Chapter 113: Seven and Haru
Kael gave a wry smile.
"My friend, I was just passing through by chance. I happened to be hungry, so I came looking for some food. I'll pay for it; I'm not looking for a handout."
Haru turned a deaf ear to his words. His furrowed brow didn't relax in the slightest. He stared intently at Kael and spoke slowly.
His intuition as an elite shinobi screamed that this young man was dangerous, yet he couldn't sense a trace of chakra on Kael.
However, he knew that while techniques to conceal chakra were rare in the Shinobi World, they weren't nonexistent. He didn't lower his guard.
"Kid, you hide it well, but I get a dangerous vibe from you. So, whatever your objective is, I won't let you get anywhere near Seven!"
Before his voice had even faded, Haru's eyes turned icy cold. He vanished from his spot, reappearing instantly in front of Kael. His fist, glowing faintly with blue chakra, punched straight for Kael's chest.
He attacked without another word!
Whoosh!
Kael sidestepped two paces to the left, easily dodging the sudden punch.
He naturally wasn't going to let the man hit him, but in doing so, he could no longer hide the fact that he was a ninja.
Having missed his strike, Haru's expression grew even colder, though he wasn't surprised. He had sensed Kael wasn't simple.
He didn't attack again immediately but remained on high alert, staring fixedly at Kael's face.
"And you said you were just passing through? Speak! Which village are you from? What is your business in the Hidden Frost Village?"
"Calm down, I have no ill intentions..."
Before Kael could finish, he saw the man's face darken further. Killing intent seeped from his eyes, and the next moment, he lunged at Kael again.
Kael frowned, his patience wearing thin. Although he didn't enjoy senseless violence, this man named Haru attacking him repeatedly was testing his limits.
He reached out, catching Haru's fist in his palm. Then, his five fingers clamped down. With a twist of his wrist and a pull, he flung Haru through the air.
Haru felt an immense force, and his body went out of control. His vision blurred, and the next thing he knew, he had been thrown to the ground.
Gritting his teeth, Haru scrambled up quickly. His right hand reached into his robes, drawing a short tantō.
He was about to attack again when he found Kael already standing right in front of him. The next instant, his throat was seized by the young man's hand.
Haru froze, his body and the tantō in his hand stiffening in mid-air.
His expression turned ugly as he glared defiantly at Kael.
Kael, dressed in his black combat gear, looked at him with leisurely amusement. One hand gripped Haru's throat, while the other was casually tucked in his pocket. His expression was relaxed and unbothered.
No matter how hard Haru tried to sense it, Kael still emitted absolutely no chakra, as if he were just an ordinary person.
An ordinary person who could subdue him without him being able to resist?
Haru refused to believe it. There was only one possibility.
The young man in front of him was far, far stronger than he was!
At this thought, a surge of intense anxiety rose in Haru's heart.
This man definitely had bad intentions for their village!
A fiercer killing intent burned within him. Haru narrowed his eyes, and his stiff wrist suddenly snapped upward, stabbing the tantō down toward Kael.
THUD!
Kael's left knee flashed upward like a phantom, driving hard into Haru's gut. Simultaneously, the hand on Haru's throat tightened and shoved, pinning Haru to the ground with a single hand.
Bam!
A faint smile played on Kael's lips, but his words chilled Haru to the bone, freezing him in place.
"Don't try to provoke me. The consequences will be beyond your imagination."
Haru's body went from rigid to limp. He knew that in Kael's eyes, all his resistance was futile.
pinned to the ground by a single hand, he couldn't break free.
As the pressure from Kael's fingers increased, Haru's face turned a dark purple. An intense feeling of suffocation filled his chest.
Within seconds, veins bulged on his forehead, and his face swelled unnaturally.
He looked up at Kael's handsome face, which still bore that faint smile, and felt his scalp tingle with horror.
Haru hadn't expected this harmless-looking boy to possess such terrifying strength—and to be so ruthless once provoked.
He could feel his vision blurring rapidly, the face before him splitting into double images.
If this continued, he would be dead in moments.
The world grew dim. Haru felt as if the Grim Reaper were gnawing at his body. Even as his consciousness faded, he could feel his blood pounding in his veins, as if his body were making a final, desperate attempt to keep him alive.
The suffocation turned into agonizing pain. Haru curled up helplessly on the ground, his strength to struggle gone. The hand on his throat felt like the hand of fate itself.
A few more seconds passed. Haru felt his senses slipping away one by one. An endless cold spread through his body, like a ghost stepping into hell, devoid of warmth.
"Urk... urk..."
Just as Haru's eyes rolled back and his hands clawed unconsciously at the hand choking him, Kael abruptly let go. Kael even wiped his hand on his clothes, as if he had touched something dirty.
"Can you be quiet now? You're like a rabid dog, biting everyone you see."
Kael stood up and spoke calmly.
Looking at the man limp on the ground, Kael felt no pity.
He had no intention of hurting anyone, but this man had tried to kill him.
By the time Haru regained consciousness, he didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like a century of suffering.
He had been moved into a house—likely the one Kael had claimed—and was lying on a wooden cot.
Feeling an intense gaze, Haru turned his head weakly and saw Seven looking at him with a face full of worry.
He relaxed slightly. The kid is safe.
Then, a calm voice rang out in the simple room.
"You're a ninja of the Hidden Frost Village, aren't you?"
It's that young ninja!
Haru was shaken, a flicker of fear rising in his heart. He quickly turned toward the source of the voice.