Gen's short hair trembled in the wind, his cloak billowing as two-thirds of his soul rose from the crown of his head.
The fragment split into seven and streaked outward in seven different directions like shards of lightning.
The five Mist jōnin watching from below immediately stiffened.
"This isn't good… do any of you recognize that technique?" Hōzuki Mangetsu asked, his voice low but tense.
The others shook their heads.
The Spirit Transformation had only surfaced once in history used by Kato Dan in the Second Great Ninja War more than a decade ago. Unless someone had pored over obscure war records, they wouldn't know what they were looking at.
The ethereal fragments shot forward faster than thought. Five Mist chūnin without sensory ability never even realized they'd been pierced.
The two sensory ninja did detect something closing in on them, but detection didn't mean escape. The speed was inhuman as their minds reacted, but their bodies lagged behind.
Seven bodies stiffened, then collapsed in eerie unison.
Even divided into seven, Gen's soul fragments were overwhelming. Ordinary chūnin lacked the spiritual willpower to resist.
Inside their consciousness spaces, Gen moved like a predator in familiar territory. He seized their souls and lifespans with ruthless efficiency. Some died from fear, others from the collapse of their minds, and the sensory types only lasted moments longer.
When it was over, seven streaks of light arced back into his body.
Gen exhaled deeply, his voice carrying a satisfied murmur.
"Phew… comfortable."
"Shuryu, land us in front of them."
"Yes, Master."
The flame dragon coiled through the air, riding crimson clouds, and descended gracefully. Its massive body settled atop the crown of a towering pine at the ridge.
The battlefield had shifted into a sloping pine forest. From his perch above, Gen had the high ground.
The five Mist jōnin closed in cautiously. Gen pulled five special kunai from his pouch and hurled them.
This time they were ready. Masayuki countered with his own kunai, deflecting the projectiles midair, while the other four launched attacks at once.
Dead Bone Pulse: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!
Water Release: Water Gun!
Water Release: Great Waterfall!
Bone bullets whistled like rifle shots. Jets of water followed, then a massive surge of foaming waves rose ten meters high, surging toward the trees.
The Mist was a land saturated with water vapor, and here in the Land of Whirlpools, moisture hung thick in the air. Together, Minazuki Tō and Meina's combined Water Release was ferocious.
But Shuryu merely shifted its wings and climbed higher, slipping above the onslaught.
The dragon leveled off just beyond reach, lingering at a sly distance, close enough to strike, but far enough that most long-range ninjutsu barely brushed its altitude.
The five Mist jōnin regrouped on the crest of retreating waves, dripping with spray.
Hōzuki Mangetsu cupped his hands to the sky. "So this is the genius Uchiha, vice commander of Konoha's frontlines? Hiding up there like a coward?"
"If you have any guts, come down and fight us!"
Gen smirked, his Sharingan glinting.
"The water is your battlefield. The sky is mine. Why should I handicap myself?"
"You fight your way… I'll fight mine."
"Shuryu. Shizukamaru. Start the bombing."
"Understood, Master!" the two Homies replied, their voices carrying childlike excitement.
Exploding Flame Bullet!
Lightning Release: Lightning Strike!
A hail of crimson fireballs rained down while five jagged bolts of lightning carved paths through the misty sky.
The Mist shinobi's eyes narrowed not at the fire, but the lightning. Water conducted electricity, and Mangetsu's clan's secret techniques made them especially vulnerable.
Ice Release: Crystal Wall!
Minazuki Tō leapt forward, hands flashing through seals. Moisture condensed into a thick wall of ice. The lightning struck, leaving smoking craters and splintering cracks.
Then the fireballs slammed into the wall
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ice shattered under the impact, steam billowing.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
Mangetsu and Meina raised two towering walls of water, dousing the firestorm. Steam hissed violently as flames died.
Dead Bone Pulse: Bone Spear of Death!
Kaguya Gang ripped his own spine free, wielding it like a spear before hurling it with terrifying force.
Feather Transformation Secret Art: Evil Dragon Cannon!
Masayuki sat astride a massive alligator with ocean-blue scales. Chakra coursed between them, and from the beast's maw a compressed jet of water blasted forth like a cannon shell.
But Gen's Sharingan tracked both attacks easily.
"Upper left. Directly above," he murmured.
Shuryu tilted its wings, and the projectiles whistled harmlessly past.
Gen retaliated immediately, flames and lightning raining down once more.
The Mist shinobi were forced into a grinding stalemate. Ninjutsu clashed violently in the storming air—fire against water, lightning against ice. Vapor thickened, dark clouds brewing overhead. The sky dimmed into heavy gray.
For Kirigakure, nothing was more favorable than mist and rain.
Yet Gen fought without strain. His chakra reserves rivaled a Kage's, and with Shuryu and Shizukamaru providing support, his expenditure was minimal compared to theirs.
The Mist's ninjutsu types managed to keep pace, but Kaguya Gang, primarily a taijutsu fighter, was faltering. His techniques simply couldn't reach Gen in the sky.
"Captain," he gritted, sweat dripping, "I'm running low on chakra."
Mangetsu's eyes hardened. "Then fall back and recover. I'll cover you. But don't drop your guard—he may already know."
Summoning Technique!
Mangetsu slammed his palm onto the soaked ground. A burst of smoke, and a giant clam emerged, though smaller than the legendary Mizukage's.
Mist poured from its siphons, rolling thick and heavy. But this was no ordinary mist—it shimmered with chakra, an illusory haze so dense even the Byakugan would falter within it.
"Go," Mangetsu ordered.
Kaguya Gang retreated into cover, swallowing a ration pill to recover chakra.
From above, Gen's Sharingan pierced the haze. Mangetsu's ploy was clever, but meaningless. The clam's mist could fool eyes and senses—just not Gen's soul perception.
His gaze sharpened as his thoughts turned.
They had fought long enough. It was time to take one piece off the board.
And high above, the brewing storm crackled, lightning gathering into something vast.
The Kirin was nearly ready.