One-on-one.
"You bastard."
The Cloud ninja gritted his teeth.
While he didn't particularly care about the weak, killing a Kumo-nin right before his eyes was nothing short of a blatant provocation.
In the Hidden Cloud Village, only its own people had the right to bully or kill one another.
The next moment—
A figure emerged amidst the lightning, darting toward one flickering bolt, then another, and then a third.
He weaved through the crackling electricity surrounding him.
Countless bolts of lightning spread, their arcs beginning to link together.
The blue currents carried considerable power.
For a moment, there was no safe ground for Kin to stand.
He leaped between the connected lines of lightning, his expression growing heavier as the space around him dwindled.
Most of it had already been swallowed by the storm.
If the entire area were engulfed, he'd be in serious danger.
His gaze swept the distance, but the thunderous blockade left little room for escape.
Worse, he noticed the lightning was slowly tightening its net, further shrinking the space he could stand on.
The process was deliberate, likely to avoid alerting him.
But to the Sharingan, it was all too obvious.
Kin had no immediate counter.
Yin-based chakra would be disrupted by Lightning Release, and his opponent was hiding within the storm, untouchable.
If he charged in, he'd have to face the lightning head-on—something he hadn't trained to endure.
A single moment of paralysis would be all the enemy needed to strike him down.
"This is troublesome."
Kin continued dodging through the storm.
If he didn't find a solution soon, his only option would be the Reverse Summoning Technique to flee.
His pupils darted rapidly, searching for an opening.
But the Cloud ninja was wary of the Sharingan, leaving no gaps to exploit.
Running through his arsenal of jutsu in his mind, Kin made a decision.
"I'll have to gamble."
Without hesitation, he lunged straight into the lightning.
"Seeking death?" The Cloud ninja's eyes turned icy.
Did this fool think the lightning was just for show?
Still, to be safe, he began weaving the thunder into a tighter net.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Domain—Net Weaving Technique!"
The area was now completely sealed by the storm.
He was a ninja who specialized in ninjutsu, after all.
A blinding flash erupted, devouring everything in its path.
Soon, the Cloud jonin could no longer sustain the technique.
Even with the Foundation Internal Energy bolstering his reserves, chakra wasn't infinite.
As the light faded, the figure within was revealed—
And the Cloud ninja's pupils shrank.
Kin stood there, battered but alive.
His clothes were torn, his body covered in severe electrical burns. By all rights, a normal person would have died.
"Six Treasuries Immortal Thief!"
A faint glow emanated from Kin's body as his wounds began healing at an unnatural rate.
The Six Treasuries Immortal Thief was a Yang-based technique, and since Yin and Yang had no inherent counter, Kin could use it freely.
He'd bet his life on it, counting on his opponent's hesitation to strike again while awaiting the outcome.
It was a reckless gamble.
Submerged in the lightning, his body had been fully paralyzed.
But the Six Treasuries Immortal Thief was no mere parlor trick.
"How much chakra do you have left?"
Kin grinned, the scars on his face already vanishing.
The Cloud ninja sighed and collapsed to the ground.
Not a drop of chakra remained. He was done.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Kunai pierced his forehead, throat, and chest in quick succession.
Blood pooled beneath him, staining the earth.
BOOM!!
A violent explosion consumed the Cloud ninja's corpse.
"Had to pull that last move, huh?"
Kin shook his head.
Had he approached, he'd have been caught in the blast.
Whether before or after a battle, carelessness always came at a price.
Not that he feared it—thanks to the Six Treasuries Immortal Thief, as long as he wasn't instantly killed or lost a limb, he could recover swiftly with enough chakra.
His gaze shifted to the other battlefield.
The fight there was far fiercer.
Flames raged in every direction.
Even the lowest temperatures couldn't suppress the blistering heat.
White crescents slashed relentlessly at the Flame Nekomata, each strike tearing away chunks of fiery flesh—only for the beast to regenerate instantly.
The Nekomata spat fireballs with power rivaling Tailed Beast Balls, yet none could touch the White Fang.
The man's speed was monstrous. Though the Nekomata's claws moved faster than thought, they only ever caught afterimages.
Like a white crescent moon, the White Fang's slashes carved wounds into the beast again and again.
"White Fang!!"
Dai roared, his claws flailing madly, but they passed harmlessly through fading shadows.
Another crescent slash tore through his torso, cleaving half his body apart—
Only for flames to surge and mend the damage.
The White Fang landed on a boulder, but the Nekomata's claw descended in an instant. With a Shave, he vanished.
He wasn't faring much better.
The Nekomata's raw strength wasn't overwhelming for him; any ninja who couldn't match his speed posed little threat.
The Two-Tails fell squarely into that category.
But its flames made close combat impossible. The searing heat inflicted wounds with even the briefest contact.
Dashing away, he kicked off the ground and disappeared.
The Nekomata's massive maw lunged forward, a fireball erupting from its throat—
Engulfing everything in its path.
The White Fang reappeared outside the blast radius, hands already forming seals.
"Lightning Release: Four Pillar Binding Technique!"
Four stone pillars erupted around the Nekomata, sealing it within a cage of crackling lightning.
But it wasn't enough.
While the beast convulsed under the current, the White Fang completed another set of seals.
"Lightning Release: Sixteen Pillar Binding Technique!"
More pillars rose, encasing the Nekomata completely.
Taking a deep breath, the White Fang summoned a towering white phantom behind him.
This strike would kill the jinchūriki.
But just as he prepared to deliver it—
A bolt of lightning split the sky.
BOOM!!
It shattered the stone prison.
The Nekomata burst free, its head now bearing a new figure—a bare-chested, dark-skinned man standing with arms crossed.
"Am I supposed to fight every Kage here?"
The White Fang sighed at the sight.
This was the second Kage he'd encountered today—and now, his next opponent.
The white phantom behind him faded.
Delivering that strike would've drained him, leaving him helpless against the man before him.
The Third Raikage, A.
...
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(End of Chapter)