"So, we've finally arrived."
After several days of travel, Kitagawa Minamoto and his team had quietly crossed the borders of the Land of Lightning and entered its heartland.
Looking at the towering peaks that reached into the clouds and listening to the occasional rumble of thunder, Minamoto nodded in satisfaction.
"This place... not bad."
"Tch, the scenery's nice, sure, but I prefer it when things explode. Hmm!"
Deidara nodded, then shook his head. Mei Terumi, however, spoke softly.
"This place is full of moisture—it won't hinder my techniques. But now's not the time for jokes. We need to stay focused."
Throughout this journey, Mei had witnessed the seemingly unreliable antics of both Deidara and Minamoto.
Of course, she knew this was just a façade. She was merely reminding them to stay alert.
"Don't worry. Let's stick to the plan."
Minamoto stretched his neck, but Mei still seemed uneasy.
"I understand, but are you sure you'll be fine attacking the Raikage's office alone?"
"Relax, he'll be fine."
Deidara sounded confident as he grabbed a lump of clay and fed it into the mouth on his hand, beginning to chew.
"If anything goes wrong, he can just retreat to us. But you, don't let your Water Release extinguish my explosions."
"Who said I'd use Water Release?"
Mei raised an eyebrow, though Minamoto quickly interjected.
"Alright, fly higher so we're not spotted. Remember, we're targeting key objectives, not causing random chaos. Got it?"
"Got it!"
Deidara cracked his knuckles, and Mei took a deep breath.
The clay bird flew swiftly, and just as they were about to breach Kumogakure's barrier, Minamoto suddenly threw several kunai.
The kunai flew like birds, piercing through the barrier. As they passed through, Minamoto formed a single-hand seal.
Whoosh—
In the next instant, all of them had already entered the barrier, with Kumogakure now directly below!
"They'll likely react soon. Let's begin."
As soon as Minamoto finished speaking, Deidara's bird accelerated, and countless clay spiders began raining down.
Mei also took a deep breath, her Chakra surging within her. But she couldn't help glancing at Minamoto.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Leave it to me. Just don't go off script."
Minamoto smiled reassuringly before leaping off the bird.
Boom—
Boom—Boom—
The deafening sounds of explosions echoed incessantly!
Massive flames spread wildly across Kumogakure, with shockwaves rippling out in all directions.
Countless trees were blown askew, and many unstable buildings collapsed outright!
"It seems the intel was correct. That's definitely a supply depot."
From midair, Minamoto could clearly see that Deidara was following the planned targets: areas with high strategic value.
Ninja assembly points, major administrative departments, and suspected supply depots—all were Deidara's designated targets.
The destruction unfolding below was likely a direct hit on their intended objectives!
"Well then..."
Minamoto took a deep breath, his eyes flashing with white light as he locked onto his own target.
In an instant, he descended rapidly, landing steadily on a window ledge. He looked down at the figure inside and smirked.
"Looks like this is the place."
"You..."
Tutai seemed momentarily stunned, but realization struck him the next second.
"You're a ninja from Konohagakure! You're Kitagawa Minamoto!"
"Correct."
Minamoto chuckled lightly before delivering a powerful kick to Tutai's chest.
Bang—
Though Tutai had tried to defend himself, Minamoto's speed was far superior.
His body was sent flying, crashing heavily into the meeting room!
The room descended into chaos.
No one had anticipated someone bypassing their heavy defenses so silently.
Nor had they expected anyone to attack them so brazenly!
"A single ninja from Konohagakure?"
"Short stature, white hair, a White Fang short blade, and Lightning Release Chakra Mode—that's Kitagawa Minamoto!"
"Damn it, he's the one who severed the Raikage's arm and killed him!"
"He actually dared to come here?!"
"Where are the ANBU?!"
"Kill him! He dares invade Kumogakure—he must die!"
The Kumogakure officials shouted furiously, but Minamoto remained unfazed.
He calmly drew the short blade from his waist, tilting his head as he addressed them.
"Strange. You initiated attacks against us. Did you not anticipate this day would come?"
"Or perhaps..."
Buzz—
Before he could finish, Minamoto's Chakra surged explosively.
In a flash, his blade moved like a phantom. An ANBU member charging at him was instantly pierced, blood dripping from the tip of Minamoto's blade.
"Did you naively think that, like when you stole Kekkei Genkai and Secret Techniques from other villages, there would be no consequences?"
As he spoke, three more ANBU leapt at him from behind, their bodies flickering with lightning.
Their long blades descended simultaneously, aiming for Minamoto's body.
But their weapons passed through him as if slicing air, instead stabbing into the corpse of the first ANBU Minamoto had killed.
"Damn it, Flying Thunder God!"
"Correct, but it's useless."
Minamoto's White Fang short blade slashed behind them, killing all three ANBU before they could react.
"If I recall, you used similar tactics against Konohagakure before. The Hyūga Clan hasn't forgotten what you did."
Casually flicking the blood off his blade, Minamoto smirked at the grim expressions of Kumogakure's officials.
"Don't think stealing from others is justified, or that retaliation is unjustified. The ones most deserving of punishment are you."
Boom—
Suddenly, Tutai, who had been kicked away earlier, moved. His Chakra surged wildly as he formed hand seals in an instant.
"Lava Release: Protective Coating!"
A yellow, rubber-like substance rapidly expanded, covering nearly the entire meeting room.
"Get out of here! I can't hold him off for long!"
Tutai shouted urgently. The situation was dire—he didn't know how many enemies there were or what was happening outside.
But just this one Minamoto was enough to annihilate them all!
If they were completely wiped out, Kumogakure would be doomed.
"No, you're mistaken. You won't even last a few seconds."
As Tutai's Lava Release took effect, Minamoto's voice suddenly echoed.
At the same time, his Lightning Release Chakra Mode erupted violently.
Cracks appeared on the protective coating almost instantly.
Crack—Crack—
With a shattering sound, the massive protective coating was obliterated by purple lightning.
In the blink of an eye, Minamoto's blade was aimed straight at Tutai!
"Impossible..."
Tutai's face turned pale. The other Kumogakure officials were equally stunned.
They knew Tutai's abilities well, yet his technique had been broken so easily?
"We're doomed!"
Just as despair set in, a figure suddenly burst through the ground!
Covered in red Chakra and crackling with lightning, the figure moved with incredible speed, swinging a blade toward Minamoto.
"Super Sonic Lightning Blade!"
Boom—
The two blades clashed, sending shockwaves throughout the room, knocking everyone off their feet.
"Kirābī?"
Minamoto raised an eyebrow, recognizing the newcomer.
"You're Kitagawa Minamoto?"
Kirābī's eyes held a trace of hatred. Though he was usually cheerful and carefree, he couldn't remain lighthearted when facing the man who killed his elder brother.
"That's right. I am."
Minamoto nodded, but Kirābī's Chakra flared even more intensely.
"Sorry, I don't know you, but I must avenge my brother. So... die!"
With a roar, Kirābī's Chakra erupted violently. Even Minamoto was slightly surprised.
"Impressive... a fully synchronized Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails. But..."
Boom—
Minamoto's own Chakra surged once again, its sheer volume so immense that even the System no longer bothered calculating it.
"The boy... how does he have so much Chakra?"
The voice of the Eight-Tails echoed in Kirābī's mind, filled with shock.
What terrified it even more was the ominous presence hidden within Minamoto's Chakra.
"This boy is no ordinary ninja. He's extremely dangerous—be careful!"
"Dangerous?"
Kirābī didn't fully understand, but in the next moment, Minamoto's purple lightning flashed.
Pain shot through Kirābī's chest as he was sent flying backward.
At the same time, he saw Minamoto forming a single-hand seal.
The overwhelming Chakra made even the Eight-Tails tremble.
"What... is this?"
Before Kirābī could react, the Eight-Tails let out a guttural roar.
"Be careful!"
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence."
In an instant, countless vines burst from the ground, surging toward Kirābī and the other Kumogakure officials.
Boom—
High in the sky, Deidara watched the flames engulfing critical locations below, laughing maniacally.
"This is art! Explosive, magnificent art!"
Beside him, Mei Terumi scanned the surroundings cautiously.
"Stay alert. We've been noticed. And don't overdo it—remember our objective."
"Tch, fine."
Deidara pursed his lips but said no more. He glanced toward the Raikage's office and muttered,
"Wonder how Minamoto's doing..."
But as soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes widened in shock.
"What's wrong?"
Mei turned to look, her face quickly mirroring his astonishment.
The towering Raikage's office was now overrun with massive vines, which intertwined and grew, destroying the building entirely.
A colossal tree had burst through the roof, its roots forming a dense forest below!
"W-Wood Release?"
Mei's voice was filled with disbelief.
But before she could process it further, a terrifying Chakra surged from the area.
"Roar—"
A deafening roar echoed through the sky.
Amidst the flames and forest, a massive beast loomed, its mountainous form obscured by smoke and ash.
The violent Chakra it emitted shot straight into the heavens.
(End of Chapter)
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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