(POV: Mysterious Narrator)
With the arrival of reinforcements, Akuma and his friends found themselves under immense pressure. Mirla took the initiative for the initial attack, wielding her sharp blade and following the elegant flow of swordsmanship she had learned from one of the elders of the Uchiha clan. Confident, she believed she would not lose to anyone.
Without saying another word, Mirla charged at Kakashi with impressive speed, already selecting her opponent. With powerful swordsmanship, she clashed fiercely with him.
— Heh... A skilled swordsman, huh? — Kakashi teased, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. — You're more prepared than you seem.
Although he had been trained by his father since childhood, Kakashi realized he could not gain the upper hand. "She's really good," he thought as they exchanged precise blows.
The blades danced swiftly, as if together forming a concert in perfect harmony. The beauty of the battle revealed the extraordinary skills of both fighters.
As the two distanced themselves briefly, Haruto rushed toward Akuma, whose presence emanated a restless energy, as if something inside him was about to explode.
Haruto quickly formed a sequence of seals, his fingers flowing like the water of a stream. As soon as he completed the technique, he struck the ground with his hands.
— Doton: Ganchūrō no Mai! Dance of the Stone Forest! — he shouted, and pillars of stone burst from the ground, advancing toward Akuma.
Without hesitation, Akuma performed his own sequence of seals with swift, precise movements before unleashing his fiery technique.
— Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu! Phoenix Flower Jutsu! — he roared, releasing multiple fireballs into the air that danced like burning petals.
The collision of techniques echoed like thunder across the battlefield, with flames and rocks intertwining in the air, creating a chaotic scene. Meanwhile, Tenmei and Merlin stood still, staring at each other in silence. He wore an enigmatic smile, while she showed clear tension.
— It seems I'll need to be a bit crueler since I have no more chakra, — Tenmei said calmly, almost casually.
— Tch... How dare you fight without ninjutsu? Are you underestimating me? — Merlin growled, trying to hide her concern.
In an instant, Tenmei tensed his body and vanished in a blur, moving like a silent shadow. He was incredibly fast—three times faster than before.
Merlin crossed her arms instinctively, trying to defend herself. But all she could see was an indistinct figure moving with precision and grace, as if dancing around her, using the force of gravity to enhance the impact of its movements.
Her eyes narrowed as she recognized the technique. It resembled one she had read about in a book given to her by her master. The technique was called Konoha Senpū, the Leaf Whirlwind Dance, an ancient and dangerous form of taijutsu.
Then, the impact struck her with overwhelming force, throwing her backward like a kite broken by the wind. She was launched at high speed and, with no time to react, crashed heavily to the ground.
"He's too fast... A devastating ability... I can't face him head-on. If I keep this up, I'll be defeated. I need to retreat now," she thought, panting and overwhelmed by the shock.
She knew that physical combat was her greatest weakness. And now, facing the relentless Tenmei, defeat seemed inevitable.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kakashi grew increasingly surprised. He was being outmatched, though only by a slight margin.
— Tsc, how persistent... — he muttered, displeased, though his heart began to stir with excitement. "A real challenge... This time, I'll prove that I'm the best."
Kakashi quickly brought his hands together in a sequence of seals:
🐗 → 🐍 → 🐒 → 🐑.
With precision, he conjured one of the most basic ninjutsus of the Raiton style (Lightning Release).
— Raiton: Raigeki no Jutsu! (Lightning Strike Technique)
Mirla reacted instantly. With an agile leap, she somersaulted in the air, landing lightly on a nearby branch, her eyes sharp as those of a panther. However, she realized too late that it had all been a feint, a carefully planned illusion to make her lose sight of Kakashi.
Suddenly, she felt a blade approaching from behind—quick, precise, and as sharp as cutting wind. Mirla twisted her body instinctively, brandishing her own sword to block the treacherous blow.
The metallic sound of the clashing blades echoed through the forest like a harmonious symphony, and, for a brief moment, Mirla smiled. Adrenaline surged through her veins, bringing a rare sense of pleasure. She had never faced someone so skilled before.
— You're irritating, boy. — Her voice carried a hint of coldness, though slightly softer than before.
Kakashi's response was only a calm gaze, but Mirla could see an intense gleam, like a subtle flame burning deep in his eyes.
"He's enjoying this fight too."
The battle raged on fiercely, each move calculated, each attack countered. It was clear that victory was still far from being achieved. On the other side of the field, Haruto began to feel the weight of pressure accumulating on his shoulders, dangerously tilting him toward defeat.
— Tsc... Damn! This guy's insane... He really wants to kill me! — he muttered to himself, as sweat dripped down his face. The burning flames surrounding him were a constant threat, and he knew only one ninjutsu capable of countering them.
(POV: Haruto)
"I need to win... I can't let my friends down... Not now!" I forced myself to think quickly, desperately searching for a way out. "I can't be a burden..."
The fight was intense. I moved like a dance among the flames, dodging and attacking, but nothing seemed to be enough. "This guy is strong... Too strong... Damn!"
"If I use that technique... I could seriously injure myself." A shiver ran through me at the thought. "Damn... I don't want to spend weeks in the hospital... but I don't see any other way. I can't get close to Akuma."
Before I could make a decision, a calm but warning voice echoed behind me:
— Oi, oi... You're not thinking of using that, are you, Haruto? It's still too soon for you. Don't do what you can't control... the consequences could be like fallen leaves in the wind. Haha.
The relaxed voice was unmistakable: Tenmei had appeared at some point, as he always did, smiling and laid-back.
I swallowed hard.
— A-ah... I'm sorry, Tenmei... — I murmured, lowering my head, feeling a painful weight in my chest.
His playful smile seemed harmless on the surface, but it always gave me chills. If there's someone I truly fear, it's Tenmei. He trained me since I was little, and only he knows all my weaknesses and fears.
For a moment, I wondered how I could have thought of using that technique against my comrades from the same village. "I lost control..."
— Forgive me, Tenmei-san... — I said softly and formally, trying to regain my composure.
Tenmei's gaze was hard to read. Even with his relaxed demeanor, he always hid intentions behind his words. But one thing I knew for sure: he wouldn't accept empty apologies. If there's one lesson he taught me, it's that strength without control is guaranteed destruction.
(POV: Akuma's Perspective)
That guy again... I can't beat him alone. But this doesn't seem to be his real body; there's no way Merlin could have been defeated so quickly. Among us, she's the strongest in strategy and ninjutsu.
Alright, now's not the time to hesitate. We need to take the offensive.
— Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! — I exclaimed after executing the hand seals fluidly and swiftly, choosing those I found most convenient to scatter them and prevent them from working together.
The moment I finished the seals, Tenmei was already on the move. He disappeared in the blink of an eye, like a shadow vanishing! Too fast!
Luckily, I managed to simplify the seals. I am well-versed with my two fire-style ninjutsus, so I can use them with greater ease and fluidity.
I saw him leap powerfully into the air, throwing three shurikens in my direction. Damn! I won't make it in time... With no choice, I interrupted my ninjutsu and backed away, dodging quickly. But, to my surprise, the three shurikens collided midair, causing a small explosion of sparks.
A trap? Without hesitation, I used the technique I had been secretly preparing.
— Kawarimi no Jutsu! — I murmured, forming the seal skillfully and escaping at the last second.
A loud bang echoed behind me as I reappeared on the branch of a nearby tree. That was close. Cold sweat trickled down my back. This guy doesn't miss a single mistake... Every opening is exploited with surgical precision. If this keeps up, I'll have no chance of victory.
Suddenly, I sensed an attack coming from behind. With no time to think, I turned and crossed my arms to defend. It was too late to retreat. The impact was brutal.
— Take that, anōyarō! — Haruto shouted with a wild grin and enthusiasm in his voice.
With a loud crash, I was thrown backward at great speed. At some point, a shadow appeared behind me and, with a powerful kick, launched me into the air.
— It's time to end this! — Tenmei said with a goofy smile.
I was horrified. How can he use that skill at such a young age?
"Oi, oi... Aren't we just students?"
(POV: Mysterious Narrator)
With absurd speed, he appeared beneath me, grabbing me firmly. Despair took hold of me. That was the Hidden Lotus, a forbidden taijutsu, a technique that should never be known by students... How did he master it?
I closed my eyes, feeling the world spin. My body was hurled like a whirlwind, spiraling down in a hurricane toward the ground.
Boom!
The impact echoed, and my shadow clone dissipated into smoke. A deep hole formed in the ground, and a weak cough escaped from the bottom of the crater:
— Cof... Cof... Was that a bluff...? Or did you pity me...? Bastard... — I murmured weakly before losing consciousness.
— Incredible! — Haruto exclaimed, amazed by the precision of the execution. — Tenmei used my attack to simulate a forbidden technique with perfect timing!
— I'm so tired... — Haruto whispered, collapsing onto his back, exhausted. He had spent the last of his strength on the previous strike.
On the other side, as he cornered Merlin, Tenmei felt a stream of memories flowing from his clone, signaling that the mission had been successfully completed.
— It seems we need to end this here as well. I've seen enough... My initial purpose is complete, — he murmured as his fingers swiftly formed hand seals.
His eyes sharpened like blades. Tenmei advanced, launching five perfectly aligned shurikens, each moving in harmony with the others. They sliced through the air, spinning with precision.
The shurikens collided midair, forming a trajectory that encircled Merlin. Now exhausted, she found herself trapped. There was no way to escape. Frustrated, she realized she had never been humiliated like this before.
"No blind spots... I'm trapped..." — she thought, as silent tears streamed down her face. Her body was weak, accepting the inevitable fate. Her mind drifted to a distant memory, the voice of her grandfather resonating:
"I'm proud of you, Merlin."
A small smile appeared on her lips, though she remained unconvinced. Suddenly, her eyes turned red, and a magatama formed within her pupils.
— Sharingan...? At five years old?
Tenmei was stunned. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "This girl is too skilled! Who does she think she is? The god Itachi himself?" — he thought, amused, as if it triggered a distant memory.
— This is getting interesting... I thought it would all end here, but now... I want to play more! — he murmured, as a macabre smile spread across his face.
To be continued...