Since the assassination technique had failed, brute force was now the only option. He couldn't believe that a jōnin, trained in the art of killing, would lose to a kid who barely looked out of the Academy.
"Clang!" Their blades clashed, sparks flying as their faces drew close.
"Hmph! Those eyes…?" Kiribuki finally noticed the faint crimson glow of the Sharingan in Saitama's eyes.
"Thud!" Saitama's knee slammed into the man's thigh, blocking the incoming leg with his own.
"Tsss!" Lightning burst across Saitama's skin—Chidori Nagashi—coursing through him in a crackling surge as he advanced instead of retreating, pressing in with sheer momentum.
"Clang!" "Crack!" "Bang!"
Their battle intensified. Kiribuki's combat experience was formidable—each strike targeted vital or hard-to-defend spots, forcing Saitama to stay on high alert.
"Hah!" Saitama's blade shimmered with lightning as it carved a white arc through the air.
"Boom!" He followed up with a spinning kick, closing the gap. Kiribuki had no room to dodge—Saitama flared Chidori Nagashi again to disrupt the counter, forcing the man back.
"Tch!" Mizuna—Kiribuki's true name—gritted his teeth. This brat was more trouble than expected.
Saitama leapt back, frowning. He slashed his blade in front of himself, trailing arcs of lightning in the air as he gathered chakra.
"Snap!" With a sudden burst, Saitama launched forward again—faster than before—his body sheathed in a flickering electric aura, the beginnings of a chakra armor forming around him.
"Huh!" Mizuna wasn't fast enough. The blade grazed his chest, leaving a deep gash and a burst of blood.
"Dun dun dun!" Saitama pressed the attack relentlessly, giving his opponent no breathing room.
His sword danced like a web of lightning, covering every angle. Mizuna couldn't do anything but block and stumble back—he was on the defensive now.
"Tchaaa!" The sword pierced Mizuna's thigh, opening a fresh wound that bled profusely.
"Aghh!" Mizuna cried out in pain.
As Saitama ripped the blade free, lightning surged once more—Zzzzt!—causing Mizuna's face to twist in agony.
Yet even in pain, Mizuna seized a narrow opportunity. He slashed at Saitama with a sudden overhead strike aimed at his neck.
But the Sharingan had already predicted it. Saitama arched back, evading by a breath, and slid out of range.
"Damn it!" Mizuna clutched his bleeding leg, panting hard. Blood dripped freely onto the earth.
He glared at Saitama, wild-eyed. His gaze darted around, looking for a way out. Then he spotted it.
"Tch!" He half-kneeled, then stood with effort, limping toward the nearby carriage.
"Leaf shinobi, I forfeit this mission. Let me go, yeah? No need to push this." He forced a grin, trying to sound casual—but the strain in his voice gave him away.
"Is that what you think? There's only one way out of this now… and that's death."
Saitama didn't hesitate—he charged again.
"You forced me!" Mizuna snarled, pulling several explosive tags from his pouch. He attached them to a handful of kunai and hurled them at Saitama.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Saitama dodged swiftly, weaving through the blasts. But then he saw Mizuna's next move—not fleeing, but sprinting toward the carriage.
A figure cowered inside.
It was Baji-hu, the house steward, trembling as he clung to the front corner of the cart.
"Don't come any closer or I'll kill him!" Mizuna roared, grabbing the man and holding a kunai to his throat.
Saitama stopped, watching silently.
"Heh heh…" Mizuna smirked. "See? I walk away, and he lives. Your call."
The kunai pressed into Baji-hu's neck, drawing a thin line of blood. The steward whimpered, frozen with fear.
"Uhhh…!" He was so terrified he couldn't even speak.
Saitama's voice was cold. "Oh? You want to negotiate now? Let's hear it."
Mizuna sneered, mistaking the calm for hesitation.
But as he raised the kunai to finish off the hostage—
"Zzt!"
A flicker of blue light—Saitama's figure vanished.
In the next instant, a blade slid between Mizuna's kunai and Baji-hu's neck. The impact sent Mizuna flying.
"Ding!"
"Gahhh!" Mizuna spat blood as Saitama's kick slammed into his ribs. He hit the ground, gasping.
Saitama rushed forward, shoving Baji-hu aside as he prepared the finishing strike.
"Heh… if I'm going out… then I'm taking you with me!" Mizuna's face twisted with madness. He tore open his flak vest, revealing his chest wrapped with explosive tags.
"Crap—he's rigged himself—!"
"Zzzzzt!" Chakra surged as Mizuna activated the tags with a direct pulse.
"With this many tags, even I won't survive a frontal blast!" Saitama turned to flee—
But Mizuna lunged, locking his arms around him.
"You're not escaping!" he snarled, holding tight even as Saitama's blade stabbed through his side.
"Let go!"
"Boom!"
The explosion swallowed them both.
When the smoke cleared, a massive crater remained—blackened earth, shreds of clothing, and debris scattered across the field.
Saitama's sword lay stabbed into the ground nearby, humming with leftover lightning.
"Saitama…?" Baji-hu stood several meters away, shaking. The blast had knocked him down but not harmed him—he had been shielded by the initial scuffle.
Silence reigned over the scorched battlefield.
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