Chapter 25: The God of Shinobi's Wrath
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
The mass of water was violently torn apart. Several high-pressure jets of water, sharp as legendary blades, shot through the dissipating torrent, aimed directly at Uchiha Naoki. In his pupils, contracted to pinpoints, they mercilessly pierced through his body.
This was the very ninjutsu that, in the original timeline, had effortlessly shredded the Earth-Style Wall of the Third Hokage. It was a technique capable of slicing through the thick branches of the God Tree. Its power was not to be underestimated, in no way inferior to Orochimaru's Sword of Kusanagi.
Guh!
Uchiha Naoki's body was riddled with bleeding holes. He couldn't suppress a mouthful of blood that sprayed from his lips. This was an outcome he had braced for, but he hadn't anticipated it being so brutally efficient.
"As expected of the Water Release Grandmaster… I hold not the slightest advantage fighting him in his element." He pushed his power further, the scorching energy finally vaporizing the last of the water, leaving the area shrouded in a thick, superheated fog.
Whoosh!
Just as the last of the water vanished and the fog still clung to the air, an even more terrifyingly compressed water spear shot toward him in a straight line!
This time, Uchiha Naoki was ready. He elementalized, letting the attack pass through him harmlessly. Simultaneously, his arm glowed a fierce red as he spun around and launched a shattering blow behind him. "Hound Dog, Chase the Red Lotus!"
In the next instant, Senju Tobirama flickered into existence via the Flying Raijin, a kunai already in motion.
How is this possible?! He predicted my movement?! A chill of terror ran down Senju Tobirama's spine. How did he do it? His plan had been to use the mist and the Water Severing Wave as a diversion, leaving Uchiha Naoki unprepared for the attack from behind. He would then plant a Flying Raijin mark on the boy, securing a swift victory. He never imagined that after dodging, Uchiha Naoki would counter-attack a step ahead of him, seizing back the initiative.
Whoosh!
Just as Naoki's molten fist was about to connect, Senju Tobirama's form vanished in another flicker of space-time ninjutsu.
"Flying Raijin…" Uchiha Naoki's eyes narrowed. "Such a troublesome ability." He pushed his Observation Haki to its absolute limit, stretching it to a hundred meters, perceiving every single Flying Raijin coordinate marker in the vicinity.
He'll appear from here!
A slight chakra fluctuation came from a marker on a large tree near the edge of his perception.
"Inferno Hound!"
Scorching thermal waves erupted from his body, propelling him at blinding speed toward the tree. His superheated arm, pulling a wave of blistering wind, smashed forward destructively.
In the next instant, Senju Tobirama appeared!
Hiss!
Seeing the fist already filling his vision, even the unflappable Second Hokage felt his scalp prickle. This guy… he predicted my arrival again?! The fear Uchiha Naoki inspired in him multiplied. He immediately puffed his cheeks. "Water Release: Gunshot!"
A technique derived from the Water Severing Wave, it compressed the water column into a needle-thin projectile capable of piercing any defense to strike a vital point directly.
Facing this, Uchiha Naoki had no choice but to elementalize instantly. But the act of transforming forced a momentary, inevitable stagnation in his posture.
Seizing this split-second opening, Senju Tobirama vanished again with the Flying Raijin, reappearing from a kunai behind Uchiha Naoki, launching a swift assault on the boy's undefended back.
"Water Release—"
But before his technique could fully form, Uchiha Naoki's attack was already upon him. "Lava Burial!"
He unleashed the scorching energy stored within his body, forcing Senju Tobirama to abort his attack once more and retreat hastily.
"As expected of the Second Hokage. Even when I predict his attack, he can still evade it," Uchiha Naoki landed swiftly, impressed. If he weren't now more proficient with his abilities and had prepared a secondary, pre-emptive attack, the Second Hokage might have succeeded.
He didn't know that the distant Senju Tobirama was even more shocked.
"This brat… can he even predict the trajectory of my Flying Raijin?!" Senju Tobirama's face was a mask of extreme apprehension. "How is he doing this?!" He had fought using the Flying Raijin his entire life, dominating every battlefield. Never before had he been predicted so consistently, rendering every one of his surprise attacks futile.
"Is it his Sharingan? Does it possess a perception ability even more terrifying than the Byakugan, allowing him to see the subtlest flows of chakra?" Staring at Uchiha Naoki's impossibly youthful face, Senju Tobirama clenched his fists. "This boy must be eliminated. Otherwise, he will undoubtedly bring calamity upon Konoha in the future!" In his mind, the Uchiha were the root of disaster. How could he stand idly by while such a prodigious threat existed?
"Why, Lord Senju Tobirama? You seem… surprised," Uchiha Naoki panted, observing the shift from shock to intense killing intent on the Hokage's face. "It seems you can't wait to be rid of me. What a coincidence… I feel the same."
His gaze suddenly sharpened. Terrifying scorching power erupted from his body once more as he closed the distance to Senju Tobirama in a blink. "Hound Dog, Chase the Red Lotus!"
ROAR!
A gigantic flaming hound roared forth, the scorching air around it detonating.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Senju Tobirama's eyes turned to ice. His hands shot forward after a seal, gathering ambient moisture into a massive, rotating curtain of water, shielding him within.
But he wasn't done.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Senju Tobirama went on the offensive. While maintaining the Water Formation Wall, a majestic water dragon roared into existence, charging toward Uchiha Naoki with a ferocious aura. At this close range, evasion was nearly impossible.
"Hmph! Trying to run?" Seeing Uchiha Naoki recoil from the water dragon, Senju Tobirama snorted coldly. "Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!"
This illusion, invented by his elder brother, was equally potent in his hands.
Uchiha Naoki's vision was suddenly plunged into absolute blackness. All sight was completely severed.
"Hmph! While I don't know how your Sharingan grants such profound insight, now that you are blinded, you have lost your greatest advantage. Victory is hopeless!" He was certain Uchiha Naoki's predictive prowess stemmed from the Sharingan. By blocking his sight, he had neutralized it. The subsequent events confirmed his theory. Uchiha Naoki's movements became abruptly chaotic and uncoordinated. He had guessed correctly.
"Hmph! Then… it ends now!" A triumphant smile touched Senju Tobirama's lips. He lunged forward, murderous intent blazing, drawing his long sword for his most prideful technique. "Flying Raijin Slash!"
Using a pre-positioned Flying Raijin kunai, he teleported, landing directly in Uchiha Naoki's blind spot behind him. He then flashed forward, the cold steel of his blade mercilessly slicing toward the boy's neck.
Shunk!
Crimson liquid sprayed through the air.
Witnessing this, the Scarlet Sand Scorpion felt a jolt of anxiety. But a moment later, his brows relaxed in relief.
Senju Tobirama, initially triumphant, stared at the red-hot, nearly melting sword in his hand, his pupils contracting violently. "How is this possible?!" His sure-kill blow had been avoided? But the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique hadn't been broken! How could Uchiha Naoki have perceived the danger so accurately?
There was no time to ponder. Seeing the situation turn sour, Senju Tobirama retreated once more.