Enma's black Flowing Sakura Armament Slash tore through the air, seeming for an instant to split space itself in two!
The falling rain halted midair for a heartbeat—then cascaded down again as time and space returned to normal.
But this time, the ground below was dyed crimson. Blood mixed with mud until the battlefield was a mire of flesh and soil.
It was as though scarlet flowers had bloomed across the land—but these were flowers of hell, steeped in blood and terror, utterly divorced from beauty. They were twisted, demonic blossoms of death.
The Iwagakure Chūnin unit had been utterly annihilated by Leo—swept aside like brittle twigs before a storm!
The slaughter had happened in the blink of an eye. From Leo's first sword swing—its blade aura tearing through heaven and earth—to his crushing punch that shattered a stone dragon, and the final sweeping slash that split a surging wave and cleaved through every last Chūnin...
It had all taken less than a single breath.
Cutting through Chūnin—like slicing melons and vegetables.
Not far away, a few Iwa Jōnin who had been analyzing the intruder's identity froze mid-sentence. By the time they reacted, the fight was already over.
They'd come to provide backup—only to find there was nothing left to save.
Their faces twisted in disbelief and horror.
In the distance, Leo stood amid the rain. The ground around him had been shattered beyond recognition. Corpses of Iwa-nin lay strewn in pieces, none whole, their faces still contorted with fear.
He was too fast—faster than lightning. His sword light flashed once, and heads rolled before the rain even reached the earth.
Breathing steadily behind his Rakshasa mask, Leo looked every bit the demon god of war—a murderous aura radiating from him like fire from a forge.
Behind him, Moonlight Jiho, Aburame Shimura, and Yamanaka Inoichi could only stare in stunned silence.
So this was Leo's true strength.
This wasn't a rookie—this was a seasoned executioner!
He killed without hesitation, without a flicker of emotion, severing heads as easily as grass.
Usually, he was calm and polite—a handsome young man, the image of a friendly neighbor. Even with his reputation as a genius, they'd never taken the title too seriously.
Now they realized how naïve they'd been.
They had spent an entire month beside a blood-soaked demon and hadn't even noticed.
Cold sweat ran down their spines.
Thankfully, Leo was on their side. It was the Iwa-nin who should be terrified.
Leo gripped his Enma tightly. His breath was heavy, but most of that battle had relied on physical power and Enma's own might—his chakra reserves were barely touched.
In fact, the eEXPenditure was even less than when he'd killed seven Mist-nin earlier.
That was the result of his recent training—his mastery of the Three Colors of Haki had tempered his body to new extremes. His physical power had once again surpassed its limits.
Each life-and-death battle only made him stronger. Every time he crossed that line, his body evolved.
Today's self was always stronger than yesterday's.
At that moment, Leo was confident—he could take on the two Iwa Jōnin ahead.
The aura they emitted was nowhere near as oppressive as that of the Kumonin, Armani, he'd fought before.
All were Jōnin, yes—but even among the same rank, strength varied wildly.
Ding!
You have slain 18 Chūnin. EEXP +7200.
Total EEXP: 12800 / 50000.
The system notification echoed in his mind.
As eEXPected—slaughter was the fastest path to growth.
The eEXPerience points were enough, and with no time to waste, Leo immediately spent 10,000 EEXP to upgrade his Armament Haki.
Armament Haki Lv.3 → Lv.4!
A jolt ran through his body. Deep within his black pupils flickered a faint crimson glow.
He could feel it—the surge of power. His defensive and offensive capabilities had both skyrocketed.
Thump… thump… thump…
His heartbeat quickened, blood roaring through his veins like a river in flood. The pounding echoed like war drums.
From within him, a pressure burst forth—an invincible aura that seemed to defy the heavens themselves.
"This guy's strong…" muttered Iwa-nin Ōishi, his eEXPression tightening. "We really did hook a big one—but maybe too big."
"Just now," said Akatsuchi, frowning, "I could've sworn that ANBU with the Rakshasa mask… got even stronger. It's not my imagination."
Both were seasoned Jōnin, veterans of countless battles—the backbone of Iwagakure's military might.
Even so, Leo's power unsettled them.
Yet, they believed they could still handle him.
Leo flexed his hands, testing his strength. Outwardly, his body hadn't changed, but the feeling within told him otherwise—at Lv.4, his Armament Haki could shatter mountains.
Having slain all the Chūnin, he now stood face-to-face with the two Jōnin. Behind the mask, his eEXPression didn't shift in the slightest.
Only calm.
But in his eyes gleamed both icy killing intent and the burning passion for battle.
In war, there was no need for words, no need for questions.
He was a Konoha shinobi. His enemies were the Iwa-nin. Whether they bore personal grudges or not didn't matter—on this battlefield, they were mortal foes.
No hesitation. No mercy.
The rain of the Land of Rain seemed to pause once more, though the dark clouds above only thickened—brewing an even greater storm.
The air grew heavy with killing intent, pressing down like a mountain.
Moonlight Jiho and the others stood in the downpour, drenched, but completely oblivious to the rain—eyes fixed on the clash about to begin.
The second battle began—Leo versus two Iwa Jōnin!
They were ANBU. They had seen death a hundred times, faced horrors beyond count.
But all their lifetimes of shock combined couldn't equal what they felt now.
"Earth Release: Earth Spikes!"
Ōishi's hands blurred through seals—an A-rank, wide-range offensive jutsu!
The ground trembled violently, something massive stirring beneath the soil.
Relying on Observation Haki, Leo sensed the danger instantly and leapt back—only to find his legs suddenly heavy, rooted to the spot.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Akatsuchi followed up without missing a beat. Jōnin-level seals were so fast they blurred from sight.
The ground beneath Leo turned into a dark gray mire that sucked his legs deep.
Ōishi's earth spikes shot forward in the next instant—massive, spear-like pillars bursting from the ground, sharp enough to pierce steel.
One attack to immobilize, one to kill—the coordination was flawless.
But did they really think that would be enough?
"Moon Step!"
Leo stomped down hard—the eEXPlosion of force shattered the swamp beneath him, propelling him upward as he leapt into the air!
"Armament Haki Lv.4: Hardening!"
His arms turned jet-black—but this was no ordinary black.
Faint red veins pulsed within, glowing like molten iron, radiating scorching, destructive heat.
The upgraded Armament Haki burned across his body like a living flame of war.
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