could see was Todo Aoi. He had to crush him—he had actually dared to kick him in the face.
"Sure..." Faced with absolute strength, Natsu Hiraku chose to follow his heart.
Listening to the deafening roar inside the station and looking at the mission the system had given him, Natsu Hiraku felt utterly torn. After thinking it over, he decided that getting beaten up for those rewards did not seem so bad.
Getting beaten up... he was familiar with that!
Natsu Hiraku slowly stood up. After briefly loosening up, he charged forward.
He kicked Kento Nanami in the waist and shouted, "I fucking need a beating! If you don't fight me today, don't even think about leaving, Kashiwagi-senpai!"
"Boom!!"
Kento Nanami crashed headfirst into the wall, which instantly crumbled beneath the tremendous force.
Natsu Hiraku landed steadily and smiled as he watched the countdown on the system panel begin to tick down. After all, he had already done it. Smiling was no longer optional.
"Damn you, do you really want to die? Then I'll play with you!"
Kento Nanami shook off the rubble covering him and assumed a runner's starting stance. His legs slammed into the ground, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared before Natsu Hiraku. His fist came like the wind, arriving before Natsu Hiraku's face.
"So fast!"
Natsu Hiraku immediately activated his Two-Tomoe Sharingan and barely dodged the strike. He followed with a two-hit kick to Kento Nanami's abdomen and forehead, briefly knocking him into the air, then drove an elbow toward his chest.
Knowing that Kento Nanami was currently nearly invincible, Natsu Hiraku did not hold anything back. His hands rapidly formed seals as he said, "Rat, Ox, Dog, Horse, Monkey, Boar, Tiger, Great Fire Annihila—"
He had only taken a breath, and the fire had yet to leave his mouth, when Kento Nanami burst out of the rubble and grabbed his forehead, smashing him toward the floor.
"Boom!"
The back of his head slammed viciously into the ground, making his head buzz. Natsu Hiraku spat out blood and nearly rolled his eyes back. Enduring the pain, he used the "Reverse Cursed Technique," then gritted his teeth, drew in his legs, and kicked Kento Nanami away.
Todo Aoi was dumbfounded by the sight. Scratching his head, he asked, "Best friend, what did you come over here for?"
"My hands... were itchy!"
Natsu Hiraku gritted his teeth in pain, both hands clutching the back of his head. That blow had nearly given him a concussion.
"Huh, and he's fine? That shouldn't be possible."
Kento Nanami let out a breath and rubbed his head in confusion. He was starting to doubt his life. That strike should have forcibly shut down Natsu Hiraku's brain, so why could he still stand?
[1:35] [1:34]
Natsu Hiraku glanced at the time. Feeling the pain in the back of his head fade, he waved a hand and said, "Come to think of it, we've never fought before, Kashiwagi-senpai."
"You just want to spar? Raku-kun, are you sick? Can't this wait until the match is over?"
"No. After all, you're at your strongest right now. I can use the 'Reverse Cursed Technique,' so you don't need to hold back, Kashiwagi-senpai."
"..."
"Why is this Junior so stubborn?"
Kento Nanami was speechless inside. Then he thought about it. He could not catch Todo Aoi anyway, and his Junior wanted to challenge him, so why not grant him his wish?
He looked at Todo Aoi and said, "I'll settle the matter of you kicking me in the face later. First, I'll settle the matter of him kicking me in the kidneys."
"..."
Todo Aoi felt conflicted and no longer knew what to say. Had the "Reverse Cursed Technique" become so common now? Every other person knew it.
Then he sat on the ground, sighed, and said, "Fine, do whatever you want. I'll see whether my guess is right first."
[1:05] [1:04]
Kento Nanami took a deep breath, looked at the ready Natsu Hiraku, and reminded him, "Don't die. I'm very violent right now."
"Of course!"
[1:00]
The two vanished from where they stood at the same time. Knowing his strength could not match Kento Nanami's, Natsu Hiraku relied more on technique. His Sharingan searched for Kento Nanami's weaknesses before delivering heavy blows.
Kento Nanami had no intention of dodging at all. Any hint of evasion would mean that he did not trust his current "immortality."
Instead, after learning that Natsu Hiraku could use the "Reverse Cursed Technique," he struck even more decisively than before. After all, people who could use the "Reverse Cursed Technique" were difficult to kill. As long as their heads were not removed from their necks, even a missing heart could be restored instantly.
Kento Nanami did not understand the principles of the "Reverse Cursed Technique," nor had he deliberately trained it. However, for the 4 minutes and 11 seconds granted by the jackpot, he possessed endless cursed energy.
That endless cursed energy protected his body from harm, and his flesh would reflexively use the "Reverse Cursed Technique." That was why he dared to call himself immortal!
"Prepare to receive a beating from your senior!" Kento Nanami found an opening and threw a punch.
Unable to dodge in time, Natsu Hiraku was struck in the chest. Even though he used cursed energy to resist the heavy blow, three of his ribs still broke.
Like a kite with a severed string, he flew away and slammed headfirst into the wall.
"Whew, that should have settled it, right? No matter what, the 'Reverse Cursed Technique' can't be used forever."
Kento Nanami released his domain. His invincible time was almost over, and he would need to open his domain again soon.
As the domain dissipated, Natsu Hiraku, who had been wedged into the wall, fell to the ground, covered in blood from head to toe.
Though his consciousness was hazy, he had not passed out. He merely sat on the ground and stared straight at Kento Nanami.
[0:03] [0:02] [0:01] [0:00] [Mission complete. Mission reward being issued: 30 points, permanent increase of 200 cursed energy.]
The cursed energy within his body increased, and Natsu Hiraku immediately used the "Reverse Cursed Technique" to heal his injuries.
He had not had much cursed energy when he came over. He had only come because he felt it was probably enough. The moment his ribs had been smashed apart, the cursed energy in his body had no longer been enough to support continued use of the "Reverse Cursed Technique."
"I'm tired. Time to draw..."
Natsu Hiraku lay on the ground, playing dead without moving. The mission was complete, so all that remained was to go all in.
With his back to the other two, he opened the system panel.
[Host: Natsu Hiraku] [Cursed Energy: 1300, Grade 2 Sorcerer] [Stamina: 21] [Eye Technique: Two-Tomoe Sharingan] [Ninjutsu: Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation, Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, Summoning Technique, Substitution Technique.] [Taijutsu: Self-Defense Techniques, Military Fist, Sanda, Jeet Kune Do, February Sky Saber Technique.]
After taking a quick look and seeing that nothing had changed, he entered the Ninja World Great Roulette. He currently had 62 points. After spending 8 to enter, he had 54 left. That was enough for him to draw.
[Entering Ninja World Great Roulette. Points -8.]
"You okay, best friend?"
Todo Aoi's voice came from behind him. Natsu Hiraku casually replied, "Yeah, I'm just out of cursed energy. Treat me like air. I'm already dead."
As he spoke, he rubbed his legs together and continued drawing. If he did not get something good today, he would have suffered all that beating for nothing.
Ten draws, all in!
Natsu Hiraku skillfully selected ten consecutive draws, and the roulette wheel and pointer began to spin.
Less than a minute later, both the pointer and roulette wheel stopped.
[Thank you for participating.] [Thank you for participating.] [Congratulations, you have obtained A-rank ninjutsu: Rasengan.] [Rasengan: Formed from cursed energy rotating and compressing at high speed. It crushes whatever it touches and can easily break through iron plates. Contact causes an explosion. No hand seals required. Cursed energy cost: 200. No upper limit.] [Thank you for participating.] [Congratulations, you have obtained B-rank ninjutsu: Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall.] [Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall: Infuses cursed energy into the ground to form a sturdy earthen barrier. Cursed energy cost: 150. No upper limit.] [Thank you for participating.] [Thank you for participating.] [Thank you for participating.] [Congratulations, you have obtained C-rank ninjutsu: Water Prison Technique fragment. 5 fragments are required to synthesize the ninjutsu.] [Thank you for participating.]
"..."
Natsu Hiraku stared blankly at the screen, not knowing what to say.
Two ninjutsu in ten draws...
A Rasengan he had dreamed of, plus an Earth Flow Wall he could use for defense. Was I really this lucky? Did I use up my entire lifespan here?
Suppressing his urge to celebrate wildly, Natsu Hiraku selected another ten draws.
[Thank you for participating] ×9 [Congratulations, you have obtained S-rank ninjutsu: Raikiri Shard fragment. 40 fragments are required to synthesize the ninjutsu. Currently owned: 2.]
"..."
The ups and downs of life, then more downs... nothing could be more fitting.
Before you continue