"Boom!" Sayuki kicked at Saitama's blade, lightning arcs flashing, startling him into immediately pulling his leg back and retreating.
Saitama didn't pursue, letting the ninja come and go freely, but kept watching for his next move.
His two-tomoe Sharingan was pushed to the max, tracking every subtle move of the Suna ninja.
"Thud!" Seeing a small movement in the opponent's footwork, Saitama no longer waited. Lightning flashed across his legs as he burst into extreme speed, rushing toward the ninja named Sayuki.
"Swish! Swish!" His right hand kept slashing; the sword danced like a butterfly flitting through flowers, displaying incomparable sharpness.
Under Saitama's observation with the Sharingan, Sayuki's movements became completely visible, mercilessly countered and restricted, forcing him into nonstop dodging!
On the other side, Soma and Captain Masano were also engaged in battle, fighting evenly with the Sand ninja, neither side gaining an advantage!
"Can this really be the strength of a kid his age?" The more Sayuki fought, the more astonished he became. He was actually being overpowered by this Konoha brat!
The left foot lashed out, slamming viciously into Sayuki's chest. Gripping the sword with his right hand, Saitama seized the opportunity to thrust forward straight for the throat, the blade tip shimmering with dangerous lightning—a deadly bloom ready to blossom in that instant!
"Boom!" Sayuki leaned backward with the force from Saitama's kick while lifting his foot upward, precisely striking against the advancing blade. He redirected it just enough to miss its target, then twisted his body, flipping backward multiple times, quickly increasing the distance between himself and Saitama.
Frowning slightly, Saitama withdrew his blade. Before he could continue pursuing, several whistling sounds cut through the air. He saw numerous black shadows flying rapidly from Sayuki's hands.
"Ding! Ding!" The Sharingan pierced everything, instantly determining the trajectory of the thrown ninja tools, allowing his body to react accordingly. Left, right—he easily deflected all projectiles using his sword.
"Swish! Swish!" Two kunai dropped after being struck down, landing on both sides of Saitama. A smirk spread across Sayuki's face as he cast a mocking look toward Saitama.
"Hiss! Hiss!" The fuses ignited, and time began ticking down. With one glance, Saitama spotted the explosive tags wrapped around those kunai. Instantly, his foot pushed off the ground.
"Boom!" Explosions erupted, sending up clouds of sand that swallowed Saitama from sight!
[Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!] A gust of wind came howling, swiftly dispersing all the airborne sand!
"Where did he go?" After executing a jutsu, Sayuki found himself unable to locate Saitama, who had vanished amidst the swirling sands.
Maintaining his composure, Sayuki remained vigilant—there was no way the enemy could have died from just a few explosive tags; surely, he was hiding somewhere preparing for a sneak attack!
Grabbing another set of kunai from the ninja pouch attached to his waist, Sayuki held them reversed in his right hand, carefully observing any changes around him.
"Shhh!" The sand underfoot rippled slightly, dragging Sayuki downward along with it.
Smirking disdainfully, Sayuki bent his legs, releasing large quantities of chakra beneath his feet, granting him tremendous instantaneous acceleration. He leaped straight upward, landing on another patch of sandy ground!
"Shwaa!" A blade whistled through the air above Sayuki's head, making his scalp tingle. Saitama was directly overhead, unleashing a thunder-charged slash straight down toward his head!
The blade reached Sayuki in an instant—no time to react. He simply lifted the kunai in his hand upward, hoping to deflect the blow.
"Clang!" The strike landed, but not as Sayuki had hoped. Saitama's thunder-infused blade sliced effortlessly through, snapping his kunai in half.
"What?!" Sayuki couldn't believe how powerful that slash was. As he watched the blade sever his weapon, it kept coming straight for him, panic rising in his chest.
While still in the air, Sayuki had no way to change course.
Twisting his body mid-air as best as he could, he turned his head aside and took the attack on his shoulder instead.
"Thud!" The sword came down on Sayuki's left shoulder. A slight grin crept onto Saitama's face, his eyes narrowing shut. Just as Saitama prepared for a follow-up strike, Sayuki suddenly turned into sand mid-air, falling downward with gravity's pull.
"Huh?!" Shocked disbelief flashed across Saitama's face. His heart tightened slightly; Saitama sheathed the blade quickly and leapt sideways to land.
Before even touching the ground, Saitama sensed danger. A figure shot up from the sand below, lunging straight at him mid-air.
"Slice!" Kunai pierced Saitama's chest, exposing Sayuki's cold, murderous stare.
"Boom!" Not waiting for another move, Saitama vanished in a puff of white smoke before Sayuki could deliver a second strike.
"What?!" Sayuki froze in disbelief, his whole body stiffening.
"Swish!" The sand beneath him erupted violently as Saitama burst up from below, crackling with arcs of electricity.
"Thrust!" A thunder-charged slash carved across Sayuki's abdomen before he could react, leaving a deep wound that spewed blood.
"Clang!" Sayuki, being a Jonin after all, managed to recover despite being caught off guard. He blocked with a kunai aimed at Saitama's sword.
"Clang! Clang!" With Sayuki wounded, Saitama pressed his advantage relentlessly, keeping up the assault. Chakra surged through his body as he attacked without pause.
Overwhelmed and already injured, Sayuki was forced to retreat step by painful step.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!] Saitama gathered chakra in his throat, where searing energy built up. As he opened his mouth, a massive fireball erupted outward.
"Whoosh!" The blazing inferno slammed into the sands, blackening the ground and scorching deep trails.
"You okay?" When the flames cleared, Saitama saw Gekko Masano standing beside Sayuki. Frowning, he looked over to the newly arrived Jonin, who now flanked both opponents alongside Saitama.
"Oh geez, sorry about that, Saitama. I couldn't stop him."
Captain Masano looked a bit embarrassed. As fellow Jonin, helping another breakthrough wasn't particularly difficult—especially when their power levels were so close!
The Tomoe around his pupils contracted, but Saitama said nothing. His strength was entirely thanks to the Sharingan and Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Earlier, at the exact moment the Explosive Tag detonated, the Sharingan had not only caught Sayuki's mocking smirk, but also the hand seal he made—a Sand Clone seal! So, using the explosion's rising sand as cover, Saitama formed a Shadow Clone himself. One clone stepped forward while his true body hid beneath the grains, waiting for the right opportunity.
The wind kept blowing, golden sands rising and falling between them. With flashes of lightning, all of them moved simultaneously! Their figures left traces upon the dunes. The battle continued.
A kunai deflected Saitama's blade—with a sharp clang. It came from another Jonin—Mashu.
Channeling more chakra through his arm, an electric arc surged down the sword toward him. Saitama narrowed his eyes, pressing the blade harder against Mashu's weapon, leaving no room for escape.
"Zzzzt!" The lightning struck home, raising smoke. Mashu didn't even flinch before kicking straight into Saitama's abdomen.
"Boom!" This reaction surprised Saitama slightly. Instinctively, he tried stepping back—but it happened too fast. He couldn't fully dodge.
The kick landed squarely against his body, giving Saitama the sensation of being hit by something massive. He tumbled backward from the impact.
Elsewhere, seeing Saitama struggle, Masano abandoned his own opponent. Moving quickly, he appeared beside Saitama, standing guard.
"Don't get careless. That Suna ninja is an Earth Release specialist with some kind of Earth-based Taijutsu style. High defense and strong offense," Masano warned. What he implied was that the drawback was speed.
"Yeah… got careless," Saitama replied, dragging his blade across the sand, locking eyes on the enemy ninja. He saw the dark yellow layer coating Mashu's skin—a Kara-like armored shell covering his body.
No wonder his previous lightning hadn't worked—it must have been blocked by that outer shell.
"You stall the Earth guy—I'll deal with the other one first," Gekko Masano assessed Saitama's capabilities without hesitation.
"It'll take time." No unnecessary words. Saitama kept his gaze fixed on the two Suna ninjas ahead.
"I'll do my best. Their jutsu somewhat counters ours," Gekko muttered lowly.
"Ready... Go!" Electricity sparked along his blade. Chakra began surging rapidly through his body.
Saitama and Gekko Masano charged forward, constantly switching positions mid-advance to confuse perception.
"Hmph!" Mashu scoffed, confident in his superiority against Taijutsu-focused opponents. Very few could truly harm him.
"Shsh!" Saitama headed straight for Sayuki, crackling with lightning. He still had faith in his own abilities.
As that blade slashed downward, Sayuki didn't flinch. He already understood Saitama's pattern—the Chakra Nature Transformation lightning was dangerous, catching people off guard.
They passed each other, Sayuki deliberately avoiding direct contact with Saitama.
The blade dropped to Saitama's waist as he twisted his wrist mid-swing and continued slashing toward Sayuki's body.
"Shk!" A wound split open. Ignoring everything, Saitama kept attacking relentlessly. Meanwhile, Gekko Masano and Mashu had already clashed in battle.
"Kid, how dare you underestimate me!" Realizing that Mashu could no longer assist him, Sayuki made a firm decision. He wiped the blood from his fresh wound and muttered through gritted teeth.
"Why say so much? Is this all the strength of a Jonin from Sunagakure?" Mockingly, Saitama didn't pause for even a moment.
Actually, it wasn't entirely fair to criticize Sayuki for his skill level—his abilities had been significantly overstated. During wartime, elite fighters were rare, so ninja like Sayuki, whose power hovered between Chunin and Jonin, would sometimes be directly promoted to Jonin out of necessity.
Continuing the fight wouldn't benefit Saitama's team. With no way of knowing if reinforcements might arrive, he chose to end things quickly.
Sliding the sword back onto his waist, Saitama steadied his breath.
"Hmm?" The suffocatingly intense attack suddenly stopped, and Sayuki momentarily couldn't react. His expression first turned strange, but seeing that Saitama had sheathed his blade, he tensed up as both hands started forming seals.
Saitama held a seal with both hands. His Sharingan eyes pulsed rhythmically while part of his chakra vanished. He fixed his gaze on Sayuki.
[Genjutsu: Gakyō no Jutsu (Binding Illusion)!] With a sharp mental command, the technique activated.
"Eh, what is this?" Sayuki stiffened, realizing he could no longer move.
"A Binding Jutsu?" Puzzled, Sayuki murmured. Though unfamiliar with this specific binding technique, he assumed it must belong to some type of Genjutsu.
He directed his chakra through different internal pathways, attempting to disrupt the flow with chaotic pulses to break free from the illusion.
"Wasted effort!" Again reaching for his waist, Saitama saw arcs of lightning crackle anew.
"Thud!" He dashed forward surrounded by thunder, arriving instantly before Sayuki.
"How is this possible?" Sayuki wore an expression of disbelief—his usual method for breaking illusions hadn't worked, and he remained paralyzed! Watching Saitama's blade already upon him, Sayuki realized there was no escape.
"Slash!" Blade pierced flesh. Coldness blanketed Saitama's face.
"This is a Genjutsu of the Uchiha clan, fueled by the Sharingan. No ordinary method can break it." As Saitama poured more chakra into the strike, the electricity surging over the sword intensified sharply.
"Ahhh!" Roaring from the electric shocks coursing through him, Sayuki writhed in unbearable torment—the last flickers of life now vanishing.
"Phew!" Yanking out the sword, Saitama shoved Sayuki away. Just as his opponent's body started collapsing, Saitama rotated the blade one final time, slicing a thin line across his throat. Blood gushed forth like water released from a floodgate.
"Haaack!" Clutching his throat, Sayuki fell over, his spirit extinguished entirely.
"Captain, buy me a bit more time!" Instead of immediately aiding Masano, Saitama turned his attention toward Soma.
Soma's battlefield lay some distance from where Saitama fought, but right now he was clearly at a disadvantage. Although clinging desperately to his opponent, countless wounds—some grave, others minor; some shallow, others deep—covered his body.
Staring at his enemy, Soma found his entire offensive rhythm shattered. At this point, all he could do was endure blow after blow.
"Thankfully, the teacher's part is almost over!" After a glance to the side, Soma once again felt a surge of combat power. He was determined not to be a burden and to keep sticking to this Chunin no matter what.
Soma slashed downward at the enemy's right flank, aiming to expose an opening!
"Hmph!" Before his strike landed, Soma was sent flying by a kick!
"Puah!" Soma spat out a mouthful of blood. His face turned pale, and the breath he had been clinging onto vanished instantly.
His momentum weakened immediately. Soma collapsed completely, drained of any strength to stand back up.
"Die already, Konoha ninja!" Seeing Soma seemingly resigned as he lay on the sand, the Suna ninja cruelly raised his kunai.
"Shsh!" A sound cut through the air. Soma's half-closed eyes snapped open, and his hand grabbed a handful of sand from the ground.
"Huh?" The Suna ninja sensed something strange and started to turn—but then a blade pierced straight through his back!
"Punks like you shouldn't even bother showing up!" Saitama frowned impatiently, pulling out his lightning-glittering sword.
Take a breather over there and catch your breath. I'll go help the team leader!" Saitama said to the fallen Soma, his eyes serious.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!