The masked figure now stood nonchalantly, a few meters away from his vehicle, and that same demonic eye kept glaring into the depth of his soul.
The masked figure on the other hand merely reached out behind him and pulled out a sleek blade sheathed on his lower back.
The blade hummed with a dull purple light, and without hesitation, he gripped tightly in reverse, spun around in mid air and let out a simple unassuming slash.
*
*
*SLASH!!*
Taoka had no idea what had taken place, but the only thing he confirmed was a neat, clean cut that bisected his vehicle into two, separating it into two halves, one on the left and the other on the right.
Taoka was instantly thrown out of the half of the vehicle that he occupied, skidding along the rocky road for a few seconds.
Without minding the injuries on his body, he executed the only thing on his mind, amidst the rush of adrenaline - escape.
He quickly arose and made a run for it, his life and survival depending on his efforts.
However, the masked man nearly walked behind him, taking slow steps and tailing the Yakuza boss like the emissary of death, waiting to collect a dying soul.
Taoka run with all of his might, however, he could not simply shake off the masked man who walked behind him in a relaxed and comfortable gait, like a predator stalking prey.
This went on for nearly half an hour, and soon, the man dropped to his knees, unable to run any further, as tears dripped down his cheeks.
He knew it. Time had finally come, and Death wasn't going to be satisfied until he was gone from the land of the living, but how could someone like him who enjoyed riches, fame and vanity be willing to let it all go for nothing?
He struggled to his feet, despite the pain, however, this time, he suddenly felt a chain wrap around his neck, the coldness stinging and freezing his neck.
"No!!!!!!"
The next moment, he felt himself suddenly flying towards the masked man, as he cried out in fear, however despite his cries of plea, the last thing he saw was the demonic looking eye glaring right at him, before the world turned dark.
****
Watching the decapitated body slowly fall to the ground, the masked man finally let out a sigh and took of his mask, revealing a youthful, handsome face with bloody red irises that disappeared, replaced by onyx ones, just like his spiky hair.
Looking at his blood stained hands and sword, Sasuke couldn't help but take in a deep breath as he pushed back the uncomfort and lethargy.
He had set out to find a place which he truly belonged to, somewhere he could be accepted in this world, and by doing so, he had jumped from frying pan into fire.
Now with the Zen'in clan actively searching for his whereabouts, the Jujutsu society was a complete no go area for him, so he had decided to at least follow the footsteps of none other than Toji Fushiguro, embracing his status of an outcast, and becoming a curse user.
Now listing himself as a cursed user, he offered his services to the Star Religious Group, a bunch of non sorcerers who worshipped Master Tengen, a group that was completely safe from Jujutsu in return for a safe haven he could live peacefully without being targeted for the time being.
He was their blade and shield, and in turn they listed him in as one of their own, a harmless non sorcerer, an identity he very much appreciated, one that provided him immunity from Jujutsu for the time being.
He now lived two lives, one as the ruthless, heartless mercenary known as Zero, operating under the wing of the Star Religious group by night, and a harmless monk that resided in their main temple by day.
Despite being accustomed to killing in his previous life as Virgil, Sasuke, while not frightened to take a life, found it completely repulsive, despite what his reputation read.
He hated killing, greatly so, however it had now become his livelihood and a source of retrieving rewards from the system, and it was going to remain so until he finally gathered the necessary strength to go against the entirety of the Zen'in clan and possibly the whole of Jujutsu.
Survival.
His goal since day one of arriving in this world. He had to survive until he was powerful enough to stand at the top of this world, then and only then would he be able to fully experience the bliss this world had to offer.
Sighing for the last time, he placed his mask back on, before placing the decapitated head of the Yakuza boss into his ninja backpack and sheathing his Kusanagi.
He took one last look at the vicinity, ready to leave when his Sharingan activated on its own and he looked towards a tree about a kilometer away from where he stood, glaring directly towards a small crow that watched him from above while perked on a tree.
"Come out!"
Without wasting time, a barrage of shurikens ripped through the forest, aiming directly towards the crow and the area around it.
The shurikens ripped through trees, tearing through everything around them like bullets, at impressive speeds.
"Hmmm...a little impatient aren't we?"
After about a few seconds, a figure acrobatically landed a few meters away from Sasuke's figure, her feet digging into the ground a few centimetres to slow down her momentum and cancel out the inertia behind her fall.
She was dressed in a purple long necked dress that accentuated her lithe figure. Her light blue hair was tied into a ponytail and the although the lower part of her face was masked, her beauty was undeniable.
Her aura was unmatched, and she resembled a fierce warrior, as she gripped a long, probably heavy axe on her shoulder, and in a moment, the crow from before slowly landed on her shoulder.
Meanwhile, Sasuke's hand slowly moved to his Kusanagi and rested on the handle, as his Sharingan scanned her from top to bottom, in confusion, seeing as how she looked rather familiar.
'She looks rather familiar...Wait! It's her isn't it? How interesting..'
Sasuke smiled inwardly, and kept his eyes on the figure before him, but made no move to attack.
"I wonder how you found me. After all, I'm pretty good at hiding.."
She spoke as her eyes glinted with a smile.
"Hiding? You weren't even trying your best with your little disguise.."
Sasuke's calm voice rang out, and one could discern the little ridicule in his words.
"The real essence of a disguise is being able to hide in plain sight.."
She spoke matter of factly and caressed the small crow on her shoulder.
"I never thought we would meet under such circumstances...Zero.
Your display on this mission was rather spectacular and eye opening even for me....
But the bounty for the Yakuza boss belongs to me.."
She spoke and began taking solid steps towards him.
Meanwhile, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder, when and how such a character in the franchise became a mercenary..
"I'd rather not go that far. A simple conversation should fix this misunderstanding no?"
Sasuke asked while the figure tightly gripped her axe and sped up, her slow gait gradually turning into a brisk walk at this point.
" Naturally, if the conversation includes you handing over the head of the Yakuza boss, then it is worth having.."
She laughed in response and exploded forth into a full blown sprint, her body encased in a thin sheath of blazing cyan cursed energy.
"Such a shame. But if there's no other way then.."
Letting out a small sigh, Sasuke drew the Kusanagi and flickered towards her incoming figure, wrapped in wind and lightning.
*BANG!*
Their clash caused the earth beneath their feets to shatter. The mysterious female excelled in explosive attacks, using her massive axe skillfully and cleaving towards Sasuke's head, going directly for the kill.
Meanwhile Sasuke's speed, agility, reaction speed and reflexes kept him untouchable. His sword skills, impeccable and unpredictable, not giving the mysterious woman a chance to discern where he was going to strike next.
They both accelerated, and while Sasuke always kept the upper hand in terms of speed, every single clash with her axe sent tremors up his bones.
'Compared to curses, sorcerers are rather quite unpredictable in battle..'
Letting out a smile underneath his mask, he combined his kenjutsu with taijutsu, constantly unleashing spinning kicks, that seem to totally disorient the mysterious woman and catch her off guard.
'What sort of fighting style is this?'
She frowned underneath her mask before bending unnaturally, dodging a spinning kick. She was about to let out an attack when she raised her axe and blocked an incoming slash to the neck.
Right as she stabilized herself she quickly sidestepped, dodging a kunai, raised her axe to attack, only to be blasted back by a barrage of shurikens which she wasn't able to completely escape unscathed from.
Looking towards the incised wounds on her body, she hissed in annoyance and readied herself for an attack only to sidestep once more, closely evading the Kusanagi that made a small cut on her cheek.
She growled in annoyance and rushed towards the towards Sasuke's figure who was spinning in the air.
A kunai in his hand pierced towards her, which she quickly evaded, but was stunned by a kick from Sasuke who pulled himself towards her using a thin metal wire attached to the end of his kunai.
"I've never seen such a unique fighting style before.. It's hard to believe someone like you is a simple mercenary under the Star Religious group..
So tell me, who are you, really?"
She let out a smile underneath her mask, before he hefted her axe onto her shoulder and looked towards him.
'Her strength is at best peak second grade. It seems even someone as talented as her has not yet reached full potential.."
Meanwhile, Sasuke walked towards his Kusanagi stabbed into the ground and pulled it out, holding it in reverse as he thought deeply, a bit disappointed.
His strength had increased leaps and bounds compared to the him about from three weeks ago. And while he had not yet reached first grade strength, anything or anyone below that level was not even worthy of mentioning in his eyes.
A/N: I hope you guys like the chapter. There's a saying I heard I think an hour ago that 1 powerstone a day, keeps the boredom away. So keep them coming in fellas. Let's get this book to the top of the rankings.