Silence—at last, everything fell silent.
The Thirty-Six Calamity Winds—each slash cutting through desire, severing worldly bonds. Six senses purified, mind clear, body perished!
Armani froze in place, still in his charging stance, but completely motionless.
His massive frame trembled, pupils wide, his entire body drenched in cold sweat.
His lips twitched as if trying to speak, but no words came out.
Shhhk!
Suddenly, blade aura burst forth!
In an instant, blood sprayed from Armani's body—fine crimson lines split across his skin, dozens of wounds tearing open at once.
He fell heavily, collapsing into a pool of blood, his body torn beyond recognition. Only his eyes still moved, filled with unwillingness.
"Huuh…"
Leo let out a long breath, resting his sword Enma on the ground, half-kneeling and gasping for air.
What a grueling battle. But at least… he had won.
He slowly approached Armani, lifting Enma once more. He had to make sure—no chances for this Cloud ninja to live.
"What sword style… is that?" Armani rasped, his voice hoarse and fading.
"The Thirty-Six Calamity Winds," Leo replied calmly. "A man's life is bound by many desires. Under this blade, all troubles are severed."
"Heh… good… very good… You'll surpass the White Fang one day…" Armani forced out a hideous, pained smile, his massive body sinking deeper into his own blood.
Even so, Leo swung the blade without hesitation.
"Tell me—where is the Jinchūriki?"
As if oblivious to the blade at his throat, Armani still asked that question.
Leo paused, thought for a moment, then said, "Come out, Kushina."
Poof!
A small log on the battlefield eEXPloded into smoke—and Kushina Uzumaki appeared from within it.
Armani's pupils shrank sharply. So the Jinchūriki hadn't escaped at all—she'd been right here, hidden in plain sight.
Heh… Brilliant. Simply brilliant.
With people like this, Konoha would always be strong.
Leo finally lowered Enma. Armani's breath was gone; his life had completely faded away.
Then Leo himself collapsed, his body heavy as stone. His head spun, his vision dimmed—he could barely stay conscious.
This had been his first real duel against a true jonin—
and not just any jonin, but a Cloud ninja famed for his mastery of taijutsu.
Both his physical prowess and ninjutsu were at their peak—far beyond that Ghost Lantern jonin from before. Even among the elite, there were levels of difference.
"Leo!" Kushina rushed over, panic written all over her face.
Leo lay limp, completely drained. After back-to-back battles and no rest, he was utterly exhausted.
Clang!
A platinum treasure chest suddenly materialized beside him.
Frankly, Leo couldn't care less at the moment. He simply stored it away in his system's space—he just wanted to rest.
Kushina hurried to his side, gently propping him up against a giant tree. Tears welled in her eyes as she cried,
"Leo, please don't die! It's all my fault! If I hadn't insisted on leaving the village to play, you wouldn't have had to fight like this…"
She was wracked with guilt.
Leo was badly injured, but not mortally so. All he wanted now was to rest—to sleep, if only for a little while.
But Kushina's tears fell like rain all over his face. Too tired to even move, he sighed, saying weakly,
"Don't cry… If you keep crying, I'll drown before I can rest."
Kushina sniffled, then burst out laughing through her tears.
For a moment, peace settled over them. Leo slowly closed his eyes, beginning to recover his strength.
Thanks to the power of his Three Colors of Haki, his physical resilience far surpassed ordinary shinobi. His recovery was swift—he sensed that one night's rest would heal him by at least seventy percent.
Kushina stared at him with wide, determined eyes. He had fought so hard to protect her—now it was her turn to guard him.
She looked down at the boy resting on her lap, her heart fluttering. Sweetness spread through her chest as her cheeks grew red, filled with thoughts she didn't quite understand.
Time passed quietly beneath the endless night.
Though she had promised herself to stay alert, exhaustion soon took hold—Kushina began to doze, eyelids drooping.
Rustle—
Leo's eyes snapped open. Pain flared through his body as he forced himself to sit up.
Kushina stirred, rubbing her eyes. "What's wrong, Leo?"
He scanned the dark forest, eEXPression tense. "Come out."
"Huh? There's no one here…" Kushina said, looking around in confusion.
Rustle, rustle…
From the darkness, a shadow emerged—slowly, deliberately, one step at a time.
Leo's pupils contracted. His eyes turned cold, as though piercing straight through the man's soul.
It was a shinobi—wearing the familiar green flak jacket of Konoha, a Leaf headband gleaming on his brow, and a long sword strapped to his back.
A Konoha ninja—but he wasn't here to save them.
"Konoha ninja? Is he here to rescue us?" Kushina asked, trying to stand.
Leo grabbed her arm. "Don't move."
He rose to his feet, back straight, gaze unwavering as he faced the newcomer.
Sensing the tension, Kushina fell silent.
"Well, well… who would've thought?" the man said casually, a mocking smile on his face. "The Cloud's 'Thunderstorm Beast' jonin, Armani, killed by a brat like you. Even I wouldn't have had an easy time with him. Impressive."
"Let me guess," Leo said evenly, eEXPression unreadable. "Among the Konoha clans, only one holds this kind of grudge against me. You're from the Uchiha, aren't you?"
Indeed—another jonin. And not just any jonin, but one of the Uchiha.
If they fought now, Leo estimated… a sixty percent chance of dying.
He still had his Three Colors of Haki and Devil Fruit powers—but in this world, both required chakra and stamina to activate.
While they consumed far less chakra than standard ninjutsu, Leo's physical reserves were almost spent.
He wasn't an infinite engine. Even if his powers could still trigger, his body couldn't keep up.
"Correct," the man said proudly. "I am Uchiha Sanno. Uchiha Shiro is my son."
As he spoke, his pupils spun—three crimson tomoe blooming into a menacing glow.
A wave of chilling, sinister chakra erupted from him, filling the night with killing intent.
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