BOOM!
Saitama took the lead, dashing forward with a burst of speed, his blade drawn low at his waist. Moonlight Masano followed close behind, blending into Saitama's movements and occasionally revealing himself from behind like a shadow!
"Good! Come at me!" Matthew shouted, his wild demeanor replaced with focused excitement. The frustration he'd carried was swept away by the thrill of battle.
Marching toward Saitama and Masano, Matthew surged his chakra to the limit. His body darkened, coated with a deeper hue of hardened chakra—Earth Release: Earth Spear in full effect, turning his skin nearly as tough as black stone.
CLANG!
Saitama's blade, crackling with electric chakra, clashed against Matthew's left arm. Sparks flew, but Matthew barely flinched. With his right fist, he aimed a powerful punch at Saitama's chest!
But Saitama wasn't alone.
Before the punch could land, a figure leapt up behind him.
"Konoha-ryū: Sun-Moon Slash!"
Passing from behind Saitama, Moonlight Masano unleashed a signature sword technique of his own. Two chakra-laced slashes—cross-shaped and glowing—shot toward Matthew's head like twin blades of pure energy.
Matthew's eyes narrowed. Though protected by Earth Spear, his head was still vulnerable. Abandoning his punch mid-swing, he brought both arms up to shield himself.
Saitama quickly retreated, wary of friendly fire.
BOOM!
The dual chakra slashes struck Matthew's guard and exploded with the force of multiple explosive tags! The resulting shockwave kicked up clouds of sand and dust.
Masano landed beside Saitama, panting heavily. "I used up too much chakra... This is why I rarely use Sun-Moon Slash—it's a chakra guzzler."
From within the sand cloud, a scream echoed.
"AAARGH!"
"That should've done it," Masano said confidently. "He caught it full-on—both arms raised. He's either dead or crippled."
Still, both Konoha shinobi kept their guard up, watching the shifting sand.
WHOOSH!
A gust of wind blew away the smoke, revealing Matthew.
CRACK!
He charged without warning, sand exploding beneath his feet. The very air seemed to split as he burst forward like a battering ram.
"DODGE!"
Saitama and Masano shouted in sync and leapt aside just in time.
Matthew's attack missed, but the aftershock created fissures in the ground.
Blood was dripping steadily from his forearms, staining the sand beneath him.
"You two… really pissed me off," Matthew growled, his glare fixed on Masano. "If it weren't for your technique, I'd still be at full strength!"
He was breathing heavily now. His Earth Spear technique, although chakra-efficient, had been active for too long. His reserves were running low.
"I'll end this quickly," he muttered. "And if not... I'll retreat. This is still our land. They won't chase far."
His arms began to harden again, the bleeding halted as his skin calcified once more.
"Captain, cover me," Saitama said to Masano, crouching behind him. "Buy me some time."
Masano frowned but nodded. "The second rule of the shinobi code—trust your teammates."
He raised his sword and pointed it at Matthew. I'll have to use that technique... then it's all up to Saitama.
WHOOSH!
With a cry, Masano charged and unleashed a barrage of slashes.
"Konoha-ryū: Dance of Three Suns and Moon!"
His figure split into three, circling Matthew with dazzling speed.
"Huh?" Matthew blinked. Three moonlight-sword wielders danced around him. He couldn't tell who was real!
"Clone jutsu? Damn! I can't tell which one's genuine—no Byakugan, no Sharingan!"
Snarling, he pooled chakra into his fists, sharpening his senses. A faint shine glinted off his skin as he surged forward.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three powerful punches cratered the sand, missing all targets.
"What!?" Matthew was stunned. He'd attacked blindly and hit nothing. All illusions.
Meanwhile, behind him, Saitama was ready.
Ever since awakening to his chakra nature, he'd trained relentlessly with Lightning Release. Before coming to the frontlines, he had just begun mastering lightning chakra transformation.
Now, he had to risk it all.
"Lightning Release: Chidori!"
He compressed lightning chakra into his palm. The crackling intensified as chakra surged, converging into a blinding mass of energy.
ZAP! ZZZZRT!
Electricity danced across his hand, and a high-pitched whine filled the air.
"None of them were real?" Matthew realized too late.
"Now!"
A voice came from above.
SLASH!
Moonlight Masano dropped from the sky, his sword slicing across Matthew's neck. Blood spurted—but the cut wasn't deep enough to incapacitate him.
"You're DEAD!"
Roaring in fury, Matthew drove a chakra-enhanced fist into Masano's gut.
THUD!
SPLURT!
Masano coughed blood in midair, face pale as he crashed to the sand, gasping.
Matthew stepped forward to finish him—until—
ZZZZZRRRRT!
Lightning screamed behind him.
Matthew's instincts screamed danger. He twisted around.
"DIE!"
Saitama's voice was cold, resolute. His Chidori surged with killing intent.
SHUNK!
The electrified hand pierced Matthew's chest.
"Wha—!?" Matthew's eyes widened in disbelief. He looked down to see Saitama's hand buried in his heart.
"Why... you—"
ZAP!
A second pulse of lightning exploded from the wound, silencing Matthew. His eyes lost focus. His body slumped.
He was dead.
Masano, lying on the ground, stared in shock.
That technique… Chidori… isn't that the same as Hatake Kakashi's? How does Saitama know it? Is that just what geniuses do?
He winced and stopped thinking. The pain in his gut was too much.
"Sensei!"
Samu rushed over, his body battered and bloodied. He dropped beside Masano and held him upright.
"I'm alright," Masano grunted. "Just… winded."
"Hey, Saitama—you good?" Masano asked, leaning on Samu's shoulder, but with a proud grin on his face.
"Yeah," Saitama replied, panting. He pulled his hand free from Matthew's corpse and slumped to one knee, gripping the enemy's head in his other hand.
"Let's move. We can't stay here."
Masano struggled to his feet and looked toward the horizon.
All three were injured. If a Sand ninja patrol arrived now, it would mean their deaths.
"There's an oasis that way," Saitama pointed. "I saw it earlier. We can rest and refill water."
"Then let's move," Masano said. The trio limped forward in silence, their respect for Saitama now etched into the sand behind them.
After this battle, Saitama wasn't just a teammate anymore.
He was a warrior they could follow.
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