The mist atop the mountain finally cleared.
Heavy, dark clouds loomed once more in the sky, churning chaotically, blacker than ink. A sharp crack of thunder echoed, and a light drizzle began to fall.
Drip, drip, drip!
The fine threads of rain wove together, leaving only a small patch of clear ground below. Amidst severed limbs and broken bodies, Hikari stood alone at the mountain's peak, gazing upward.
The Three-Tails Isozumi's instinctive water manipulation came into play.
The rain carefully avoided her body, not daring to dampen even the hem of her clothes.
The sticky, gleeful rain washed the blood on the ground into muddy streams.
She walked over to Yozuki Takeshi's body.
The rain parted automatically, creating a clear path.
The Thunder Stone had been seized, and every Cloud ninja here was dead. Now, they just needed to wait for Aburame Ryoma and the others to arrive, set up explosive tags in the mine, and this Root mission would be complete.
She picked up the black crystal clutched tightly in the corpse's hand. The rain cleansed the blood from its surface.
From the only intact part of his tattered clothes, she pulled out a mysterious scroll.
Her Byakugan had already seen through him.
Yozuki Takeshi had kept this scroll close to his body, clearly a highly valuable item.
To protect her spoils, she hadn't attacked the scroll, leaving it perfectly intact.
She slowly unfurled it.
The paper was pitch black, with white text written in sharp, lightning-like strokes.
The scroll's side rods were made of polished black crystal, unmistakably the same material as the crystal in Yozuki Takeshi's hand.
The only difference was the depth of color. The crystal in his hand was a deeper, bone-chilling black, while the scroll's rods had a surface-level sheen, with clear crystal beneath.
Skimming the text, a spark of excitement flashed in Hikari eyes.
The scroll detailed the Yozuki clan's discovery of the Thunder Stone, the purpose of the Ink Thunder Crystal, and the method to master Black Lightning.
Just as she suspected.
Black Lightning was a technique combining Lightning Release and Yin Release, capable of attacking both the body and mind, paralyzing an enemy's soul and halting their thoughts.
The scroll revealed that the Third Raikage was the first to discover that the Ink Thunder Crystal could absorb both Lightning and Yin to create Black Lightning.
He had hoped to use it to create a unique Bloodline Limit for the Yozuki clan.
He succeeded—and failed.
He unraveled the principles of fusing Yin and Lightning with the Ink Thunder Crystal, recreating the powerful Black Lightning. But to his shock, this fusion technique didn't qualify as a Bloodline Limit, nor could it be passed down through blood.
From then on, the Cloud Village began aggressively hunting Bloodline Limits, seeking the reason Black Lightning couldn't become one.
Eventually, the Third Raikage found the answer.
To form a Bloodline Limit, a technique must profoundly affect the ninja's body, soul, or chakra.
Yin Release affects the soul, Yang Release the body, and techniques like Ice or Storm Release alter chakra.
A ninja's soul, body, and chakra are one. If any undergoes a fundamental change, the chakra seed transforms.
Once the new chakra seed matures and bears fruit, it can pass this unique power to the next generation through reproduction.
Black Lightning couldn't be inherited because it lacked the key to fundamentally alter the soul, body, or chakra. It remained a secret technique, not a Bloodline Limit.
The Third Raikage recorded this, still hoping Cloud's younger generation could find a way to evolve Black Lightning into a Bloodline Limit.
Hikari didn't care much about the powerful Black Lightning technique. She had plenty of offensive tools.
Its ability to attack the mind and soul could broaden her arsenal, but that was it.
What truly intrigued her was the knowledge of nature fusion and Bloodline Limits within the scroll.
The Leaf Village had no shortage of powerful Bloodline Limits, but their understanding of fusing two chakra natures paled in comparison.
The Bloodline Limit knowledge in the Black Lightning scroll was the culmination of decades of Cloud Village research—a critical piece missing from the Leaf's archives.
Even without a successful case, this record of failure was invaluable.
Whoosh!
The air, already humid from the battle, grew thicker as rain collided endlessly with the ground, stirring faint white mist.
Standing alone in the rain, Hikari spread the scroll open, devouring its knowledge hungrily.
Behind her, a silver python, over ten meters long and as thick as a barrel, slithered through the mud. Raindrops struck its smooth scales, producing crisp tapping sounds.
Its basin-sized head, topped with cold golden slit pupils, reflected Hikari silhouette.
Hiss!
The silver python inched closer to her.
Its deep purple forked tongue flicked the air, sensing her petite frame glowing red under its infrared perception, like a human-shaped torch radiating heat.
Snap!
Its muscles exploded with force as the python launched from the ground, jaws wide, aiming for Hikari . Its purple maw revealed jagged, razor-sharp teeth. A single bite could shatter bones and tear tendons.
Her 360-degree Byakugan twitched slightly.
Whoosh!
An invisible wind blade shot from behind her.
The falling rain split in two. The lower half continued downward, while the upper half hung eerily in the air, as if the rain itself had been sliced by wind threads.
Rip!
The python's gaping maw froze, its golden slit pupils reflecting its final hunger.
Its massive body crashed to the ground.
Its still-firing nerves drove the body into a frenzied thrash. The snake's skull split along the incision above its eyes, revealing a smooth, tubular brain.
Thud! Thud!
Blood and mud splattered as the half-headed snake writhed wildly.
"Impressive no-hand-sign Wind Release. Since when did Root have someone like you?"
A magnetic, raspy voice came from behind.
Ignoring the dying python, Hikari lowered the Ink Thunder Crystal and Black Lightning scroll, turning toward the massive mine.
A wooden plank jutted out above the mine's entrance, shielding it from the rain, which dripped steadily along its edge.
A tall man with a purple shimenawa rope tied around his clothes stood beneath it, unnoticed until now.
Medium-length black hair, golden slit pupils like the python's, purple eyeshadow extending to his nose, pale skin, turquoise magatama earrings, and an aura of evil, immense chakra.
Hikari could guess his identity with her eyes closed.
Orochimaru, the Leaf's S-rank rogue ninja and one of the legendary Sannin!
Why was he here?
Recalling Yozuki Takeshi's accusation about abducting Cloud ninjas, and knowing Orochimaru's reasons for defecting, she pieced it together.
Was this guy hiding in Thunder Drum Mountain, capturing Cloud ninjas for experiments?
Chihaya Tou had once said Cloud ninjas' robust physiques made them ideal for human experiments. As her former partner, Orochimaru likely knew this too.
"Could you hand over what's in your hands?"
Licking his lips, Orochimaru's gaze gleamed with greed for the Ink Thunder Crystal.
Hikari smirked.
So, he wasn't just experimenting on Cloud ninjas—he was after the Thunder Stone and Ink Thunder Crystal, scheming to take it all while hiding here.
She pulled a sealing scroll from her sleeve, forming the hand signs: Tiger, Rat, Rabbit, Boar, Rooster.
Poof!
The Ink Thunder Crystal and scroll vanished in a puff of smoke, sealed into the scroll's central circle. Under Orochimaru's icy stare, Hikari tucked the scroll into her cloak's inner pocket.
"No way."
Her youthful voice echoed through the air, rain threading around her, forming a dry circle on the ground.
Orochimaru's cold eyes flickered with interest.
He hadn't expected this Root shorty to be a kid!
From his years of luring children, he could tell from her voice she was no older than ten.
Masterful Wind Release, precise Water Release control, and chakra rivaling an elite Jonin.
This was a prodigy of ninjutsu!
Noticing the greedy emotional marker above Orochimaru's head, his flicking tongue, and his creepy scanning gaze, Hikari frowned.
This was their third encounter.
The first was at the Mist's Takenotsume ancestral grounds, where she awoke amidst a pile of clan corpses, catching a glimpse through her Byakugan of Orochimaru's battlefield as he broke through.
Back then, she was just a terrified Genin, unworthy of even facing him.
The second was at Peikawa Port, fleeing to the Land of Fire.
On the Hope ship to hell, she awakened her dual Bloodline Limits and absorbed the Three-Tails' chakra, gaining some self-defense ability.
But she still didn't dare face him, fearing she'd end up a test subject in his dark labs.
Now, this third time!
She no longer feared this legendary Sannin!
Buzz!
The rain curtain above was suddenly sliced by an unseen force.
Orochimaru, sensing her scent and heat with his tongue, narrowed his eyes and ducked.
Slash!
A deep gash appeared on the mine's rock wall.
Whoosh!
The severed rain curtain fell again, pelting the rocky ground, splashing mud onto Orochimaru's pants.
He slowly raised his head.
The greed in his golden slit pupils vanished, replaced by cold killing intent.
Her owl mask tilted slightly, her abyss-like black eyes locking with his golden ones. The torrential rain grew heavier, yet it couldn't douse their rising murderous intent.
Step, step, step!
Footsteps approached from the cliff's edge.
Their gazes remained locked, not wavering an inch.
In a duel between masters, the first to flinch dies. No matter the chaos, no weakness could be shown.
"Yato, he's not an enemy."
A cold voice shattered the tense silence.
Removing his mask, Aburame Ryoma, sporting his signature sunglasses, hurried between them with Iwakuma and another, breaking the standoff.
"Long time no see, Ryoma."
Seeing his old Root comrade, Orochimaru licked his lips, suppressing his excitement but not missing a chance to prod. "This your subordinate? Can I have her?"
"Better not," Ryoma said flatly. "Yato is the Lord's disciple. Take her, and Root will hunt you to the ends of the earth."
"Danzo's disciple?"
Surprise flickered in Orochimaru's eyes. That tool-obsessed man took a disciple? Thinking of her precise, dangerous Wind Release, it made sense if Danzo, a Wind specialist, trained her.
"Pity."
Orochimaru shook his head, dropping the idea of killing her.
He didn't fear Root's pursuit, but he couldn't afford to break ties with Danzo, who controlled the ninja world's only non-renewable Sharingan resources.
Seeing Orochimaru's killing intent fade, Hikari calmed her dwindling chakra.
After the battle, her chakra was nearly half-depleted.
Her main body's chakra for too many uses, so she couldn't waste it.
As a shadow clone, she knew Orochimaru could revive, and neither could kill the other or gain anything.
The Black Lightning scroll and Ink Thunder Crystal were unexpected gains, alongside the mountain's thunder stone and Danzo's promised Sharingan. This mission's haul was already substantial—no need to risk it over pride.
She wasn't really a kid, after all.
Step, step!
Iwakuma and the others joined her, staring in shock at the littered corpses and the robust body beside her.
Having fought a Cloud Jonin at Mine No. 2, they knew how tough these ninjas were.
One Jonin had stalled their team of four for ages, yet Hikari faced two, including an Elite Jonin, alone.
They'd thought she'd be lucky to hold them off, but she'd wiped them out before backup arrived, unscathed, as if it were a casual task.
"Where's the Lord's item?" Ryoma asked Orochimaru, getting to business after defusing the sibling-like spat.
"Urgh!"
Orochimaru gagged, spitting out a dripping sealing scroll.
"Here. Want to check?"
Unknown slime dripped down his arm, making Hikari and the others grimace. His gross storage method was stomach-churning.
Ryoma pulled a scroll from his pocket and unsealed it.
Poof!
Smoke cleared, revealing a canister of crimson eyeballs in Ryoma's hands. Under the dim light, Sharingan with purple nerves floated in saline.
Orochimaru unsealed his wet scroll.
In a meter-long cylindrical culture tank, a pale white arm soaked in green solution, bearing ten crimson double-tomoe Sharingan from palm to shoulder, curiously observing the world.
Hikari eyes widened.
This was Danzo's right arm!
Sending her and Ryoma wasn't about Thunder Drum's stone—delivering this arm, perfectly bearing Hashirama's cells and Sharingan, was Danzo's true mission!
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