44 Dangerous Situation

Amid a life-or-death crisis, Satoru took a deep breath, doing his best to calm his racing mind.

"Anko, run quickly, go find Shibi-sensei."

"What about you?"

"I'll stay here and hold them off."

"No, I can't just leave you here alone."

"Their speed far surpasses ours. If I don't stay and hold them back, we won't stand a chance of escaping, and besides..."

Satoru took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with intense determination.

"I do have a chance, though."

"But..." Anko hesitated.

"There's no time!"

Satoru shouted, the mist dispersing as the Long Fang Ninja Blade appeared in his hand.

At that moment of his shout, accompanied by a deafening sound, a massive tree in front of them was suddenly cleaved apart, and dust filled the air.

"Maru, your nose is quite sensitive indeed. There is indeed fresh blood here."

As the dust settled, two figures emerged, one of whom carried an enormous shinobi blade over his shoulder, and red, blood-like patterns adorned their sharp teeth.

"Ahaha, Jūzō, I told you so, but you didn't believe me."

The sharp laughter of the other figure echoed, grating like nails on a chalkboard, sending a shiver down the spines of Satoru and Anko.

The shinobi had two red dots on his forehead, and red marks under each of his eye sockets.

Jūzō Biwa, the user of Kubikiribōchō the Executioner's Blade and a member of the Kaguya clan, and as Satoru soon realized, they were in a dire situation.

"It looks like we've got Konoha shinobis here," Jūzō said, raising his sword and squinting at the tiny nick on the blade's edge.

"My Executioner's Blade has a notch in it. Perfect, I can use your blood to mend it!"

As the words fell, Jūzō leaped into the air, the heavy shinobi blade coming crashing down towards Anko's location.

"Run, Anko!"

Satoru turned his head and shouted at her.

"Go!"

Anko stood still, seemingly paralyzed by fear. Memories of a terrible past rushed back, consuming her.

"Satoru, am I just useless?"

"I hate myself so much. I was right there, but I could only watch, completely powerless..."

"I'm just slowing you down. I'm worthless..."

"Anko!"

Satoru's shout snapped her back to reality. Her body trembled, breaking free from the grip of fear. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"Wait for me, Satoru. I won't leave you behind."

"I'll go find Shibi-sensei. I promise I'll come back. Just wait for me."

With newfound determination in her eyes, Anko dashed towards the forest, disappearing into the foliage.

Jūzō's eyes squinted in amusement. "Trying to escape, huh?"

Maru's eyes flickered with anger. "Hey, Jūzō, are you serious? First, you want me to go after her, then you change your mind. Do you think I'm your lackey or something?"

"Shut up! I'll handle this brat. You go chase after that escaping prey."

Jūzō's gaze remained fixed on Satoru, with not just anger but also a hint of puzzlement. He had noticed that Satoru had managed to hold him back despite being weaker. He had felt an inexplicable force emanating from Satoru's sword.

To prevent this from happening again, Jūzō had to focus on suppressing the sword's anomalous behavior, giving Satoru a series of opportunities to counter him.

"Kid, whatever secrets you have, you'll just be another soul under my Executioner's Blade!"

After a series of clashes, Jūzō's anger peaked. He released his chakra, encasing his sword in a blue aura that engulfed the blade.

"No good!"

Feeling the sudden surge in power from Jūzō's sword, Satoru clenched his teeth.

Sparks flew as the two weapons clashed, and the Choya blade began to show signs of strain.

With a powerful twist, Jūzō forced the blade deeper into the Choya's blade, and it snapped into several pieces, Satoru was sent flying through the air.

Crimson blood dripped from Jūzō's abdomen. As he removed the fragments embedded in his flesh, a sense of realization dawned on him.

"I finally understand the source of that strange resistance."

With a sudden motion, Jūzō's eyes lit up with a sinister light. He had realized that Satoru's unusual ability to hold back the Executioner's Blade was due to a strong magnetic force, it was a Kekkei Genkai.

"So it's Magnet Release, you're a dual kekkei genkai user!"

Jūzō had finally put the pieces together. The fragments of the shattered blade had been manipulated by Satoru's Magnet Release, directing them back toward Jūzō's body.

Waves of interest washed over both Jūzō and his partner, who was now fully engaged in the unfolding spectacle.

"Are you sure about this, Jūzō? Hasn't the village's intelligence agency reported any dual kekkei genkai user from the Hyuga clan?"

"Not a mistake. It must be Magnet Release!"

"Is that so? What has the village been doing with their intelligence? How could they have missed a dual kekkei genkai user emerging in the Hyuga clan?"

Interest piqued, Jūzō's cold eyes were fixed on Satoru's determined figure.

The fragments removed from Jūzō's body were clutched tightly in his hand. As he wiped his hand across the blade, a crimson trail marked the sword. The blade came alive, reacting to the infusion of Jūzō's blood. The gaps on the blade's surface closed, and the Executioner's Blade restored itself.

Pointing the blade at Satoru, Jūzō's eyes blazed with icy intent.

"Let me use my blood to restore this blade, and you'll be the first!"

Satoru smirked, unafraid. He knew he was about to reveal a new facet of his power.

With his eyes closed, chakra surged through Satoru's body, his aura radiating a blue hue. His breath quickened as he channeled his inner strength to its limits.

When he opened his eyes, his pupils were ablaze with an azure electric light. His entire being was enveloped in a brilliant, crackling field of energy.

Tyrant Mode!