Naruto rebirth! Born again with a system.

Chapter 47: Clash of Determination! Part 2! 

Kōzaru's eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation, knowing that he wouldn't be able to match Aotaka's chakra-enhanced blade. Which had proven devastatingly effective, and pure taijutsu alone wouldn't be enough to overcome that advantage. The time had come to escalate their battle to the next level.

"Looks like I need to get serious too," Kōzaru said, his hands moving to the weapon pouches at his sides. With practiced precision, he drew two kunai. These weren't standard issue weapons either. Each blade bore the distinctive spiral marking of the Inuzuka clan symbol, etched into the metal with the kind of craftsmanship that spoke of generational tradition.

"Those are..." Tatsuma started from the side-lines, his eyes widening with recognition.

"My father's kunai," Kōzaru confirmed, his voice carrying a note of reverence as he settled into a dual-wielding stance. "My mother gave them to me when I graduated from the academy. She said they would help me carry on the family legacy."

The weapons felt perfect in his hands—balanced, familiar, and imbued with the weight of family honour. He spun them once, testing their weight and balance, before fixing his gaze on Aotaka's glowing blade.

"Impressive," Aotaka said, genuine respect coloring his voice. "Family weapons carry their own kind of power. Let's see what you can do with them!"

Without warning, Aotaka surged forward, his chakra blade singing through the air in a diagonal slash that would have cleaved through steel. But Kōzaru was ready. He crossed both kunai in an X-pattern, catching the sword between them and redirecting its momentum with a sharp twist of his wrists.

The clash sent sparks cascading through the air as chakra met steel. Kōzaru pivoted on his heel, using the redirection to spin around Aotaka's guard, one kunai slashing toward his opponent's ribs while the other aimed for his shoulder.

Aotaka's response was immediate and fluid. He let his sword's momentum carry him into a backward leap, the chakra blade sweeping upward in a defensive arc that forced Kōzaru to abort his attack and leap back.

"Not bad!" Aotaka called out, his feet touching down as he immediately launched into a series of flowing strikes—vertical slashes that carved through the air like lightning, horizontal cuts that hummed with lethal intent, and thrusting attacks that sought to find gaps in Kōzaru's defense.

But Kōzaru met him blow for blow. His dual kunai moved like extensions of his body, one blade parrying while the other struck, creating a deadly dance of steel and sparks. He flipped backward over a low sweep, landed on his hands to avoid a decapitating slash, and rolled to the side as Aotaka's blade carved a furrow in the earth where he had been standing.

"Amazing..." Tatsuma breathed, his eyes struggling to follow the lightning-fast exchanges. "They're both incredible."

How is he doing this, my Kenjutsu skill is much higher and far supior to his, yet he is able to match me with kunai? Aotaka thought, growing increasingly frustrated.

Kōzaru's Kenjutsu stat was indeem much lower than Aotaka's, however, he wasn't fighting with Kenjutsu, he was simply using Taijutsu while wielding the kunai, compensating for the lack of his own weapon ability, something that seemed to serve him well.

With a Taijutsu level of 14, matching Aotaka's Kenjutsu which was at level 13.

The battle intensified as both fighters pushed their skills to the limit. Kōzaru launched himself into a spinning aerial assault, his kunai whirling like a blender as he descended toward Aotaka. His opponent met the attack head-on, his chakra blade tracing complex patterns in the air that deflected each strike with millimeters to spare.

They separated for a moment, both breathing heavily, before Kōzaru's hand flashed to his weapon pouch.

"Surprise!"

Three shuriken spun through the air toward Aotaka, their trajectories calculated to force him into a defensive position, however, the third shuriken trailed off, not being on target, a evident display of his lacking shuriken skill.

"Too slow!" Aotaka declared, his chakra blade moving with surgical precision. The enhanced weapon sliced through each projectile with contemptuous ease, metal fragments scattering harmlessly to the ground as he watched the last one whistle through the air.

"Looks like you need to work on -"

But the shuriken had been a distraction. Kōzaru was already moving, using the brief moment when Aotaka's vision was blocked by the spinning weapons to close the distance. His kunai struck like twin vipers, one aiming for the sword hand while the other sought to find the gap in Aotaka's guard.

Aotaka twisted desperately, his blade coming up in a desperate parry that caught one kunai while the other scored a shallow cut across his forearm. He hissed in pain but didn't let it slow him down, immediately counterattacking with a brutal pommel strike that Kōzaru barely managed to deflect.

[Health: 115/204 → 100/204]

"You're getting better with those kunai," Aotaka admitted, glancing at the thin line of blood on his arm. "But let's see how you handle this!" He yelled, growing more and more frustrated.

He leaped back, creating distance between them as his free hand formed a series of rapid hand seals. Lightning-style chakra began to crackle around his body, building to a crescendo of electrical energy.

"Lightning Style: Static Force!"

[Chakra: 129/149 → 109/149]

A concentrated shockwave of electrical energy erupted from Aotaka's position, racing across the ground toward Kōzaru with devastating force. The air itself seemed to vibrate with the technique's power, and small arcs of lightning danced across the earth in its wake.

Kōzaru's eyes widened as he recognized the jutsu's power, but his response was immediate and instinctive. Quickly tossing the kunai he held into the air his own hands blurred through hand seals as he called upon his wind-style jutsu.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

[Chakra: 110/160 → 90/160]

A powerful gust of wind erupted from Kōzaru's palms. The wind chakra cut through Aotaka's lightning attack like a blade through silk, the elemental advantage allowing it to not only dispel the electrical assault but continue forward with undiminished force.

Aotaka's eyes widened in shock as his jutsu was completely overwhelmed. "What?!"

"Body Flicker Jutsu!"

[Chakra: 90/160 → 80/160]

Kōzaru vanished from sight, using the cover of his wind technique to close the distance in an instant. He reappeared directly in front of Aotaka, the residual wind chakra still swirling around his hand as he drove his palm forward in a devastating strike.

The combined force of the Gale Palm and his physical attack struck Aotaka square in the chest, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying backward through the air. He crashed into a nearby tree with a sickening thud, the impact driving the air from his lungs as he slumped to the ground.

[Health: 100/204 → 47/204]

"Aotaka!" both Kōzaru and Tatsuma shouted in unison, their competitive spirit immediately replaced by concern for their teammate.

Riku and Yuki rushed to Kōzaru's side, their small bodies pressing against his legs as they whined with worry. They had sensed the shift in the battle's tone, understanding that something had gone wrong.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," Kōzaru said, dropping to one knee to reassure his companions while his eyes remained fixed on Aotaka's motionless form. "But we need to check on him."

All three of them rushed to where Aotaka had fallen, their earlier excitement replaced by genuine worry. The Senju boy was slumped against the tree trunk, his breathing labored and his face pale from the impact.

"Aotaka, are you alright?" Tatsuma asked, his voice tight with concern as he dropped to his knees beside their teammate.

Aotaka's eyes fluttered open, a weak smile crossing his face as he looked up at his friends. "Yeah... I'm alright," he said, though his voice was strained. "Just... just give me a moment."

"I'm sorry," Kōzaru said, his earlier battle fervor completely gone. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard. I got caught up in the moment."

"Don't apologize," Aotaka replied, slowly pushing himself up to a sitting position with Tatsuma's help. "That was a fair fight, and you got me fair and square. I underestimated your wind style ninjutsu, and it cost me."

He winced as he shifted his weight, but his smile remained genuine. "I don't think I can keep fighting though. You win this round, Kōzaru."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Kōzaru asked again, extending his hand to help Aotaka to his feet. "We can get you to the medical center if you need it."

"I'm fine," Aotaka insisted, accepting the help and slowly standing up. "Just bruised and winded. Besides, I heal a little faster thanks to being a Senju."

Once all three of them were standing, they looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. The tension of the battle gave way to the camaraderie that had always defined their friendship, and they realized just how much they had all grown.

"Can you believe how strong we're getting?" Tatsuma said, shaking his head in amazement. "A few weeks ago we only just graduated from the academy, and now look at us!"

"It's incredible," Kōzaru agreed, seeing that Yuki had fetched his kunai, taking them off her as he put them away, giving the pup a good pat on the head in thanks." That lightning jutsu was impressive, Aotaka."

"Your wind style was better," Aotaka replied, but there was something in his voice that his friends didn't quite catch. "The way you countered my attack... I never saw it coming."

They continued talking and laughing as they made their way back toward the main training area, but Aotaka's mind was elsewhere. Despite his outward good humor, something dark was gnawing at him from the inside.

I lost, he thought to himself, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. I trained so hard, I thought I was getting stronger, but it wasn't enough. Kōzaru was better than me in every way that mattered. Has he been training harder than me? He didn't even use the Fang over fang jutsu against me. And never mind fighting with his ninken...

The laughter of his friends seemed distant as his thoughts turned inward, consumed by the bitter taste of defeat. He had given everything he had, used his best techniques, pushed himself to his limits—and it hadn't been enough.

I need more strength, he realized, his jaw setting with determination. I need to become stronger. I can't let this happen again.

The seeds of something darker were beginning to take root in Aotaka's mind, though he kept his internal struggle hidden behind smiles and congratulations. The battle was over, but its consequences were just beginning to unfold.

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