Chapitre 51: One man army
Akio sat in the middle of the plain, his legs crossed and his hands resting on his knees. The grass around him swayed gently in the cool night breeze, but the air close to him was warm. The glow of the moon lit up the area, but Akio barely noticed it. His focus was on the horizon to the north, where the Kaguya clan would be coming.
He wasn't worried. He wasn't in a rush. He just waited.
His mind wandered to the training he had done during the few quiet moments he'd had in this war. Even though he was the clan leader, Akio made sure to keep his skills sharp. He didn't train just for power—he trained for precision, control and for tye ability to protect his clan. Fire was his weapon, and he treated it like an extension of himself.
He thought back to the mornings he spent alone on the training grounds. The sun would just be rising, the air cool before the day's heat set in. He would practice his jutsu and taijutsu over and over until his body moved without him needing to think.
One memory stood out. It was a morning after a long night of planning for the war. Akio had walked to the training grounds, his mind focused on one thing. He formed the seals quickly, each one practiced so many times it felt natural.
"Katon: Enryūgoku(Fire Release: Flame Dragon Prison,火遁・炎流獄)"
A massive spiral of fire shot out in front of him, roaring as it twisted upward. The heat was intense, but Akio controlled it perfectly. The fire obeyed him, not the other way around. When it was over, the ground was blackened and smoking, but Akio wasn't tired. He just nodded to himself and started again aiming to perfect ll the jutsu's he had made.
"I still couldn't master the domain. If I had, this fight would have been a thousand times better. I guess it's just a theory now, not a jutsu."
Sitting in the middle of the plain, Akio felt calm. His body was ready, his mind clear. There was no need to stand or prepare. The Kaguya were coming, but he was already here.
The ground beneath him began to shake with faint vibrations. The wind shifted, and Akio could smell blood faintly in the air. The Kaguya were almost here. Still, he didn't move. He would wait until they reached him. He didn't need to go to them.
The vibrations beneath the ground intensified, a steady rhythm growing louder as the silhouettes of the Kaguya clan's warriors emerged on the horizon. Hundreds of them marched forward, their bone blades gleaming under the moonlight, each step purposeful and unwavering. The air grew colder with their arrival, a chilling contrast to the warmth radiating from Akio as he remained seated in the center of the plain.
None of the Kaguya warriors knew the identity of the Hima clan's leader, nor did they care. To them, this lone figure sitting calmly in the middle of the battlefield was either a fool or bait—a minor obstacle before they crushed the Hima once and for all.
Akio's lips curved slightly, barely a smile, as the first wave of Kaguya ninjas sprinted toward him. "Impatient," he muttered to himself, finally standing. The grass around him singed under the subtle rise in heat radiating from his body.
The first ninja lunged, bone spear in hand, aiming for Akio's chest. Akio sidestepped effortlessly, his movement fluid, almost casual. His hand shot out, grabbing the ninja's wrist, twisting it with enough precision to disarm him. With a sharp palm strike to the chest, the Kaguya warrior flew backward, his ribcage collapsing under the force. Before the ninja hit the ground, Akio spun and drove his heel into the side of another attacker's head, snapping his neck instantly.
Another charged from Akio's blind spot, swinging a jagged bone sword. Akio ducked low, his body twisting as he swept the ninja's legs out from under him. Before the attacker hit the ground, Akio's foot came down like a hammer on his chest, crushing him into the dirt. The sickening crunch echoed across the plain.
The others hesitated, their eyes narrowing at the unexpected display of precision and lethality.
"Well?" Akio said, his voice calm but carrying across the field. "Is that all?"
The hesitation was brief. The Kaguya warriors surged forward in coordinated waves, attacking from all angles. Bone blades slashed through the air, kunai rained down from above, and explosive tags erupted around him.
Akio moved like a phantom, his body weaving through their attacks with precise, practiced motions. He blocked a high slash with his forearm, redirecting the blade before spinning into a backfist that shattered another attacker's jaw. He caught a kunai mid-air and hurled it back with lethal accuracy, embedding it into a ninja's throat.
He ducked under a wide slash and stepped into the attacker's space, driving his elbow into their ribs. As another came from behind, Akio twisted his body, grabbing the ninja's arm and flipping them over his shoulder, slamming them into the ground. Before they could recover, Akio's fist came down like a sledgehammer, caving in their skull.
Two ninjas came at him simultaneously, bone swords slashing in a coordinated attack. Akio parried one with his forearm and sidestepped the other, delivering a spinning heel kick that sent one flying into his comrade. Both hit the ground, dazed. Akio didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, his movements swift and unrelenting, and drove his fist through one ninja's chest, pulling his hand back bloodied. The second didn't even have time to scream before Akio's flaming palm reduced him to ash.
The Kaguya regrouped, surrounding Akio in a wide circle. Their movements became more synchronized, and a few began to manipulate their bones into shields and weapons, creating an impenetrable defense.
One of the warriors, a lieutenant by his stance, stepped forward. His voice was calm but commanding. "Whoever you are, you'll regret standing in our way."
Akio shrugged, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. "You'll regret not bringing more men."
The lieutenant didn't respond. He lunged, and the rest of the Kaguya followed, attacking in a seamless formation.
The battle reached a fever pitch. Akio used his taijutsu to dismantle their rhythm, parrying strikes and delivering devastating counters. A spinning heel kick shattered one ninja's bone armor, sending him flying into another. Akio caught a kunai mid-air and hurled it back with precision, striking an enemy's eye socket.
He ducked under a high strike and stepped into the attacker's space, landing a rapid series of punches to their ribs before finishing with a flaming uppercut that sent the ninja's charred body flying. Another came at him with a jagged bone spear, but Akio redirected the thrust with a fluid motion, snapping the weapon in half and driving the splintered end into the ninja's chest.
The Kaguya adapted quickly, pressing harder. Three ninjas rushed him simultaneously, one aiming low, one high, and the third attacking his flank. Akio pivoted, sidestepping the first and delivering a knee to the second's gut. As the third slashed at him, he caught the blade with his bare hand, the flames radiating from his palm melting the weapon into slag. The ninja barely had time to gasp before Akio's flaming fist crushed his skull.
The lieutenant re-entered the fray, his movements sharper and more calculated. He feinted left, forcing Akio to sidestep into the path of another ninja's attack. A bone spike grazed Akio's arm, drawing a thin line of blood.
Akio's eyes narrowed. "Not bad," he muttered, stepping back to create space.
The lieutenant pressed the advantage, his strikes quick and deliberate. Akio parried the attacks, his hands moving like blurs. He sidestepped a thrust, pivoting to the side, and delivered a spinning back kick to the lieutenant's side, cracking his bone shield.
The lieutenant staggered but recovered, slamming his foot into the ground. Bone spikes erupted in a wide radius, forcing Akio to jump. Mid-air, Akio formed a quick seal, releasing a concentrated burst of flames downward. The fire incinerated the spikes and scorched several ninjas who were too slow to retreat.
Akio landed smoothly, his gaze locking onto the lieutenant. He shifted his stance slightly, his hands loose and ready.
"You've got some experience," Akio said, his tone calm but edged with finality. "But experience alone won't save you."
The lieutenant's jaw tightened. He charged again, feinting high before aiming low with a bone dagger. Akio sidestepped, his hand lashing out to grab the lieutenant's wrist. With a twist and a sharp strike to the elbow, the dagger fell from his grasp.
Akio didn't let up. He drove his knee into the lieutenant's stomach, then pivoted into a spinning elbow strike that sent him reeling.
Before the lieutenant could recover, Akio stepped in close, his hand glowing with intense heat. He placed it against the lieutenant's chest and released a concentrated burst of fire. The force sent the man flying backward, his armor scorched and cracked.
The remaining Kaguya, seeing their lieutenant fall, made a last desperate attempt to overwhelm Akio. But it was futile. Akio moved through them like a storm, each movement precise and lethal. A flaming roundhouse kick obliterated one, while a series of rapid jabs left another crumpled on the ground.
One by one, they fell, their attacks growing slower and more desperate as fear set in. When the last ninja dropped to the ground, his body broken and smoldering, the battlefield was silent once more.
Akio exhaled, the heat around him dissipating. The plain was littered with the burned corpses of the kaguya clan ninjas, the grass scorched and the air filled with smoke.
He gazed at the lifeless bodies strewn across the battlefield. The sight barely stirred him—he had steeled himself for this moment. Bringing his clan to the top would never be bloodless, and he'd known sacrifices were inevitable. Yet, as his eyes lingered on the corpses, a flicker of pity crept into his hardened heart.
Gathering those who hadn't been reduced to ash, he dug a collective grave. Dropping to both knees, he clasped his hands together and bowed his head in silence, a fleeting prayer escaping his lips.
"Hope you all find peace in the Pure Lands."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone