chapter 24:Fury in the Storm

The sound of rain hitting the mud barely managed to mask the stench of blood and death that permeated the air.

Bruhil remained motionless for a moment, his silhouette barely visible through the mist and the flashes of jutsus. But inside him, a dark fire burned with fury. His fingers clenched tightly, his knuckles tense, his only hand ready to snatch the lives of those who had turned this field into a graveyard.

"I don't care how many of you there are," he murmured, his voice a blade of ice cutting through the dense air. "All of you... are going to die."

The burly ninja didn't wait any longer. His chakra manifested in a crushing wave of pressure as his leg propelled his body forward with terrifying speed. His fist, as large as a rock, aimed at Bruhil's face with a force capable of shattering bones.

But Bruhil was no longer there.

Like an elusive shadow, he slipped between the blows with inhuman precision, tilting his body at impossible angles to avoid each impact. His Sharingan glowed like burning embers, analyzing every movement, every breath, every muscle contraction of his enemy.

"Is that all you've got?" His tone was mocking, but his eyes reflected an abyss of contained fury.

The burly ninja roared and charged with a downward strike, trying to crush him into the ground. Bruhil spun on his axis in a nimble motion, sliding his body beneath the attack and letting the rain disperse the air pressure generated by the impact.

"Now!" shouted the scarred ninja, and immediately the other attackers reacted.

"Water Style: Sensakana Shokuryō!"

A thousand water fish emerged from nowhere, slicing through the air like liquid blades, their speed so fierce they cut through the raindrops in their path.

Bruhil had no time to react before a second technique surrounded him.

"Water Style: Suigitai!"

The water around him rose in a wild vortex, trapping him in a liquid prison that restricted his movements. The faces of his enemies twisted in satisfaction.

"You can't dodge this," murmured the ninja who had killed Dina and Mina, his expression impassive as he weaved another hand seal. "I'll crush you right here."

"Water Style: Baku Suishōha!"

A colossal wave rose on the horizon, devouring the land as it rushed toward Bruhil with the fury of a tsunami. The dark, dense, swirling water reflected the flashes of lightning illuminating the storm.

For a moment, silence reigned.

Then, fire roared.

"Fire Style: Gōka Mekkyaku!"

From his mouth, Bruhil exhaled a torrent of flames so intense that the water around him evaporated in an explosion of scorching steam. The enormous wall of fire advanced like a unleashed hell, engulfing the wave in a dance of pure destruction.

The clash of elements was deafening. The resulting explosion sent the enemy ninjas flying like ragdolls, their bodies hitting the ground violently.

The burly ninja barely had time to react before a chakra-wrapped fist struck his face with the force of a meteor. His jaw cracked with a terrifying crunch, his skull resonating like a hollow drum as his body was sent flying.

He crashed into the ground, and the earth trembled with the impact.

Bruhil gave no one a break. He slid toward the girl with a fleeting movement, his eyes shining with absolute coldness.

She tried to react, but she saw him too late.

"Wind Style: Shinkūhasu!"

Bruhil inhaled deeply and, with a brutal exhale, shot compressed air bullets. The wind projectiles traveled at such a ruthless speed that they pierced the air with a sharp screech.

The girl barely managed to raise her hands in a desperate defense before the impact hit her.

The first projectile pierced her side, tearing through flesh and bone in a burst of blood.

The second hit her thigh, causing her leg to bend at a grotesque angle before the force of the impact sent her crashing into a tree.

The crack of her back breaking against the trunk echoed through the storm.

She fell to the ground, her mouth open in a silent scream. Blood gushed from her abdomen in a scarlet fountain, soaking the mud around her.

The other two ninjas looked at the scene with terror in their eyes.

Bruhil turned to them, his silhouette framed by the dying flames of his previous jutsu.

"There's no mercy for you."

His words were a verdict.

The scarred ninja swallowed hard, his legs trembling.

"You've got to be kidding...!"

He tried to move, but Bruhil was already in front of him.

A kick hit him in the chest, shattering his ribs like dry branches. His body bent in pain, but he had no time to react before Bruhil grabbed his face and slammed him into the ground with monstrous force.

The earth cracked under the impact.

The last remaining ninja trembled, his face pale.

"P-please..."

Bruhil just looked at him.

There was no anger in his eyes. Only a cold sentence.

He moved with the speed of a whirlwind.

Before the ninja could react, his head was separated from his body in a clean cut.

Bruhil looked at the last ninja still standing. A proud smile crossed his face as he slightly tilted his head.

"I think you should know me by now," he said, with that arrogance that characterized him.

The ninja from Kirigakure looked at him with rage.

"You're that kid... the one who looked at me with hate when I was—"

He couldn't finish the sentence. Bruhil delivered a brutal kick to his face that sent him reeling several meters. The ninja spat blood and looked up with fury, but what he found in Bruhil's eyes was not uncontrolled rage. No. It was something colder, more calculated.

"Oh, I see you have the guts to talk about that," said Bruhil, his voice sharp as a blade. "Tell me... if your mother or someone important to you had been in Nasli's place, when you raped her and broke her spine... what would you have done?"

The ninja wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand and let out a harsh, cruel laugh.

"Honestly," he replied mockingly, "I don't give a damn. That situation doesn't exist. But the screams of pain from that girl... those were truly satisfying."

Bruhil looked at him in silence. His expression grew even darker. Then, without warning, he struck him with all his might in the groin. A dry sound, like something breaking, filled the air. The ninja let out a piercing scream.

"What's wrong?" Bruhil smiled coldly. "Don't you like it when the pain is real?"

The ninja fell to his knees, trembling. But Bruhil wasn't done. He kicked him again, and again, until he felt everything inside him shatter. The ninja screamed until his voice gave out.

Bruhil lifted him as if he weighed nothing and hoisted him onto his back.

"I think I need a little stretch," he commented with feigned nonchalance. "Don't you think?"

The ninja tried to speak, but he could only stammer between sobs.

"Please... no more..."

Bruhil ignored his plea. He stretched with force, bending the ninja's body over his back, increasing the pressure little by little.

"Come on, come on. You always do these stretches, right? How about we try it with more intensity?"

The ninja screamed in desperation, his voice torn by pain.

"Please! I'm sorry!"

But Bruhil only stretched further. A horrible crunch echoed in the air. The ninja's spine snapped in two... but without touching the spinal cord. His body hung uselessly as the ninja hyperventilated between moans of agony.

Bruhil dropped him to the ground carelessly and looked at him indifferently. Then, with a casual movement, he jumped on his back. Once, twice, three times.

The ninja no longer screamed. He could barely breathe. His body convulsed in involuntary spasms.

Bruhil watched him for a moment. Then he smiled with satisfaction.

"Don't worry... we're almost done."

Bruhil yanked the ninja's head without warning, his fingers sinking into the flesh like claws. He smiled with a mix of amusement and cruelty.

"You know... I've never tested my strength by ripping off a head. How about we try it with you, you son of a bitch?"

The ninja struggled, his breathing ragged with terror.

"No, no, no... Please!" he whimpered, his voice trembling. "Girl, tell your partner to be merciful! Just kill me and be done with it!"

Sayuri, who had remained hidden until then, stepped forward. Her expression was cold, impassive.

"Bruhil, do it with all your strength."

The ninja looked at her in disbelief.

"N-no..."

Bruhil let out a laugh.

"Ha, brat, don't give me orders. I'll do it anyway."

And with a grunt, he pulled harder. The ninja screamed as the muscles in his neck began to tear.

"Please!" he sobbed, writhing. "It hurts! Just kill me!"

But Bruhil didn't stop.

"Oh, what a strong neck you have," he mocked, laughing as he pulled with more violence.

The tendons cracked. The ninja kicked, desperate, as his skin gave way little by little.

"Enough! Don't do it!"

The screams turned into piercing wails as the flesh tore. Then, silence.

Bruhil lifted the severed head and contemplated it with satisfaction. Blood dripped between his fingers, warm and thick.

"Wow, what a show."

Sayuri didn't look away.

"Whatever you say, brat..." Bruhil smiled with that carefree air that always characterized him, but something in his gaze seemed different.

Sayuri frowned. She knew him well enough to notice that something was wrong.

"Hey... I know you're sad about everything that happened," she said cautiously.

Suddenly, Bruhil became serious. His expression hardened, and Sayuri felt a chill run down her spine.

"Bruhil... we need to leave," she said, uneasy.

But he just looked at her and gave a slight smile.

"Don't underestimate me, brat. You'd better go."

Sayuri opened her mouth to retort, but stopped when he continued:

"Apparently, there are a hundred and fifty ninjas. I'll hold them off. You get out of here, but take a different route... Don't lead them to the base."

Sayuri felt a lump in her throat. She knew Bruhil was strong, but facing so many enemies alone...

"Don't be stubborn, we can—"

"Go!" he cut her off firmly.

She hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and ran off.

Bruhil watched her disappear into the distance before turning around and charging toward the red zone. His carefree smile faded. No matter how many there were, he would stop them.