Chapter 64 – Lightning Flash of Konoha
Once the enemy was in range, Nan signaled his team to slow down. Any premature movement might alert the Sand shinobi and rob them of the element of surprise.
"One… two… three… four." Nan's Sharingan gleamed as he whispered his count.
"Four targets. Looks like a squad specialized in scouting and intelligence-gathering."
Through the power of his eyes, he observed them in detail. No hidden reinforcements lingered nearby; just a four-man team operating on its own.
From their formation and chakra flow, Nan judged them to be much like the scouting squads of Konoha—similar to the one Yūhi Kurenai would someday lead, comprised mostly of ninjutsu and sensory specialists. Their combat power shouldn't be overwhelming, yet…
Ninja lived by one rule: never underestimate an opponent. Even the smallest insect could prove fatal if handled carelessly.
After finishing his observation, Nan withdrew several paces to regroup with his team at a safe distance.
"It's confirmed: Sand shinobi. Judging by their chakra, the captain is a jōnin. The other three are chūnin."
He reported calmly.
"As their intel officer, that jōnin will know the most. If we want useful information, he's our best target. The other three…" Kosuke's expression hardened. "…we dispose of them."
Nan nodded without hesitation.
"Yes. I agree with Kosuke-senpai. That's the plan."
As always, Kosuke quickly outlined the specifics:
"We use our usual formation. I'll engage and restrain the jōnin captain. Anko and Hayate—you each tie down one of the chūnin. Nan, with your speed, you'll eliminate the three chūnin first. Once they're down, I'll support you in cornering the captain. Together, we'll pin him with genjutsu."
"Understood."
Nan studied the path the Sand shinobi were taking, then concealed himself along their inevitable route of travel. His team melted into the terrain, silent shadows brimming with lethal intent.
Unaware, the Sand-nin crept carefully forward, scanning their surroundings with exaggerated caution. They thought themselves well hidden, blissfully ignorant of the predators waiting just ahead.
Step by step, the scouts drew closer, inching directly into the kill zone.
When they entered range, Nan raised a hand. Now.
Kosuke moved instantly. His fingers blurred through hand seals, and in a heartbeat, water vapor drew together with ferocious speed.
"Suiton: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Under his command, a massive dragon of water surged into existence, snarling as it heaved itself toward the unsuspecting Sand-nin.
The enemy froze in shock, caught off guard by the sudden assault. They scrambled to dodge, stumbling over one another in their haste.
The wave-crash impact narrowly missed obliterating them outright, though one or two were clipped by the spray. Normally, the Water Dragon Bullet wasn't the deadliest of techniques—it lacked speed, and in most cases, enemies could evade before its crushing impact.
But Kosuke's water style was different. His ninjutsu carried a sharpness, honed under the direct teaching of the Second Hokage himself.
The shock left the Sand shinobi rattled. They had barely escaped being torn apart, and relief began to creep into their eyes—until they noticed something chilling.
Kosuke's hands had never stopped weaving seals.
Even as the dragon exploded into waves across the earth, his chakra only gathered thicker, faster. The first strike had only been the beginning.
The Sand shinobi's relief vanished instantly, replaced by dawning dread.
Something worse was coming.
The Sand shinobi had evaded Kosuke's surging water dragon by the skin of their teeth—yet the droplets that splashed against them told another story.
They froze as a strange sensation ran through their bodies. Their chakra—draining, faint but steady—from every spot the spray had touched. Alarm flooded their eyes.
That water dragon hadn't been meant to kill. It was meant to shatter their formation.
The instant their ranks broke, Nan blurred into action. Electric sparks crackled violently across his frame, blue lightning dancing around his body as he shot forward like a thunderbolt. His target: a single startled chūnin.
Kosuke, meanwhile, drew steel and locked onto the jōnin captain, driving him back step for step.
Anko and Hayate hesitated only a breath, then followed suit, each pinning down one of the remaining chūnin.
The unlucky shinobi facing Nan raised his hands in panic to form seals—but it was pointless.
Nan's speed left only a streak of blazing azure afterimage behind him. In his grip, chakra flared to a deadly edge.
"Chakra Scalpel."
A surgeon's tool, repurposed. Originally meant to replace steel in delicate operations, in Nan's hands it had become something sharper than any kunai—a scalpel of pure chakra honed for killing.
The Sand ninja's heart clenched. That lightning-coated blur and the knife of chakra—he had heard whispers of such a figure. Sweat slicked his brow, but as a shinobi, retreat was impossible. He forced his fear down and prepared to react.
And then—he made the mistake of meeting Nan's eyes.
Three tomoe spun to life, accelerating into a dizzying whirl. For an eternal instant, the world stilled. His body froze, mind ensnared in genjutsu.
Nan never hesitated. With one swift slice, the chakra scalpel traced across his throat.
Blood spurted scarlet. When the Sand shinobi snapped free of the illusion, it was much too late. Gurgling, he clutched desperately at his neck, eyes wide with disbelief. His vision darkened, his strength dwindled, and at last he crumpled to the ground, unwilling eyes fading into nothing.
Nan didn't flinch. He had long since learned the cruelty of war. At first, striking down enemies caught in his illusions had filled him with unease. But after countless missions, the hesitation had dulled. If he didn't end their lives, someone else would.
The sight shocked the Sand jōnin. His heart lurched when he realized—a single breath of combat, and his comrade was gone. He risked a glance at their killer.
A boy. No more than six, seven years old in appearance, wrapped in lightning. The sight stole the breath from his throat.
"No… it can't be…" he gasped. "The Lightning of Konoha… Uchiha Nan!"
Nan grimaced inwardly. A nickname? Already?
He had wanted to keep his head down, to fight quietly and ride out this war unnoticed. His body carried too many secrets—attention was the last thing he needed. Yet here he was, his speed and Sharingan already seared into the enemy's memory.
It all traced back to that failed Sand ambush. Eight men dead at his hand, and the antidote he carried back striking a mortal blow to Sunagakure's poisons. From that day on, every Sand shinobi ground his teeth at the name Nan.
And now his skill on the battlefield—his speed, his fearsome genjutsu, his surgical precision—was spreading far and wide. Across the frontlines, "Lightning of Konoha" became more than a rumor. It became a title.
Even among his own village, whispers stirred. Word spread that the child prodigy already wielded the fully awakened three-tomoe Sharingan—an ability even few among the Uchiha possessed. Even Fugaku, proud leader of the clan, had only just learned of it. For him, Nan was the Uchiha's future, a treasure to be recalled and sheltered away.
But Nan had refused. He had no desire to be tightly bound to the clan, to breed suspicion or enmity from others. Better to stand alone, even with the risks.
Still—whether he wished it or not, the legend was born. Among Sand and Leaf alike, the name of Uchiha Nan, Lightning of Konoha, began to spread.
The jōnin captain clenched his jaw, fury rising. He knew exactly what had happened. His comrade's death wasn't brute force—it was the three-tomoe illusion, subtle and absolute.
He barked a warning to the remaining two:
"It's him! Uchiha Nan—the Lightning of Konoha! His eyes carry the three-tomoe Sharingan. Don't look at them! If you do, it's over!"
The two remaining chūnin paled. Only now did they realize the bloody corpse lying near them. They had heard the stories of that terrifying youth—of shinobi frozen in genjutsu, of foes outpaced and cut down in a blur of light.
Horror seeped into their faces as all three Sand shinobi turned their full attention to the boy cloaked in lightning-red eyes.