The forest was a trap of shifting shadows, the black trunks packed like walls, their branches clawing at the night sky. The air, heavy with moisture, stank of damp earth and sap.
Aiko, a chunin of the Nara clan, moved forward, her sharp eyes scanning the darkness. Her black hair, tied in a ponytail, clung to her neck with the effort.
In the chaos, she encountered a nuisance of an opponent—clearly from the Hidden Mist Village. What the hell was he doing here? The bastard had lured her away from the others, probably thinking she was weak.
A notorious slacker by reputation, she was anything but tonight. Her mind raced, analyzing the terrain: a babbling stream ten meters away, an advantage for a Suiton user.
"PFFT… predictable," she thought.
She knew the enemy was waiting, his shadows twitching, ready to strike.
A figure emerged near the water, tall, his wet hair dripping over a chiseled face.
Daiki, a deserter from the Mist's border, glared at her, a malicious smirk on his lips. "Lost, kid?" he rasped. "A lazy ass like you'll get crushed in seconds."
Aiko smirked, her eyes narrowing. "Save your spit. You'll need it for screaming." She saw right through his game: he wanted to rile her up. Too bad she was too smart for that.
The fight exploded. Daiki struck first, his hands flying through a series of seals.
"Suiton: Water Wall!"
A torrent surged from the stream, rising into a liquid barrier, thick as a stone wall, blocking Aiko's vision.
The water shimmered, glinting under the moon. "You're done, Nara!" he bellowed, hiding behind it. "Try getting through that!"
Aiko didn't waste a second. Her fingers traced seals, quick, precise.
"Kagemane no Jutsu!"
The shadows of the trees stretched, black claws creeping under the water wall, invisible. They coiled around Daiki's legs, freezing him like a statue.
His Water Wall trembled, splashing mud. "Shit!" he cursed, tugging at his shadow binds.
Aiko leaped, seizing the opening. She plunged through the splashes, her fist slamming into Daiki's jaw.
The crack echoed, blood spraying from his mouth. He growled, countering with a vicious elbow aimed at her ribs. Aiko blocked, but the impact made her wince.
She retreated, her shadows tightening their grip. "You're slow for a Mist guy," she taunted, cold.
"Bitch!" Daiki roared, his hands struggling for a seal. "Suiton: Liquid Blades!" Water jets shot out, sharp as blades, slicing toward Aiko.
She dodged, pivoting on one foot, but a jet slashed her arm, blood trickling down her torn sleeve. She ignored the pain, charging again.
Her knee slammed into Daiki's gut, doubling him over. He spat, his breath cut off, but tried to defend with an uppercut that grazed Aiko's temple.
She released the Kagemane just enough to destabilize him. Daiki stumbled, free but disoriented, and she capitalized, her fist crushing his nose in a wet crack.
Blood splattered, staining his face. "You're just a brat!" he screamed, throwing a roundhouse kick.
Daiki was losing all patience, his next moves becoming increasingly predictable.
Aiko blocked with her forearm, the shock vibrating in her bones, and countered with an elbow to his throat.
Daiki coughed, retreating toward the stream.
He tried to regain the upper hand, his trembling hands tracing a seal.
"Suiton: Raging Wave!"
A wave roared, threatening to engulf Aiko. She reacted in a fraction of a second.
"Kagemane no Jutsu!" Shadows surged again, seizing Daiki by the arms, stopping his jutsu dead.
The wave collapsed, soaking the ground. She charged, her foot slamming into Daiki's knee, the bone snapping as he let out a howl, half-falling.
"You're pathetic," Aiko growled, wiping blood from her cheek, a smirk on her face.
Daiki, on the ground, gasped, his chakra nearly depleted. Yet he rose, rage in his eyes. "I'll destroy you!" he bellowed, lunging at her, fists clenched.
Aiko dodged, fluid, and plunged a kunai into his shoulder, tearing muscle and tendon. Blood gushed, hot, splattering her hands.
Daiki roared, yanking the kunai free, and threw a clumsy hook. Aiko pivoted, her elbow smashing into his temple. He staggered, dazed, but pressed on, his strikes wild, desperate.
She let him come, calculating every move. A punch aimed for her face; she dodged, grabbed his wrist, and twisted until the bone cracked.
Daiki screamed, his arm dangling like a rag. Aiko struck again, a knee to his ribs, feeling bones bend under the impact. He collapsed into the mud, face bruised, blood flowing from his mouth and nose.
Aiko stepped back, her breath short but controlled. Daiki crawled, pathetic, trying to reach the stream. "You're… nothing…" he mumbled, spitting a red clot.
Aiko drew a kunai, the blade glinting in the darkness. "You're done talking," she said, her voice flat, without an ounce of pity.
She approached, her steps heavy in the mud. Daiki raised a trembling hand, as if to beg, but Aiko didn't hesitate.
She plunged the kunai into his throat, driving it to the hilt. Blood gushed in a fountain, splattering her face, her clothes.
Daiki gurgled, his eyes widening in silent terror, then slumped, his body convulsing one last time before going still.
The stream swallowed the blood, swirling in scarlet eddies.
"All bark…" Aiko muttered, wiping her kunai on Daiki's soaked tunic, the blade sliding smoothly. The forest was silent, save for the splashing water and a distant bird's cry.
She checked the surroundings, her shadows ready to react, but nothing moved. Daiki was dead, his arrogance drowned in his own blood.
"Tch, what a waste," she murmured, sheathing her weapon. She cast one last glance at the half-submerged corpse, then turned away. The others were still fighting, and she needed to support them.