Mine No. 3
Screams and wails replaced the once-constant hum of machinery in the valley, so piercing even the thunder in the sky couldn't drown them out.
On the brownish-yellow rock wall along the hillside, several Cloud Village guards, their headbands glinting, hung chained by their limbs. Their heads were severed, three shuriken each pinning brain, heart, and gut, nailing them to the stone. Blood streamed down the wall, staining it like a grim, rust-colored canvas.
Countless miners fled in all directions, pursued by masked, black-clad figures wielding blades, tearing into the crowd like wolves among sheep.
A blade slashed a miner's throat, blood spraying the ground. The Root ninja's mask, its eerie patterns swirling, grabbed the man's head, slammed it down, and moved on, already chasing the next target. No words, no roars—just cold, mechanical slaughter.
No, not slaughter. Eradication.
Like scrubbing dirt from a room, devoid of emotion.
Zing!
A razor-sharp blade sliced through the air, chilling to behold.
Splurch!
A young Cloud ninja, gripping a long sword, shuddered. He looked down to see his abdomen split open, a gaping red wound spilling dark blood. His slick, twisted intestines slid out like noodles from a funnel.
"Gah!"
Gritting his teeth against the searing pain, the Cloud ninja clutched his lower abdomen with his left hand to keep his guts in place, swinging his sword with his right at the ninja in the green-patterned mask.
Arashi smirked coldly, flicking blood and grime from his blade, then leaped back to create distance.
Clang!
The sword struck the ground, shattering stone with a shrill metallic ring.
The Cloud ninja propped himself up with his blade, panting heavily, one hand guarding his torn abdomen as sticky blood dripped through his fingers.
Arashi circled him, pacing like a hyena waiting for its moment, never attacking. Despair crept into the young special jounin's eyes, and he stood frozen, gaze vacant.
No chance wasted.
Arashi sprang forward, gripping his blade in a reverse hold.
Vrrrm!
The piercing screech of a chainsaw rang out as his Wind Release-infused dagger sliced through the ninja's carotid artery. The Cloud ninja's dull eyes snapped awake, but it was too late.
Blood sprayed skyward.
Arashi grabbed the man's skull with one hand, twisting to dodge the blood while wrenching the head clean off.
Back at the Uchiha ancestral grounds, he'd perfected this move. Brain or eyes—he could preserve either flawlessly.
A purple-masked figure emerged behind Arashi.
"His intestines were already torn open. No need to waste chakra," Arashi said, sealing the young ninja's head in a scroll.
Cho's eyes glimmered faintly, her hands weaving signs nonstop.
In the distance, another special jounin froze mid-fight, easy prey for the Root ninja locked in combat with him.
"Yato's situation is unclear. Hurry up and kill," Cho urged.
"That monster? I'd bet there's not a soul left alive at Mine No. 1 by now," Arashi said, wiping his blade on the enemy's clothes, unfazed.
Only those who'd faced Hikari could grasp her terror.
After being crushed by her in seconds, Arashi had replayed that hallway fight countless nights, searching for a counter. The only faint hope was luring her into a trap and using a sealing technique.
"The captain said Mine No. 1 has two jounin, one an elite. Yato might not have it easy. Plus, the captain's in trouble and needs our backup," Cho countered.
"There's an elite jounin here?" Arashi blinked, stunned.
Yugao Ryoma, a veteran elite jounin and Root's second-in-command, needing help with a single jounin?
"Not quite. That guy's Lightning Armor hard-counters the captain's insect techniques. Iwakuma and I cleared Mines No. 4 and 5. A few stay there to clean up. I'll handle this one—you head to Mine No. 2 and help the captain."
"Got it."
Arashi sheathed his blade and sprinted up the mountain.
Mine No. 2 wasn't far from No. 3. Cutting straight along the ridge's cliffs, he reached it in moments.
Clatter!
Before he could scale the cliff, pebbles rained down. A withered, wrinkled arm clung feebly to the rock face, black parasitic insects chewing through fingertips and spilling out.
Arashi dodged the falling stones and vaulted onto the cliff.
Only then did he see the chaos at Mine No. 2.
In the center of the mining camp, a blurry figure wreathed in crackling lightning tore through a swarm of black insects. Each charge sent the cloud of bugs plummeting like dumplings, carpeting the ground with charred carcasses.
Iwakuma stood by Yugao Ryoma, his body swollen with Earth Release chakra, looking a size larger. His bear-shaped mask was shattered, half his face scorched black by lightning.
Yugao Ryoma stood with arms spread, palms up, chakra surging. Countless Cloud ninja corpses bulged with writhing lumps under their skin.
Sharp mandibles poked through.
Pop, pop!
Insect eggs inside the bodies, fueled by stolen chakra, burst free, crawling out. Frenzied parasites climbed over each other, sprouting wings, soon filling the sky with a dense, buzzing swarm.
"Captain!" Arashi rushed to Yugao's side, flanking him with Iwakuma like twin guardians.
"Just in time," Yugao said, pointing to the lightning flickering within the insect cloud. "That guy's Lightning Armor makes it tough for my parasites to break through. Get too close, and the lightning fries them. Iwakuma's defenses can't hold up either. Besides Yato, you're the only one who might crack that shield."
"What's the plan?" Arashi nodded quickly.
The Yugao clan's parasitic insects thrived in group assaults—thousands draining tiny bits of chakra could sap an enemy dry. But against strong defenses or wide-range attacks, they struggled.
Lightning Armor offered flawless protection and conducted electricity through the swarm, countering both weaknesses, stumping even an elite jounin like Yugao.
"Test if your Wind Release can pierce it."
"On it."
No hesitation.
Arashi gripped his blade in one hand, forming signs with the other. Wind chakra buzzed along the edge like a chainsaw. Yugao waved lightly, dispersing the insect cloud that obscured vision and senses.
Zzt!
The enemy finally came into view.
A dark-skinned woman with thick lips and wide eyes. Her chest was wrapped in white cloth, her muscular frame gleaming with electric arcs, abs lined up like chocolate bars.
"Filthy bugs!" she snarled.
Arcs zapped insects from her body. Her bandaged fists, armed with tiger claws, clenched as she glared at her subordinates' corpses, now breeding grounds for the swarm. Her voice dripped with murderous intent.
Zing!
Arashi and Iwakuma charged, their years of teamwork kicking in. Without a word, they attacked in sync—Arashi's wind blade from the left, Iwakuma's rock fist from the right, one high, one low, sealing her space completely.
Eighty percent of ninjas would've fled in panic from this assault.
Too bad they faced Cloud's secret Lightning Armor.
The woman didn't dodge Iwakuma's strike, turning to offer her back to him. Her left hand met Arashi's wind blade, her lightning-clad tiger claws swinging at his face.
Whoosh!
Her iron fist was so fast, the gust scattered Arashi's hair.
Clang! Clang!
Arashi and Iwakuma, with the first-move advantage, landed their hits faster.
Iwakuma's heavy rock fist smashed her neck, but lightning countered, neutralizing the impact and shattering the outer layer of his Earth chakra.
Arashi's strike was stronger, his blade slicing through the electric arc and clashing against her tiger claws with a screeching metallic ring.
The combined force staggered her.
Her stance faltered, her muscle chain disrupted, her swinging fist veering off-target. Arashi ducked low, dodging the lethal blow.
The woman's heavy punch missed, leaving her momentarily stiff.
Now!
Arashi and Iwakuma seized the moment, ignoring the lightning bursting from her. Iwakuma's Earth chakra thickened, and he lunged, wrapping her in a bear hug from behind.
Zzt!
Lightning Armor triggered wildly, arcs piercing his Earth shield, tearing his flesh. Iwakuma didn't flinch, locking her neck in a chokehold.
Vrrrm.
Arashi flicked his wrist.
His chainsaw-like blade arced like a crescent moon, slashing her side.
Crackle!
The hyper-focused wind blade clashed with the Lightning Armor. Arashi felt like he wasn't cutting flesh but a thunder spear with terrifying penetration.
The woman recovered, shifting her fist into an elbow aimed at Arashi's skull.
"Fall back!" Yugao barked.
The insect swarm surged in, engulfing her. Arashi and Iwakuma withdrew, retreating to Yugao's side.
Zzt.
Lightning arced through the bugs, frying thousands in an instant, the air thick with the stench of charred carcasses.
Yugao manipulated the swarm to block her advance.
"You okay?" he asked Iwakuma.
"Fine."
Bloodied and scorched, Iwakuma grabbed a handful of dirt, smearing it over his charred face and skin. The mud molded, filling his wounds, turning them to yellowish stone in moments.
Earth Release: Mud Healing Fusion Technique!
Iwakuma's trump card, a blend of Yang and Earth Release, outshining other Root jounin. It used common dirt to temporarily seal wounds, halting deterioration. Legend said its creator could fight at full strength with just a brain left.
"Can you break the armor?" Yugao turned to Arashi.
"Barely," Arashi said, lifting his prized chakra blade. A tiny, millimeter-long bloodstain marked the tip. "Just a scratch."
"Then we're stuck," Cho said, leaping up the cliff to join them. "If we can't break her defense, we drag it out until her chakra runs dry."
Crackle!
Lightning tore through the insect cloud as the woman, glowing with electricity, burst out and charged the four.
"What about Yato?" Arashi asked.
The four scattered calmly, hands weaving signs. Genjutsu, Earth Release, Wind Release, and insects overwhelmed her from all sides.
She was just a jounin. Her attribute advantage and tough defense kept her alive, but counterattacking? Dream on.
"She's fine for now," Yugao said, glancing at the misty peak.
The fog parted under Wind Release, rippling in the sky. But the parasitic insects stationed there hadn't returned, proof Hikari's chakra was still strong, unshaken.
"An elite jounin and a jounin, and she's holding up?" Arashi clicked his tongue.
The four of them could barely handle one jounin, yet Hikari was stalling an elite and another.
"She's the village's strongest monster ever, after all," Cho said, gazing at the peak.
Dark clouds loomed, the summit's mist blending with the sky, locking the mountain in a massive white cage.
Rumble!
Fog shrouded the peak, lightning bolts hammering the lightning rods like rain, illuminating the shattered corpses strewn across the ground.
Central Warehouse, Mining Camp
Hikari stared at the two furious figures outside her lightning-fire cage, puzzled.
They seemed to have misunderstood her.
"Why kidnap the miners? What's your scheme at Thunder Drum Mountain? Speak!" Yozuki Takeshi and Darkui roared, livid.
"I only kill, not kidnap. You've got the wrong idea," Hikari explained earnestly, but their anger flared brighter in her eyes.
"Massacring civilians and Cloud ninjas—does Mist want to start a war?" Yozuki spat, eyes blazing with killing intent.
Thinking he'd seen through her, yet losing comrades at the peak due to his plan, Darkui's regret fueled his rage toward her.
Hikari found their righteous fury laughable.
When Cloud sent assassins to attack Leaf's ninja academy, they didn't care about Leaf's civilians or ninjas. Nor did they consider the cost if Leaf retaliated.
Greedy, arrogant, and hypocritical.
She thought of Kazama Yue, maimed and near death, losing an arm. Of Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo, ground to pulp. Of the torture tools found in that spy woman's house, and the undigested human hair in a rat's stomach.
Hikari, who could spin countless noble excuses, spread her hands and met their furious gazes. "They were in the way, so I killed them."
She knew she wasn't righteous. Her purpose here wasn't for Leaf or to avenge victims.
She pitied Kazama's injuries but wouldn't cross mountains to Cloud for his revenge. Hagane and Kamizuki were mere acquaintances, and the missing gate guard she'd never even met.
Claiming she came to avenge the village was too fake.
She was here to complete Root's mission and claim Danzou's promised reward to heal herself.
High-minded words might fool others, but not her own heart. She didn't need lofty reasons to mask her actions.
"Bastard! What are lives to you?" Darkui roared, enraged by her indifference, clapping his hands.
The chakra core in his heart surged, powering the warehouse's layered seals, which glowed blue and red.
Zzt!
The laser-like steel cage sparked, contracting rapidly.
The searing lasers closed in, screeching, slicing through the alloy floor with ease.
Even Lightning Armor couldn't withstand this.
Being shredded into mincemeat was the only fate for the figure trapped in the cage.
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