A crimson polyhedron, its edges jagged like fractured ice, pulsed with an eerie glow.
Within the protective barrier of light—
Three elongated water projectiles hovered in a perfect triangular formation, spinning rapidly. Their sharp, drill-like tips emitted high-pressure jets of water, converging into a single, devastating beam that pierced through Raiga and Ranmaru without mercy.
The laser-like torrent erupted from their backs, stained crimson.
Raiga's Lightning Armor, famed for its defensive prowess, might as well have been butter under a hot knife. The wind-infused hydro beam sliced through it effortlessly.
Clang!
Clang!
The twin blades slipped from Raiga's hands, their tips striking the ground with a hollow ring.
Raiga's body stiffened, his eyes glazed over with blood. Beside him, Ranmaru's pupils contracted to pinpricks, his lips twitching in a voiceless whisper:
"R... run..."
But it was too late.
The moment the hydro beam struck, they were already dead.
The high-pressure, spiraling torrent didn't just pierce—it liquefied organs, churning their insides into a bloody slurry before blasting it out their backs.
Their chests were hollowed out.
Their brains simply hadn't caught up yet.
Hiss—!
The scorching beam weakened, its spiraling fury fading into a harmless trickle that painted a straight line across the ground.
The crimson diamond barrier folded inward, vanishing into the void.
Hikari stood untouched—her white kimono pristine, her silver hair swaying gently. Not a drop of sweat, not a speck of blood.
Above her, the three levitating water projectiles ceased their rotation, their eyelike nozzles closing.
What the hell was that?!
Kakashi's hand trembled around his Raikiri.
He wasn't shocked that Hikari had one-shot an elite jōnin.
When the Third Hokage himself admitted he had nothing left to teach her, Kakashi had already guessed she'd reached Kage-level.
This just confirmed it.
No—what stunned him was the sheer complexity of that technique.
The floating hydro projectiles defied everything he knew about ninjutsu crafting.
His Sharingan's dynamic vision couldn't penetrate the barrier, but he could still analyze the details:
- The streamlined, multi-angled structure of the projectiles.
- The rotational force adding spiral penetration to the water jets.
- The levitation mechanism, likely powered by wind-release turbines at the rear.
And that was just the exterior.
The eyelike nozzles, the hybrid wind-water attack, the instantaneous firing speed—the internal mechanisms had to be even more intricate.
Compared to this, his Raikiri felt like a caveman's stone axe next to a master-forged katana.
"How… is this even possible?"
Kakashi's worldview cracked.
"Wind and water nature transformations, plus a little shape manipulation."
Hikari dismissed the hydro projectiles with a flick of her wrist, her flesh seals dimming as the chakra dispersed. She held up her thumb and forefinger, pinching them together.
"Just a teensy bit."
"I—I know that, but—!"
Kakashi's mind short-circuited.
His teacher, Minato Namikaze, had once said:
"All jutsu require trade-offs."
The more complex a technique, the harder it was to execute—especially in battle.
Raikiri was pure Lightning Release, with basic shape manipulation. Ten hand seals. Two seconds to cast.
But Hikari's hydro projectiles?
The layered nature and shape transformations should've taken twenty minutes to prep—if she used hand signs. Without them? Two hours minimum.
Yet she'd instantly conjured, aimed, and fired them mid-combat.
That wasn't natural.
"Just call it a talent."
Hikari shrugged, not bothering to explain.
This S-rank technique—"Floating Hydro Cannon" (or "Levitating Water Gatling", "Wind-Water Drone Artillery", etc.)—was the seventh iteration of her high-pressure water cutter.
The first version had been clunky:
- Slow casting.
- Short range (5 meters).
- Mediocre power.
Only the water compression method had been noteworthy.
Later, on Thunder Drum Mountain, her Yang Clone had combined wind and water, creating Version 2.
But the casting time (3 seconds) and two-handed requirement made it useless in her taijutsu-centric combat style.
Then came the flesh seals.
With them, she could:
- Pre-carve jutsu logic into her body.
- Automate nature/shape transformations.
- Fire complex techniques instantly.
No hand signs. No delay.
Thus, the Floating Hydro Cannon was born:
- V3: Replaced water spheres with streamlined projectiles + turbine levitation.
- V4: Added internal chakra storage/compression seals to reduce startup lag.
- V5: Used wind-shearing to create 0.01mm nozzles for range/penetration boost.
- V6: Mammalian eye-inspired nozzles for aim adjustment.
- V7: Wind threads woven into water—exponentially stronger than adding sand/metal.
Five years.
Countless Water Clones refining it.
The result? A technique so complex, no normal ninja could replicate it.
Without flesh seals, even six hand signs per second would require 20+ minutes to cast.
But now?
No hand signs. One-second firing. Three shots per volley.
The flesh seals were like industrializing ninjutsu—turning handcrafted spells into assembly-line artillery.
And against conventional techniques?
It was technology versus spears.
---
"Since I handled the enemy solo, the loot's mine."
Ignoring Kakashi's existential crisis, Hikari approached Raiga and Ranmaru's bodies.
Their chests were gaping holes, edges spiraled from the hydro drill. No blood, no organs—just clean, hollow cavities.
Death had been instantaneous.
With a flick of her wrist, water whips extended from her back, lifting Raiga's twin blades for inspection.
"Thunderfang" (Raikiri) was a pair of lightning-shaped swords, their edges jagged like forked bolts. The hilts were short, wrapped in grip tape.
At a glance, they seemed ordinary—but her Byakugan saw engraved seals within the metal, fused during forging.
Lightning-enhancing formulas.
She'd copy these later to boost her own Lightning Release.
Setting the blades aside, she extended a chakra scalpel, preparing to extract Ranmaru's crimson eyes.
Their Byakugan-jamming ability overlapped with her barrier jutsu, and she already had enough ocular powers.
But after burning so much chakra without finding Haku or Ice Release, she refused to leave empty-handed.
These eyes would be her consolation prize.
---
As Hikari looted, the crowd erupted in cheers.
They'd waited—wary of Raiga's possible survival—until Hikari claimed his swords. Only then did they dare celebrate.
"We won!"
"Lord Raiga is dead!"
"The nightmare's over!"
Tazuna trembled, tears welling.
Kōsuke, leader of the militia, exhaled in relief. He'd rounded up Raiga's men, just in case the battle turned—ready to trade prisoners for the Konoha team's lives.
But the worst-case scenario never came.
Inari, spared his stepfather's death, bounced excitedly, staring at Naruto and Sasuke's forehead protectors with stars in his eyes.
"How much effort do you think Hikari used?"
"Three-tenths, max."
"More like two-point-five."
"Oh, come on!"
Naruto and Sasuke bickered, oblivious to Inari's awe.
To them, Hikari one-shotting Raiga was expected.
She was Konoha's greatest genius. The Third's secret disciple. A monstrous taijutsu specialist.
If she hadn't used taijutsu, she wasn't even trying.
In their minds, Hikari had four combat phases:
1. Barrier + Ninjutsu Bombardment (Current phase).
2. Taijutsu Hybrid Mode (If you somehow closed the distance).
3. Tailed Beast Cloak (Naruto's theory).
4. Eight Gates (Absolute nightmare).
Thus, 2.5/10 effort seemed accurate.
"Fair."
Sasuke conceded—though he wondered what a "tailed beast cloak" was.
Naruto just grinned.
"Remember that time you shot a Fireball at her, and she caught it bare-handed? Yeah. That."
Sasuke's eye twitched.
Damn it.
Changing the subject, he eyed Raiga's swords, plotting how to claim them.
Then—
He noticed Hikari pausing, her gaze locked on the distant sea.
What was she looking at?
His Sharingan activated, scanning the horizon—
Where thick fog had suddenly swirled into existence.
---