Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
How do I escape this predicament?
How?
This werewolf is fast. Way too fast.
I can't even track its movements properly.
I can only defend and wait for someone to come to my rescue.
But for that, I would have to send a signal first.
Curse it all.
I should have sent a signal flare the moment I felt that absurd chakra outburst coming from the cave entrance.
Zarui was lamenting his misfortune and regretted his overconfidence and indecisiveness.
He thought he could handle this level of threat.
He thought that his team was capable enough to contend against a quasi-kage-level foe.
However, the reality proved otherwise.
He couldn't understand.
He couldn't understand why such a formidable and intelligent chakra beast was lurking in this area so close to Kumogakure, which had hundreds of thousands of skilled ninjas and tens of Kage-level Shinobi.
That was suicidal.
Yet, it stayed here, in this place, without alerting anyone, and abducted residents and ninjas leisurely.
It killed his comrades, one by one, right in front of his very eyes, and ate their hearts.
This werewolf was mocking his weakness.
It was as if it were mocking the very foundation of Kumogakure.
This realization filled him with rage, hatred, and humiliation.
But he could do nothing at all.
Fear gripped his heart, but he forced himself to be brave.
If he were to die anyway, it was better to fight until the end.
Even if he couldn't take this beast to the Pure Land with him, he would at least injure it severely and create a commotion big enough for the Kumo's sensory division to deploy S-rank Shinobi for investigation within minutes.
This way, this bastardly beast's fate will be sealed.
"So, what do you think of my proposal?"
"If you win, I can let you go, you know!"
As Zarui contemplated his next move, the familiar raspy, growling voice echoed in the air again.
Zarui snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the werewolf warily.
"What do you mean, beast?" asked Zarui.
Although Zarui didn't believe the werewolf's words, he still wanted to delay the confrontation as much as possible to create a solid battle plan.
And if possible, he wanted to send a signal, too.
"Hehehe"
"So, you are finally willing to listen."
"However, I would appreciate it if you would call me by my name. It's Drax, not Beast."
"But let's not talk about this."
The werewolf, Drax, let out a toothy, ferocious grin full of malice.
Then, it spread its arms and said, "3 minutes."
"I will give you three minutes to attack me with everything you have got."
"During this time, I will defend and won't land a fatal blow on you."
Drax's golden eyes began to shine as he declared, "If you manage to kill me within this time frame, you will win, naturally."
"If you manage to injure me fatally within this time frame, you will survive, and I will die. After all, I doubt you will spare me after what I did to your dear friends."
"If you could cripple me, you will have a chance to retreat."
"How about it?"
Hearing this, Zarui watched the werewolf skeptically.
All of it sounded like absolute nonsense.
Did the werewolf think him to be a gullible toddler?
Yes, he was scared. But he was no fool.
He was still a capable ninja who had reached the peak of Elite Jonin, both in combat prowess and official rank.
Zarui asked, "And why would I believe your words?"
The werewolf, Drax, let out a mocking laugh.
"Haha!"
"Yes, you have no reason to believe me."
"But if you don't play my game, you will die anyway."
"At least, during the game, you will have a better chance of injuring me and fleeing this place with the tail between your legs, like the pathetic weakling you are."
Suddenly, Drax the werewolf's mocking expression vanished.
"Listen here, you pathetic backstabbing insect."
"Your delay tactics are pathetic."
"Do you think I don't know what you are trying?"
"But that will be of no use."
"I can crush a weakling like you at any moment."
"But where's the fun in that?"
"So, when I say we will play, you will play."
"No more words."
"Your three minutes…starts now!"
Drax growled as it stood in front of Zarui.
Meanwhile, Zarui, who was insulted by the werewolf, felt his blood pressure increasing.
He could accept dying at a beast's hand.
But a beast, a mere beast, insulting him?
Him?
How could he, a proud Kumo Shinobi, tolerate that?
That was it.
This beast wouldn't let him get away.
So, he might as well go along with the play.
He would show the beast the resolve of a Kumo Elite Jonin.
Without wasting any more time, Zarui quickly formed a "Tiger" hand seal, which condensed a considerable amount of water chakra in front of him.
Water Release: Rising Water Slicer
A linear wave of high-pressure water rose from the ground vertically for up to 5 meters before moving forward at the werewolf at a high speed while slicing the ground apart.
This linear water wave had enough cutting power to slice rocks and cleave people in half.
It was so fast that it reached the werewolf in the fifth of a second and sliced through the beast.
But Zarui did not relax.
Why?
Because as soon as the water wave sliced through the werewolf, the beast's figure vanished like a phantom.
Shit!
This beast deliberately let the Jutsu get close to it before dodging the water wave in the last seconds.
I didn't even see it move.
Where did it go? Where did this bastard go?
Zarui looked around frantically while opening up his senses to the max level, trying to detect even the slightest movement or sound.
"Oh! Are you perhaps looking for me?"
At this moment, he suddenly heard a voice, a menacing, raspy voice that sent chills down his spine.
He quickly unsheathed his ninja blade, pivoted on his left leg, rotated 180° toward his right, and sliced his lightning-chakra-enhanced sword horizontally at the source of the voice with full force.
Ding~ Crackle~
The sword and the chakra-coated claws of the werewolf clashed, causing arcs of thunder and sparks to fly into the air.
Zarui was surprised by the immense force behind the clash, but he soon composed himself.
Then, he rained down a flurry of slashes coated by intense lightning chakra at the werewolf.
Drax the werewolf blocked each of those attacks with an amused expression.
When the fight reached the two-minute mark, Drax finally had enough.
It blocked the incoming sword attack with one of its claws before punching Zarui hard in his stomach with the other hand.
"Gah…"
A mixture of spit and blood came out of Zarui's mouth as the force of the punch bent his body like a bow before making his entire body fly backward with tremendous momentum.
Boooom!! Crash!
Zarui ultimately crashed onto the snow-covered ground after flying a couple of tens of meters in the air.
His face was twisted in pain. He felt his inner organs shift and his bones rattle from the sheer force of the punch.
Drax, the werewolf, arrived in front of Zarui like a ghost, grabbed him by his head, and lifted him into the air. His body was hanging down like a broken puppet.
"That's it?"
"I just punched a little with minimal force, and that's enough to break you?"
Suddenly, Zarui sprang into motion, and both of his hands were filled with terrifying lightning discharge, ready to incinerate everything they touch into cinders.
Lightning Release: Thunderbolt
It turned out, Zarui had already made the necessary hand seals to release the Jutsu when he was flying backwards after tanking the heavy punch.
He just waited for the right opportunity to unleash it.
Unfortunately, the Jutsu that can incinerate and char most Shinobi to death didn't even harm a single strand of hair follicle of the werewolf's fur.
The werewolf's entire body glowed blue with powerful chakra coating, which rendered the power of such a destructive B-rank Lightning Release Jutsu ineffective.
Zarui couldn't help but look at this scene with disbelief.
"Hmm…"
"Were you trying to tickle me with your lightning?"
"If that's the case, then you have succeeded in your endeavor."
Drax mocked him again before throwing him aside like a rag doll.
The werewolf watched as the ninja in front of him tried to stand up on his feet with an expression of disdain.
Meanwhile, Zarui suddenly made a "Dragon" hand seal, held his right arm high in the air, and tried to use Lightning Release: Lightning Signal Fire to send a large amount of lightning to the air like a flare signal.
However, before the lightning crackling on his hand could be discharged, his hand suddenly separated from his body and dropped to the ground with a thud.
At first, he couldn't understand what was going on before an excruciating pain emerged from his right shoulder, where his right hand should have been.
He knelt and cried out loud in agony.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhrrrr"
Blood flowed down from his right shoulder, and before he could compose himself, he suddenly felt something gripping his chin, forcing him to look up.
He saw the glowing, orb-like, golden eyes of the werewolf looking down on him before he heard it say, "Three minutes are over."
Before Zarui could even comprehend the meaning of those words, the werewolf pierced its claws into his throat and brutally tore his head apart from his body with an effortless display of strength.
Blood gushed out of his now headless neck and the severed head.
"How boring," muttered the werewolf. "But I guess I should leave this place right now."
"I am still not strong enough to withstand the siege of multiple Kage-level enemies and retreat safely."
"At least, not before I complete my evolution."
The werewolf gazed toward the distant horizon.
"10 years…no…five years."
"I need five years at most to complete my evolution."
"Then, I will go to the Land of Fire."
"The same place I was forced to flee from 300 years ago by those red-eyed lunatics and those wood and mud using freaks."
With this, the werewolf tore the hearts from the remaining two corpses and ate them before leaving this temporary hideout permanently.
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