After clearing away a few annoying flies, Sasuke continued east.
The dense demonic aura lurking deep in the mountain forest was his sole target on this journey.
The smell of blood grew stronger along the way.
Broken blades, torn uniforms, and unrecognizable remains scattered everywhere.
All bore witness to a brutal battle that had taken place here.
Or rather, a one-sided massacre.
At last, Sasuke stopped beside an open stream valley.
He had found the source of that aura.
It was an unusually enormous demon.
It stood over three meters tall, its entire body covered in gray skin as hard as rock, with blue-black markings running across it.
At its feet lay three corpses mangled beyond human shape.
Judging by the scraps of clothing remaining on them, they were clearly all candidates taking part in this selection.
The Rock Demon seemed to have just finished eating. It was picking scraps of meat from between its teeth with its thick fingers, letting out a satisfied belch.
Then it noticed Sasuke.
"Oh? Another one coming to his death."
The Rock Demon spread its mouth in a cruel grin.
"Perfect. Those scrawny monkeys just now weren't even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth."
Sasuke said nothing.
He simply drew his pitch-black Wakizashi and held it in his hand.
His Two-Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated in the darkness.
In his vision, this demon's bodily density and energy intensity far exceeded those of any he had encountered before.
A decent test subject.
He moved.
His figure flashed, appearing beside the Rock Demon like a phantom.
The Wakizashi in his hand traced a cold arc toward its neck.
Clang!
A piercing sound rang out, like metal striking metal.
Sasuke felt a tremendous recoil travel through the blade, numbing the web of his hand.
Yet not even a pale mark remained on the Rock Demon's neck.
"Hahaha! It's useless, brat!"
The Rock Demon burst into mocking laughter.
"My body is harder than steel! The swords you useless wretches carry aren't even fit to scratch an itch!"
Roaring, it swung a fist the size of a cooking pot down at Sasuke's head.
Sasuke pushed off with his toes and easily leaped backward, evading the powerful blow.
The fist smashed into the ground with a tremendous crash, making the entire ground tremble and leaving a huge crater.
Sasuke frowned slightly.
Physical slashes are ineffective.
Its defense is astonishing.
The Great Fireball Technique could deal with it, but using it against a single target like this would consume too much chakra.
Far too inefficient.
Then there's only one answer.
"In that case."
Sasuke slowly raised his left hand.
"Let me show you what true power is."
Seeing Sasuke's movement, the Rock Demon thought he was about to give up, and its savage grin widened.
With heavy strides, it charged at Sasuke like an out-of-control chariot.
"Die, brat!"
Yet just as it was halfway through its charge.
A strange sound suddenly rang out, like a thousand birds calling at once.
The Rock Demon's movements faltered involuntarily.
It saw a mass of blinding, violent lightning rapidly gathering in the black-haired boy's left hand.
Crackling arcs leaped through the air, exuding an aura of destruction.
What is that?
A Blood Demon Art?
No, that's not a demon's power.
That's a purer, more violent energy of nature.
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
Sasuke called out in a low voice.
He poured the explosive power of Thunder Breathing into his legs without holding anything back.
His entire body became a bolt of lightning too fast for the naked eye to follow as he rushed straight toward the charging Rock Demon.
Through his Sharingan, the Rock Demon's enormous body and clumsy movements were riddled with openings.
Sasuke easily slipped through the gap between its swinging arms.
Then he slammed that chirping hand of lightning, blazing with dazzling light, hard against the Rock Demon's chest.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
The piercing birdsong cut off abruptly.
The next second.
Lightning erupted with a thunderous blast!
Like the sharpest spear, the violent lightning instantly pierced the defense harder than steel in which the Rock Demon took such pride.
A huge, bloody hole appeared in its chest.
The Rock Demon's enormous body froze in place.
In disbelief, it looked down at the hole in its chest, then at the boy slowly withdrawing his arm.
"H-how... is that... possible..."
Those were the last words it left in this world.
Its massive body crashed to the ground, throwing dust into the air.
In the monitoring room at the foot of the mountain.
Once again, a deathly silence fell.
Everyone stared blankly at the screen, at the enormous figure slowly collapsing after being pierced by lightning.
First, flames.
Now, lightning too.
Just where did this boy named Uesugi Sasuke come from?
Was the power he used really something humans could master?
"Hinaki."
Only after a long while did Kiriya find his voice again, though it still carried a trace of a tremor.
"Yes."
"Change his code name."
Kiriya's gaze grew more serious than ever before.
"From 'One Who Uses Sorcery' to... 'One Who Commands Lightning and Fire.'"
"Classify all footage of his battles as top secret and report it to the Master immediately."
Before you continue