The Boundless King: Anime Mania

Aki stood at the edge of a steep cliff, staring down at the vast, sprawling wilderness beneath him. The wind whipped against his cloak, the night sky stretching infinitely above. It had been a week since he left Konoha, and already, he could feel the difference. No more ANBU lurking in the shadows. No more village walls boxing him in. Just endless terrain, an open world waiting to be conquered.

He took a deep breath. The air smelled like freedom.

"Finally," he muttered, a smirk tugging at his lips. "No more babysitting. No more pretending. Just me and the world."

Aelthrys chuckled in his mind. "You sound like some old warlord who's been trapped in a tower for a decade. It's only been a few years."

Aki rolled his eyes. "A few years too long. Now, let's see what I can really do."

---

Aki's heightened senses picked up on it instantly—the subtle shifts in the air, the faint chakra suppressions, the nearly imperceptible footsteps hidden beneath the sound of the rain.

He wasn't alone.

'How annoying,' Aki thought, casually putting his hands in his pockets. He didn't even turn around as five figures emerged from the dense mist behind him.

Each wore dark blue cloaks, metallic breathing masks, and the distinct forehead protector of Amegakure.

One of them stepped forward, voice distorted through his mask. "You're trespassing on sacred land. Hand over your weapons and state your business."

Aki tilted his head, amused. "And if I say no?"

The lead ninja didn't answer. Instead, he raised his hand in a silent signal. In an instant, all five assassins moved in perfect synchronization, launching an ambush from every angle.

Kunai flew through the air. Explosive tags ignited. Water jutsu rained down.

Aki?

He didn't even move.

---

The moment their attacks reached him, Aki simply raised his hand.

A silent pulse of gravitational force erupted from his palm.

BOOM.

The rain-nin were blasted backward as if a meteor had struck them. Their bodies crashed against the terrain, bones shattering like brittle twigs.

One ninja tried to get up, his vision swimming. He reached for a kunai, only for a shadow to suddenly loom over him.

Aki crouched beside him, his eerie cross-shaped pupils slowly spinning.

The ninja trembled, gasping for breath. "M-monster..."

Aki smirked, tilting his head. "No, just a guy testing his strength."

Then, without hesitation, he snapped his fingers.

The ninja vanished.

Not turned to ash. Not disintegrated. Just… gone. Swallowed by the void itself.

Aki sighed, stretching his arms. "Well, that was boring."

Aelthrys let out a low whistle. "Remind me to never piss you off."

Aki smirked. "Too late, you're stuck with me."

---

Several days later, deep within the Hidden Rain Village, in a dimly lit room filled with floating chakra receivers, a masked ninja kneeled before a towering figure seated on a mechanical throne.

Pain.

The messenger spoke carefully. "A squad of our elite assassins… was completely annihilated."

Konan, standing beside Pain, narrowed her eyes. "By who?"

The ninja hesitated. "We don't know. The only clue we have is that their bodies weren't just destroyed... they were erased. As if they never existed."

Pain remained silent for a moment, his Rinnegan glowing in the darkness.

"Find out more about this person," he said finally, his voice calm but absolute. "If he becomes a threat… I will personally eliminate him."

---

Elsewhere, in a quiet roadside inn, Aki leaned back in his chair, sipping on a cup of hot tea. The cozy warmth was a stark contrast to the chaos he had just caused a few days ago.

As he relaxed, a bounty poster was slapped onto the bulletin board nearby.

His face was crudely drawn, and the bounty was insanely high for an unknown individual.

Aki smirked, shaking his head. "Well, that was fast."

Aelthrys laughed in his mind. "Congratulations. You're officially a wanted man."

Aki chuckled, staring at the poster. "Guess I'll need a mask soon."

He took another sip of tea, completely unfazed.

After all…

This was only the beginning.