A Dufficult Road Home 3

The moment Ebizo's hands moved, Tetsuma knew an attack was coming.

"Scatter!" he barked, but the warning came a second too late.

With a single hand sign, Ebizo unleashed a massive B-rank Wind Release jutsu.

"Wind Release: Great Sickle Gale!"

A howling vortex of cutting wind erupted from Ebizo's position, tearing through the rain-soaked battlefield. Trees cracked and splintered, their bark stripped away as razor-sharp currents of air rushed toward Tetsuma's squadmates.

Damn! He's fast!

Tetsuma's instincts screamed at him to move. He flickered out of existence just as the deadly gusts slashed through where he had been standing a heartbeat ago.

Reappearing several meters away, he skidded to a halt on a rocky outcrop, surveying the battlefield.

His teammates hadn't been as lucky.

Two of them had been flung back by the force of the jutsu, crashing through the undergrowth. Their armor had taken the brunt of the attack, but deep cuts still marred their arms and legs. The third had managed to deflect part of the wind blast with a defensive jutsu, but even he looked shaken.

Tetsuma clenched his fists.

Ebizo was no joke.

The Suna Anbu commander wasn't just testing him anymore—he was going for the kill.

Fine. If that's how it's going to be…

Tetsuma slammed his hands into the muddy ground.

"Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears!"

The ground beneath Ebizo exploded upward, jagged stone spikes shooting toward the enemy commander with brutal force. The attack was meant to impale or, at the very least, break Ebizo's momentum.

Ebizo barely had time to react. His eyes widened beneath his mask, and he leaped back, twisting his body midair. But the tips of the stone spikes grazed his cloak, cutting into the fabric.

Tetsuma didn't stop there.

As soon as he saw Ebizo evade, he formed another set of seals, slamming his palm down again.

"Earth Release: Mud Flow Wave!"

A wave of thick, heavy mud erupted from the earth, crashing toward Ebizo like a flood. If it caught him, it would trap his movements—and Tetsuma wouldn't waste the chance to strike.

Ebizo's sharp gaze flickered toward the incoming wave.

Tetsuma's eyes narrowed. Let's see you escape this.

Chapter 7: The Clash of Blades and Fists

Ebizo moved like a shadow.

Instead of retreating, the Suna Anbu commander dashed forward, straight through the wave of mud. At the last second, he twisted his body, kicking off the rising stone spikes to launch himself toward Tetsuma.

Fast.

Tetsuma had barely drawn his Chidori-infused Kusanagi before Ebizo was on him.

A blur of motion—Ebizo's fist rocketed toward his ribs.

Tetsuma barely managed to parry with his sword, redirecting the strike, but the sheer force sent vibrations up his arm.

He's strong.

Before Tetsuma could counter, Ebizo spun, his knee smashing toward his gut.

Tetsuma sidestepped, letting the attack graze past him, and retaliated. His Chidori-enhanced blade crackled with lightning as he slashed downward.

Sparks exploded as Ebizo twisted, raising his forearm to block with reinforced bandages.

Tetsuma's blade cut through the cloth, drawing blood, but Ebizo didn't flinch. Instead, he retaliated instantly, his palm striking toward Tetsuma's chest.

Tetsuma barely managed to tilt his body, but the air pressure alone from Ebizo's strike sent him skidding backward.

The two combatants locked eyes, breathing heavily.

Tetsuma grinned.

"You Suna types always fight like this?" he asked, twirling his sword.

Ebizo flexed his bleeding arm, smirking beneath his mask. "We don't rely on tricks. Just pure skill."

Tetsuma lunged.

His Chidori Kusanagi flashed like lightning, aiming for Ebizo's torso. The Suna commander weaved between the slashes, his movements as fluid as water yet as precise as a blade.

Tetsuma pressed harder, his sword moving so fast it blurred. Each strike was lethal, each movement meant to slice tendons, arteries—anything that would end the fight quickly.

Ebizo countered with brutal efficiency.

A sidestep. A quick elbow strike to Tetsuma's wrist. A sudden palm thrust aimed at Tetsuma's throat—all dodged by a hair's breadth.

Then—Ebizo feinted left.

Tetsuma swung right—only to realize his mistake.

A trap.

Ebizo ducked low and drove his fist into Tetsuma's ribs.

A loud crack echoed through the rain.

Tetsuma coughed, pain exploding in his chest. He felt at least one rib fracture under the sheer force.

But he didn't stagger.

Instead—he smirked.

Lightning surged through his blade, amplifying its speed.

"Got you."

He swung at point-blank range—this time, faster than Ebizo could react.

A flash of silver and blue.

A thin red line appeared across Ebizo's chest armor.

Ebizo jumped back, his hand flying to his chest. Blood seeped through his fingers.

The two warriors stared at each other, both bleeding, both battered—but neither backing down.

The storm raged around them.

But in this moment—only the fight mattered.