As the sand spikes pierced through Kitsuchi's body, his form dissolved into a heap of mud—an Earth Clone—vanishing right before Arashi's eyes.
The shattered mud flow, thick and viscous, reformed into Kitsuchi's likeness a moment later. With a sudden Body Flicker, he lunged at Arashi with predatory speed.
Watching from the stands, Minato Namikaze recognized the mastery of his old rival. "Switching between a Body Flicker and a Substitution while utilizing the absolute density of Earth... Kitsuchi is truly the son of the Third Tsuchikage."
Uchiha Shisui, his Sharingan fully active, added, "I wonder how that sand-user from the Sand will handle Kitsuchi's pure physical pressure."
The distance between the two closed in an instant. Kitsuchi had made a cold, accurate judgment during the brief exchange; he solidified his body with hardened clay, his arms bulging with a massive surge of explosive strength.
Facing this juggernaut, Arashi manipulated the fine sand around him into undulating waves. Using the multi-layered defense of the Sand Shield to parry Kitsuchi's blows, Arashi's mind raced to find a way to break the deadlock.
The Lightning Style chakra he currently wielded could sustain him for a while, but to completely breach Kitsuchi's reinforced earthen skin, one would need the monster-level explosive power of the Raikage. He needed precision, not just force.
Arashi performed a series of hand signs. As the electrical current was distributed across his palms, the light thinned until it was as delicate as a cicada's wing.
Suddenly, a specialized silver shinobi blade appeared in his grip.
It was a Lightning Style Blade forged in Shikasa's personal workshop. Its internal mechanisms drew inspiration from the legendary "Kiba" Twin Bolts of the Seven Swordsmen, creating a simplified, portable version of a Lightning sword.
"Cough... that guy actually brought that sword with him," Shikasa muttered from the sidelines.
He remembered it clearly. He had forged this blade specifically to thank Arashi for his help during the war in the Land of Rivers.
At the time, Arashi had been incredibly dismissive of Shikasa's craftsmanship: "The Jogaki family is famous for forging, but that's your father's reputation.
Is a mere apprentice like you trying to get me killed on the battlefield with this toy?"
"You jerk! Give it back then!" Shikasa had tried to snatch it back, but Arashi tucked it away. "Since when do people take back gifts? You really are an idiot."
Recalling Arashi's biting remarks, Shikasa couldn't help but smile as he watched Arashi grip the hilt tightly. Use its special ability well, you stubborn bastard.
Kitsuchi's speed increased. Despite his massive frame, he was far more agile than he appeared.
BOOM!
The ground erupted as if a volcano had been unleashed. Arashi used the recoil to pivot to the right, his waist twisting as he stimulated his nerves with electricity. The Lightning Blade slashed through the air, its edge humming with a high-frequency whistle.
Shiraishi-Style Kenjutsu!
Incorporating the "Whirlwind Blade" vacuum effect—a core tenet of Shiraishi's swordsmanship—Arashi released a crescent-shaped gale of wind and lightning.
The strike displaced the air so violently that the sudden drop in pressure caused the pores on Kitsuchi's skin to snap shut instinctively.
Kitsuchi dared not take the blow lightly. He "swallowed" a massive amount of earth chakra, causing his forearms to swell with gargantuan muscles, his veins bulging like thick cables.
"What an impactful fighting style," the Mizukage, Yagura, murmured, momentarily showing interest in the Stone's raw brutality.
As Kitsuchi swung his elbow, turning his palm into a blade to intercept the Lightning sword, a deafening crackle of electricity filled the air.
Arashi's body blurred forward, but just as their strengths met, Kitsuchi suddenly froze.
His consciousness was trapped in a specialized dark cage, suppressed and unable to move within a narrow mental void.
"A Genjutsu? But when was Kitsuchi put under an illusion?" Shisui's three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, dissecting Arashi's movements for any anomaly.
The answer lay in the blade. The current it produced carried a unique frequency capable of shielding and numbing the target's five senses.
The moment Arashi unleashed the crescent blade, the Genjutsu had already been triggered. Because Shiraishi had personally helped Shikasa refine the blade using his own "Lightning Strike" essence, the sword carried a trace of Shiraishi's own hypnotic electrical signature.
Arashi seized the opening. He pivoted again, unleashing a fierce side kick followed by a torrential downpour of slashes with the Lightning Blade!
Amidst flying sparks and cold flashes of steel, Kitsuchi—paralyzed by the illusion—was finally overwhelmed and defeated.
A heavy, eerie silence fell over the peak. Kitsuchi, a top-tier powerhouse of the Stone whose Earth Style was monstrous, had been brought down by a Sand ninja in such a calculated manner.
A blade born from the bond of two friends...
On the other side, Uchiha Shisui was about to step forward to challenge Arashi when the Mist delegation moved first. The other masked guard accompanying Yagura appeared before Arashi with ghostly speed.
She removed her mask, revealing a young woman with a delicate, refined face. "Hidden Mist Jonin, Lie. I challenge you."
Lie of the Mist?
Arashi, as the head of the Sand's intelligence, frowned. He had extensive files on almost every top-tier ninja in the Mist, including the codenames of their Anbu. But this name—Lie—was nowhere in his records.
This was becoming interesting. Especially since her weapon was Nuibari, the Longsword.
Once the weapon of Kushimaru Kuriarare, it had been retrieved by the Mist after Kushimaru's death at the hands of Might Duy. It hadn't found a suitable master until now.
However, Arashi felt a strange sense of familiarity from this woman. Under the dim light of the summit, the woman named Lie suddenly swept the Longsword forward. ]
Countless water-natured chakra threads erupted from all directions, weaving into a terrifying, suffocating web of offense.
The mysterious expert who fought Haigetsu at the Hozuki ruins!
Shiraishi confirmed his suspicion the moment she moved, but the mystery surrounding this "Lie" only deepened.
Who exactly was she?
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