"Earth Release: Flowing Rock!"
Just as Leo used Moon Step to launch himself into the air, Iwa-nin Ōishi swiftly performed another jutsu.
The ground shuddered and trembled violently—chains of solid rock burst forth, snaking toward the sky. Controlled by chakra, they locked onto Leo's position, sealing off every possible escape route.
Everyone knew that when someone jumped into the air without a foothold, they were momentarily defenseless—unable to dodge or counterattack midair.
That was exactly what Ōishi and Akatsuchi were eEXPloiting. A simple, classic combination—but deadly when executed with precision and teamwork.
And indeed, it was often the simplest tactics that proved the most effective. All it required was flawless coordination and combat eEXPerience.
The rock chains closed in from all directions, aiming to bind Leo where he floated.
But to the astonishment of both Iwa-nin, Leo stepped through the air as if it were solid ground.
"H-how is that possible!?" Akatsuchi's eyes bulged in disbelief. "He's… walking in midair!?"
Yet it was undeniable—Leo moved effortlessly through the sky, gliding past the incoming chains like a man taking a leisurely stroll.
"Shave!"
In an instant, Leo's figure blurred—vanishing from the air and reappearing right before Ōishi!
His speed surpassed even the finest Body Flicker Technique.
Leo's lips curved into a cold smile as he drew back his fist, black Armament Haki swirling across his arm.
Lv.4 Armament Haki—his aura burned dark red beneath the black sheen.
He struck.
Ōishi wasn't a taijutsu fighter—he lacked the speed of a Cloud-nin and could only raise his guard.
"Earth Release: Super Hardening!"
He crossed both arms before his chest, the skin instantly coating over with a thick layer of rock—armor tough enough to deflect a kunai.
But he had underestimated the man before him.
A crimson gleam flashed in Leo's eyes. Armament Haki fused with raw monster strength—the air crackled as his punch detonated with a thunderous boom!
"Iron Fist!"
Bang!
Ōishi's body was sent flying like a rag doll. The rocky coating on his arms shattered to dust, and his body twisted in midair as blood spurted from his mouth. His eyes rolled back white before he even hit the ground.
"Ōishi!"
Akatsuchi immediately summoned an earthen hand to catch his comrade. "Are you all right!?"
Ōishi coughed violently, spitting blood before gasping out a single word—
"Run…!"
"What—!?"
Akatsuchi froze as an icy chill crawled up his spine. His instincts screamed of mortal danger.
He turned just in time to see Leo swing Enma downward.
The blade cut through the rain in silence—no glow, no flash, nothing extraordinary to the eye.
And yet, that simple slash seemed to consume all light, becoming the only existence between heaven and earth.
The world lost its color. A black arc streaked through the air.
Akatsuchi managed to dodge using a Body Flicker—but Ōishi was not so lucky.
The obsidian slash cleaved straight through his torso without resistance. A heartbeat later, his body split apart and collapsed to the ground.
One strike. One Jōnin died.
The residual force of the slash continued forward, cutting the rain curtain in two, splitting the forest beyond, and even slicing off the peak of a distant hill.
The power of Enma scaled directly with Leo's Haki. It was a supreme blade—one that fed on Armament Haki itself.
No wonder its former master, Kozuki Oden, had been able to leave scars on Kaido—the so-called "Strongest Creature Alive."
Even Gear Fourth Luffy had been flattened by a single blow from that monster; Kaido's defense was no joke.
"ŌISHI!!!"
Akatsuchi's roar tore through the rain, his face twisting with fury. His partner's death ignited a killing rage within him.
To think—an ambush against a single Konoha ANBU squad had cost him one Jōnin and over a dozen Chūnin. The price was too great to bear!
"I don't believe your chakra is limitless!" Akatsuchi snarled, glaring at the masked man before him.
Because of Leo's cloak and Rakshasa mask, it was impossible to tell his age—but in the ninja world, appearance meant nothing. Power was the only measure that mattered.
"Pathetic," Leo muttered.
This so-called Jōnin felt weak—at least three levels below the Cloud Jōnin, Armani.
His taijutsu was mediocre, his movements sluggish.
Leo's mind was calm, calculating—not how to escape, but how to kill. To turn this Jōnin into another stepping stone on his path to strength.
"Earth Release: Stone Thorn Barrage!"
In rage, Akatsuchi slammed his hands to the ground. Spires of rock erupted upward, hundreds of earthen spears piercing the air to skewer Leo from below.
But Leo didn't even bother to dodge.
Observation Haki activated—the world slowed. Every spike's trajectory, every shift in the air was laid bare before him.
He walked calmly through the barrage, each step perfectly placed. The spears missed him by mere hairs, never once touching his cloak.
"This… this is impossible!" Akatsuchi shouted, trembling. "Is he even human!?"
Leo didn't answer.
He simply lifted his foot. Armament Haki surged across his leg—black shot through with fiery red—and he stomped down.
BOOM!!!
The ground eEXPloded outward, the rock spires shattering to dust under the sheer force of his blow. Waves of dark energy rippled from his foot, spreading like shockwaves.
Everything it touched crumbled to powder—the earth, the stones, even the rain itself seemed to scatter into mist.
The ground beneath Akatsuchi's own feet quaked violently.
Such overwhelming strength—it defied all reason.
"Shave!"
Leo vanished again, appearing beside Akatsuchi like a thunderbolt.
"Too fast!" Akatsuchi gasped.
"Earth Release: Full Body Hardening!"
He coated his entire body in rock armor, his defense now at its peak. Among the Five Great Villages, only Cloud-nin's Lightning Cloak could rival Iwa's Earth-style defenses.
But Leo's eyes burned with certainty.
He would break through.
He would kill him.
He was faster than the Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze himself—why couldn't he do the same?
"Armament Haki—RASENGAN!"
Dark energy spiraled violently in Leo's palm, condensed and reinforced by Lv.4 Armament Haki.
The black-and-red sphere roared to life—an eEXPlosive fusion of Konoha ninjutsu and Haki mastery.
A taijutsu-ninjutsu hybrid born of two worlds—
The Armament Rasengan!
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