"Lightning Release: Earth Walk!"
Bolts of lightning raced across the ground like serpents, exploding in dazzling arcs. The sudden eruption split the battlefield, forcing Hizashi one way and Team 7 the other. Sparks tore trenches into the dirt, leaving Shigure and his two teammates surrounded on all sides.
"Teacher's cut off from us!" Hongdie gasped, clutching her kunai tightly.
Kusuo gritted his teeth, panic rattling at his composure. "There are… too many. What do we do?"
Dozens of rogue ninjas surged forward, steel flashing in the dim light.
"Stay calm," Shigure's voice cut firm through the chaos, his eyes glowing with white tomoe. "I have a way."
Baptism of Fire
The enemy leapt as one, rain of weapons descending. Shigure's seals blurred in an instant.
"Compound Ninjutsu: Wind and Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Twin dragons of fire and wind erupted with devastating synergy. The burning vortex roared through the bandits' ranks, incinerating several outright and sending the rest stumbling backward, their bravado shaken.
Smoke and screams tainted the air. The survivors hesitated. No longer bold—cautious now, wary of the boy who wielded Hokage-tier ninjutsu.
Shigure pressed his advantage. "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu."
Fog cascaded into being, blanketing the battlefield like a shroud. Visibility vanished, uncertainty flooding into the enemy's hearts.
"Hah! Where—where is he?!" a panicked voice cried.
"Don't let your guard down!" another shouted, though his tone was trembling.
Within the mist, red-and-white Sharingan eyes ignited like lanterns. Shigure moved unseen, silent as death, his body flickering from point to point. One by one, soft fists struck with surgical precision. Hearts faltered, lungs collapsed, chakra networks shattered.
"P-puwaah!" Blood spilled as another rebel dropped lifeless.
Shigure was omnipresent—here, then gone, then suddenly behind them. To the trembling rogues, he was no Genin at all, but the god of death.
"Damn it!"
"He's everywhere—!"
"Help m—" Their pleas were cut short, breath stolen eternally by pinpoint strikes to their organs.
Within moments, half their number lay broken, faces frozen in fear even in death.
By the time the mist thinned, only three of the rebels remained, drenched in sweat and terror. They spun at every shadow, nerves stretched to snapping point.
"Why… why won't he just face us—"
"Because you're already dead."
Shigure's shadow clones, transformed into the likeness of allies, struck from both sides. Blades tore across unguarded ribs, palms crushed chests. The rebels fell, never comprehending their fatal mistake.
Silence.
Turning to the Jonin
Shigure dispelled the mist to reveal his work—more than a dozen corpses sprawled at his feet. Kusuo's jaw clenched in disbelief, Hongdie's eyes wide with awe and horror.
"You… you dealt with all of them?" she asked in a hushed voice.
Shigure shook the blood from his palm, expression flat. "They were weak." His gaze turned toward the real threat beyond. "Let's back up Hizashi-sensei."
The three hurried past the bodies, their hearts pounding. Ahead, Hizashi clashed with the rebel from Kumogakure, each blow shaking the ground. The jonin's body crackled with lightning armor, fast and lethal. Hizashi's Gentle Fist sought openings, but the flickering speed denied them.
Shigure stepped forward, eyes glinting. "Teacher Hizashi—leave this one to me."
The rebel jonin scoffed at the sight of the boy standing tall amid a graveyard of his comrades. Then his gaze flicked to the corpses. His sneer faltered.
"…What? Fifteen men, slaughtered by three Genin…? No, not three." His eyes narrowed on Shigure. "You."
Shigure said nothing, voice cold as he formed his seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball!"
The rebel dodged with a blur, rage twisting his face. Again and again, Shigure unleashed his infernos, forcing movement, never allowing pause. With every release, the jonin's expression darkened.
"How… is his chakra not running out?!"
Shigure's hands blurred faster. "Wind Style: Wind Dragon Bullet!"
The wind roared forward in a colossal gale.
"You whelp!" The rebel braced behind his lightning armor, but Shigure pressed in further, seals already done.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
The flames slammed into the wind—and merged.
"Compound Ninjutsu: Fire and Wind Dragons!!"
Twin dragons spiraled together, force amplified into an A-rank maelstrom. The rebel's lightning armor splintered, flames ripping across his chest. He roared, skin burning, teeth bared in fury.
"Cursed brat… I won't lose to a child!" He flickered forward, intent on close combat, his best chance. His kunai drew sparks against Shigure's blade.
Hizashi stepped forward now, eyes locked. "Shigure! Now!"
Shigure vanished into mist once again. The jonin spun in confusion—only to feel the impact of Hizashi's Gentle Fist slam into his spine from behind.
For the first time, a trace of fear reached the rebel's eyes as two voices struck him down—one Hyuga, one Uchiha.
"Naive."
P.S. This chapter shows Lucien's terrifying evolution into a predator on the battlefield, annihilating fifteen rebels with mist and soft fist before joining forces with Hizashi to drive the Lightning jonin to desperation. The ambush reveals not only his overwhelming chakra reserves but also his lethal cunning.
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