Naruto : Rage

Chapter 8: The beast unleashed

The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood, and the silence of the village was deafening. Kai stood frozen, his cold eyes locked onto the young ninja who had just admitted to the massacre. 

The ninja's expression was indifferent, as if the lives he had taken were nothing more than insects to be crushed underfoot. 

[Name: ninja

Age: 19

Rank: chunin 

Strength: 28

Speed: 26

Stamina: 20

Constitution: 17

Intelligence: 8

Chakra: 33

State: healthy ]

Kai's voice was low, barely more than a whisper, but it carried a weight that made the ninja's smirk falter for the briefest of moments. 

"Did you do this?" Kai asked, his tone eerily calm, belying the storm raging within him. 

The ninja tilted his head, his dark eyes glinting with amusement. "Yes," he replied simply, as if the answer were obvious. 

Kai's jaw tightened, his fists trembling at his sides. "Why?" 

The ninja shrugged, his voice dripping with casual cruelty. "We're here to kill the bandits. Some might be hiding as villagers. Can't take any chances." 

Kai's icy composure cracked, his voice rising slightly. "Why kill the old? The children? They were innocent!" 

The ninja's lips curled into a cold smile. "Too much of a hassle to keep alive. Easier to just wipe them all out." 

Something inside Kai snapped. 

A red aura began to emanate from his body, swirling around him like a storm of fire. 

His breath came in ragged gasps, his vision tinged with crimson. The rage that had been simmering beneath the surface erupted, consuming him entirely. 

A thick red aura consumed his body, sharp claws sprouting from his fingertips. His body grew, muscles bulging and bones cracking as he shot up to a towering seven feet. 

The ninja's smirk vanished, replaced by a flicker of unease. He took a step back, his hand instinctively reaching for the kunai at his side. 

Kai's consciousness began to fade, swallowed by the primal fury that now controlled him. 

The last thing he saw before the darkness took over was the sight of three more ninja emerging from the shadows, their weapons drawn and their expressions grim. 

The beast that was once Kai let out a guttural roar, the sound echoing through the desolate village. His claws slashed through the air, and he lunged at the nearest ninja with blinding speed. 

The young ninja barely had time to react. He raised his kunai to block, but Kai's claws shattered the blade like glass, tearing through him and slashing him into three parts. 

The other ninja moved in, their movements precise and coordinated, but they were no match for the raw power of the beast. 

Kai moved like a whirlwind of destruction, his claws rending flesh and bone with terrifying ease. One ninja managed to land a blow, a kunai slicing across Kai's shoulder, but the wound healed almost instantly, the red aura sealing it as if it had never been there. 

The ninja's confidence wavered, their attacks growing more desperate. They had expected a fight, but not this—not a monster. 

The beast roared again, its voice a mixture of pain and fury. It was as if Kai's grief, his rage, and his guilt had all coalesced into this single, unstoppable force. 

One by one, the ninja fell, their bodies broken and lifeless. The last one tried to flee, but the beast was upon him in an instant, its claws piercing his chest and lifting him off the ground. 

The ninja gasped, his eyes wide with terror, before the beast slammed him into the earth with a sickening crunch. 

Silence returned to the village, broken only by the beast's heavy breathing. The red aura began to fade, and Kai's body shrank back to its normal size. 

His claws retracted, and his vision cleared, though the weight of what had happened pressed down on him like a mountain. 

He fell to his knees, his hands trembling as he stared at the carnage around him. The bodies of the ninja lay scattered, their blood pooling on the ground. But it brought him no satisfaction, no sense of justice. 

Rumiko was still gone. The villagers were still dead. And he was alone. 

Kai's breath hitched, and for the first time since the massacre, tears welled in his eyes. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms once more. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I'm so sorry…" 

But there was no one left to hear him. 

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the village in darkness, Kai rose to his feet. His grief hardened into resolve, his sorrow into purpose. 

He would find out who these ninja were. He would uncover the truth behind their mission. And he would make them pay—not just for the lives they had taken, but for the monster they had unleashed. 

Kai turned his back on the village, his steps steady and determined. The boy who had once sought warmth and kindness was gone. In his place walked a warrior, a avenger, a beast. 

And the world would soon learn to fear him.