Chapter 52: An Overwhelming Sense of Safety – The First Steps to the Super Kage Level!

They'd been prepared to give their lives, to take down as many enemies as possible in the process. But, in their darkest hour, Captain Kazuya had arrived—the one who had fought off the Fourth Raikage and injured Orochimaru. Just seeing him sent a wave of reassurance through them.

Standing beside the battle-worn Kurenai, Kazuya noticed her fatigue and offered a warm smile. "Are you alright?" he asked, as casually as if they were chatting on a sunny afternoon.

"I'm sorry… once again, I've dragged you into trouble," Kurenai replied softly, her voice laced with guilt.

With a grin, Kazuya shrugged it off. "For you, it's no trouble at all. You're not just a comrade… you're my entire world." His voice was as smooth as it was warm, and he locked eyes with her.

"Wait, what?" Kurenai blinked, stunned, a blush creeping across her cheeks. I'm… his whole world?

While Kurenai was processing what he'd just said, the enemy Cloud ninjas charged in, snarling with malicious intent.

"Hmph! Just one more Konoha ninja for us to deal with?"

"The Leaf sure are arrogant!"

"Kill them all! Move!"

With battle cries and killing intent flaring, the Cloud ninjas let loose a torrent of shuriken and jutsu.

Kazuya's voice rang out, calm yet commanding. "Look after the injured. Leave the rest to me."

"Yes, Captain!"

The Anbu squad members, who moments ago had been on the brink of despair, now felt their spirits reignite with fierce hope.

In a flash, Kazuya appeared in front of the cloud of incoming shuriken, moving faster than any of the Cloud ninjas had anticipated.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

With rapid hand signs, he summoned a blazing sphere of flame nearly twenty meters wide, swallowing the storm of shuriken in its path.

BOOM!

The fiery explosion lit up the forest, casting a brilliant glare on the stunned faces of the Cloud ninjas.

"Who… who is this guy?"

"That's not a normal Leaf ninja!"

"Be careful! He's as strong as an Anbu captain!"

The Cloud ninjas scrambled, immediately launching counterattacks.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Lightning Style: Thunderball!"

"Shadow Shuriken Clone Jutsu!"

As the attacks came pouring in, the battlefield was a frenzy of crackling lightning, sharp steel, and blinding water bursts. Kazuya watched all this calmly, moving through the onslaught as if it were nothing more than an annoyance.

Is that… Kazuya's gaze settled on a familiar face among the attackers—a girl with short, platinum-blonde hair and an icy demeanor. Samui of the Cloud?

She had an unmistakable air about her, and he couldn't help but take notice.

As lightning and shuriken flew at him, Kazuya weaved and sidestepped effortlessly, his movements swift and calculated. Meanwhile, glowing golden orbs began to drift toward him, rewards from the enemy's attacks.

[You received 100 chakra points]

[You received 150 chakra points]

[You received 200 combat experience points]

[You received 50 Lightning Style affinity points]

[You received 50 Water Style affinity points]

[You acquired Jutsu: Lightning Style – Thunderball]

[You acquired 1000 Thunderball experience points, current level: lv2 (0/1000)]

In just a few moments, Kazuya had gained enough to push his chakra to new heights. His reserves were now hovering just shy of the Super Kage level.

Perfect. These Cloud ninjas were the ideal training dummies, he thought with a smirk. He'd intended to end this quickly, but with each second, he felt his strength grow as he harvested more energy from their attacks.

This would be the end for the Cloud ninjas.

Kazuya thought to himself: Might as well rack up some more experience before ending this. These Cloud ninjas were far from the level of Tsunade, but there were so many of them!

The battlefield was alive with explosions as Kazuya faced ten elite Cloud ninjas—eight Jonin and two top-ranking Chunin. Such a group would be overkill for any typical Leaf operative, but they didn't know who they were dealing with.

"Kill him!" the Cloud ninja commander roared, leading the charge. They had absolute confidence in their numbers.

But after a few minutes, that confidence began to crumble. The commander's face twisted in confusion. "What's with this Leaf Anbu? He's too calm. And where are the other Leaf ninjas? Why aren't they helping?"

His gaze shifted around, noticing the other Leaf Anbu either watching cautiously or tending to the injured. It was as if none of them thought they needed to join the fight.

The answer to his confusion arrived the very next moment.

In a flash, Kazuya's white cloak blurred, and the Cloud commander felt a searing pain in his stomach.

BOOM!

His body couldn't handle the sheer force and exploded, blood raining down around him.

"What?"

"No way! Just one punch?"

"He's… gone?"

The remaining Cloud ninjas froze in place, eyes wide with horror. Their commander had been obliterated in one hit.

They scattered, leaping back into the trees, panic written all over their faces.

[You received 500 chakra points]

[Your chakra level increased to Level 5 (0/1,000,000)]

The kill catapulted Kazuya's chakra to new heights. Super Kage level—finally!

He could feel the surge of chakra thrumming through his body. "So this is the strength of a Super Kage," he murmured with satisfaction, clenching his fist.

With a single leap, Kazuya closed the distance to the next Cloud ninjas, moving faster than the eye could follow.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The battlefield erupted in a series of sonic booms as he tore through them. In an instant, the Cloud ninjas were decimated, their bodies strewn across the forest floor. It was over in a heartbeat—total annihilation.

Left standing was one lone figure, a girl with striking blonde hair, watching in shock and horror. Samui, her face pale and eyes wide, realized her entire squad had been eliminated in moments.

Kazuya turned to her, his expression unreadable. "You don't need to be afraid," he said, placing a hand on her trembling shoulder. "Let's play a game."

"A…a game?" Samui stammered, her voice barely above a whisper, her whole body quivering.

"You get a thirty-second head start. After that, I'll come after you. If I catch you, I'll peel the flesh from your bones, one strip at a time."

With that, he started counting down. "Thirty, twenty-nine…"

Samui needed no further prompting—she turned and bolted, running as if her life depended on it, not noticing the black mark Kazuya had left on her shoulder.