C7 Ultimate Counterattack

Early the next morning, Russell set aside his book writing and, after breakfast, headed to the fourth training field. This was where he had arranged to meet Might Guy for their workout session.

The goal of earning money was clear to him: to become stronger, and he wasn't about to get his priorities mixed up.

"Morning, Guy," Russell greeted as he arrived at the training grounds and spotted Guy already in the midst of his workout. Nonchalantly, Russell circled around Guy, scooping up three white cards from the ground into his pocket.

With that done, he dropped to the ground and matched Guy, push-up for push-up.

Guy, accustomed to Russell's odd antics, gave a casual nod of acknowledgment before returning to his silent, focused training.

"System, bring up the system panel," Russell commanded while effortlessly knocking out one-handed push-ups. He took the opportunity to review his stats.

He hadn't bothered checking for the past few days due to a lack of cards, but today his luck had turned, yielding three white cards.

Host: Russell

Strength: 25

Speed: 25

Physique: 22

Spirit: 25

Chakra: 1010

Talent: Space Talent Level 3

Skills: Basic Shuriken Level 2, Basic Taijutsu Level 3, Chakra Pulling Technique Level 1, Great Fireball Technique Level 5, Severe Leaf Hurricane Level 4

"Not bad," he puffed, "strength and physique are up, and my Chakra's increased too. But I'm still short on techniques."

He had only one ninjutsu to his name, the Great Fireball Technique, which was hardly impressive in its current form.

As Russell continued his rigorous training, time sped by. Before he knew it, he had completed five hundred push-ups, a five-kilometer run, and a thousand squats.

With the sky dimming, dinner at Kushina's was likely ready. Russell called out to Guy, "I'm heading out, Guy!"

"Alright, I'm off too. See you tomorrow," Guy replied, then proceeded to walk away on his hands, a testament to his dedication, as his home was just on the other side of the training field.

Watching Guy's departure, Russell marveled, "That's some serious dedication. No wonder he became so strong."

With the evening closing in, Russell wasted no more time. He stepped into the forest and sprinted toward home.

He had trodden this path countless times before, each step now as familiar as the back of his hand.

After his initial journey, Russell had come to the sobering realization that he was no protagonist, nor did he harbor any illusions of being the target of an assassination in these parts.

Yet, irony struck with lightning speed.

"Swoosh!"

A shuriken, its dark gleam unmistakable even at a glance, hurtled toward Russell's throat just a short distance from the exit.

"Pfft!"

The sound of flesh being torn echoed as Russell, relying on his exceptional reflexes, managed to evade the lethal blow, though the weapon still found its mark in his shoulder.

"Ha!" With a youthful cry, Russell ignored the pain and delivered a powerful kick to his assailant's stomach, sending the attacker reeling backward.

He quickly regained his footing and sprinted to a more open area.

"Not bad for a Konoha whelp, dodging my strike like that."

The attacker, confident in his victory, no longer bothered to hide and confronted Russell boldly.

His face was as unpleasant as a donkey's, with a hooked nose, beady eyes, and clad in a dark outfit—a clear sign of ill intent.

Internally, Russell unleashed a string of curses, but outwardly, he managed only to ask, "Who are you? Which village do you hail from?"

Even as he spoke, Russell's eyes were discreetly scanning his surroundings. They were far from the heart of Konoha; any hope for swift backup was slim.

And Minato? He was out of the question; he knew nothing of this predicament.

The bleeding from his shoulder wound was relentless. Russell calculated that he had mere minutes before blood loss would take its toll. In ten minutes, he wouldn't even need an adversary to meet his end—he'd simply bleed out.

"Heh, you think I'd just tell you? Or are you trying to buy time? But if we're playing the waiting game, you're the one who's going to falter first!"

The man in black sneered with contempt, looking at Russell as if he were a simpleton.

The earlier skirmish had been nearly silent; the chances of Konoha catching wind of it were next to none.

To the man in black, the boy before him was nothing more than a Ninja School student, hardly a threat. And with the wounds he'd sustained, there was no need for panic.

"I mean... don't the villains in novels always spill their secrets and buy time for the hero to get ready? Why isn't this guy playing by the rules?"

Russell ranted internally, yet he felt a growing sense of dread.

The adversary's seemingly careless stance had cunningly cut off Russell's escape route.

"Time to send you off!" the man in black declared, charging at Russell with lightning speed.

He wasn't as swift as Kakashi or Might Guy, but he was easily over half their speed.

"Screw it, I'm going all in!"

Gritting his teeth against the shoulder pain, Russell began forming hand seals.

The man in black had refrained from using ninjutsu to avoid drawing Konoha's attention with too much noise.

Based on his earlier actions, Russell guessed the assailant was an elite Chunin, and escape was not an option.

His only choice was to use ninjutsu to cause enough of a stir to alert Konoha and get himself out of this bind.

Despite the throbbing pain in his shoulder, the only ninjutsu Russell knew, the Great Fireball Technique, wasn't difficult to perform.

Before the man in black could close in, Russell completed the seal: "Fire Release—Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, a fireball the size of a basketball burst forth from Russell's mouth, hurtling towards the man in black.

Russell, however, didn't even glance at his attack, his hands swiftly moving to form another seal.

He was only at a disadvantage because his repertoire of ninjutsu was limited. When it came to a battle of Chakra, the man in black was no match!

Just the Great Fireball Technique, and I can unleash a hundred of them!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Fireball after fireball, Russell bombarded the man in black, driving him back step by step.

"Thank goodness he's not a Jonin, or he'd close the gap in an instant with the Body Flicker Technique, and I wouldn't even have time to form a single seal!"

Having pushed back the man in black, Russell breathed a sigh of relief, but his hands never ceased their rapid motion.

"Boom!"

A series of violent explosions erupted, not particularly loud but loud enough to draw the attention of Konoha. Might Guy, who was nearby, certainly took notice, and Russell breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, he had to be wary of the desperate man in black.

"Damn it!" The man in black spat out, his face twisted in frustration, aware that he could no longer conceal his presence.

"Earth Release—Earth Wall!"

"Boom!"

A wall of earth shot up, intercepting Russell's trio of Great Fireball Techniques.

"Earth Release—Earth Dragon Bullet!"

Behind the wall, the man in black's fingers moved furiously, summoning a menacing, earthen dragon that charged at Russell.

"Die!"

As the man in black emerged, Russell, who had readied his technique, unleashed the Great Fireball Technique, aiming directly for the man's face.

The man in black tried to evade the oncoming fireball, but the imminent Earth Dragon Bullet left him no room to escape.

"Boom!"

The explosion resounded as the fireball brutally struck the man in black's head, knocking him out cold in an instant.

Yet, Russell felt no triumph, for the Earth Dragon Bullet the man had released just before his defeat was now a mere meter away!