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Blood Moon Over Kumo
Chapter 2: Thunder and Blood
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The blood moon hung low, bathing the Kumo forest in a crimson glow that danced across shattered trees and blood-soaked earth. Vorga stood at the crater's edge, his scarred armor glinting, his breath ragged but steady. Pain lanced through his shoulder where the pod shard had torn flesh, but his Saiyan blood thrummed with anticipation. Across the ridge, the Fourth Raikage, A, crackled with lightning, his chakra a storm of raw fury that made the air hum.
"You've got guts, barbarian," A growled, his voice like rolling thunder. "But you're a dead man walking."
Vorga's feral grin widened, his tail uncoiling from his waist, swaying like a predator sizing up prey. "Talk's cheap, lightning man. Show me your strength—or die screaming."
Without warning, A vanished in a flash of blue-white light, his Lightning Chakra Armor propelling him faster than the eye could track. Vorga's scouter sparked, unable to keep up, but his instincts kicked in. He pivoted, throwing up an arm just as A's fist slammed into him. The impact sent a shockwave through the forest, uprooting trees and cratering the ground. Vorga skidded back, boots grinding through dirt, his forearm throbbing from the blow.
"Not bad," he spat, blood trickling from his lip. "But I've crushed stronger."
A charged forward again, his speed a blur, delivering a barrage of lightning-charged punches. Vorga met him head-on, his fists glowing with faint ki as he countered blow for blow. Each clash shook the mountain, sending boulders tumbling. A's elbow smashed into Vorga's jaw, staggering him, but the Saiyan retaliated with a knee to A's gut, forcing a grunt from the Raikage.
The two broke apart, circling like beasts. Vorga's scouter flickered, registering A's energy as erratic—not ki, but something alien, potent. His wounds burned, his vision blurring at the edges, but the thrill of battle drowned it all out. A's armor sparked, his muscles tensing for another charge.
"You're no shinobi," A said, eyes narrowing. "What the hell are you?"
Vorga laughed, a harsh, guttural sound. "I'm Vorga, elite of the Saiyan race. And you're my prey."
He lunged, ki flaring around his fist as he aimed for A's chest. The Raikage sidestepped, grabbing Vorga's wrist and hurling him into a cliff face. Rock exploded, dust billowing, but Vorga burst free, a ki blast screaming toward A. The Raikage crossed his arms, tanking the blast with a surge of lightning that dispersed the energy. The forest ignited, flames licking the sky.
Their battle escalated, a whirlwind of destruction. Vorga's raw power carved trenches in the earth, while A's precision strikes drew blood—cuts across Vorga's chest, a cracked rib from a thunderous kick. The Saiyan's Zenkai stirred faintly, his body adapting, but his injuries from the crash slowed him. A's speed was relentless, his fists hammering Vorga's guard until the Saiyan roared, unleashing a shockwave of ki that leveled the ridge.
For a moment, they stood amidst the wreckage, panting. A's armor flickered, his stamina taxed. Vorga's armor was half-shattered, blood dripping from his mouth, but his eyes burned with defiance.
"Enough games," A snarled, raising a hand. Lightning coalesced into a blinding spear—Hell Stab. "This ends now."
Vorga's grin faltered. His body screamed in protest, but his Saiyan pride refused to yield. He planted his feet, ki surging as he prepared a desperate counter. A charged, the spear aimed for Vorga's heart—
A shadow flickered. A Kumo jonin, clad in black, appeared between them, hands weaving seals. "Lightning Release: Binding Chains!" Crackling ropes of electricity shot from the ground, wrapping Vorga's limbs. The Saiyan roared, straining, but the chains held, sapping his strength.
A skidded to a halt, glaring at the jonin. "Darui! I had him!"
Darui, calm but tense, shook his head. "Raikage-sama, he's too dangerous to kill yet. We need answers—what he is, where he came from." He glanced at Vorga, who thrashed like a caged beast. "And he's half-dead already."
Vorga's vision swam, his injuries catching up. The chains burned his skin, their chakra unlike anything he'd faced. His scouter sparked, then died, leaving him blind to their power. "Cowards," he rasped, blood bubbling in his throat. "Face me… one-on-one…"
A stepped forward, fist raised, but Darui blocked him. "Lord Raikage, please. The council will want him alive—for now."
A's eyes burned, but he lowered his fist. "Fine. But if he twitches wrong, I'll crush his skull myself."
Vorga's strength gave out, his body slumping in the chains. As darkness claimed him, the blood moon watched, its crimson light fading behind storm clouds rolling in from the east.
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Kumo's highest peak loomed over the village, its fortress carved into the stone. In a sealed chamber deep within, Vorga lay shackled to a steel table, chakra-suppressing seals glowing on his restraints. Medics worked frantically, stitching wounds that seemed to heal unnaturally fast. A stood at the chamber's edge, arms crossed, his scowl etched deep.
Darui entered, holding Vorga's broken scouter. "His tech's beyond anything we've seen, boss. Not Iwa, not Konoha. And his biology…" He hesitated. "It's not human."
A's fist clenched, cracking the wall. "I don't care what he is. He slaughtered my men. If he's a weapon, we'll break him—or use him."
In the shadows, a scientist in a white coat scribbled notes, her eyes gleaming with ambition. "This… Saiyan," she murmured, studying Vorga's blood sample under a scope. "His cells are rewriting themselves. If we can harness this power…"
Vorga's eyes flickered open, just a slit. Pain wracked him, but his Saiyan heart beat stronger. These shinobi thought him caged. They'd learn soon enough—no chain could hold a Saiyan elite.
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