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. . . .
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Kuro stood there, barely holding himself upright, the taste of blood still fresh on his tongue. His muscles burned, and his lungs wheezed for shallow gulps of air.
Across from him, the monster, Skullrend, was making his way towards him slowly, like a predator savoring the last moments before the kill. It was calm, too calm, as if sure the fight had already been decided.
But Kuro had other plans.
He shifted his grip on the kunai, raising his free hand in a slow, practiced like motion. "Vacuum blade..." he uttered.
[ACTIVATING VACUUM BLADE JUTSU] Lv.2
A thin gust of wind whirled to life, spinning around the edge of the kunai like a snake coiling its prey. The wind wrapped itself a few inches above the blade, forming a curved edge that buzzed slightly.
"!!!...RAAAAAWWWWWRRRR...!!!"
Skullrend roared, the sound echoing through the massive chamber, shaking dust from the ceiling. Instantly Kuro tensed up as Skullrend lunged again, the ground cracking beneath its massive weight. It came in low this time, claws spread wide like a pouncing tiger aiming to tear him apart in one clean motion.
But just as Skullrend came into range..
Kuro dropped low.
His body shifted into a smooth duck, sliding just beneath the swipe, wind chakra pulsing through his Kunai. As the beast passed overhead, he twisted with everything he had, bringing the wind chakra infused kunai across Skullrend's exposed thigh.
SHHHHHK!!!
A splash of dark blood followed.
A deep, clean gash tore through the boss's muscle, its black fur ripped open with a hiss of wind and steel. Skullrend let out a guttural roar that shook the chamber, stumbling mid-charge and crashing shoulder-first into a nearby pillar, with the stone crumbling under its weight as a result.
Kuro quickly pushed himself off the cold stone floor, and brought his hands together and took a deep breathe in. "Clone Jutsu," he muttered under his breath.
[ACTIVATING BASIC CLONE JUTSU] JUTSU] Lv.10
The instant the final hand sign was completed, a soft puff of smoke burst around him. When it cleared, four perfect copies stood by his side. They stood there for only a second, their expressions exact mirrors of his own. They didn't speak rather each of them looked to the original (Kuro) and gave a small nod.
Then they bolted.
Their feet pounded against the stone, fanning out to flank Skullrend from all sides. The beast turned its massive frame slowly, a low growl vibrating from its chest.
The first clone charged in with a kunai tightly gripped in it's hand. He moved in fast and low, darting forward with short, aggressive steps before swinging his blade toward Skullrend's knee.
But the monster was faster. Its arm shot down in a violent arc, claws ripping through the clone and instantly upon contact the image bursted in a puff of smoke.
Another came from the right, leaping off a pile of bones for higher ground. He flew in from above with it's arm cocked back.
However, Skullrend snapped its head in that direction and swung a brutal backhand that collided midair and instantly it burst into smoke again.
The third clone dashed forward, feet sliding beneath him as he went into a low slide. He slid toward Skullrend's heel, arm outstretched, and his kunai ready in hand. However everything was put to a stop as a foot came crashing down, snuffing him out like a candle.
The fourth moved like a blur, feinting left, darting right, changing direction constantly, throwing Skullrend off for just a moment longer.
That was all Kuro needed.
While the final clone drew Skullrend's attention, Kuro had already sneaked around. He dashed toward a broken pillar and jumped, planting his foot against it to push himself off. His body flew through the air, twisting as he raised his Kunai with both hands above his head.
He came down hard, the blade aimed squarely at the thick muscle at the back of Skullrend's neck. The Kunai buried deep, stopping just shy of bone.
"!!!...RAAAAAWWWWWRRRR...!!!" Skullrend let out a roar that shook the room as he thrashed from the pain. Kuro kept stabbing down on its necks until one of its massive hands reached back, desperately fumbling and swatting.
Kuro barely had time to register it before the world flipped.
His body slammed into the floor with crushing force.
WHAM!
The floor cracked.
The air was knocked clean out of his lungs, but there wasn't time to dwell on it. Skullrend came down with another stomp aimed right at his face. However Kuro rolled to the side just in time, the concrete cracking beside him. He scrambled to his feet and dashed back, putting as much space between them as he could.
"Tch..." he hissed.
Skullrend charged in again, this time It came high with one claw overhead, but Kuro leapt back just in time, but even the wind force from the swing knocked him sideways.
He hit the ground and ducked, barely dodging the next swing. He kicked up, pivoting on his left foot, and threw a quick uppercut kick into the beast's snout. It barely budged, but it staggered.
The boss quickly regained its posture and swept his massive arm across. Kuro ducked under it and rushed forward, slashing across the abdomen, but the flesh barely split.
Suddenly, a claw came down from above. Kuro twisted right, letting it graze his shoulder before slamming his elbow into the inner thigh wound he made earlier, forcing another pained snarl.
He jumped back again, chest heaving.
'It's fast... too fast for its size. One wrong move, and I'm dead.'
But he didn't let up and continued the momentum he had.
He charged forward this time, bringing his leg back, using his left to pivot off the stone, spinning full circle and driving his heel into the creature's abdomen. As the beast hunched, he twisted, swinging his elbow into the side of its jaw, and while it staggered, he brought the kunai up in a reverse grip and slashed across its chest.
The boss howled, slamming its fist into the ground.
BOOM—!
Shockwaves rippled through the chamber. Kuro stumbled slightly, just enough for the boss to close in..
Skullrend grabbed him by the leg and hurled him across the room.
His back collided with a broken pile of bones, shattering some, bruising more. He coughed, groaning, struggling to get up. But even through the pain, his eyes stayed locked on the boss.
The boss snarled and charged.
Kuro pivoted his heel, gathering the chakra he could. As the monster lunged, he sprang forward with a quick sidestep, planting his foot against the wall, and kicked off, launching himself into a roll that carried him just under the beast's swing. He came up behind it, twisting into a spinning slash with the kunai, carving into the back of Skullrend's shoulder.
The monster reeled back, spinning with a backhand, but Kuro ducked, planting his hand on the ground and swinging his leg low.
His heel cracked against the beast's ankle with a dull thud. The moment it stumbled, he lunged upward, driving a palm into its snout and slicing upward with the wind kunai toward its throat.
Then..a claw came up and intercepted the blade, barely.
Kuro moved quickly to put distance between them and stood, gasping for air, staring the boss in the eyes.
They both looked at each other.
Blood poured from them both, painting the floor in streaks of red.
Skullrend growled low, baring its fangs again.
Kuro, sweat dripping down his jawline, only tightened his grip. "Fuck! Can you just die already?.." As though it could comprehend him, he asked.
Skullrend slowly regained its footing, Its lips peeled back over jagged teeth, and its eyes locked onto Kuro with that deep, unmistakable rage. The kind of rage that didn't just bubble...it boiled
The thick fur along its neck bristled. Veins pulsed under the surface, bulging as its muscles coiled like springs. Its shoulders hunched forward, with saliva spilling from its mouth, dripping in fat strings onto the floor, hissing against the cracked stone like acid.
A low, guttural growl rolled from its throat, deep and heavy like a warning shot.
Then...boom.
With one push off its left leg, it blurred forward, closing the gap faster than Kuro could prepare for. It came in hard, swinging downward in a vicious diagonal meant to split him clean in two.
But Kuro's instincts screamed louder. He kicked off the ground, barely clearing the swipe as it sliced through the air beneath him. As he passed over its shoulder, he twisted his body mid-air and brought his Kunai down hard, driving the blade across the side of Skullrend's face with a sharp, tearing sound.
"GRRAWRRR—!" it howled, stumbling from the hit, but it didn't go down.
A hand, thick with matted fur and corded muscle, snatched Kuro's arm mid-air like a trap springing shut. His momentum cut short and his breath hitched.
'Shit!' Kuro screamed in his head, barely registering the blur of motion before his world exploded in pain.
Skullrend roared, swinging Kuro's body like a ragdoll before slamming him down, hard.
CRACK!
The stone floor caved under the force, spiderwebbing outward from the point of impact. The breath was knocked clean from his lungs, and a hot splash of blood painted the ground beneath his head.
But the beast wasn't done.
With one hand still locked around Kuro's arm, Skullrend yanked him back up like he weighed nothing and smashed him down again.
WHAM!
And again.
WHAM!
And again.
WHAM!
Kuro's body bounced with each hit, a trail of blood left behind like brush strokes on a canvas of ruin.
"Gah…" he coughed, mouth stained red, his vision swimming in a haze of white and red. He couldn't feel his ribs. Couldn't tell if his arm was still attached or if his spine had cracked like brittle wood. Everything hurt. Everything.
It felt like his body had been folded inside out.
'Fuck...I think he broke everything—'
"!!!...RAAAAAWWWWWRRRR...!!!"
With one final roar, Skullrend hurled him like a ragdoll. His body twisted midair, then the ground rushed up to meet him.
BOOM!
He hit the stone like a dropped sandbag, bounced once, then skidded across the floor in a trail of blood before finally crumpling against the side of a pillar. The impact shook the whole damn structure, sending a few loose stones tumbling beside him.
"Gah!—" His cry came out wet, blood bubbling from his mouth as he forced himself up with one trembling arm, the other gripping the cracked base of the pillar just to stay upright. His legs were shaking, his vision doubled and shook fast.
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[ NOTICE]
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[Your HP has dropped critically low.]
[HP] ➤ 50/400
STATUS: BLEEDING
⚠ You're losing 1 HP every second.
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"Fuck... well, I'm dead again." The words barely crawled out of his throat, every syllable scraped like broken glass against his lungs, a gurgle buried under the blood stuck halfway up his windpipe.
He coughed once...hard and red splattered onto the floor.
Still hunched over against the pillar, he tilted his head, eyes shifting from the glowing notice in front of him… back to the heavy stomps echoing through the chamber.
BOOM..
BOOM..
BOOM..
Skullrend was coming in full tilt, teeth bared, claws stretched out like spears, those red glowing eyes locked onto him with the kind of hunger that didn't just want to kill him... it wanted to devour him.
Kuro's lips twitched.
His legs were screaming, his ribs were caved in, and the blood dripping down his temple clouded his left eye completely. He couldn't even breathe right and he couldn't even lift both arms properly.
And still...he stood on both feet.
"S-status...screen," he muttered, voice hoarse and gritty like gravel dragging over pavement.
━─━─━─≪◈ STATS ◈≫─━─━─━
[NAME] ➤ Kuroshin Kagemura
[AGE] ➤ 13
[LEVEL] ➤ 13
◇───INFO───◇
[JOB] ➤ NONE
[TITLES] ➤ Courage Of The Weak...
[HP] ➤ 43/400 (YOU'VE BEEN INFLICTED BY BLEED.)
[CP] ➤ 810/1130 (GENIN)
[FATIGUE] ➤ 70
[AVAILABLE ABILITY POINTS: 0 ]...
◇───STATS───◇
[STRENGTH] ➤ 37.5
[AGILITY] ➤ 25.5
[SENSE] ➤ 22.5
[HEALTH] ➤ 27.5
[INTELLIGENCE] ➤ 29
◇───SKILLS───◇
[BASIC TAIJUTSU TECHNIQUES] ➤Lv.6 (PASSIVE.) [ Basic Melee attacks inflicted on an opponent is increased by 18%. ]
[BASIC SHURIKENJUTSU TECHNIQUES]Lv.3 (Passive) [ When throwing small concealed weapons, damage inflicted is increased by 10%.]
[WIND AFFINITY] ➤ Lv.2 (PASSIVE.) [ Whenever a Wind Style jutsu is used, its power is increased by 20%.]
[BASIC KUNAI TECHNIQUES]Lv.7 (PASSIVE) [ Basic kunai attacks inflicted on an opponent are increased by 15%.]
◇───JUTSU'S───◇
[TRANSFORMATION JUTSU] ➤ Lv.10
[BASIC CLONE JUTSU] ➤ Lv.10
[SUBSTITUTION JUTSU] ➤ Lv.10
[VACUUM BLADE JUTSU] ➤Lv.2
[GALE PALM JUTSU] ➤ Lv.1
━─━─━─━─≪◆≫─━─━─━─━
'I don't even have anything to help me…' the thought drifted through his mind. He could feel it, the strength bleeding out of him just like the blood that soaked his clothes and painted the floor beneath. Every breath came shallower than the last, and the pounding in his ears made it hard to think.
'My CP...that's all I got left. I only used the Sickle Weasel once... and my Will of Recovery skill is on cooldown…' His vision blurred at the edges. His legs were trembling, not from fear...no, but from the fact that they could barely keep him upright.
Kuro bit his lip hard, the metallic taste filling his mouth again. He gripped the handle of his kunai tighter.
Useless...
That's what it felt like now. Just a single chipped blade against something that could tear through human flesh with a flick of its claw.
The boss, Skullrend, was just a few meters away now, its heavy footfalls echoing through the room.
Kuro didn't move.
He just stared, eyes barely open, breath shaky, body swaying like a dying candle flame in the wind. 'This is it… I'm gonna die now, huh?' the words were quiet in his head, numb, distant. 'Am I gonna get another chance again? Probably not...I had my second shot. Blew it. Just like the first.' his fingers trembled, his knuckles turning white around the kunai handle.
'Why, though...? Don't I deserve to live like everyone else?' his jaw clenched, tears silently streaming down the grime and blood coating his face. 'Don't I deserve to live long enough to grow old... let my hair turn grey... sit somewhere quiet and live a peaceful life..? One without the fighting, one without the pain and the suffering..?' his knees buckled. His body dropped to one side, slumping against the stone pillar.
'Why… why not me?'
No one answered. Only the sound of Skullrend's growl, closer now.
"YOU KNOW WHAT? FUCK THAT! FUCK YOU! AND FUCK EVERYTHING!"
His voice cracked, roaring into the dead air. His throat burned, but he didn't care. His legs barely held him up, but he didn't care. His vision was painted red, fury and desperation drowning out the pain.
Kuro raised the Kunai above his head, both hands wrapped around the handle like it was the only thing keeping him alive.
"EVEN IF I'M GONNA DIE, FUCKER...YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!"
[ACTIVATING VACUUM BLADE JUTSU] Lv.2
A sudden gust of chakra exploded from his core and surged into the Kunai.
He felt it immediately.
A sharp wind burst from the tip of the blade, then wrapped itself around the Kunai. The dull iron edge suddenly shimmered under the dim torches, its form hidden by the concentrated arc of wind chakra spinning like a buzzsaw.
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[ NOTICE]
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[-250 CP CONSUMED]
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But he didn't stop there.
Kuro gritted his teeth, feeling the sting in his arms as he forced even more chakra into the blade. Every drop he could muster, everything he had left. The air around the Kunai whined, high-pitched and angry, and the blade's aura expanded a full foot above the steel.
It pulsed.
The wind screamed louder.
And Kuro screamed with it.
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[ NOTICE]
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[-800 CP CONSUMED]
CAUTION! You have poured far more chakra than necessary for the jutsu!
➤ Vacuum Blade Jutsu Power Boosted by 80%
➤ +20% Power Bonus due to Wind Affinity Skill
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Total Boost: 100% Increase in Power!
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His chakra flared wildly.
Screaming out of his body like a second soul, raw and jagged, it surged into the Kunai until the wind around it warped and cracked like it could tear open the air itself.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
The boss was just a few feet away now, hunger and bloodlust radiating from its snarl.
It's entire body curled like a spring.
It leapt...
Its claw came down to split him in two.
But he moved first.
With a sharp twist of his hips, his right foot digging into the ground, muscles screaming from the pain, he brought the Kunai down in a brutal, vertically strike.
FWOOOOOOM—!!
The air split with a howl as the wind-enhanced blade carved forward, the chakra-infused arc exploding out like a compressed storm.
SKKKRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINCHHH—!!
Steel met flesh...
Wind met bone....
. . . . .
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