"Damn it — attack!!"
The Fourth Raikage roared, surging forward in a burst of crackling lightning. Dozens of shinobi rushed with him, leaping into close-quarters combat range.
Ōnoki soared overhead using Super Light-Weight Rock Technique, his small form cutting through the air with purpose.
Everyone understood: if they didn't close the distance, they'd just become bombing targets again.
Being forced into passive defense felt like suffocating.
Naruto and his team immediately sensed powerful chakra signatures rapidly closing in.
"Prepare for battle!!"
Blades were drawn in unison behind him — metal cold, eyes colder.
Within barely two minutes, the enemy appeared — a wave of trained shinobi charging straight toward them.
"Kill them!!!"
The two sides collided violently — steel crashing, fists striking, ninjutsu detonating around them in rapid succession.
"Lightning Release: Earth Corridor!!"
A Kumogakure shinobi sent lightning surging across the ground — only for a bullet to punch cleanly through his heart an instant later.
"Well done!!"
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!!"
A blazing dragon roared across the field, incinerating three Kumogakure shinobi before they could react.
Then — crackling arcs of lightning shimmered into the air.
Electricity danced unnaturally, alive, leaping from one Umbrella fighter to another.
Screams erupted.
"Watch out — that's Darui! The Storm Release user!!"
Storm Release — lightning given fluid form, unshackled, deadly.
It could pierce like a laser beam and move like living thunder.
"Storm Release: Laser Circus!!"
Blinding bolts streaked outward, blasting Umbrella shinobi off their feet.
Not far away, Kakashi scowled. He drove his Chidori clean through an Iwagakure attacker, then formed a Dog-Headed Earth Wall, saving a teammate before sprinting toward Darui.
Just as Darui prepared his next strike — a lightning spear stabbed into the ground before him.
Darui paused.
"The famed successor of Black Lightning — I've wanted to face you for a long time."
Kakashi's voice cut through the static.
Darui turned slightly, calm as he replied,
"So it's the Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake. Your reputation precedes you."
"For someone outside the Uchiha to wield the Sharingan with such mastery… it truly shows your genius."
"No need for flattery."
Kakashi's Sharingan snapped open. He reached back, gripping the sword strapped to his shoulder.
In the blink of an eye, both figures vanished — and their blades collided mid-air.
Darui — a master swordsman in his own right — matched Kakashi strike for strike.
"Raaagh!!"
Clang!! Clang!! Clang!!
Lightning surged fiercely through Darui's blade. Kakashi pushed off the ground, flipping back before launching his counterattack—
"White Fang Sword Technique: Flash Slash!!"
A brilliant arc of white light carved through the air, forcing Darui to skid backward, boots digging into the dirt.
"…Impressive."
Darui straightened, eyes narrowing slightly in respect.
According to intel, Kakashi relied mainly on his Sharingan and a vast arsenal of ninjutsu — particularly Lightning Release.
Who would have thought his swordsmanship was this honed?
Kakashi — son of the White Fang of Konoha — had reclaimed his legacy.
"So you've taken up your father's blade again?" Darui said slowly.
"But in front of my Lightning Release — and Black Lightning — everything else is second rate."
Darui lifted his sword, voice steady but proud. Facing another hailed prodigy like Kakashi Hatake, he carried his own pride as a shinobi of the Cloud.
Kakashi said nothing.
His Sharingan spun, quietly analyzing — calculating.
Across the battlefield, countless similar duels were breaking out — chakra clashing violently in every direction.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Raikage tore across the field like living thunder, lightning armor roaring around him.
Naruto, Tsunade, and the others turned as his murderous intent surged.
"It seems the Raikage has changed as well…" Tsunade remarked, eyes sharpening. "His aura… it's much stronger than before."
Naruto shrugged lightly.
"Looks like he upgraded his Lightning Release Chakra Mode."
"Uzumaki Naruto, you brat — come and die!!!"
The Raikage's roar cut through the battlefield, shaking the very air.
Naruto stepped forward to meet him—
but Tsunade's hand pressed against his chest.
"You are the commander here. Let me handle the Raikage."
Her voice was calm… but eager.
"I want to see how far my strength has grown."
The Raikage became a bolt of lightning itself, charging straight at them.
Tsunade didn't retreat — she launched forward, their trajectories colliding.
She swung first — a monstrous fist directly intercepting his charge.
"You're seeking death!!!"
The Raikage drove his fist forward as well.
BOOOOM!!!
The ground cratered beneath them — stone fracturing outward, dust erupting into the sky.
Nearby shinobi scrambled away, instinctively clearing a wide circle around the two monsters in human form.
The moment their fists collided, their eyes widened.
Both were shocked — the other's power was overwhelming.
The Raikage had believed himself beyond his former limits — his strength now rivaling even his father's.
Only stamina held him back.
Yet Tsunade…she didn't budge.
"Tch. As expected of the First Hokage's granddaughter."
Despite his surprise, the Raikage's confidence didn't falter.
Strength alone wasn't his only weapon.
Lightning surged down his arm — and he launched another punch.
Tsunade met it head-on.
"Monster Strength!!"
Their fists collided again — an even greater explosion of force ripping the battlefield wider.
Tsunade's hand tingled — the lightning was potent.
But her rebuilt body was stronger than ever — hardened through unrestrained training.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!!!"
She vaulted into the air — flipping before driving her heel downward with enough power to split mountains.
The Raikage braced — feeling even the wind around her foot slicing like a blade.
It wasn't Wind Release…just raw power.
He roared and reinforced his forearm — lightning burning violently against his skin.
BOOM!!!
Stone shattered, a shockwave blasting outward.
The Raikage slid back, boots scraping trenches in the earth.
He clicked his tongue — Tsunade had actually forced him back.
Lightning flared violently around him — hair rising, eyes gleaming with murderous focus.
This was his true Lightning Release Chakra Mode — awakened to its peak.
Tsunade watched him — and raised her hand to her chest.
A mark glimmered faintly beneath her clothing. Her chakra surged — black hair rippling as her aura erupted outward.
Monster Strength — fully unleashed.
Her presence alone distorted the air.
Two titans stared each other down — invisible lightning clashing between their glares.
Their sheer aura was enough to crack the ground beneath them.
The real battle…began now.
...
TN:
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