Grind is My Ninja Way

"What?"

As the second water pillar he conjured abruptly vanished, Kuroki Izumi's expression shifted slightly.

While pondering the sudden change, a massive shark-shaped missile burst through the smoke in front of him, causing his face to darken instantly.

His eyes betrayed recognition of the technique.

Indeed, as a seasoned Jonin, Kuroki Izumi had knowledge far beyond that of an ordinary ninja. During a mission he once undertook with the village's ANBU, he witnessed this very technique employed by a formidable ANBU member.

This technique, an A-rank Water Release ninjutsu, was renowned for its overwhelming power.

Yet, he hadn't expected to encounter it here, especially in the hands of an enemy.

Given the Sharingan's ability to replicate techniques, it wasn't hard to deduce that this was a replication of that ANBU ninja's jutsu by Seimei.

But that wasn't the key issue.

What stood out was Seimei's execution speed and mastery of the technique. Kuroki could easily infer, based on Seimei's earlier movements, that his skill surpassed even the original user.

For a brief moment, Kuroki felt compelled to admire his opponent's talent, despite their enmity.

Shaking off the thought, Kuroki leaped onto a nearby street wall and quickly retreated further with a series of jumps.

As he did, he hurled several kunai, each tied with explosive tags, at the shark missile.

"Explode!" he shouted.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of deafening explosions ensued, engulfing the giant shark in fireballs.

While the "Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique" could absorb chakra-based attacks to strengthen itself, it was powerless against explosive tags—especially given its inherent weakness to fire.

Soon enough, the shark missile disintegrated.

Seeing this, Kuroki exhaled in relief.

But just as he let his guard down, a figure burst through the smoke at an almost imperceptible speed, racing toward him.

Sensing the imminent threat, Kuroki's aura shifted dramatically. Fixing his gaze on the approaching figure, he sneered, "Hmph, I've been waiting for you!"

With a sidestep, he evaded the attack and countered with a swift thrust at his opponent's neck.

The attacker, caught off guard, retreated hastily while retracting his blade to block Kuroki's strike.

Clang!

A crisp metallic sound rang out.

As their weapons clashed, Kuroki abruptly withdrew his kunai and launched another flurry of attacks.

The attacker, now on the defensive, had no choice but to retreat under Kuroki's relentless onslaught.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of clashing weapons echoed incessantly.

Kuroki pressed his advantage, his attacks growing fiercer.

However, after several exchanges, he began to sense something was amiss.

Though confident in his abilities and the element of surprise, Kuroki found it strange that he was still dominating after so many moves—this didn't align with the strength Seimei had displayed earlier.

"What's going on?" Kuroki wondered, his thoughts racing.

As his kunai sliced through the air in front of Seimei, who leaned back to evade, realization struck him. His eyes widened in alarm.

"Not good!"

Kuroki immediately retreated, putting distance between himself and the opponent before him.

Turning abruptly, he shouted at another Mist Village special Jonin nearby, "Ryōji, watch out!"

The warning came as Ryōji, who was hurriedly bandaging a neck wound, looked up in confusion, only to see a figure darting out of the lingering smoke.

The figure—Seimei—charged at Ryōji with a blade raised.

With no time or space to evade, Ryōji could only raise his kunai to block.

Clang!

The familiar sound of clashing weapons rang out again.

Though Ryōji managed to parry the blow, the force of the attack caused him to stagger back half a step. Seeing that he had successfully blocked the blade, Ryōji sighed in relief.

But then he heard a cracking sound.

"What?"

Ryōji's expression twisted as he watched his kunai rapidly fracture.

The real Seimei smirked, his muscles flexing as he poured chakra into his strike. With a final surge of power, he shattered Ryōji's kunai.

Without hesitation, Seimei stepped forward, closing the distance, as a high-density chakra sphere formed in his left palm.

CRACK!

The sound of breaking bones echoed as the Rasengan slammed into Ryōji's chest.

"Urgh!"

Blood spurted from Ryōji's mouth as the force of the attack hurled him into the air.

Before he could hit the ground, Seimei hurled several shuriken, striking Ryōji's throat, heart, and abdomen with unerring precision.

Thud!

Ryōji's lifeless body hit the ground ten meters away.

Watching this unfold, Kuroki's expression grew grim.

Despite his intentions to assist, the shadow clone blocking him had fought fiercely to keep him occupied.

And now, Seimei himself joined the fray.

Outnumbered and outmatched, Kuroki stood little chance. Though a few Mist Village lower-ranking ninjas attempted to intervene, they failed to alter the outcome.

Minutes later, Seimei stood over the corpses of his opponents, exhaling deeply.

The battle was over.

Kuroki and his allies had been annihilated.

Seimei was finally free.

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