Ch 128:Cold-blooded Iwa ninja

The Chunin in front of him had already given up resisting.

Uchiha Tatsumi appeared before him in a flash. The cold gleam of a kunai flickered as it slashed toward the enemy's neck—only for a sudden surge of chakra to erupt from a distance.

Without warning, an explosion engulfed Uchiha Tatsumi. A scream echoed as his body was seemingly torn apart.

As the smoke slowly cleared, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy stepped forward expressionlessly.

His spiky yellow hair stood on end, and his face carried a hint of gloom. However, Uchiha Tatsumi, who should have been killed, had evaded the Explosion Release at the last moment using the Body Replacement Technique.

Standing a short distance away, Tatsumi shook his head and smirked at the boy in front of him. "You're really insidious—using your own teammate to draw my attention and then ambushing me at the crucial moment."

The boy's expression darkened. "You're not bad either. You sensed me long ago but pretended not to know, luring me in instead."

"Tsk, tsk… Who knew you wouldn't care about your teammate's life at all? Killing your own comrade without even blinking—are all Iwa ninjas as cold-blooded as you?" Tatsumi mocked.

"Little brat, what do you know? As a ninja, I was prepared to die long ago! Killing you is just avenging him!"

"That makes sense," Tatsumi mused. "But maybe you should explain that to your teammate yourself."

The boy—Kari—crossed his arms and smirked. "Have we met before, Konoha ninja? Otherwise, why would only three of you attack my team?"

"Is there even a need to ask? Killing you is to avenge my comrade," Tatsumi scoffed.

Kari chuckled and shot a glance at his companions, who were locked in battle. "What a bunch of trash… struggling against just three brats."

Heat began radiating from Kari's arms. Tatsumi narrowed his eyes. Explosion Release.

"I hope you can entertain me a little, brat."

With that, Kari slammed his fist into the ground. The earth cracked apart, and a massive fissure surged toward Tatsumi.

Tatsumi flickered away just in time, but Kari closed the distance in an instant. His left fist, wrapped in high-temperature gas with a faint red glow, shot toward him like a thunderous hammer.

Tatsumi raised a kunai in defense, but the moment the two made contact—crack!—the kunai shattered instantly.

An explosion followed, sending Tatsumi flying like a broken kite.

That kind of power… It's at least as strong as a C-rank ninjutsu, and it's instantaneous.

While still in mid-air, Tatsumi caught sight of Kari raising his arms. Two kunai shot forward like cannonballs.

Without hesitation, Tatsumi countered with his own kunai, launching them at high velocity. The two sets of weapons collided in mid-air with an explosive crack.

It was the first time Tatsumi had seen someone use kunai with such sheer force.

His own strength-based throwing techniques relied on precise chakra control—but Kari's came from his Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai.

Undeterred, Kari pressed forward.

Tatsumi activated his Sharingan and released a genjutsu. Kari's advancing body froze in place.

Taking advantage of the opening, Tatsumi flung a shuriken forward—"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

The single shuriken split into countless copies, raining down toward Kari.

But Kari shook off the genjutsu just in time. Seeing the barrage of shuriken already upon him, he didn't panic. He simply swung his fist forward.

Boom!

An explosion erupted, nullifying the incoming shuriken.

Tatsumi took the opportunity to create distance.

Kari's Explosion Release is too tricky. Tatsumi's taijutsu was decent, but his body was still just that of an ordinary person—one solid hit, and he was dead.

He wasn't like the Raikage, whose monstrous physique allowed him to shrug off attacks. Meanwhile, Kari's Explosion Release was instantaneous, requiring no hand seals.

Close combat was too risky. He needed to keep his distance and fight from range.

Making up his mind, Tatsumi quickly formed hand seals.

"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"

The ground beneath Kari's feet softened and shifted, causing him to sink slightly.

However, the power of this jutsu depended on chakra control. Tatsumi had halted the chakra flow the moment the swamp formed, knowing his Earth Release was weaker than his other elements.

Kari freed himself almost instantly. He looked at the technique with a sneer.

Iwa ninjas were well-versed in Earth Release, and he was no exception. This level of jutsu was something a mere Chunin could perform—it was nothing but a waste of chakra.

Tatsumi, undeterred by the failure, immediately weaved more hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Kari frowned. First a weak Earth Release, and now a Fire Release? In this rain-heavy environment?

This brat must be up to something.

Out of caution, Kari chose not to intercept it with his fist. Instead, he slammed his right hand into the ground.

"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"

A high-temperature fireball shot toward him.

But just before impact, something changed—

The fireball, originally only a few meters wide, swelled dramatically as it neared the earth wall!

What had been a C-rank ninjutsu instantly surged to B-rank power!

Kari's eyes widened in shock. How is this possible?!

Before he could react, the Swamp of the Underworld—still lingering near his feet—ignited.

A deafening explosion followed. Flames erupted from the swamp like detonating explosive tags, engulfing Kari in an inferno.

Tatsumi smirked.

Never underestimate artificial swamps.

The Swamp of the Underworld wasn't just a battlefield hazard—it was a swamp in the truest sense. And swamps had one very basic trait—methane gas.

What happens when fire meets methane? Boom.

This was more than just ninjutsu—it was science.

A Fire Release enhanced by methane turned into an explosive chemical reaction.

That's why learning math, physics, and chemistry is important. It makes ninjutsu even deadlier.

Now Mom doesn't have to worry about my studies anymore, Tatsumi chuckled to himself.

He stepped forward cautiously. As the smoke finally cleared, Kari lay in a massive crater.

His clothes were nearly torn to shreds, his entire body bloodied and motionless.

Dead… or barely clinging to life.

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