35. Dream Showdown (2)

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Pulling a kunai from his sleeve, Naruto blocks and then counterattacks with a swing of his tanto in his other hand. The slash was quick and precise, one might say perfect, but it missed the mask on the face of the "Nameless" by just a millimeter.

Throwing a kunai at the opponent Naruto had in hand, he backs away, and an explosion of explosive substance can be heard in the room, which was placed on the kunai.

— Wha...

A spark of fire caused a small explosion, but it didn't do much to the "Nameless" except disorienting him and giving him a few moments of relaxation.

Naruto switched opponents and again focused on the ugly woman. In an instant, he grabbed her by the hair and threw her like a sack of potatoes at the "Dragon", who together with her flew onto the stone table in the middle of the room, hitting it with their backs.

Naruto didn't allow himself a break and threw the tanto at the head of the "Fish". He wanted to finish him off for attempting to kill him, but he knew that wouldn't be enough.

The "Fish" dodged in time. Despite being old and worn-out, he was truly powerful.

The "Elder" didn't allow his friend to fight alone, and when Naruto was about to engage in Taijutsu with the "Fish", the "Elder" attacked Naruto with his curved blade.

It was perfectly suited for slicing people and cutting off their heads or limbs. The "Elder" honed his art through years of being a Shinobi on bloody and brutal battlefields during the last Two Great Shinobi Wars.

It was hard to avoid that blade, so Naruto decided to block it with two tanto, which he quickly drew from his scabbard. He had prepared many weapons for this fight, so he confidently exchanged them.

The clash of metal against metal rang in their ears, a few sparks of light ignited between their faces due to the impact of their weapons. Naruto stepped back half a step due to the immense force possessed by this old man. Despite being the oldest among them, the "Elder" had incredible strength, as if he were in the prime of his life.

His senses were also at the highest level, as if he were not retired at all. A small smile appeared on his face when he saw the "Stranger" retreat.

— So the monster isn't that strong after all, huh...? — he asked this question between subsequent attacks, which also confirmed his theory. He didn't even need an answer from the "Stranger"; the "Elder" already knew it.

The "Fish" possessed immense intellect and knowledge in conducting criminal activities, and the "Elder" had unrivaled knowledge in Shinobi disciplines and was able to read his opponent like an open book. Despite being former enemies and rivals, they had become friends who could create something more together than if they did it alone. They complemented each other in the missing aspects to rise even higher. Thanks to their cooperation, the Two Fangs gang rose so high above all others, taking second place in the black market.

The "Fish" attacked Naruto from behind while the "Elder" approached him from the front. The "Fish" thought he had approached Naruto unnoticed, but Naruto, being a powerful Sensor, jumped into the air, avoiding the sneaky attack. However, it was an opportunity for the "Elder"; in the air, one's movement and possibilities are limited, it was the end for the "Stranger".

The "Elder" cut several places at once, using a Kenjutsu technique to physically clone his sword. With this simple move, he would be able to cut off all of Naruto's limbs along with his head and shred his body into tiny pieces.

However, before that happened, a strange substance flew from the "Stranger's" hand and exploded in a fraction of a second. It didn't injure the "Elder"; it simply forced him to stop the attack and withdraw, and the "Stranger" was thrown backward by the explosion. He was closest to the explosion, which gave him direction in the air.

Behind Naruto, where he flew, was the "Fish". The disoriented old man unconsciously reacted and cut Naruto with a kunai, but Naruto grabbed his wrist and threw him to the ground.

Twisting the arm of the gray-haired old man, Naruto plunged his own kunai into his neck. The "Fish" killed himself, with little help from Naruto.

— Y-you...!? — the "Elder" exclaimed angrily, his eyes bloodshot.

— Another one down — Naruto chuckled. It wasn't as epic a kill as the two previous ones, but it could have been.

If Naruto had looked at him a little longer, he might have started to judge this kill as an artistic masterpiece. The kunai was perfectly lodged in the throat, and the red liquid beautifully decorated his clothes as he slowly departed from this world.

The two previous kills were amazing in Naruto's mind. First, he killed a guy who used a technique to hide his presence to rob and kill others who weren't even aware of it. Naruto killed an expert in his field, and he didn't even notice him until he was pierced with a blade. Later, there was supposed to be a cannibalistic woman, but she managed to avoid Naruto's perfectly aimed attack, but instead, he finished off her brother.

It made him realize that he still had some work to do because there are people with a sixth sense who can detect him.

The "Elder" recklessly threw himself at him, trying to attack Naruto with his blade, but Naruto threw the body of the "Fish" at him. The "Fish" coughed; maybe he wasn't fully dead yet, but he was close to passing to the other side. The "Elder" immediately hesitated, unconsciously catching the body of his friend, and Naruto pierced both of them with a long blade that appeared in his hand from who knows where. It was a katana.

The two old men coughed up blood, the "Fish" should already be dead, but the "Elder" would probably still live for a while. But it doesn't matter for now because he was attacked by the "Dragon".

Unassuming but the strongest of all the black market leaders, the "Dragon" was truly an interesting person. He wasn't as intelligent as some might say; he was simply a man who understood how the world works and fully exploited it for his own benefit. He was the complete opposite of ignorant.

His raw power exceeded what the "Elder" showed and pushed Naruto back several meters. Clearly, he had been holding back earlier, now he attacked the "Stranger" with all his might.

Naruto probably underestimated him a bit after being injured by that ugly woman. However, the wound wasn't that big, didn't threaten his life, nor did it cause significant blood loss.

The "Dragon" was a Taijutsu genius, and his fists could seem like iron to opponents. It was because of hitting hard objects for years to create micro-cracks on his hands. This caused them to become harder, stronger, more durable after regeneration, and the bone volume was also greater.

Naruto just now narrowly avoided a punch straight to his face, skillfully deflecting the blow aside with a swift motion, causing a gust of wind to brush through his face and hair. Involuntarily, Naruto felt the considerable pressure due to the physical strength of the "Dragon." Fighting him was truly magnificent!

Naruto leaped back, appearing on a wide table in the middle of the room, and hurled several shurikens at his opponent. At the same time, he was again attacked by the "Nameless," who appeared beside him using a movement technique.

The clash resumed with their previous adversaries. The "Nameless" mask was cracked, clothes slightly dirty and torn from the explosion, but otherwise, he had no injuries.

Naruto dodged a slash by ducking down and attempted to sweep the opponent's legs. He observed with his sensory perception and anticipated the next moves after muscle twitches, preparing for the next attack. However, the evasion came through a movement technique, Naruto was leaning forward, and the "Nameless" appearing behind him, kicked him into the wall.

Dodges are definitely harder to pull off when the opponent employs movement techniques like the Body Flicker Technique.

The room wasn't large enough to use any other powerful techniques without risking hurting each other, so everyone was constrained by the space. Well, actually, everyone except Naruto.

Even in mid-air, before the "Stranger" slammed face-first into the wall, he twisted his body to the side and threw several shurikens at the "Nameless," buying himself some time to recover.

Thanks to his Shurikenjutsu training, Naruto found it relatively easy to control his body in the air, executing some movement combinations. So, he kicked off the wall and bounced, landing on the ground.

In an instant, Naruto was struck again. His sensory perception noted it, but his body couldn't react. The "Dragon" was once again by his side, and the "Nameless" appeared beside him using the Body Flicker Technique.

Two powerful strikes drove him into the wall where he had been a moment ago.

All the air rushed out of his lungs, and Naruto felt his facial bones cracking from the "Dragon's" blow.

Twisting his body to the side at an odd angle, Naruto narrowly avoided getting impaled and kicked the "Nameless" in the wrist, knocking away his tanto.

However, his next attack was blocked by the "Dragon," who caught his body and pinned him firmly against the wall.

He was trapped and held tightly, unable to move an inch.

"Let's first find out who you are, kid, before I finish you off. Don't think that after what you've done, I'll let you go," the "Dragon" said sternly.

The "Nameless" scoffed beside him, massaging his wrist; Naruto's blow almost broke it — This brat knows how to hit.

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw the sister from the "Monstrous Siblings" lying against a stone table, bleeding out; without medical attention, she could die at any moment. Without her brother, she should now be called "Monstrous Sister/Woman" or something, but she would soon join him, so there was no point in changing the nickname. The "Fish" probably was already dead; through his sensory perception, Naruto felt life escaping him, while the "Elder" was regaining strength and temporarily patching up the wound.

The "Dragon" reached out to remove the mask from the "Stranger" face, but at that moment, his body ignited. Naruto increased the heat temperature to ignite fire from the skin cells in his body.

Fire burst forth, and the "Dragon" along with the "Nameless" instinctively stepped back.

"You wanted to cuddle, so come...!" Naruto chuckled mockingly and rushed toward the "Dragon," pressing firmly against his body.

The "Dragon" cursed loudly, feeling the fire scorching his clothes and skin.

"Don't move...!" the "Nameless" reprimanded him, aiming his blade at Naruto.

If Naruto had been hit by that, the slash would have been quite deep and would have shattered his spine! He had to avoid that, so in an instant, he leaped over the "Dragon's" body and headed toward the ugly woman, wanting to finish her off finally.

"Tch...!" the "Nameless" snorted loudly and followed him, his blade glowing with a blue Chakra light, preparing to kill the "Stranger".

However, before Naruto could approach the woman, the "Nameless" appeared in front of him and slashed through the air and his body with a Chakra-charged blade.

At that moment, Naruto could have completely lost the advantage in the fight if he had the mind and psyche of a normal person. His body was already tired and couldn't fight as long as others. He got tired faster, so the longer the fight, the more likely he was to lose. However, the closer to death, the more exciting it was for Naruto.

This was completely extreme thinking for Naruto. On one hand, he was terribly afraid of death, and if he were dragged into a tight spot, he would surely beg for his life, but he pushed himself to such a critical state to feel more adrenaline. It's insane...

The "Nameless" blade cut through the protective vest, containing metal inside, and inflicted a deep wound all over Naruto's body.

However, despite this, Naruto only slowed for a moment and intensified his fire, attacking the "Nameless."

"Seriously...?" he squeezed out before Naruto cut his body horizontally. The tanto sliced through his vest on the abdomen, creating a large wound through which his internal organs could spill out.

Passing by the "Nameless," Naruto extinguished the flames, revealing charred black skin. In the next moment, he was by the ugly woman, who was close to death, and finished her off with one strike.

She stared at him the whole time, not even blinking, with her cold as ice eyes.

"Weaklings die, and the strong rise even higher..." Naruto sent her a weak smile behind the mask, which she never saw.

He was the last one Naruto planned to kill. It was the "Elder".

The deep wound on Naruto's body was seared by the fire. Not a drop of blood came out of it, thanks to blood flow control in his bloodstream. Creating Chakra Threads, Naruto provisionally stitched it up.

His clothes besides the mask were now completely destroyed, so he stood naked in the presence of these people, but his skin was so charred that it didn't make much of a difference. Either way, Naruto didn't feel ashamed of it.

The "Nameless" was momentarily removed from the Battle. There were the "Dragon" and the "Elder," who were already preparing for further skirmishes. Both, despite the fact that the "Stranger" killed their comrades, looked at him strangely.

He was a child, probably no more than twelve years old. And he stood proudly before them, eliminating them one by one, disregarding pain and injuries as if he didn't feel them. He was the complete definition of a monster.

Even they felt pressure from him and budding fear in their hearts.