Boom!
The detonation talisman lit the forest ablaze, forcing two hidden figures out of the shadows. Their chakra flared violently as they revealed themselves.
"Hahaha! So the jonin is from the Hyuga clan? Perfect. Maybe today I'll take a Byakugan trophy back with me!" sneered one of the strangers, his forehead protector marked with the symbol of Kirigakure—but scratched through with a line of betrayal.
Beside him stood another, his headband bearing the Cloud insignia, also crossed out. Renegades—missing-nin from two different nations.
Hizashi tensed instantly. "Rogue ninja." His Byakugan gleamed, scanning their chakra flow. These were no ordinary deserters—they carried dangerous reserves.
The Cloud traitor smirked. "You know the truth as well as I. Hyuga eyes are never taken easily. Don't flatter yourself, Jonin. You'll fight me. As for the kids—let my partner amuse himself."
The Mist traitor cracked his neck and grinned hungrily. "Kill the brats quickly, take the bearded man, and it's done."
Their division of prey was clear—Kumo for Hizashi, Kirigakure for Lucien's team.
The Mist's Assault
The Mist-nin lunged first, spinning shurikens toward the Genin in a deadly spread.
"Block!" Lucien barked. His kunai flashed, knocking projectiles from the air with ease.
A blur, and the Mist rebel landed among them, blade flashing. Kusuo stepped into his path, swings of the Grey Fang slicing sparks against enemy steel.
"Soft Fist!" Hongdie struck from the side, forcing the Mist ninja back a step.
Lucien pulled Noguchi quickly out of range, Sharingan scanning. "Stay behind me."
The Mist rebel hesitated only long enough to smirk before weaving seals.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
At once, the forest drowned in a choking fog. Visibility dropped to nothing. Their enemy's voice slithered among the vapors.
"Children… I'll take you apart one at a time."
Lucien's Sharingan strained. The fog obscured his visual clarity, but then—with a thought—his Byakuragan activated. The veins of chakra coursing within their enemy glowed like beacons.
"This fool… to use Mist Jutsu against me?" A predatory grin spread across Lucien's face.
With a blur, he created a shadow clone. The clone deliberately revealed its presence, becoming a moving bait.
"There you are!" The Mist-nin's kunai plunged forward, striking deep into the chest of a "Shigure."
Bang! The body burst in smoke.
"Now!"
Lucien's real body finished his seals in perfect rhythm.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A blazing inferno surged through the fog.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" Instinctively, the rebel mirrored with a practiced defense. Steam hissed violently, the fog growing even thicker.
He leapt back, eyes narrowing. "You're not normal. Not a simple brat at all."
Lucien's lips tilted upward coldly. "Kusuo! Hongdie! Stay on Noguchi. This one's mine."
The Clash of Dragons
"Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!" the Mist rogue snarled. From the steam, three identical copies emerged, equal menace in every gaze.
Lucien's eyes whirled. "Clones, hmm? Pathetic." He exhaled sharply, forming his seals in rapid blur.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon Bullet!"
From his mouth erupted a colossal dragon of thunder, illuminating the fog in blinding flashes. The charged beast tore forward in multiple trajectories, smashing through clones and surging at the true body.
The Mist-nin cursed. "Impossible—he can use lightning too!?"
Hastily, he slammed his palms. "Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
A massive wall of earth surged up before him—but in seconds, the dragon shattered it to pieces, lightning scattering through his defenses. The rebel skid back, panting, arms grazed by sparks.
"Tch… even my best defenses fall! This power…" He couldn't help but mutter, eyes narrowing with sudden fear of this "child."
Silent Killing
Snarling, the Mist rogue vanished again, Mist thickening to suffocating levels.
Lucien's mind sharpened. "Close combat? With me?" His Sharingan traced silently, the Byakuragan veins revealing every step the man took in the haze.
The rebel crept closer, cautious but certain of victory. Lucien's body feigned ignorance, turning his back, his posture "unguarded."
The Mist rogue's heartbeat quickened. He raised his kunai, inching closer. Ten feet. Five.
"Perfect," the rebel hissed. "Farewell, brat."
He lunged forward like a tiger.
Lucien's mouth curved into a smile, three white tomoe blazing.
"You walked into my trap."
The next instant, steel cut air—
And Lucien's lightning-fast counter awaited.
P.S. This chapter unveils Team 7's first encounter with rogue ninja, testing them beyond bandits. Lucien takes on the Mist rebel alone, showing the terrifying fusion of his Sharingan/Byakugan insight and his mastery of elemental dragons. The trap is set—the kill strike is next.
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