Chapter 36: The Sound's Intervention
The sword in Raiga's hand was Kiba, the "Lightning Blades," one of the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
And Raiga was its first master. He now regarded Takahashi and the others with a formal air. He removed his hood, revealing a face tightly wrapped in bandages, framed by long green hair and sharp, predatory teeth. In appearance alone, he was a proper villain. He was one of the swordsmen who had survived Might Duy's rampage years ago, a testament to either his luck or his skill.
Raiga looked them over, and suddenly, tears streamed from his eyes—a facade of compassion that contrasted sharply with the cruel twist of his lips. It was a habit of his, this display of false grief before a kill.
As a former member of the Seven, he knew basic but effective ninjutsu. He formed a hand seal.
Hidden Mist Jutsu.
A thick, dense fog rolled in, obscuring all vision. His own figure vanished within it. He gently licked the twin blades of his sword, as if savoring the blood soon to stain them.
Suddenly, he crossed his swords, generating a crackling store of electricity. He then spread his arms wide, unleashing a wide-arcing slash of lightning.
Lightning Style: Lightning Fang!
Takahashi flashed into the air, meeting the attack head-on with his own Sword of Totsuka. The clash was blindingly precise.
It was then that Raiga noticed the user of the pale eyes in their team. "So, you have a Hyuga with you," he mused. "A pity. Here, you face your lifelong natural enemy. Ranmaru! Handle that one!"
It had to be said, the Red Eyes truly were the bane of the Byakugan. The moment they activated, Hinata's vision was almost completely neutralized.
Compounded by the weather and the thick fog, there were no reflective surfaces, leaving her world a flat, featureless grey.
Seeing it was useless, Takahashi simply closed his eyes. The Super-Soldier Serum had granted him incredibly sharp hearing. The worst part of Raiga's Lightning Style was the harsh, crackling sound it made upon release. By tracking that sound, finding him was easy.
Suddenly, a dragon-shaped bolt of lightning roared toward him—Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon Tornado. It was one of Raiga's most destructive techniques.
But it had one flaw: its wind-up was too long. In the blink of an eye, Takahashi was upon him, light sword poised to strike.
Just as he was about to slash, Ranmaru called out a warning. "Raiga! Behind you! He's aiming for your lower back!"
Raiga jolted, shocked by Takahashi's speed. Without that warning, he'd be a corpse. He erupted with his powerful Lightning chakra.
Lightning Armor Jutsu!
He quickly crossed his twin blades, summoning a protective shell of lightning around his body. It barely withstood the attack. The strength of this move was its ability to conduct electricity to any who touched it, but that was useless against Takahashi, who could transform into light itself.
Seeing his defense was futile, Raiga could only create distance. The near-miss made his heart pound. How can there be a monster this fast? His Lightning Style was renowned for its speed and destructive power, yet he had been utterly outsped.
The last time he'd felt such terrifying speed was against that strange Konoha ninja years ago—the one who had seemed so weak yet had killed several of his comrades, scattering the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. The same feeling of powerlessness washed over him now.
Though Takahashi was some distance away, his voice carried clearly. "Kill yourself. I'll spare the boy. But you will not leave here alive. You must realize by now that you are no match for me, even with his help."
As a former member of the Seven, a man once full of pride and vigor, he would not admit defeat so easily.
But as he prepared to attack again, a laser beam shot forth at the speed of light, too fast to even see. It struck his shoulder.
Raiga clutched the wound, blood seeping between his fingers. His face was a mask of disbelief. How did he find me in this fog?
Takahashi's voice came again. "I've fought users of these wretched mist techniques before. I learned my lesson. I marked you with a trace of light when I got close. Others might not feel it, but to me, you shine like a beacon in the night. Your mist is useless. Give up."
Raiga was stunned. His proudest technique had been seen through so completely. He wielded twin swords; with one arm useless, his combat power was halved.
He refused to die like this. There was still so much he wanted to do! He suddenly screamed into the fog, "If you don't help me now, I'm dead! And if someone else takes this place, your funding is cut off!"
Hearing this, Takahashi was momentarily taken aback. He flashed back to Hinata and Sakura's side. He didn't know what was coming, and he couldn't afford to gamble. As he moved, his mind raced. Did Raiga have allies here?
He thought hard but couldn't guess who it might be. Suddenly, white spiders began dropping from the sky. They looked vile, scurrying toward them with ferocious fangs bared.
"Lord Raiga! We're here to help you!" a voice called out.
A volley of hundreds of shuriken followed. Takahashi's light sword flared brighter. He drew a wide arc through the air, deflecting every single shuriken.
Looking at the forehead protectors of the new attackers, Takahashi understood. They were from the Sound Village.
Is Orochimaru involved in this? he wondered.
If he remembered correctly, Orochimaru should be lying low somewhere, recovering. He wouldn't have the capacity to meddle here.
And he clearly recalled that Raiga had no ties to the Sound in the original story. It seemed his own presence had already altered the world's trajectory.
But even with their help, he wasn't worried. The Sound Village had few true masters left. The capable ones were all personal followers of Orochimaru. The rest were just cannon fodder.
The one who had arrived was an elite from the Sound's Kamizuru clan, one of their so-called "Three Great Masters": Jibachi.
This mining operation was now a vital source of income for the Sound. They couldn't let it collapse. No matter what, they would not give it up easily.