Haruto Saito finally understood what it meant to be divinely assisted!
With the aura of luck surrounding him, everything he did was fortunate. If he wanted to kill someone, even the heavens would lend a hand within reason! Haruto firmly believed that the repeated explosions hitting Situ were a result of his time-limited luck. Otherwise, there was no way that guy would be so unlucky as to step on such a massive "landmine."
Of course, Situ wasn't instantly killed by the explosions!
As he was blasted into the air, his body was already covered in an incredibly thick layer of rock armor. This was clearly some kind of advanced Earth Release technique, likely a level above basic petrification.
"Let me add some fire!" Haruto rapidly approached, leaping high into the air and forming hand seals mid-jump.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
A massive spear of lightning shot out in an instant, targeting Situ, who was still soaring through the air with flames surrounding him.
*Boom!*
The lightning obliterated the rock armor, but it didn't hit Situ directly. Just before impact, he swapped himself out with an Earth Substitute, leaving behind a shattered rock decoy while he reappeared on the ground in a flicker.
A massive crater had already been blasted into the ground, flames still raging within it.
As soon as Situ landed, the rock armor encasing his body crumbled apart. His body trembled, and he fell to one knee, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood onto the scorched earth. He looked absolutely miserable—his black combat attire had been burned to tatters, and severe burn marks covered his shoulders, elbows, and back. His flesh was torn and bloody, and even the hand gripping his katana was shaking violently.
Situ had been seriously injured by the explosion! The only reason he was still alive was because of his quick reflexes. Given the sheer force of that blast, even elite Taijutsu specialists from the Hidden Cloud Village might not have survived unscathed.
Haruto flipped through the air, landing gracefully. His gaze was filled with an amused smile as he looked at Situ.
He suddenly realized that killing Situ might not be as difficult as he had initially thought!
Because the heavens were helping him!
"You deserve to die!" Situ roared in fury. In his current state, there was no way he could escape the dense forest behind the Hidden Leaf Village. There was no point in running anymore—he had no choice but to fight!
The ground beneath Situ's feet cracked as he launched himself forward like a cannonball, charging straight at Haruto.
Haruto didn't dare to be careless. His smile vanished, and he dashed toward Situ as well.
The moment they clashed, both swords swung simultaneously.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
A series of sharp metallic clashes echoed through the air as they exchanged over ten slashes while moving at high speed. They leaped from the ground to the treetops and back again, their battle weaving through the dense forest. However, due to his severe injuries, Situ was being overwhelmed in swordplay by Haruto.
Suddenly, Situ switched tactics. His right hand swung his katana horizontally while his left hand clenched into a fist and rose high above his head. A layer of rock rapidly covered his fist, swelling instantly into a massive boulder nearly a meter in diameter!
The giant rock fist came crashing toward Haruto!
Haruto reacted instantly, his left hand thrusting forward as a Rasengan took shape in the blink of an eye.
*Boom!*
The Rasengan and the rock fist clashed, exploding on impact. The force of the explosion sent both of them flying in opposite directions.
Haruto twisted midair, planting both feet against a tree and kicking off. In an instant, he flicked his wrist, releasing over a dozen kunai toward Situ. However, Situ swiftly performed a one-handed seal, launching dozens of small rock spikes that intercepted and deflected Haruto's kunai.
Situ flipped and landed in the grass, quickly forming more hand seals.
"Earth Release: Great Mud River!"
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
A massive surge of earth erupted in front of Situ, rolling forward like a tidal wave, rushing straight toward Haruto. This was an A-rank Earth Release technique—highly destructive and extremely difficult to defend against due to its sheer force.
Haruto knew he couldn't take it head-on. Bending his knees, he shot skyward like a missile.
The massive wave of mud surged beneath him, crushing and flattening everything in its path—trees, vegetation, and even boulders were swept away.
"Wind Release: Grand Air Bullets!"
While airborne, Haruto quickly formed seals, unleashing a barrage of over a dozen wind bullets, each over a meter in diameter, all aimed at Situ.
"Earth Release: Rock Cutting Wall!"
Situ completed his hand seals almost instantly. A stone wall erupted in front of him. However, his technique was only C-rank, while Haruto's was B-rank—his wall wouldn't hold. The eighth wind bullet shattered the rock barrier, and the remaining wind bullets continued toward Situ.
Using the brief delay from the wall, Situ dashed to the side, dodging the attack before burrowing underground.
Haruto immediately pinpointed his location.
At this distance, Situ was a boss-level enemy, meaning he had a green marker under his feet. Even after he went underground, the glowing indicator remained visible on the surface—Haruto could see it with his own eyes.
"Die, bastard!" Haruto swiftly formed hand seals.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
The deadly lightning spear shot downward with terrifying speed.
But Situ was no ordinary opponent—he was a peak-level Jonin. He hadn't gone underground just to hide; he had actually carved out enough space to move freely and form hand seals.
As the lightning strike descended—
The ground beneath Situ suddenly erupted, launching massive boulders into the air. The lightning blast only managed to shatter half of them, while the remaining rocks—over a dozen in total—hurtled aggressively toward Haruto!
Haruto immediately performed a Body Flicker technique, vanishing in a puff of smoke.
Reappearing sixty meters away in the dense forest, he quickly surveyed the battlefield.
Situ dashed through the ground for another thirty meters before bursting back to the surface. Moving like a phantom, he rapidly closed the distance between himself and Haruto. When he was just ten meters away, he flicked his wrist, releasing over a dozen kunai.
Haruto twisted his body, rolling to the side and kicking a loose rock toward Situ.
Situ leaped to avoid it, landing atop a tree.
*Boom!*
The tree he landed on suddenly erupted into flames, engulfing him in a fiery explosion!
Another trap!
Situ felt like he was going insane. He activated full-body petrification to endure the blast, but the explosion only worsened his internal injuries. As he hit the ground, a wave of unbearable pain and exhaustion swept over him. He realized that if this battle dragged on, he wouldn't even need Haruto to kill him—his injuries alone would be fatal.
Haruto closed in.
Situ's expression hardened. He made a split-second decision—he turned and ran!
While fleeing, he quickly formed hand seals.
A moment later, he split into three! Shadow Clone Jutsu!
This technique was commonly used by ninjas from all nations. However, the more advanced Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu was an A-rank forbidden technique, mastered only by a select few in the Hidden Leaf Village.
The three clones scattered in different directions.
But Haruto didn't need to analyze which one was real—he already knew. The real Situ had the glowing marker beneath his feet!
"Heh." Haruto smirked and ignored the two fakes. Enhancing his legs with raw strength, he surged forward at full speed, pursuing the real Situ.
"Damn it! How does he know?! He recognized me instantly!" Situ panicked. He desperately didn't want to die. He could tell that Haruto wasn't actually stronger than him. If not for all the explosions and his severe injuries, the fight wouldn't have been this one-sided!
Situ tried to push his speed to the limit, but Haruto was closing in inch by inch.
Suddenly—
Situ felt chakra fluctuations beneath his feet.
His face turned ashen. His eyes filled with unwillingness and despair.
*BOOM!*
Another explosion. Situ was sent flying by the flames, this time without any ability to defend himself.
He really was cursed with terrible luck!