"How is that possible?"
The two Academy instructors could not help shouting, completely losing composure.
Kazama Etsu, a jonin who specialized in ninjutsu, had taken Wind Release nature transformation to the realm of mastery. Aside from the principal, he was the strongest ninja at the Academy.
That Wind Release slash just now could have cut refined steel clean in two.
Yet it had not even broken the enemy's skin.
Sitting on the giant bird's back, Sawada Fuka let out a long breath when she saw the Cloud shinobi standing there unharmed. She patted her chest in relief.
So this was the legendary Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
It really was monstrous.
"Lightning Release Armor."
Kazama Etsu's dark green eyes were shot through with blood. He spoke each word like he was spitting out ice chips, naming the technique wrapped around the man before him.
He would never forget it for as long as he lived.
That lightning-wreathed silhouette was a nightmare he never wanted to recall.
Murderous intent seeped out of him inch by inch, like dark red water being squeezed from a rag.
"Good eye."
Yotsuki Isao felt the searing killing intent and bared his teeth in a grin. Lightning around his body flared even brighter.
High attack, high defense, high speed and stamina. Lightning Release Chakra Mode, also called Lightning Release Armor, was one of the strongest taijutsu styles in the world, second to none.
"You take the kids and fall back. This one is mine," Kazama Etsu said.
"Yes sir."
The other two instructors moved quickly to regroup with Hinata and the others.
Whoosh.
A flash of light burst from Yotsuki Isao's body as he activated Lightning Release. In an instant his huge frame flickered into existence right in front of them, hand shaped into a lightning blade chopping straight toward one instructor's face.
He was not holding back.
Yotsuki's speed was too high. The targeted instructor had no time to dodge, not even enough to move his body. He could only stare blankly at the falling hand blade that was about to split him in two.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Already prepared, Kazama Etsu flew through hand seals. Another invisible crescent of compressed air roared to life. Its target this time, however, was not Yotsuki Isao, but the towering elephant bird in the distance.
"Ah!"
Seeing the wind blade scything toward her, Sawada Fuka screamed in terror.
Yotsuki's expression changed.
He stamped down hard. His body blurred as he chased after the speeding Vacuum Wave.
Boom.
The speed granted by Lightning Release Chakra Mode was indeed terrifying. Yotsuki Isao managed to intercept the wind blade a heartbeat before it would have struck the elephant bird, taking the hit with his own body.
"You are asking for death."
The wind blade shattered.
Yotsuki's anger could no longer be disguised.
Kazama Etsu's ninjutsu could not break his defenses, but the flesh and blood elephant bird would never withstand a Wind Release that could split stone and steel.
If the bird died, the entire plan of Kumogakure would be ruined. Their operation to seize the Byakugan would be reduced to nothing but a senseless terrorist attack.
That was an outcome he absolutely could not accept.
"Go!"
"Move!"
Yotsuki Isao and Kazama Etsu shouted almost at the same time.
Shaken but still alive, the two chunin instructors grabbed the three students and rushed away with all their strength.
"Instructor Kazama, the enemy's lungs have been severely damaged. That might be his weak point," Hinata called out.
Her Byakugan had been open this whole time. Now, at last, she forced down her fear and provided a crucial piece of information before they fled.
"Got it."
Kazama Etsu's gaze dropped to Yotsuki Isao's bare torso. A huge, ugly scar slashed across the man's massive chest.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The elephant bird's great wings beat up a storm as it began to rise, Sawada Fuka clinging to its back.
"'Beast,' go find the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki and that girl. Stall them as long as you can. I will finish this brat and catch up," Yotsuki ordered.
"Yes."
The elephant bird climbed higher, merging with the red clouds burning over the treetops.
Hinata and the others, escorted by the Academy instructors, vanished into the forest after a few light leaps.
A gentle wind slipped between the trees. The forest that had been roaring with noise a moment ago suddenly felt quiet.
The sun sank little by little, leaving only its afterglow.
Kazama Etsu and Yotsuki Isao regarded one another across the clearing, their killing intent unmasked in their eyes.
Storm and thunder.
Their fated clash would be decided here.
In the middle of Training Ground Zero.
"Watch out!"
Ino shouted, voice tight with anxiety.
A heartbeat later, some unknown powder came tumbling down from above, falling like mist and swallowing all five of them.
Whoosh.
A sudden gale ripped through.
The powder thick in the air was swept away, revealing the five of them standing below, unharmed.
Water Release chakra surged to their nasal cavities. The drug-laced air, filtered through a membrane of water, became clean again.
Konome tilted her head back and looked up at the sky.
Her Byakugan pupils shrank as she pulled the distant shapes into sharp focus.
On the back of a gigantic gray bird, a beautiful face peered down at them through a small single-lens scope. The profile was unexpectedly familiar.
That person looked so familiar.
Who was she again?
Konome thought about it for a long time and still could not remember the woman's name.
Probably someone minor from the original story. Not important.
From the swallow perched on the woman's shoulder, Konome could guess this was the watcher she had been hunting for days, and also the culprit behind the rampaging beasts within Training Ground Zero.
"Cough, cough, what is going on…"
Naruto clapped a hand over his nose and mouth, coughing nonstop.
Shikamaru, Ino and Choji were not doing much better.
Even though Konome had blown away most of the powder with Wind Release, the lingering particles still made it hard for them to breathe.
"There is a giant bird up there. Someone is riding it. That should be the one behind all of this," Konome said, relaying what she had seen.
"Forget about them for now. We need to get out of here first," Shikamaru replied immediately.
He had recovered his breath. After a quick glance at the bird in the sky, he came to a conclusion at once.
The drug dust hanging in the air was still unknown in effect, but the animals in the forest had gone mad. Clearly this stuff was the cause.
If he was right, the powder probably also had a lure effect. With that much dumped in one place, the entire beast population of Training Ground Zero would soon start converging on their position.
No matter how strong Konome was, her chakra was not limitless.
If they were caught in the middle of a full-scale stampede, she would probably be able to protect herself, but the rest of them would be doomed.
"Agreed," Ino and Choji said in unison.
They had no objections to Shikamaru's command.
Since the Warring States and into the era of the Hidden Villages, the "Ino–Shika–Cho" formation had always followed the same principle. The high-IQ Nara clan handled strategy and battlefield control. The Yamanaka clan, adept at sensing and mental techniques, took care of perception and linking minds. The Akimichi clan delivered the final heavy strike with their overwhelming force.
Konome, however, felt reluctant.
Beasts posed no threat to her, but the information this watcher carried mattered a great deal.
She had finally forced the enemy out into the open. She did not want to let this woman slip away so easily.
Her mind raced as she calculated the giant bird's altitude. With no obstacles between them, her Byakugan's range stretched much farther than usual.
Judging by her sightline, the bird was at least two thousand meters above the ground.
From its sheer size, she guessed it could fly even higher. It was probably only at this lower altitude because the woman needed to keep them under surveillance.
Even so, Konome had no way to kill them.
She did not own a single technique that could reach thousands of meters into the sky. And with a body that massive, an ordinary attack would not even scratch that monster of a bird.
Her bird-form transformation still could not be used together with Wind Release.
The enemy completely controlled the air.
A close-combat specialist like Konome, no matter how powerful on the ground, had no way to touch them up there.
"We pull back," she said at last.
With one last regretful look at the giant bird overhead, Konome came to the same conclusion as Shikamaru.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to add this story to your Library, drop a review, and leave a Power Stone if you enjoyed it!
Craving more chapters? Join my Patron to unlock advance releases and dive deeper into the story!
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"