Naruto : Crimson wood

"Call…"

While the wooden clone was tangling up the enemies, Renji Takahashi took a few deep breaths.

His Sage Mode was continuously absorbing natural energy to compensate for the spiritual energy he had lost.

The next moment—

"Yuna, this way!"

Renji spotted a weak point in the enemy formation that was perfect for a breakout and immediately rushed toward it with Yuna Hoshizaki.

All of the wood clones also realized the shift and immediately repositioned themselves, decisively halting the enemies who were trying to surround Renji and Yuna.

Just as the two of them broke through the encirclement—

A bald man raised his hand casually. A flame ignited in his palm, and from it, more than a dozen small laser-like fire beams shot forth.

"Wood Style: Tree Wall!"

"Sacred Water Shield!"

Renji and Yuna cast defensive techniques simultaneously, but even combined, they couldn't fully block the attack.

A few of the fire beams struck the sand around them, exploding in blasts of scorched dust.

"You won't escape."

The bald man stayed cautious, never approaching them. He simply stood from afar and kept releasing long-range fire attacks. Dozens of fire lasers tore through the air.

He hadn't yet figured out how Kiyoshi and Akatsuki had died. Caution was better than regret.

"This guy's playing it safe…"

Unable to close the distance, Renji felt a bit powerless.

His Sharingan needed proximity to work for illusions.

And in a long-range battle… they couldn't outlast a third-level psychic.

"You're good at dodging—let's see how you handle this!"

Irritated by their evasiveness, the bald man quickly formed three rapid hand seals.

A massive fireball, nearly two meters wide, formed above him and hurtled toward Renji and Yuna.

Renji's heart sank.

There was no way to stop that fireball.

"Run!"

The two sprinted, but the fireball followed them like a heat-seeking missile.

Suddenly—

A figure darted in from ahead and punched the fireball head-on.

BOOM!

The fireball shattered in the air, scattering into harmless flames.

"Sensei?!"

The figure was none other than Haruki Tsukimura, their team leader from the Executive Division!

Yuna's face lit up in relief.

"It's not your turn to bully students from Azure Dragon Academy."

Haruki calmly adjusted his glasses, his demeanor gentle and poised as ever.

The bald man's face twisted in suspicion.

"You're a teacher at Azure Dragon Academy?"

"That's right."

"A third-level psychic… not bad. If I kill you here, your Academy loses a major asset."

A cruel grin spread across the bald man's face. With a stomp, his muscles swelled and his figure bulked up rapidly. Thick, black fur sprouted across his torso.

A beast transformation—Bear type.

"RRAAAGH!"

With a beastly roar, he charged at Haruki like a tank, each step cracking the sand below.

"Beast mutation? Interesting."

Haruki calmly rolled up his sleeves as the beastly brute closed in.

"RRAAAGH!"

The bald man launched a massive punch.

Haruki's expression sharpened. He responded with a strike of his own.

CRACK!

With a sickening snap, the bald man's arm shattered.

The jagged bones pierced through his skin as blood sprayed out grotesquely.

"AAARRGH!"

The brute howled in agony and stumbled backward before collapsing to his knees.

Renji stood frozen.

The elegant and scholarly Haruki had just broken the arm of a third-level beast-type mutant with one punch.

Who's the real beast here?

Were Haruki's muscles hidden under his uniform even more terrifying?

"Boss!"

The remaining second-level fire-users had finally dealt with the wooden clones and rushed over.

One tried to help the bald man stand—but the slightest touch had him shrieking in agony again.

"Don't move, it's broken! Call for backup!"

One lackey quickly tossed a fiery signal spark toward the nearby sewer.

"Sensei, shouldn't we run?" Yuna asked.

Haruki smiled calmly.

"We finally found them. Why run? Let's see just how many they dare to call."

Moments later…

Shuffling noises echoed from the sewers—and then, figures began to emerge.

Ten of them in total. Every single one—a third-level psychic.

"Baldy, who did this?!"

The man leading them had a buzz cut, thick eyebrows, and a furious expression.

The injured brute could barely raise his good hand and point weakly at Haruki and the others.

"You've got guts, causing trouble in the Burning Flame Clan's territory!"

"So this is your territory? A sewer. No wonder we couldn't find you earlier." Haruki smiled gently, unfazed by the numbers.

The crew-cut man scowled at the veiled insult.

"How dare you mock us!" he barked. "Kill them!"

"Just two first-levels and one third-level? This'll be easy!" another member sneered as they advanced.

Haruki cracked his neck and then punched the sand beside him.

BOOM!

A cloud of yellow dust exploded into the air, blurring the enemy's vision.

And in the midst of that blinding sandstorm—

A flicker of cold light. Screams. Blood.

Steel flashed. Bodies fell.

In half a minute, the sand cleared.

Every member of the Burning Flame Clan lay dead or dying. Blood stained the earth red.

Renji was stunned.

Haruki had killed over a dozen third-level psychics and even more second-level ones… alone?!

Even a fourth-level couldn't have done this so cleanly.

"Sensei… you're unbelievable…"

Yuna's words faltered.

It was simply… absurd.

"Impressive, huh?"

Haruki smiled, warm and unbothered.

"Of course, I didn't kill them."

Just then, several more figures stepped into view.

Takeshi Kurosawa and The four members of Azure Dragon Academy's Executive Division who had split off earlier.

They had been hiding in the shadows the entire time—waiting for the perfect moment to strike decisively.

Despite also being third-level psychics, their strength far outclassed any regular fighter.

This was the true might of Azure Dragon Academy—

The hidden sword that strikes without mercy:

The Executive Division.

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