Naruto: God Reborn

Chapter 35

Flashback

The Third Great Ninja War raged on, and the Land of Grass served as the battleground for countless clashes. The terrain was battered and scorched, filled with the echoes of jutsu and steel. It was here that two warriors would cross paths for the first time.

Lille Barro, crouched on a craggy hill overlooking a ruined village. His green eyes scanned the battlefield below, catching sight of a group of Iwagakure shinobi slaughtering a smaller group of Kumo soldiers. His jaw tightened. "Disgraceful," he muttered, notching an arrow to his bow.

Meanwhile, Nnoitra Gilga, a towering warrior of Iwa, stood amidst the carnage. His massive scythe dripped with blood, the curved blade gleaming menacingly in the dull light. He licked his lips, relishing the thrill of the fight. "Weaklings," he sneered, kicking a fallen enemy aside. "Not a single one of you was worth my time."

Lille's arrow flew, splitting the air like a whisper of death. It pierced through the helmet of an Iwa shinobi standing near Nnoitra, dropping the man instantly. Nnoitra's grin widened as he looked up toward the source of the attack.

"Finally, someone with guts," he said, hefting his scythe onto his shoulder.

Nnoitra leapt toward the hill in a single bound, landing with enough force to crack the ground beneath his feet. Lille didn't flinch, already drawing another arrow.

"You've got guts aiming at me," Nnoitra said, his dark eyes gleaming. "I hope you've got the strength to back it up."

Lille fired, the arrow aimed directly at Nnoitra's heart. But to Lille's shock, the arrow bounced off Nnoitra's chest.

"What?" Lille muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Nnoitra laughed, spinning his scythe in a wide arc. "That tickled! Try again, bow boy."

Lille's calm demeanor didn't waver. He leapt back, firing another arrow. This time, the projectile curved mid-flight, as if guided by an unseen force, and struck Nnoitra's shoulder. The impact caused him to stagger slightly.

"Hah! So you've got some tricks up your sleeve," Nnoitra said, gripping the arrow and yanking it out. "This is gonna be fun."

Nnoitra charged, swinging his scythe in a vicious arc. Lille dodged narrowly, his movements precise and calculated. He countered with a rapid volley of arrows, each one curving unpredictably in midair.

Nnoitra's hardened skin absorbed most of the blows, though a few arrows managed to pierce through the gaps in his defense. Blood trickled from his arm and leg, but he only grinned wider.

"You're quick, but let's see how long you can dodge this!" Nnoitra roared, bringing his scythe down in a devastating overhead slash.

Lille sidestepped, but the sheer force of the attack split the ground, sending shards of rock flying in all directions. Lille used the debris as cover, blending into the smoke and dust.

---

From the shadows, Lille's voice rang out. "You fight like a brute. All strength, no precision."

"Strength is all that matters!" Nnoitra bellowed, spinning his scythe to clear the dust. "Only the strong get to live, and the weak exist to be crushed!"

Lille emerged from the smoke, standing tall and composed. "Strength without purpose is meaningless. You'll learn that soon enough."

He fired another arrow, this time infused with the faintest trace of his latent power, The Axis(unsubconsciously). The projectile moved unnaturally, slicing through the air at an impossible angle before striking Nnoitra's scythe. The impact caused the massive weapon to tremble, and a hairline crack formed along its blade.

Nnoitra stared at the crack, his grin fading for the first time. "What the hell was that?"

"Precision," Lille replied coolly, already drawing another arrow.

---

The two warriors clashed again, Nnoitra's scythe meeting Lille's arrows in a symphony of steel and energy. Each swing of Nnoitra's weapon shook the ground, while Lille's arrows carved through the air with deadly accuracy.

Despite their differences in fighting styles, neither could gain the upper hand. Lille's keen intellect and strategic precision matched Nnoitra's brute strength and unyielding resilience blow for blow.

As the sun began to set over the battlefield, both warriors stood bloodied but unbroken. Nnoitra laughed, his grin returning.

"You're the first one to put up a real fight," he said, pointing his scythe at Lille. "But next time, I'm taking your head."

Lille lowered his bow slightly, his green eyes cold and calculating. "If we meet again, I won't miss."

With that, the two turned and retreated in opposite directions, neither willing to admit defeat but both eager for their next encounter.

A Meeting of fate

Unbeknownst to them, this was only the beginning. The fragments of their past lives stirred within, their battle awakening something deep inside them. Though they left the battlefield that day as enemies, their destinies were intertwined. When their powers and memories fully returned, their next clash would be LEGEN... wait for it...

DARY. It's gonna be LEGENDARY.