***Shisui POV
I knew Aoya was a good counter for Noa, but that was the point. He only knows Lightning Release, and his compatibility with other chakra natures is poor. Even so, he has been working hard to cover his weaknesses, learning fuinjutsu, kenjutsu, and improving his taijutsu. That level of foresight is rare and very strategic for someone his age.
Still, he needed to be reminded that relying only on Lightning Release has its limits. Fire Release would be the best way to counter Wind, and he needs to put in the effort to learn it. His natural affinity for Lightning has spoiled him. He learns lightning jutsu quickly, so when other natures take longer to master, even a simple D-rank, he dismisses them as not worth the effort or time. Instead, he spends that time on fuinjutsu, kenjutsu, or taijutsu, which he sees as more beneficial.
This fight will teach him the importance of versatility. Even a single basic jutsu from another nature can be the difference between winning and losing against an opponent with an elemental advantage.
I knew he would lose to Aoya, but I was ready to intervene the moment he was in real danger. My speed is more than enough to make sure he does not die. Kaen and Sena were not in serious trouble, so I only glanced at them from time to time while keeping my full focus on Noa's fight.
What surprised me was that Noa was not overwhelmed. He stayed calm, moving intelligently and doing everything he could to delay Aoya while keeping himself alive against someone faster, stronger, and far more experienced. He could not land a second hit on her, and if it had not been for Sena's well-placed trap, Aoya would have escaped already.
Their coordination impressed me. Both of them are sharp, but Sena's ability to think ahead and set traps shows a different kind of intelligence that complements Noa perfectly. Together, they are far more dangerous than they are alone.
Even so, Noa was holding his ground better than I expected. He was fast, strategic, and precise with his movements, but Aoya is a veteran shinobi. Her experience showed in every exchange, and she gradually wore him down with well-placed attacks.
Then she did something I had not expected.
She performed a combination jutsu I knew she had been developing for some time, though last I heard it had not been perfected. Now it seems she has succeeded. The technique requires a massive amount of chakra and extreme control, locking her in a fixed position with a constant hand seal. Even so, it is an impressive creation, functioning as both offense and defense, with the added effect of increasing the speed of its projectiles with every revolution.
It is a dangerous jutsu with tremendous potential. I will make sure Aoya is taken alive. That technique could be invaluable for Konoha's wind-release specialists and may give us an edge if we ever face Kumogakure's forces in the future.
Noa, however, was close to losing his mobility. Her aim with the jutsu was rough, but she was smart enough to target his legs and arms, forcing him closer and closer to defeat. I rose to my feet, ready to flicker in and stop the fight before it went too far.
Then something unbelievable happened, just as I was about to intervene.
Noa's chakra spiked so violently that my instincts reacted before my mind could catch up. My Mangekyo Sharingan spun to life, and thankfully no one was close enough to see it. What I saw through its vision made my breath catch.
His chakra network was overflowing with lightning, surging through every pathway like a raging river. But it did not burst out of control as it should have. Instead, it was being drawn back inward, absorbed by his own muscles, bones, and flesh as quickly as it was generated.
My mouth fell open. His entire body began to shine to my eyes, every cell lit with raw power. His muscles pulsed with energy, his heart thundered in his chest, and even the smallest capillaries lit up like threads of lightning.
This should have torn him apart from the inside. The chakra density alone was enough to destroy a normal body several times over, yet instead of breaking, he seemed to rise with it.
It was not just chakra anymore.
His entire body was being elevated by it, refined in real time, as if the lightning was forcing every part of him to operate at a higher state. The air itself vibrated with static, pulling at my cloak and raising the hair on my arms.
I had never seen anything like it.
Then Noa moved.
He exploded forward with a crack of thunder, the ground beneath his feet scorched black from the discharge. If I had not been used to tracking high-speed movement, I would have lost him completely. His speed was far beyond what I had seen from him before, his afterimage framed by arcs of lightning that hung in the air for a heartbeat before fading.
Aoya reacted instantly, firing a Vacuum Bullet straight at him.
Noa blurred to the side, lightning streaking from his body in jagged, harsh angles as he moved. He extended a hand without forming a single seal, and a barrage of Current Shots erupted from his palm. The chakra circulating through his body was fueling the jutsu directly, bypassing the usual delay of hand seals entirely.
The bolts screamed toward Aoya, faster and sharper than anything he had launched before. She barely had time to counter, slashing the air with a wide Vacuum Wave that exploded against the lightning, scattering the attack into a crackling storm of sparks.
Noa did not slow.
He flickered forward again, closing the distance in a flash, only to be met by a full barrage of Vacuum Slashes. They carved through the battlefield, shredding earth and kicking up clouds of pulverized debris. Noa twisted and spun between them, each dodge so tight that the blades sliced his cloak and carved shallow lines across his arms and shoulders.
When Aoya intensified her barrage, filling every angle with cutting wind, he could no longer slip through. He flickered back, lightning trailing in his wake like a glowing scar across the battlefield. For a single heartbeat, it hung there in the air, crackling softly, a vivid reminder of how close death had just come.
Noa smiled.
The seal on his palm flared. In a flash of white-blue light, the spear materialized in his grip, humming with power.
This time there was no charge-up, no gathering of chakra. The moment it appeared, he thrust, and the weapon launched forward like a thunderbolt. The air ripped open in its wake, the shockwave exploding outward as it crossed the battlefield faster than Aoya could react.
The spear struck the heart of her combination jutsu.
The world erupted.
Lightning and wind collided, the resulting explosion shaking the ground beneath my feet. A pillar of sparks and wind roared into the sky, tearing up the dirt road and whipping the air into a miniature tornado. The battlefield glowed with violent light as the competing natures clashed, then slowly began to die down, leaving the two of them standing across from one another.
For the first time, Aoya hesitated. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she realized she had underestimated her opponent. The confidence she had carried since the fight began was gone, replaced by something sharper, caution. She watched as Noa's spear clattered to the ground, still humming, arcs of lightning snapping off its surface and lashing out like whips.
Aoya tried to flicker in and take it, but Noa's seal had a reverse summon function. The weapon disappeared in a puff of smoke and reappeared in his hand as he stored it back into the seal. He grinned as he looked at her, clearly amused by the furious expression twisting her face.
With another puff of smoke, a tanto appeared in Noa's hand. His chakra flared even higher, the air snapping with power. In an instant, he blurred forward, space seeming to shrink and then snap as he was already mid-swing before reaching her.
Aoya's eyes went wide as she barely managed to raise her kunai to block, but she was a fraction too late. The tanto bit into her shoulder before she could fully stop it, and the clash sent a shock through her arm. Then she felt it, the current building around him.
Electricity arced toward her through the locked weapons, and her experience saved her. She reacted instantly, disengaging and dropping the kunai to break contact before the lightning could run through her body.
She flickered back, throwing kunai as she retreated, but the weapons slowed the moment they entered the range of his static field. Noa flickered aside with ease, avoiding their slow trajectory as lightning began to gather in his hand.
A spear made entirely of lightning formed in his grip and shot forward with incredible speed. Aoya barely ducked under it, the attack grazing past her and striking the road behind her, sending a shower of sparks and dust into the air.
She tried to form a hand seal, but Noa was already there. He zoomed toward her, slashing again, forcing her to stay on the defensive. She blocked with another kunai, but this time Noa let go of his blade mid-swing.
His freed hand sparked with lightning, and at near point-blank range, he unleashed a Current Shot. Aoya wrapped wind chakra around her body just as the blast struck, the makeshift shield dulling the worst of the impact. Even so, the force slammed into her and sent her flying backward, a scream of pain tearing from her throat.
She skidded across the ground as Noa kept firing Current Shots, forcing her to flicker repeatedly just to stay ahead of the barrage. The two of them moved at incredible speed now, the entire battlefield alive with lightning and tearing wind.
Her kick connected solidly with Noa's forearms, which he had raised with incredible reaction speed to shield his chest. The contact triggered a surge of current that burst from his body into hers. Sparks raced along her leg, the sharp smell of scorched fabric filling the air as her muscles seized.
Aoya cried out sharply as her body locked up from the shock, and Noa immediately capitalized on the opening.
His fist smashed into her face, breaking her nose and sending another burst of lightning through her body. She tried to flicker away, using wind to propel herself back, but Noa extended his hand.
A chain of pure lightning shot forward, wrapping around her like a living thing. His chakra flared dangerously high, locking her in place as smoke began to rise from her skin where the energy burned her.
Noa flickered forward. His fist came up in a brutal uppercut that snapped her head back, her eyes rolling as she fell face-down, dazed and writhing in pain.
A seal tag appeared on Noa's hand, and he slapped it onto her back. With a single hand sign, the seal spread across her body like ink, creeping along her limbs. Aoya's eyes widened as she realized what was happening, thrashing while trying to flare her chakra to break free.
Noa didn't hesitate. His kick connected with the side of her head with brutal force, dust pluming up from the impact as her body went slack and hit the ground motionless. The sealing formula locked into place, fully suppressing her chakra.
The lightning aura around Noa finally began to die down. His breathing was ragged, sweat pouring down his face as he dropped to one knee. The state had nearly consumed all of his chakra. Any longer and it might have left him in critical condition.
I flickered forward, appearing between Noa and Aoya. She stirred weakly, coming back to consciousness, which spoke volumes about her stamina, endurance, and the strength of her body. When her eyes found me, her expression shifted instantly to one of horror.
"Shisui of the..." she began, but my Sharingan was already active. The genjutsu took hold before she could even think to close her eyes. Her pupils dilated, her voice cut off mid-word, and her head dropped back to the ground as her body went completely limp.
My eyes faded back to normal, and I turned to see Noa lying on the ground, grinning despite his exhaustion.
"Sensei, I just beat a chunin." he said between breaths, before breaking into breathless laughter, pride shining on his face.
-------------------------
A/N: Now that the fight is complete, I'm curious about your opinion of Sena's, Kaen's, and Noa's performances and what you thought of the fights. Let me know in the comments, I'm excited to hear from you all <3