Haruto Saito crouched on a tree, staring intently at the battlefield. Seeing Saji spit blood and collapse to the ground, Haruto's heart sank. If Saji was dead, yet Kyōgoku Hinata remained unscathed, then how was this BOSS supposed to be killed?
What Haruto hadn't expected was that Saji had prepared a final move.
The fireball explosion erupted suddenly, catching even Haruto off guard. As for Kyōgoku Hinata, who bore the brunt of the attack, he had no time to mount an effective defense or dodge.
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Heavenly Rotation!"
Kyōgoku Hinata had just begun to spin, but he hadn't even completed his first full rotation. This meant the hemispherical Gentle Fist chakra shield hadn't fully formed yet. The roaring flames, carrying a terrifying shockwave, blasted him away before he could finish his defense.
Opportunity!
Haruto didn't have time to think—he sprang into action!
He had only one concern: Had Kyōgoku Hinata been directly killed by the explosion? If he had, then the whole plan was ruined!
If Kyōgoku Hinata wasn't instantly killed but was mortally wounded, he might only have a few seconds left before he succumbed to his injuries.
This was Haruto's biggest worry. He had to prevent that outcome.
Flames roared, swelling and spreading, while the shockwave swept across the battlefield. Fragments of stone, dirt, shattered wood, dead leaves, and dust were thrown into the air, making the entire space chaotic and blurry.
But none of this reached Haruto.
He was over a hundred meters away from the explosion site, and the shockwave only affected about forty or fifty meters. Beyond that, the dense forest provided natural barriers, with towering trees absorbing much of the impact.
Haruto's eyes locked onto Kyōgoku Hinata.
The man had been blasted away, his entire body ablaze.
Kyōgoku Hinata was sent flying through the air, his trajectory forming a diagonal arc before he crashed down.
Boom—
He smashed through a massive tree over forty meters from the explosion site. His body bounced off the impact, then tumbled several meters across the ground. Haruto rushed forward. Though moving quickly in a forest was difficult, he covered the distance in seconds.
Kyōgoku Hinata was already a man of fire!
"Aaaah!!" The burning man suddenly struggled to his feet, unleashing a shrill, agonized scream. His entire aura flared, and his body spun violently on the spot!
One breath later, he stopped. His body wavered as if about to collapse, but the flames covering him had been extinguished.
"He's still this strong?!" Haruto was shaken, astonished by the sheer resilience of his opponent. He slowed his steps and raised his heavy blade defensively, watching Kyōgoku Hinata with high alert.
Kyōgoku Hinata looked utterly devastated.
The fire had consumed half of his face, leaving it unrecognizable. One of his eyes was blind, and most of his hair had burned away. As for his clothes… there was nothing left to call clothing. His body was charred black in large patches, with thin streaks of crimson—his exposed blood.
And yet, even in such a state, Kyōgoku Hinata still stood. He had even managed to put out the flames consuming him so quickly.
His endurance was terrifying!
Haruto stopped in his tracks, maintaining a cautious distance. He needed to gauge Kyōgoku Hinata's condition. From what he could tell, at least 80% of his opponent's skin was carbonized. But what about his internal injuries?
In reality, as the explosion hit, Kyōgoku Hinata had already begun activating Heavenly Rotation. His chakra had started flowing outward from all his tenketsu points, pushing away some of the fire. While his outer body had suffered severe burns, his internal organs had been somewhat shielded.
However, even with this, his injuries were still critical—he was at death's door!
The real danger from the explosion hadn't just been the fire but the impact force! Kyōgoku Hinata had been blasted away as if struck by a rampaging tailed beast. His internal injuries were catastrophic—some organs ruptured, others displaced.
Such wounds were beyond saving unless he received immediate treatment from a forbidden medical jutsu capable of restoring everything.
But there was no medical ninja on the scene.
Only someone who wanted to kill him.
Kyōgoku Hinata's body trembled as he staggered forward a step. He looked like he could collapse at any moment, his nerves overwhelmed by unimaginable pain. Haruto watched him warily. Kyōgoku Hinata's remaining eye burned with rage as he locked onto Haruto.
He had known from the start that he would face off against Suna shinobi. He had been set up—by Haruto Saito.
So now, seeing Haruto standing before him again, his mind was filled with fury. But his body… was already broken.
"Hey! Don't look at me like that, you're scaring me!" Haruto said. He was genuinely asking, but to Kyōgoku Hinata, it sounded like pure mockery.
"Aaaah!!!" Kyōgoku Hinata screamed again. His charred skin cracked apart, blood oozing from the gaps. He lunged forward two steps, but his body wobbled dangerously.
"If you're done, just say so! You're freaking me out!" Haruto's words fell as he sprang forward. His blade flashed like lightning!
Slash!
Blood sprayed. Kyōgoku Hinata's head separated from his body, rolling across the ground. As he died, streaks of faint purple-golden light burst from his corpse, and over twenty cards scattered into the air.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, on achieving your first BOSS kill. Reward: 10,000 reputation points and one Treasure Card."
"Ding! Host has completed an enemy kill beyond your rank. Reward: One random B-rank ninjutsu card."
The system's notification made Haruto's eyes light up. A Treasure Card? That definitely sounded valuable!
Elsewhere, two Suna Jonin—Agakura and another—were locked in a brutal battle against two Hyūga Jonin. The fight had long reached its climax. Initially, there had been an additional elite Hyūga Chunin on the battlefield, but he had already been killed!
While Hyūga shinobi were skilled in defense, a Chunin joining a Jonin-level battle was inherently dangerous. The power gap was massive, which was why the "Special Jonin" rank even existed.
At this moment, the two remaining Hyūga shinobi still had the upper hand. Though they had failed to protect their weaker comrade, they themselves remained unharmed.
Boom—
A thunderous explosion echoed in the distance. Despite the battlefield chaos, the four combatants heard it clearly. Then, a miserable, agonized scream followed.
"Kyōgoku-sama!"
Both Hyūga Jonin's expressions changed instantly. They recognized the voice—it was Kyōgoku Hinata.
Impossible! Who could have made Kyōgoku-sama scream like that? What had happened over there?
"We need to go! Now!"
"Move!"
The two Hyūga Jonin immediately disengaged, retreating from their opponents and vanishing into the trees, rushing toward the explosion site.
The two Suna Jonin, who had been on the defensive, were stunned. They exchanged glances before exhaling in relief.
"Their captain might be dead or severely injured. If that's the case, our captain won!" Agakura speculated, tilting his head. "Come on, let's go check it out!"
They assumed Saji had won, so there was no reason to flee. Instead, they would regroup and eliminate the remaining Hyūga shinobi—perhaps even take their Byakugan as trophies.
...
Amidst the burning forest, Haruto pulled out the Treasure Card from his inventory.
"Treasure Card? Is it like a treasure map? Do I use it to find hidden rewards?"
"Ding! Incorrect."
"Then what—"
Before Haruto could finish, his heightened senses alerted him.
Four figures were rapidly approaching from the southwest.
"Here to recover the body? Tch, what a bunch of idiots." Haruto muttered, sweeping his arm to collect Kyōgoku Hinata's dropped cards before vanishing into the forest.