Dragon Talisman (Part 2)

Misaki, exhausted from a day of being pushed around, had just returned home only to find her boyfriend surrounded by several Grass Ninja holding sharp weapons. She was startled and immediately stepped in front of Kenichi, hoping that her standing would be enough to convince them to put down their Kunai and talk things through.

But the next moment, she was met with a stinging pain across her face and the helpless sensation of her body flying through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

"Misaki!"

By the time she regained her senses, Misaki was clutching her aching cheek, looking up at the Grass Ninja with tear-filled eyes.

"Did you really think you had any standing with us? You're nothing more than a human pill, a tool!"

"Did you actually take our polite words to heart? Even if you died one day, to us, it would just be the loss of a piece of medical equipment!"

The cruel words of the Grass Ninja pierced Misaki's ears like needles, making it impossible for her to hold back her tears any longer as they streamed down her cheeks.

She remembered when the Uzumaki Clan was annihilated and Uzushio Village was reduced to ruins; she was the only survivor. Later, she joined the Grass Ninja and was valued by their leader, who had said, "Your constitution is very useful to us, so for the sake of the village, join the medical department!" The memory was still vivid in her mind.

So, from the very beginning... I was never truly accepted...

The brutal truth struck her heart with such force that she found it difficult to even stand up, her body trembling uncontrollably as she wept.

"How dare you hurt Misaki! Unforgivable..."

The rage in his heart flared up again, but the moment he thought about how he couldn't change anything or protect anyone, Kenichi fell into deep self-reproach. Yet, the next instant, his fury burned even brighter; the Dragon Talisman in his palm actually fused into his skin, and as the veins on his forehead bulged, he felt himself surging with power!

"Alright, we'll deal with this red-haired monster in a moment!"

"Now, are you going to hand over the talisman obediently?"

A Kunai was pressed against his throat, but Kenichi was no longer afraid or self-reproaching. As he slowly raised his hand, he opened his palm toward the Grass Ninja.

"Oh? Finally behaving? If you had just handed it over sooner, we wouldn't have had all this trouble..."

However, before the words could leave his mouth, the small hut was engulfed by a faint "No" and a violent explosion.

--BOOM!

From the outside, a golden-red explosive energy beam shot straight into the sky, shattering the entire hut into pieces. The Grass Ninja closest to the blast didn't even have a chance to dodge before being completely vaporized.

"You lunatic?! Are you trying to defect from the village?!"

The remaining Grass Ninja reacted quickly enough to escape death, but their bodies still suffered varying degrees of burns.

"Ke... Kenichi?"

The bright firelight caused Misaki to lift her head. She looked at Kenichi, whose hair stood on end, his rage amplified infinitely, and the overflowing energy of the Dragon Talisman forming a golden cloak around his body. She felt a flicker of worry.

"Don't be afraid... Misaki. The current me... finally has the power to give you happiness!"

"Chunin Kenichi has defected! Kill him on the spot!"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Lightning Style: Earth Flash!"

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

At the command of the lead Grass Ninja, all of them swarmed forward. Because the Grass Ninja were highly skilled at researching (plagiarizing) the ninjutsu of other nations, the air was soon filled with flying ninja tools and a dazzling array of techniques.

But Kenichi did not dodge. He slowly drifted upward, eventually walking on air. The Dragon Talisman fused into his palm surged with power after a brief charge, violently erupting into a golden-red beam.

The power of the Dragon Blast far surpassed these half-baked techniques. The moment it made contact, the brilliance of the blast swallowed every attack. Just as one Grass Ninja screamed, "Oh no! Everyone, weave signs for a defensive jutsu!", the beam—which moved like a dragon, destroying everything in its path—was already upon them.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

However, the Grass Ninja regretted it the moment he finished his signs. His companions had all chosen to dodge, leaving him alone to kneel on one knee and deploy his water defense.

"--Aaaaaah!"

The result was as expected: the Dragon Blast instantly pierced through the Water Wall, blowing the Grass Ninja's body into scattered pieces.

The remaining Grass Ninja looked at the violent scene, and their desire to attack vanished instantly. They were kidding themselves; they were the best-treated Jonin in the village besides the leader—how could they just die in a place like this?

Although, in theory, "if several people join forces, how could they not win?", no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out. If they were accidentally hit by the Dragon Blast, wouldn't they just be paving the way for someone else to claim the credit?

But even if they wanted to run, it was too late. Kenichi had never intended to let this group who humiliated Misaki go from the very beginning.

The Grass Ninja ran in front, and Kenichi chased from behind, firing beams of light from time to time. After this repeated for a long while, they were baffled: "How does a mere Chunin have so much chakra?"

They could not have foreseen that, with the energy supply of the Dragon Talisman, Kenichi's chakra was inexhaustible.

Finally... the chakra of the remaining Jonin hit rock bottom, but Kenichi kept up the relentless pursuit.

"Damn it! Kenichi is still chasing us!" The group hardened their hearts; since they couldn't run, they had no choice but to fight him to the death!

Only when they had no room to retreat did they find the courage to risk their lives, but with their meager skills and depleted chakra, they couldn't even touch Kenichi before being completely incinerated...

--Swish, swish, swish!

Kenichi's rage slowly subsided, and the energy supply from the Dragon Talisman weakened. It was at this moment that the Shadowkhan emerged from the night once more.

"Who are you...?"

Without giving Kenichi a chance to ask questions or use the Dragon Talisman again, the Shadow Ninja appeared directly behind him, quickly restraining his body and forcibly prying the talisman out of his palm.

"Wait...! That's mine!"

Clearly, the Shadowkhan were not interested in reasoning. Ignoring Kenichi entirely, they snatched the talisman and prepared to dive into the shadows to retreat.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Just as the Shadowkhan were attempting to retreat, numerous points of light suddenly ignited in the deep night sky, illuminating the earth and temporarily filling the shadows on the ground with radiance.

"Is that... a meteor shower?"

Misaki had rushed over in a panic to check on her boyfriend's safety, but the next moment, her gaze was drawn to the "meteors" growing larger and more dazzling in the sky.

"Sorry, sorry... those aren't meteors, they're my techniques!"

A voice that sounded somewhat lively, yet sharp, reached the ears of the two, and immediately after, they caught sight of a golden figure amidst the countless light projectiles.

"Sponge?"

The two rubbed their eyes, feeling as though they were dreaming, but the light projectiles crashing into the ground and triggering earth-shattering explosions made them realize this was reality.

The newcomer's body was perfectly square and covered in holes, looking exactly like a sponge... no! To be precise, he was a sponge come to life!

He was dressed in a yellow and white striped suit, a purple tie, and a dark green shirt, with shiny black leather shoes on his feet and a cape emblazoned with the large characters for "Justice" draped over his back.

One of the Three Admirals of Bikini Bottom—"Yellow Sponge" makes his dazzling debut!