A Kick Descending from the Heavens

"Not bad reflexes, kid."

The Cloud Ninja clearly had not expected Aoba to break free from the genjutsu so quickly. He raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

He was broad and dark-skinned, with a short blade strapped to his back. To Aoba's senses, his chakra fluctuations marked him as at least a seasoned Chunin, perhaps even close to a Special Jonin.

"Mister, have you mistaken me for someone else?"

Aoba took half a step back, the right amount of fear appearing on his face. "I don't have any money. The Hot Pot Restaurant's money is all with my adoptive father."

"Humph!!!"

The Cloud Ninja sneered. Without another word, he stomped his foot and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

He was fast!

Red trajectory lines instantly appeared across Aoba's retina, predicting where the attack would land.

He could not use Strength of a Hundred. It would cause too much of a commotion. Although attracting the Anbu would make him safe, it would also expose his strength.

Then he could only... run!

Aoba ducked low, narrowly avoiding the large hand reaching for his shoulder.

"Hm?"

The Cloud Ninja grabbed nothing but air, surprise flashing through his eyes.

This kid was really slippery.

"Don't even think about running!"

The Cloud Ninja drew the short blade from his back in a reverse grip. A cold gleam flashed along its edge as he slashed sideways.

Aoba flipped his small hand, and a kunai appeared in his grip.

Clang!

Sparks flew.

The Cloud Ninja was equally surprised to see his attack blocked.

[Genjutsu: Golden Binding]

Aoba took the opportunity to cast his genjutsu.

The Cloud Ninja merely paused for an instant before launching another attack.

"Ha, figures it wouldn't work."

This move worked against small fry, but against opponents of similar strength or those with abundant chakra, it was basically useless.

Aoba rapidly formed hand seals.

[Phantom Body Flicker Technique] activated!

Whoosh!

The Cloud Ninja's short blade passed through Aoba's body without resistance.

There was no spray of blood, no scream.

The blade cut through "Aoba's" figure as though it were nothing.

An afterimage?!

The Cloud Ninja's pupils contracted as he abruptly withdrew his blade and blocked the kunai aimed at his back.

More than a dozen Aoba clones instantly appeared around him.

Clang clang clang clang...

A fierce series of metallic collisions followed. In a short span of time, the two exchanged more than ten blows.

As expected, no spy capable of infiltrating Konohagakure was weak.

Aoba had already appeared atop a utility pole ten meters away, still holding his kunai.

"What fast Body Flicker!"

The Cloud Ninja narrowed his eyes.

"Help! Murder! There's a spy here!!!"

Aoba threw back his head and let out a pig-slaughtering howl.

His shout was full of force and extraordinarily penetrating, instantly shattering the stillness of dusk.

The Cloud Ninja's face turned green.

Yet despite Aoba shouting at the top of his lungs, the once-peaceful street remained deathly silent.

There were no patrols, no kindhearted villagers, not even a startled stray cat.

A barrier!!!

Now Aoba's face turned green.

Seriously, had Konohagakure's security gotten this terrible?

Enemies could actually set up a barrier in the heart of Konohagakure.

What the hell was the Uchiha Konoha Military Police Force doing!

No wonder the Uchiha could be wiped out within the village.

Aoba's heart sank to the depths.

The existence of a barrier meant his opponent was not alone.

Damn it, this was going to be troublesome.

The Cloud Ninja gave a savage grin. Rather than stopping because of Aoba's cry for help, he seized the instant Aoba was distracted and burst forward. His short blade traced a sharp arc through the air, slicing past Aoba's nose by a hair.

Aoba used the [Phantom Body Flicker Technique] again.

A dense barrage of metallic impacts rang out.

The two exchanged several dozen more moves, but Aoba gained no advantage at all. This Cloud Ninja's reaction speed was simply too strong.

Although the Chip analyzed the attack trajectories, every time Aoba targeted an opening, his opponent could promptly alter his attack and counterattack.

It was instinct—the combat intuition forged through countless battles!

No, something was off about this Cloud Ninja. He was absurdly strong.

And although his attacks were fierce, he had never aimed for Aoba's vital points.

Was he trying to capture him alive?

Or was he simply playing cat and mouse?

Seeing his opponent close in again, Aoba knew he could not keep holding back.

He forcefully pushed off with both feet. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, discarded his kunai, and threw a punch directly at the Cloud Ninja.

The Cloud Ninja, who had been swinging his blade, seemed to sense something. His body bent backward against all physical inertia, barely avoiding Aoba's fist.

Boom!!!

The ground cracked like a spiderweb, and stones shattered apart.

"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"

Aoba flipped in place, then brought down a kick descending from the heavens upon the Cloud Ninja.

Horror appeared on the Cloud Ninja's face.

Rumble!!!

Massive cracks rapidly spread down the street. As an enormous pit collapsed inward, the houses on both sides began to tilt. Though they did not collapse, they became crooked and warped.

Perfectly good houses had been turned into dangerous buildings by Aoba.

"Tch!"

Aoba finally understood why battle-hardened veterans in novels were so difficult to deal with.

They might not be the best fighters, but they were the best at surviving.

Especially that unreasonable combat intuition—it was practically anti-chakra.

They had actually dodged two consecutive moves.

Though dust filled the air, Aoba swiftly locked onto the Cloud Ninja's location with his Sensing Technique.

Since he had already attacked, he might as well end this quickly before things got worse!

Aoba's hands blurred into afterimages. His chest swelled sharply as chakra frantically gathered in his throat.

Snake—Ram...

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Boom!

A massive fireball over three meters in diameter erupted from Aoba's mouth. Orange-red flames, carrying rolling waves of heat, blasted toward the dust cloud.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

A large volume of water surged from thin air within the dust, forming a rotating wall of water.

Ssshh—!

Water and fire collided, and white steam instantly exploded outward like a pressure cooker bursting apart.

"I'm not done yet!"

Aoba was getting pissed off.

Since the bastard wanted to play, then he would stop pretending too!

"Fuck it, I'm done holding back!"

Aoba's eyes flashed with ruthlessness as he abruptly pulled out a scroll and snapped it open before him.

The scroll unfurled with a rustle in midair, densely covered in black Fuinjutsu formulas. At the center of the formulas was a large character: "sand."

"Release!"

Bang!

Amid a burst of white smoke, a dark crimson torrent surged out of the scroll.

It was not ordinary sand. Every grain was coated in a layer of dark crimson Biological Coating, glimmering with an eerie sheen beneath the afterglow of the setting sun. It slowly wriggled through the air as though alive.

"That's... sand?"

The Cloud Ninja had just emerged from the steam when his steps halted, suspicion appearing in his eyes.

He could sense a chakra fluctuation within that red sand powerful enough to make even his heart tremble.

"Go!"

Aoba violently swung his right hand.

The dark crimson sand erupted, transforming into two ferocious giant pythons. With piercing shrieks through the air, they lunged at the Cloud Ninja from both sides.

They were so fast that he was caught off guard for an instant.

"What the hell is this?!"

The Cloud Ninja's expression changed drastically. He repeatedly slashed with his short blade, attempting to cut through the Sand Pythons.

Clang! Clang!

The sand that had been scattered by his strikes did not fall to the ground. Instead, it rapidly reassembled in midair and continued attacking the Cloud Ninja.

Before long, the dark crimson sand wrapped around the Cloud Ninja. Just as it was about to crush his throat—

"Stop, stop, stop! Brat, stop it! It's me!"

A voice far too familiar suddenly came from the Cloud Ninja's mouth.

Aoba's fingers froze in midair.