Ignoring the blood on his hands, Sasuke blurred forward once more — his body vanishing into an afterimage as he plunged another Chidori straight through a Kumogakure shinobi's chest.
Lightning flared. The body convulsed once — then fell lifeless to the snow.
That moment of silence shattered as the remaining Cloud-nin roared in fury.
"It seems I underestimated this brat!"
The squad leader's killing intent spiked — sharp and suffocating. He drew his blade, lightning bursting from its edge in a flash that forced Sasuke to leap back.
As the commander of this mission, his skill was not ordinary. He was a master of Lightning Release: Sword Style, a swordsman personally praised by Killer Bee himself.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, Sharingan spinning. The man was in his early thirties, with rugged features, dark skin, and a long scar running down his cheek. His stance was calm — dangerous.
So this is the captain... interesting.
A faint smirk tugged at Sasuke's lips. Finally, a worthy opponent.
The air crackled as lightning arced across the blade.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique! (Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!)"
Sasuke's Great Fireball roared forward, engulfing the field in flame — but the captain met it head-on, his sword cleaving through the inferno with a surge of chakra-infused steel.
The attack hadn't been meant to hit. As the flames parted, Sasuke had already closed the distance, his kunai flashing in the light. The two clashed at blinding speed, leaving streaks of afterimages in the air.
The valley echoed with the sharp ring of metal on metal.
Moments later, both stepped back, breath steady. Small tears marked their clothes. Sasuke glanced at his kunai — the blade was chipped and cracked from the strain. His opponent's sword, however, remained flawless.
With a faint snort, Sasuke tossed the ruined weapon aside.
He's fast… and his sword's forged from chakra metal.
This opponent wasn't just strong — he had every advantage in weapon and reach.
"Lightning Release: Sword Style — Triple Slash! (Raiton: Kenjutsu — Sanrenzan!)"
Before Sasuke could counter, the Kumogakure captain unleashed three lightning-fast strikes, each one faster than the last. Sasuke barely managed to evade, the final slash grazing his arm as sparks flew.
The captain pivoted mid-strike, redirecting his final blow toward Neji, forcing the Hyūga back several meters.
A wounded subordinate called out weakly, "Captain Saroi… thank you! These brats—"
"No need for words," the captain snapped. His eyes gleamed with resolve. "We underestimated them. These brats… they're geniuses!"
With that, he surged forward once more — pride and rage intertwining. He was Saroi of the Storm Blade, and he refused to let his unit fall here.
Lightning cloaked his sword as he charged Neji, the air itself splitting under the force.
"Don't get cocky, boy!"
With a flash like a thunderbolt, Saroi's blade descended.
Neji's Byakugan flared open, veins bulging at his temples. "Eight Trigrams: Protective Sphere! (Hakkeshō Kekkai!)"
But the spinning barrier of chakra — the Hyūga's impenetrable defense — cracked under the strike. Sparks erupted as the lightning-infused blade pierced the outer layer of his rotation.
So fast… and his sword style channels lightning like chakra flow, Neji realized grimly.
"Eight Trigrams Palms: Revolving Heaven! (Hakkeshō Kaiten!)"
Neji spun, expanding his chakra dome at the last instant. The counterforce deflected the blade, sending Saroi skidding back.
Without pausing, Neji extended his palm toward another Elite Chūnin who was charging at Sasuke.
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Empty Palm! (Hakke Kūshō!)"
A burst of compressed chakra shot forward, hitting the man square in the chest. The impact sent him flying, blood spraying from his mouth before he hit the ground — motionless.
One strike. Instant death.
Neji leapt to Sasuke's side, his expression tense.
"Be careful. These shinobi aren't ordinary opponents."
Sasuke gave a curt nod. Surrounded by more than a dozen enemy ninja—two of whom were Elite Jōnin—he could feel the pressure mounting.
The two glanced toward Yakumo Kurama in the distance. She met their eyes and nodded, silently signaling her readiness.
"Prepare yourselves for hell!"
A barrage of ninjutsu hurtled toward them, a chaotic mix of elemental attacks lighting up the battlefield.
Neji spun, forming a chakra dome around them.
"Eight Trigrams Palms: Revolving Heaven!"
The storm of ninjutsu collided with the barrier and burst apart, scattering smoke and debris in every direction.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Sasuke dashed forward.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
A massive dragon-shaped flame roared forth, consuming everything in its path.
Boom!
The explosion rocked the field, sending enemy shinobi flying.
"Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!"
A spear of crackling lightning extended from Sasuke's hand, piercing clean through a Kumogakure shinobi's chest. The body fell with a heavy thud.
The remaining enemies scattered to regroup.
Saroi, their commander, barked an order.
"Split them up! Hakoma, Kuramoku—you take the Hyūga brat. I'll deal with Uchiha Sasuke myself!"
The two Elite Jōnin—each roughly as strong as Zabuza Momochi—nodded and led half their forces toward Neji. Saroi's chakra flared as he pointed toward Yakumo's position on the ridge.
"Three of you—take out that girl!"
The trio of Kumogakure ninja rushed up the slope.
But before they could get close, one of them screamed. His body convulsed, red marks searing across his skin like burns.
"Wh-what the hell—?!"
His comrades froze, staring in disbelief as the man collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
Another followed suit, gasping and clutching his throat, eyes wide with terror.
Saroi's face darkened. His gaze snapped toward Yakumo Kurama.
"Damn it… the Kurama clan's Kekkei Genkai!"
Even though the Kurama clan had long declined, their bloodline ability was infamous among veteran shinobi. Saroi had initially dismissed the possibility—it was rare for one of that clan's illusionists to appear in combat.
But the symptoms were unmistakable.
Hallucination-induced death. Illusory torment made real.
And with that name—Yakumo Kurama—the truth was undeniable.
It didn't matter who she was. The Raikage's orders came first.
"Kill her! Now!"
Before his men could act, a bolt of lightning tore from the sky, slamming into the trio attacking Yakumo.
Crack!
They were reduced to blackened husks, smoke rising from their charred bodies.
Sasuke and Neji froze, staring at the devastation.
That… was Yakumo's doing?
They had never seen her kill before. The sheer brutality of it left even them shaken.
Meanwhile, the surviving Kumogakure shinobi began to rally. The stronger ones managed to resist Yakumo's genjutsu, though their focus wavered.
Neji and Sasuke didn't waste the opening. They struck like reapers, cutting down the disoriented enemies one after another.
The ground was slick with blood—bodies littered the field like broken dolls.
Saroi's rage erupted.
"You bastards!!!"
Lightning surged around him as he lunged forward, his body flashing with blinding white light—White Lightning, a Kumogakure assassination technique.
Sasuke and Neji barely evaded his initial strike, countering with ruthless efficiency, dispatching those still entranced by Yakumo's illusions.
Even Sasuke and Neji couldn't help but shiver. The scene was pure slaughter. If Yakumo were their enemy instead of their ally… they'd already be dead.
By now, most of the Chūnin had fallen, and even several Jōnin lay slain.
But the Kumogakure forces had fought back fiercely—both Sasuke and Neji had suffered light injuries in the process.
A particularly wild swing from Saroi grazed Neji's arm, tearing through his sleeve.
Without hesitation, Neji tore open a sealing scroll.
A soft green light flared, mending the wound instantly until only a faint white line remained.
Saroi's expression tightened. He was breathing hard now, his eyes darting between the two shinobi and Yakumo in the distance.
She stood still on the ridge, her hair fluttering in the wind, eyes closed in eerie calm.
For the first time, Saroi felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Retreat was beginning to sound like the only sane option.
...
TN:
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