"Come on, Asai. Using Genjutsu on a ghost is a bit much, isn't it?"
Seeing Sasuke's eyes closed and his expression twisted in pain, Okada teased him.
Asai pulled a Kunai from his pocket and smiled. "He's your target, isn't he? Don't let your guard down!"
Without waiting for Okada to reply, Asai slowly approached Sasuke, grinning viciously. "Goodbye, ghost!"
When he finished speaking, Asai's arm jolted, and the Kunai in his right hand plunged toward Sasuke's heart.
But just as Asai moved, Sasuke suddenly opened his eyes. A pair of blood-red Two-Tomoe Sharingan appeared in an instant.
The next moment, Sasuke vanished from in front of Asai like a phantom.
"What...?"
"How... how is that possible?"
Asai's Kunai stabbed into empty air. He was utterly shocked by the sudden turn of events.
While Asai was still reeling, Sasuke drew his sword and appeared behind him in the blink of an eye. Then he murmured, "If you followed me all the way to Konoha to kill me, you should be prepared to be killed yourself."
As the words left his lips, Sasuke's long blade pierced Asai without hesitation.
"Ugh!"
The dull sound of the blade piercing flesh made Asai's eyes contract. Bright red blood immediately ran down from the wound.
"This is how cruel the ninja world is."
With a helpless sigh, Sasuke pulled out his sword.
"Ah..."
Asai let out a scream and staggered forward, but his legs gave way and he collapsed. His face still frozen in shock, he closed his eyes.
"Heh, I never expected you to have those eyes. Asai's Genjutsu doesn't work on you!"
Without a hint of concern for his dead comrade, Okada gazed at Sasuke's Sharingan and chuckled.
"Even without the Sharingan, he couldn't have killed me!"
Sasuke hadn't expected Okada to be so indifferent to his comrade's death—or even able to laugh. He stared at him for a moment before answering.
"You're an interesting guy. If it weren't for the box you're carrying, I really wouldn't want to kill you!"
Okada took off his shirt, revealing his solid muscles, and laughed.
"Does that box contain some important secret?"
Sasuke asked tentatively.
"That's right. If you hand it over to the Hokage, Kusagakure might be destroyed."
Killing intent filled Okada's eyes as he answered bluntly.
"If that's the case, then I'll have to get serious too!"
Okada didn't sound like he was joking. Sasuke was growing more and more curious about what was inside the box, so he decided to fight with everything he had.
"Come on, ghost!"
A bloodthirsty smile curled Okada's lips. He gave a sinister laugh and stamped down hard, then charged at Sasuke like a monstrous beast, barreling forward.
Sasuke coldly watched Okada rush toward him, carrying a fierce gust of force, and swung his sword at him.
Okada's bronze skin quickly turned black. He made no effort to dodge Sasuke's blade. The gleaming edge slammed into him as he charged forward.
"Clang!"
The blade struck Okada, but instead of drawing blood, it rang out with a clear, sharp sound, like a blade hitting rock.
"A ninja with an Earth nature?"
Sasuke didn't know what Ninjutsu Okada had used to harden his body, but he was sure Okada had an Earth nature.
"That attack was too weak!"
Sasuke's attack had no effect. Okada swung back and punched him hard at close range.
"Thud!"
With a muffled impact, Sasuke was sent flying backward. His feet dug into the ground, carving a deep trench several meters long before he finally came to a stop.
Wiping away the blood at the corner of his mouth, Sasuke quickly brought his hands together and formed Hand Seals.
"Don't waste your effort!"
Seeing Sasuke forming Hand Seals, Okada stepped forward and bent his body slightly, then charged at him again like a leopard.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
As Okada rushed toward him, Sasuke spat out a huge fireball, and it collided head-on with Okada.
"Boom!"
The ground where they collided erupted with a thunderous blast that shook the area. Countless rocks and flames shot out from the cloud of dust.
Sasuke stood in place with a short sword in hand, his face as pale as paper. He had used up a great deal of chakra, and could only hope that his fireball had defeated Okada.
But when a silhouette appeared faintly through the dust, Sasuke's hope crumbled.
"Hahaha! Physical attacks don't work on me!"
Okada emerged slowly from the swirling dust and grinned triumphantly at the stunned Sasuke.
"Don't get cocky. Every technique has a weakness!"
Sasuke frowned slightly at Okada's smug laughter, then replied calmly.
"Then let's see what you can do!"
Okada gave Sasuke a dark look and formed a Hand Seal.
"Earth Style: Mud Slab Coffin!"
Okada's low shout rang out. Several slabs of earth immediately formed beneath Sasuke's feet, then rapidly closed in around him, crushing him between them.
The ninjas of Kusagakure excelled at imitating other villages' techniques. Okada had copied Iwagakure's Rock Slab Coffin with his Mud Slab Coffin. It wasn't as powerful as the original, but it was still a decent technique.
"It's all over!"
Seeing Sasuke completely buried beneath the mud slabs, Okada grinned viciously, his voice chilling.
"You're not going to kill me that easily!"
Just as Okada was about to leave, a low voice rang out.
"Impossible! That ghost was clearly..."
Sasuke had been buried. How could he still speak?
Hearing the familiar voice, Okada cried out in shock and immediately turned around.
"Chidori!"
Though only an instant had passed, Sasuke was already right in front of Okada when he turned. Lightning crackled over his right hand as he thrust it forward.
"Don't kill me! I surrender! Please, let me go!"
Every hair on Okada's body stood on end. He had survived countless battles, and now he could smell death closing in. He hurriedly shouted.
Based on his past experience, once Okada said those words, his enemy would stop to gloat. Then he could take advantage of their distraction to counterattack and turn the tables.
But Sasuke's expression remained cold, and he showed no sign of stopping. The Chidori in his hand turned into a streak of lightning and mercilessly pierced Okada through the heart.
"Don't treat me like a three-year-old. Even if I let you go, you'd still try to kill me!"
As pain washed over him, Okada heard Sasuke's quiet murmur beside his ear.