The battlefield lay in tatters, a scar carved deep into the land by chakra and steel.
In the heart of the devastation, a towering barrier shimmered like a silver-blue dome, splitting the place clean in two. Its surface pulsed faintly, extending straight into the sky as if it had been etched by the hand of a god.
Inside that shimmering seal stood Uchiha Hero, his lone silhouette dwarfed by the scale of the jutsu trapping him.
"Tch. One got away," Moroi muttered, his eyes narrowing to icy slits as they locked onto Hero.
A cruel smirk curled across his bearded face. "But that's fine. You won't live long enough to care."
Hero's gaze sharpened.
He knew this man.
Even in his original world, in the anime, Moroi had left a mark. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, he'd stood as a wall on Ryu Island, conjuring thirty-six regenerative barriers to stall both Naruto and Killer Bee. It had taken both jinchuriki at full power to break through.
Back then, Moroi had been the barrier corps captain of Kumogakure, an elite specialist in sealing techniques.
But that was then.
Here and now, he was only a special jonin.
Still... Hero's heartbeat quickened. Sealing specialists weren't known for brute force, but even so, this one stood with the calm, measured confidence of someone who'd won before the first strike.
Could he really fight a man like this?
Could he survive?
"What's with that look, brat?" Moroi sneered, drawing a long blade from behind his back with a faint shiiing. The steel glinted under the bleak sky as he pointed its tip directly at Hero's chest.
"An Uchiha genin without even a Sharingan, how pathetic. You're unlucky enough to have run into someone like me so early in your miserable little ninja career."
His tone was cold, measured, unshakably assured.
"I'll only need one strike. That'll be the end of you."
[Your enemy Moroi has activated a Taunt effect.]
Hero ignored the glowing text that flickered at the edge of his vision. Instead, a wry grin crept across his face. He nodded, even sounding genuinely impressed.
"Not bad, big guy from the Cloud. I like your confidence."
"But do me a favor, don't hold back. Remember, even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit."
"Whatever techniques you've got, throw them all at once. Don't give me a chance to breathe, let alone counterattack."
Then his voice lowered, the humor vanishing like mist in the sun.
"Mark my words, do not let this turn into a drawn-out battle."
Moroi's eyes twitched. "You little shit…"
The Genin's calmness, his audacity, it grated against something primal in Moroi's gut.
Was the kid mocking him?
Was he calling him weak? Saying he couldn't last in a fight?
But Moroi didn't dwell on the words too long. With his innate sensory abilities, he could tell—this brat was no more than a standard Genin. His chakra output was laughable.
This was a bluff. A weak attempt to buy time for his fleeing comrade.
How Pathetic.
He sneered, adjusted his grip on the blade, and twisted into motion.
With a flash of seals and a blur of movement, his body vanished in a pulse of speed—
Only to reappear directly above Hero's head, blade raised high in a killing arc.
With both arms driving the swing, Moroi brought the sword crashing down in a clean, decapitating slash.
Fast. Brutal. Absolute.
This was how a special jonin ended a genin.
But as the wind howled down, Hero's instincts surged.
His skin prickled with electric tension—a warning that death was coming.
And then—
A surge of chakra, like a current coursing through his bones, jolted him awake.
He ducked low, tilting his head to the side, and the blade sang past his face, close enough to whisper against his cheek.
In that same fluid motion, his hand found his pouch.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Three kunai shot upward like vipers, forcing Moroi to twist midair and block.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ringing steel echoed as Hero backstepped, creating space.
But the distance wasn't much. Hero's gut clenched.
Too close!
He scowled at Moroi, frustration boiling up.
"I told you, if you've got a technique, use it all at once!"
"You're a damn barrier ninja! Why the hell are you using taijutsu?!"
"Why won't you listen to good advice?!"
Moroi's eyes flared with fury. He charged, blade thrust forward like a spear, aiming straight for Hero's chest.
"You think this is a joke?! Just die!"
But Hero was already moving, eyes sharp.
He flung eight shuriken from every angle, a sweeping arc of steel that cut through the air with lethal grace.
Moroi skidded to a halt, eyes wide, as the spinning weapons sliced past him with inches to spare.
Before he could react, Hero unfurled a scroll in midair, casting it forward with a flourish.
A hailstorm of kunai erupted.
Hundreds of them.
They screamed through the air, a swarm of steel that turned the battlefield into a death zone.
Moroi cursed under his breath.
Where the hell was this Genin getting all these weapons?!
Was he made of ryo?
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Steel clashed against steel as Moroi deflected kunai after kunai, his blade moving in a blur.
When the storm finally ended, the earth around him looked like a pincushion, kunai embedded in walls, stone, tree stumps, and even his own sleeve.
He was panting now, chest heaving.
This Genin was no pushover. His tool control, his throwing precision, this was someone trained to kill.
But Moroi wasn't done.
He lunged forward.
And Hero smirked.
He hooked a finger—
And pulled.
All around the clearing, the kunai shimmered.
Then the wires appeared.
Fine, nearly invisible threads, strung between each embedded blade, now caught the light.
A web of chakra thread crisscrossed the battlefield—interwoven with the debris, the walls, the earth, even the air.
Moroi blinked.
Pain prickled on his cheek. He reached up—blood.
What the hell...?
Each thread gleamed red. Tension rose in the air, sharp as a knife edge.
He turned slowly—only now seeing the truth.
He was trapped.
A net of death surrounded him, woven in silence, executed with surgical precision.
He raised his blade and slashed.
The thread recoiled, flexed, but didn't snap.
"What the… what the hell is this?!"
He turned, wild-eyed. "This many threads, woven into a structure, this fast?!"
"How the hell did he do it?!"
Hero's eyes were calm now. Cold.
All the excitement was gone.
"Pay the price for your arrogance."
His hands moved.
Snake – Dragon – Rabbit – Tiger!
A familiar heat swelled in his chest.
Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!
He inhaled deeply, chakra condensing behind his tongue.
Then—he exhaled.
Fwooooosh!
Flames raced down the threads like oil on canvas. The entire net burst into a raging inferno.
Moroi's scream never reached Hero's ears.
But Hero wasn't done.
With clinical focus, he formed another series of seals.
Rat – Tiger – Dog – Ox – Rabbit – Tiger!
Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
He drew eight shuriken and cast them into the air, each catching the blaze as it erupted.
They merged with the fireballs, spinning through the air like burning comets.
Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!
The flames howled.
The wires twanged.
Hero gave one final pull.
The burning web contracted.
And at the center, Moroi burned.
Dragon fire surged like a beast unchained.
Phoenix cries echoed as steel met flame.
Hero stood still, his expression unreadable.
His voice was cold, soft, final.
"Ja na, you bastard."
(A/N: Goodbye in Japanese.)