"Man, if you really plan on killing me, you should probably start taking it seriously," Takeshi mocked as he leapt aside, avoiding a sweeping strike. "Come on, put your whole heart into it, you bastard."
"What the hell are you doing?!" shouted the other man from the rear, gently setting down the head of his dead companion. "Decapitate that dog…"
"I'm trying, damn it, I'm trying, but this asshole won't stop moving," the other replied, attempting a feint followed by a horizontal slash aimed at Takeshi's neck.
"Hey… who are you calling a dog?" Takeshi replied, pretending to be offended. He stepped back, letting the blade pass just a few centimeters from his neck.
Before his opponent could charge again, Takeshi delivered a spinning kick aimed at his right flank, but the man quickly leapt back, putting distance between them.
[Suiton: Water Bullets]
Several spheres of water formed and shot toward Takeshi.
"…Shit," he cursed, quickly drawing his weapon to deflect two of the bullets while dodging the others.
In an instant, the man closed the gap between them, delivering an oblique slash aimed at Takeshi's right shoulder. Takeshi raised his weapon to block, the two blades colliding as sparks flew.
"…Ha ha ha," the man's laughter suddenly echoed through the room. "You were acting all high and mighty, but it turns out you bleed like a pig after all."
With a smooth motion, he wiped the blood from his blade Takeshi's blood. Though he had managed to block the attack, the blade had still pierced his flesh. Blood streamed from his shoulder, staining his torso.
The smirk he had worn since the beginning of the fight slowly faded. He touched his shoulder, staring at the red liquid covering his palm.
"There's still a long way to go," he murmured, before wiping his hand on his pants.
"What are you saying?" the man sneered, seizing the chance to mock him. "Speak up, I can't hear you. I really had to put my heart into it just to hit you, right? Weren't those your words, you little arrogant shit?"
"Go on, finish him off and avenge Kira…" shouted the other man, still watching from afar without joining the fight.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…"
Takeshi burst into laughter a hysterical laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest joke of his life. The two men now looked utterly confused.
"What's so funny?" his opponent asked, tightening his grip on his weapon. "I knew you weren't right in the head, but now you've completely lost it…"
"I almost used it…" Takeshi replied simply, a wide grin on his face.
"What the " Before he could finish, his friend's voice rang out, screaming at the top of his lungs.
"MOOVE!"
One step just one step was all that kept his head attached to the rest of his body. The blade grazed his flesh, drawing a thin line of blood. But that wasn't all. The blade suddenly stopped mid-swing. The man bent forward at once, but it was already too late.
The sound of steel piercing flesh echoed as Takeshi withdrew his blade, now smeared with blood.
"So, what do you think of me now?" Takeshi asked. He could have ended it quickly, especially since the other man still hadn't acted, but strangely enough… he was enjoying this.
The adrenaline surging through his body with every dodge, every strike he had developed a taste for it and didn't want it to stop. So he forced his opponent into a pure kenjutsu duel, preventing him from using ninjutsu. But would things really go the way he wanted?
"Well then… how about you die now?" Takeshi charged again, delivering a horizontal slash aimed once more at his opponent's neck this time, there was no way to dodge.
"Shit…" Seeing death rush toward him, the bloodied man tried with all his might to move his body, but it was useless. On the brink of death, he realized one thing: "From the start, this dog was playing with us… I never stood a chance…"
[Suiton: Water Wall]
Fortunately, his companion reacted quickly. Just as the blade was about to reach his neck, a wall of water materialized, deflecting the weapon's trajectory.
"Get a grip, what the hell are you doing?!" shouted the man who had stayed back as he rushed forward. "You almost got your head cut off. This isn't someone you can handle alone we'll use our numerical advantage."
One hand gripping his weapon and the other pressing against his bleeding wound, the second man stood up without a word. He had already understood: they were at war, and pride had to be set aside if they wanted to make it out alive… yet the question remained would he have survived even if all three of them had attacked this man together?
"I wanted to keep playing, but you won't stop using your shitty ninjutsu…" Takeshi said irritably. "You brought this on yourselves…"
He rapidly formed hand seals.
[Yōton: Molten Rock]
Enormous chunks of molten rock formed, rapidly raising the temperature of the corridor. They shot toward the water wall raised by the two men.
On impact, a massive cloud of steam erupted, obscuring the rebels' vision as they immediately went on guard.
"Stay sharp he'll use the steam to attack…" bellowed the wounded man.
But it was already too late. Before he could even raise his weapon, he felt searing pain spread through his neck. Lowering his gaze, he saw a blade protruding from his mouth.
He wanted to scream, but nothing came out. A harsh childhood in Kiri, a family exploited by those in power he had joined the rebel forces to change things, at least for his children. Instead, he ended up skewered by a madman he had the misfortune of crossing.
His eyes dulled as the blade was violently pulled from his flesh. His body collapsed heavily to the ground, blood pooling across the floor.
"Man, where are you?" the second one asked upon hearing the noise. The steam was slowly dissipating, but the scene it revealed was utterly macabre.
Beside him lay the lifeless body of his comrade, eyes still open, his jaw torn apart. In an instant, he had lost two companions and the nightmare wasn't over. He scanned the room, but the enemy was nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it…!" he cursed, sweat beading on his forehead as he tightened his grip on his kunai.
"Looking for me?" Takeshi whispered suddenly, right next to his ear.
"Die!" the man shouted as he jumped away, but suddenly something felt wrong. The world flipped upside down, and he felt as though he were flying.
"What's happening…" he thought until his gaze landed on his own headless body collapsing to its knees. "Shit…" were his final words.
With a smooth motion, Takeshi severed his head without hesitation. He didn't even blink. He watched the man's head roll into a corner, then wiped his weapon and sheathed it.
"Are you planning on watching me for much longer?" he said without even turning around.
"You've got pretty sharp eyes," replied a familiar voice.