A Difficult Road Home 5

The storm had grown fiercer. Thunder rumbled across the battlefield, but it was nothing compared to the roar of flames and the clash of steel.

Tetsuma exhaled sharply, his battered body screaming from the injuries, but his mind remained razor-sharp. Across from him, Ebizo was still standing, his cloak torn, blood staining his armor.

The Suna Anbu commander formed a quick set of seals.

"Fire Release: Grand Incineration Wave!"

A sea of flames erupted from Ebizo's mouth, swallowing the battlefield in a raging inferno.

Tetsuma's eyes narrowed.

"Earth Release: Stone Fortress!"

He slammed his hands onto the ground, and instantly, massive slabs of earth erupted in front of him, forming a thick defensive wall.

The moment the flames collided, the air turned scorching, steam and smoke bursting into the sky.

The earth wall held for a moment—then cracked, beginning to melt from the sheer heat.

Tetsuma didn't wait.

He shot backward, weaving more seals.

"Earth Release: Quaking Landslide!"

The battlefield rumbled violently.

Underneath Ebizo's feet, the ground split apart as an avalanche of stone and mud surged forward, aiming to crush him under its weight.

Ebizo reacted instantly.

He flipped midair, his hands flashing through more seals.

"Fire Release: Hellstorm Barrage!"

Massive fireballs rained from above, colliding with the rolling landslide. The impact sent molten rock and burning debris scattering in every direction.

Tetsuma flickered forward, moving through the smoke like a phantom. His Chidori-infused Kusanagi slashed toward Ebizo's throat.

But Ebizo was ready.

His hand snapped out, catching the flat of Tetsuma's blade between his fingers. The heat of his fire chakra surged through his grip—and Kusanagi's metal began to glow red-hot.

Tetsuma's eyes widened.

Shit!

Before he could retreat, Ebizo counterattacked.

His elbow struck Tetsuma's ribs with bone-shattering force, sending him skidding backward.

But Tetsuma didn't lose his grip.

Instead—he used the momentum.

"Earth Release: Seismic Strangle!"

The moment he touched the ground, massive stone hands burst upward, latching onto Ebizo's legs.

For the first time—Ebizo hesitated.

Tetsuma took advantage.

"Chidori: Piercing Fang!"

Lightning howled in his palm as he lunged.

A single thrust—aimed straight for Ebizo's heart.

But the Suna commander—even trapped—was not so easily taken down.

Ebizo smirked.

"Fire Release: Exploding Clone."

Tetsuma's eyes widened—too late.

The Ebizo in front of him detonated.

A massive fire explosion engulfed the battlefield, sending shockwaves through the storm.

Tetsuma was blasted backward, rolling across the mud and stone. His cloak was burned, his mask cracked, but he forced himself up, panting.

A shadow flickered behind him.

Shit—he's already repositioned.

A blade coated in fire came slashing toward his back.

At the last second—Tetsuma dropped into the earth.

"Earth Release: Subterranean Voyage!"

He sank beneath the ground just as Ebizo's blade carved through where he'd been standing.

Ebizo narrowed his eyes.

A heartbeat of silence.

Then—the ground beneath him erupted.

Tetsuma shot out from the earth, Chidori in one hand, Kusanagi in the other.

Their eyes locked.

The final clash was coming.