"Armament Haki: Rasengan!"
Leo charged forward, chakra whirling in his palm as a deep-blue sphere formed—then, unbelievably, he coated it with Armament Haki.
This was his first-ever fusion of ninjutsu and Haki!
Aka-tsuchi (Akatsuchi) responded with an Earth Release secret technique—his entire body turned to solid stone, encased in an armor of hardened earth until he looked like a humanoid golem.
Boom!
In Leo's hand, the blue Rasengan turned black—an iron sphere of pure destruction.
Originally the size of his palm, it swelled several times larger as he thrust it forward.
BOOM!
Akatsuchi raised his arms in defense, relying on his absolute defense without even dodging, taking the full brunt of the attack head-on.
The Rasengan struck his chest—
and in the instant of impact, its spiraling power erupted violently!
But that wasn't all.
The Haki coating the Rasengan detached, crawling outward, spreading over Akatsuchi's rocky armor like a living thing.
The reddish-brown earth was soon wrapped in a layer of black—dense and suffocating.
Crack!
Under Leo's precise control, the black Haki constricted violently—compressing from the outside in, slicing through the stone armor like invisible blades.
Crack! Crack!
The impenetrable rock shattered—torn apart by Armament Haki!
Inside, the Rasengan's spiraling force kept grinding, crushing Akatsuchi's internal organs. The destructive energy tore through his body and burst out his back like a cannon.
Thud!
Cough!
Blood spattered from his mouth. Akatsuchi's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
He looked down to see his chest cavity caved in, his rock armor shattered, his flesh mangled—and his organs twisted into pulp.
"You… who are you?" he gasped, his consciousness fading.
Leo said nothing. In war, there was no right or wrong—only opposing sides.
Out of a moment of grim mercy, he lifted his mask slightly, revealing a sliver of his face.
Just one glimpse—and Akatsuchi's eyes filled with horror.
He had eEXPected an old, battle-hardened warrior behind that demonic mask…
But instead, he saw a young, cold, emotionless face.
Too young.
Thunderstruck by the realization, Akatsuchi spat one last mouthful of blood.
Then came the flash of a blade—
and his head soared skyward, eEXPression frozen in disbelief, eyes wide open even in death.
Leo exhaled lightly. Once his face had been seen, leaving survivors was not an option.
War has no justice.
No one is truly right or wrong.
If you die, it only means you weren't strong enough to live.
Ding!You have slain Oishi. EEXPerience +1500.
Ding!You have slain Akatsuchi. EEXPerience +2000.
Remaining EEXP: 6300 / 50000.
With a low hum, a golden treasure chest materialized before him.
Given the situation, Leo didn't open it immediately but stored it into his system inventory.
The battle was over. The rain kept falling, a soft, endless drizzle.
Eighteen chūnin, two jōnin—all dead.
Compared to his previous assassination mission, this fight had been far less taxing. He still had energy to spare.
Every brush with death tempered him further. Every battle made him stronger.
The elite Iwagakure assassination squad that had ambushed them—completely annihilated.
The scene was breathtaking.
Though the rain washed away the blood, the silence that followed was deafening.
Leo stood alone amidst the carnage, surrounded by corpses and crimson-stained mud. The battlefield had become a hellscape.
Yet not a drop of blood stained his body—only the rain.
He looked less like a man and more like a Shinigami—a Rakshasa from hell, unstoppable and absolute.
From a distance, Yamanaka Haiichi and Aburame Shimura stood frozen.
Aside from Captain Tsukikage Jihuo's token Great Fireball earlier, they hadn't even had the chance to act.
And now… it is over.
"All dead? He killed them all?"
Their voices trembled with disbelief.
Leo's strength was terrifying—already beyond most ANBU captains, possibly even stronger.
Even against Konoha's elite jōnin, he might stand as an equal.
At his age, with that power…
He was a monster born for war.
A true Rakshasa of the Second Great Ninja War.
Leo turned through the rain and walked toward them.
Captain Tsukikage Jihuo opened his mouth, but no words came—his throat felt tight.
Leo spoke first, calm and steady.
"Clean up the battlefield, Captain. It's time to move."
Jihuo froze for a moment, then slowly nodded. "...Understood."
The three of them began clearing the site.
Without realizing it, the roles had shifted—Leo was no longer the rookie under their protection.
He was their pillar now.
In the shinobi world, power rules all.
Leo hadn't demanded obedience—his strength had earned it naturally.
That was the way of the ninja:
The weak follow the strong.
While the others worked, Leo finally let his curiosity win.
He drew out the golden treasure chest and opened it.
It floated before him, radiating dazzling brilliance, gleaming like a relic of the gods.
A gold chest—its rewards would surely be extraordinary.
After all, the last one had given him the Flame-Flame Fruit.
This time, it had to be something of equal or greater value.
With a thought, Leo unlocked it.
A golden light burst forth, and from within drifted a single, gilded card.
He picked it up. Inside the card's frame was a familiar figure—and at that instant, knowledge flooded his mind.
Character Card: Donquixote Doflamingo
A single-use, designated summon card.
Option One: Summon the Warlord of the Sea, Doflamingo, for one hour. The summoned entity will be completely loyal to the user.
Option Two: Fuse the card with yourself to temporarily inherit all of Doflamingo's powers for fifteen minutes. Afterward, the power dissipates.
"Huh… this one's different from the last summon card," Leo murmured, examining it.
When he summoned Shanks before, the card hadn't had a fusion option. Why the change?
After a moment's thought, he understood.
The Shanks card had been a random summon among the Four Emperors, not a designated one.
But this time, it was a specific summon card, guaranteeing Doflamingo—hence the additional fusion function.
Leo smiled faintly, golden card glinting in his hand.
"So now I've got another trump card…"
While Doflamingo's strength wasn't on par with a Yonko like Shanks, his mastery of the String-String Fruit, fully awakened, was fearsome.
A terrifying ally—or power—to wield when the time came.
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