Madara Uchiha In Solo Leveling

For Kumamoto, this had become a battle to the death.

With inhuman speed, Kumamoto lunged forward. His figure blurred, vanishing from Chae In's sight for a split second—before appearing right behind her.

His blade whistled through the air, cutting toward her with lethal precision.

Chae In's eyes widened as she barely had enough time to react. Too fast. She instinctively crossed her arms in front of her, bracing for impact.

BOOM!

The ground cracked beneath her feet as Kumamoto's attack landed—or rather, almost landed.

Before his strike could connect, a powerful force interrupted.

A hand gripped Kumamoto's wrist mid-swing, halting his attack effortlessly.

"It's just a competition," a calm yet commanding voice spoke. "But your bloodlust is far too much. I hope you don't mind me stepping in."

The voice belonged to none other than Sung Jinwoo.

He stood there, unfazed, holding Kumamoto's wrist like it was nothing more than a child's tantrum. His black eyes held no emotion—just a quiet authority that sent an unspoken message: this ends now.

But Kumamoto wasn't done.

His rage only intensified at the interference. With a furious growl, he twisted his body and swung his other arm, launching a savage attack toward Jinwoo's head.

A grave mistake.

Jinwoo didn't even blink.

Before the attack could get anywhere near him, he moved.

In an instant, Kumamoto's world flipped upside down—literally.

Jinwoo countered effortlessly, gripping his opponent's arm and twisting it with brutal efficiency. In one smooth motion, he slammed Kumamoto face-first into the ground.

CRACK!

A spiderweb of cracks spread across the training hall floor from the sheer force of impact. Kumamoto let out a choked gasp, his limbs twitching as Jinwoo pinned him down with a single foot.

Even as his body refused to move, his hand still clung desperately to Jinwoo's leg, his fingers shaking as he tried to resist. But it was futile—Jinwoo was simply stronger.

A tense silence settled over the room.

And then—

"Tsk."

A voice broke through the quiet.

Madara.

He had been watching the entire fight from the sidelines, his expression unreadable. But now, as he finally stepped forward, a smirk played on his lips.

"Why did you step in at such an interesting moment?"

His crimson eyes glowed faintly with intrigue.

It was as if he had just been robbed of a good show—and he wasn't too happy about it.

Madara walked toward the source of his displeasure.

The moment had been perfect—he had been watching, waiting, expecting something interesting to come out of that battle. And just when things were about to reach their peak, some dumb kid decided to interfere.

And the reason? Bloodlust?

Madara nearly scoffed. Was that really all it took?

If something as simple as bloodlust was enough to justify stopping a fight, then Korean hunters would have died long ago from the bloodlust of boss monsters. Hunters faced that kind of thing every day—they fought, they killed, they survived.

It was the nature of their existence.

Yet here was Sung Jinwoo, holding down a pathetic excuse of a berserker, as if he had done something noble.

Madara stopped a few steps away, his crimson eyes narrowing as he glanced between Jinwoo and Kumamoto.

"Why did you do it?" His voice was calm, but there was an unmistakable edge to it.

He tilted his head slightly, his tone almost mocking as he continued, "And don't give me some ridiculous excuse like 'he was going out of control' or 'his bloodlust was too dangerous.'"

His gaze sharpened.

"They are hunters. They fight monsters on a daily basis. And she"— he motioned toward Chae Hae-In—"is no child who needs someone to hold her hand."

The tension in the room thickened.

Sung Jinwoo said nothing, his expression unreadable.

Chae Hae-In, on the other hand, shifted slightly. She had been watching the scene unfold in silence, but now, Madara's words had placed her at the center of attention.

Madara turned his piercing gaze toward her, his next words cutting through the air like a blade.

"And if something as insignificant as that was enough to take her down… then maybe she's not even worthy of the S-Rank title."

His words carried no hesitation—just cold, brutal honesty.

Chae Hae-In stiffened.

Her golden eyes met his as he continued, his voice almost taunting.

"Are you incapable of defending yourself?" His tone was flat, but the weight behind the question was heavy. "Or do you need someone to babysit you on the Jeju Island Raid too? While others will be risking their lives, will you be waiting for someone to come and save you again?"

A flicker of emotion crossed Chae Hae-In's face—annoyance, perhaps even embarrassment—but she quickly suppressed it.

She had fought in countless high-level gates before. She had faced situations far more dangerous than this. Even though Kumamoto had been faster, she was still capable of defending herself. Injuries were inevitable, but that didn't mean she had needed someone to step in.

And yet, before she could even react, Sung Jinwoo had interfered.

A part of her had been grateful at that moment, but now…

She clenched her fists.

"…No." Her voice was firm as she answered, looking directly at Madara. "I am capable of defending myself."

But just as she was about to add something, Madara cut her off.

"See?" His lips curled into a smirk. "She didn't need your help. Yet you took it upon yourself to decide—what? That because she's a woman, she was weak and needed your pathetic little rescue?"

Jinwoo's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.

Madara stepped closer, his gaze unwavering.

"If you wanted to help so badly, why didn't you join the battle from the beginning?" His voice lowered, but the mockery in it was clear. "Or were you just too scared?"

Silence.

The air was thick with unspoken tension.

Chae Hae-In bit the inside of her cheek, while Sung Jinwoo remained eerily calm, his expression unreadable.

Madara simply waited, watching, intrigued to see what would happen next.