The arena had barely cooled from the last battle.
But tension was already rising again.
Spectators leaned forward. Clan heads whispered. Genin across all five villages watched with narrowed eyes.
Because the name "Henri the Jump Blade" was already spreading.
And now… he was being tested again.
---
📢 [MATCH 9 – ANNOUNCEMENT]
→ "Henri of Team Alpha versus Zakuya of the Sound Village."
→ Match Type: 1v1 Elimination
→ Mutation Status: Confirmed Active
→ Battle Rating: High-Risk / Medical Supervision Recommended
---
Henri stepped out onto the arena floor again.
His system buzzed like static in his ears.
Zakuya stood waiting—bare-chested, thin, with bandages around his arms and a long, black-bladed scythe across his back. His smile was wide. Wrong. Too full of teeth.
"Hey, Jump Boy," he called, spinning the scythe once. "You gonna leap again like a little frog?"
Henri cracked his neck. "You gonna swing that twig or talk me to sleep?"
Zakuya's grin grew wider.
"Oh, I like you already."
---
🧠 Observation Booth
Kurenai frowned. "That scythe… it's resonating with chakra. Not just weaponry. It's alive."
Gai narrowed his eyes. "And his own chakra's… off-tempo. Not natural."
Kakashi's lone eye darkened. "That's a biofield echo. He's hosting external mutation tech. Probably Sound Village experimentation."
Tsunade's fingers dug into her sleeve. "Orochimaru's fingerprints, no doubt."
---
🥊 Arena Floor
Hayate stepped between them. "No killing. Begin."
Then vanished.
Zakuya moved first.
He vanished from sight—only to reappear behind Henri with his scythe mid-swing.
Henri jumped—straight up—and twisted.
CLANG!
Metal screamed as the scythe sliced where he'd just been.
Henri flipped midair, planting both feet on the scythe handle and launching himself off it like a springboard.
---
🟢 [AIR VAULT + SKY TWIST COMBO INITIATED]
→ Momentum Gained
→ Critical Angle: Achieved
→ Counter Opportunity: Active
---
He dropped like lightning behind Zakuya.
"Surprise," Henri whispered—and dropped an elbow into the back of Zakuya's neck.
The Sound ninja stumbled forward—but laughed as he turned.
His scythe suddenly glowed red.
"Playtime's over."
He slammed the blade into the ground.
Screeeeeee—!!!
An ultrasonic shriek exploded from the weapon.
---
🔴 [ALERT – SONIC SCYTHE ACTIVATED]
→ Effect: Disrupts chakra flow
→ Radius: 15 meters
→ Weakness: Movement-type disruption or Wind-style chakra
→ Side Effect: Inner Ear Damage Risk: Moderate
---
Henri dropped to a crouch, clutching his head.
Blood dripped from his left ear.
Zakuya grinned. "Your system can jump, but can it scream?"
He launched forward—sweeping low with the scythe.
Henri rolled, barely dodging.
He tried to jump—but chakra stuttered.
The sonic field was jamming his flow.
---
🧠 Observation Booth
Tsunade's voice was low. "If Henri doesn't adapt, he's going to lose this."
Kakashi said nothing—but his eye locked on Henri's trembling stance.
He was calculating.
---
🧠 Henri's System – Internal Status
Options Available:
→ Void Pulse (Stuttered, 42% Stability)
→ Sky Weave (Blocked)
→ Passive: Void Skin (Reduced)
→ Suggestion: Trigger Shock Pulse via Floor Impact
Henri grit his teeth.
He bent low—and slammed his palm into the arena floor.
A small Void Pulse ripple burst downward.
Dust rose.
The sonic echo paused.
That was all he needed.
"MOVE!"
He jumped sideways, rolled, and let the second pulse burst from his heel mid-dash, giving him a jolt of speed.
Zakuya swung again—missed by inches.
Henri darted forward—
"SKY FANG—!!"
Suddenly, a chakra thread yanked him off-balance.
Zakuya had hidden a secondary chakra wire in the scythe.
"Caught you, little frog."
---
🔴 [IMPACT IMMINENT – CRITICAL RANGE]
→ Counter Suggestion: Use New Skill "Twist Vault – Reverse"
→ Risk: 48% Self-Injury
→ Confirm? [Yes]
---
Henri selected Yes.
He twisted hard mid-air—reversing momentum, kicking against the chakra thread itself.
The backlash whipped his body sideways, but he used the angle to flip midair—
And delivered a flying kick straight into Zakuya's jaw.
CRACK!
The Sound ninja crumpled.
Henri hit the ground in a rough roll, landing in a three-point crouch.
---
✅ [BATTLE MOVE SUCCESS – "Twist Vault Reverse"]
→ XP Gained: +200
→ Bonus: +100 (Mutation Counter)
→ Skill Mastery Increased: Void Pulse +12%, Twist Vault +9%
---
Zakuya groaned—unconscious.
The arena was silent for two seconds—
Then erupted.
"WINNER: HENRI!"
---
🧠 Jonin Booth
Kakashi murmured, "He rewrote gravity in mid-air with a reverse vault. That's not just training. That's instinct."
Tsunade turned to the ANBU behind her. "Pull every record on that Sound ninja. I want Orochimaru's mutation tree mapped."
---
🏥 Recovery Tent – Later
Henri lay on his side, wincing as a medic-nin patched his shoulder.
Jeneya stood with arms crossed, smirking.
"You've got a fanclub now."
Henri chuckled weakly. "Did you see that last flip?"
"I saw you eat dirt. Stylishly."
He laughed harder.
Then his system pinged.
---
🟢 [SYSTEM UPDATE – LEVEL UP]
→ Current Level: 9
→ Unlock Available: Mutation Skill "Void Chain" – Midair Pulse Latch
→ New Passive: Battle Sync (Minor boost when fighting known opponents again)
---
Jeneya sat beside him.
"You're two wins deep. One more and you make the finals."
Henri exhaled. "They're not sending kids anymore."
"Nope," she said. "They're sending monsters."
He looked at her, serious now.
"Stay close, okay?"
She nodded.
"Always."
---
[To Be Continued…]