Amidst the swirling threads of water, Lie demonstrated a deeper mastery of Water Style control than even Shikasa. Her threads weren't meant for puppetry; they were pure, lethal instruments of offense.
Lie's assault was aggressive and unrelenting. Having just endured a brutal struggle against Kitsuchi, Arashi's stamina and physical state were far from their peak, making his chances of successfully holding the stage slim.
However, after steadying his nerves, Arashi focused on one primary objective: gathering intelligence on Lie.
As an intelligence officer, Arashi had his principles. After standing up for that idiot Shikasa and defeating Kitsuchi, his next duty was to secure information for the Hidden Sand.
Shifting from his previous displays of raw power, Arashi struck out rapidly with his Lightning Blade.
In response, Lie's water threads transformed into a diffusing frost. A howling gale rose, and thick snowflakes began to fall, obscuring sight, sound, and sensory perception.
Within the mist, Lie seemed to be the embodiment of the storm—blending seamlessly with the environment until she was indistinguishable from the cold itself.
"Ice Style?"
Shiraishi shook his head. "No, that isn't Ice Style. It's a combined technique of Wind and Water-natured chakra."
As a premier powerhouse of the ninja world, Shiraishi's vision was peerless. He saw through Lie's trick instantly, yet even he was impressed by such precise chakra control.
As Shiraishi spoke, the blizzard on the field was suddenly split open. Arashi cleaved through a vortex of air with his blade, closing the distance with a rapid Body Flicker.
Lie met him with fists wreathed in water threads; the resulting shockwave shattered the air barrier between them, turning the atmosphere into shards of freezing mist.
At the moment of their clash, a surreal sense of familiarity washed over Arashi. His Lightning Blade faltered for a fraction of a second—an opening Lie exploited instantly. Her water threads shot forward, piercing through Arashi's palm.
He's distracted... is he too absorbed in gathering intel?
Having partnered with Arashi many times, Shikasa noticed the lapse. "Arashi! You jerk, don't tell me she looks like your first love, and now you can't bring yourself to hit her?"
Shikasa's careless joke seemed to momentarily jar both combatants. Amidst the blur of afterimages, Arashi's blood surged as he stimulated his nerves with chakra, while Lie's expression turned solemn. Her threads swept out like a violent hurricane, fierce and predatory.
"Idiot, shut up!"
After snapping back at Shikasa, Arashi's electrical current surged violently. His body leaned into the momentum, his speed climbing as he flickered before Lie like a ghost.
Though his methods were straightforward, speed was power; his blade became a high-speed torrent of slashes.
Lie showed no surprise, only a hint of mockery in her eyes. Her water threads hardened into blades of ice, meeting Arashi's offensive head-on.
The weapons clashed with a sound like breaking glass, kicking up a gale of grit and snow.
The two fought with an inexplicable chemistry, as if they had simulated each other's attack patterns thousands of times.
Following a series of heavy exchanges, Arashi retreated several steps, staring at Lie in disbelief. "Who... who are you?"
"Ninja of the Sand, you seem confused. I am the Mist Jonin, Lie!"
As her threads sought to bind him, electricity crackled across Arashi's clothes, his hands, and his face, forcing him to squint to protect his eyes.
The unique "Lightning Strike" power within his blade was as destructive as blue flame, but the backlash was equally taxing.
Arashi had made his move. Silver lightning flew wildly as he stabilized his stance, refusing to retreat an inch. But Lie was relentless.
Her threads acted like a nest of vipers, lunging out in circular, aggressive strikes that were as precise as they were invasive.
Arashi was forced into a desperate defense. He retreated, but could not shake her; he was being hunted, trapped within the web of water. His sand defenses were being torn to pieces by her cutting threads.
Suddenly, Arashi threw his weight back, intentionally flying backward as his injuries worsened. In mid-air, he detonated his internal chakra, performing a series of mid-air pivots that turned him into a horizontal cyclone.
Lie's misty aura shifted with him, her maneuvers even more erratic and unteachable than his, locking onto him to ensure the distance didn't widen.
At that moment, Arashi's center of gravity dropped. He stopped on a dime.
Whether he had prepared this during his retreat or was simply forcing a breakthrough, his right hand snapped up. A brilliant spear of lightning shot forth.
A forced breakthrough?
As an ice wall manifested to block him, Arashi roared: "Break!"
In the explosive impact, Lie's hair was blown into disarray. She realized with a start that Arashi's final electrical burst had perfectly predicted her next move, destroying the ice wall at its weakest point.
Arashi's blade was suddenly at her back—barely an inch from piercing her skin. Simultaneously, Lie's water threads had ensnared Arashi from behind, preventing him from moving forward.
Ice walls, sand walls... their combat logic was 99% identical. It was impossible. Yet the evidence before Arashi's eyes forced him to consider a single, staggering conclusion: this woman was her.
But how? Their chakra signatures were different, their appearances and temperaments were worlds apart. Furthermore, she was still back in the village, showing no signs of leaving, and a clone was out of the question.
Arashi had landed his final blow, but he couldn't destroy Lie's final layer of defense. He had failed to hold the stage. If he hadn't lost so much chakra to Kitsuchi, his blade would have pierced her.
As Arashi walked off the stage, his gaze toward the woman was profoundly complex. As an intelligence officer, he had sensed a truth that defied logic.
Just as a Cloud ninja prepared to step up, Lie offered a soft smile. "My apologies, I cannot continue fighting either."
She stepped down, casting a brief, knowing smile toward Arashi, as if the fierce battle they had just shared had never happened.
Arashi, I look forward to seeing how you handle my "special" presence.
The Cloud suddenly gained the stage without a fight, but their luck was short-lived. The final challenger was Uchiha Shisui of the Leaf.
The Cloud Jonin lasted less than a minute before being dispatched by Shisui's Body Flicker. The crowd fell silent. Shisui was clearly even more powerful than the late Uchiha Zhan.
Shiraishi fixed his gaze on Lie, the Regeneration Cores in his eyes performing massive amounts of data analysis.
Two rounds of the Jonin games had passed. Aside from Shikasa's single successful defense, no one had held the stage—and now Shisui held it, but his next opponent would be a Kage.
"I have heard the Kazekage's swordsmanship is the strongest Taijutsu in the world. I, Uchiha Shisui, have come to learn."
Following the Leaf's predetermined strategy, Shisui issued a direct challenge to Shiraishi. The other Kage immediately saw the play: if Shiraishi fought now, even if he defeated Shisui, he would immediately have to face the consecutive challenges of the other four Kage.
Gazing at Shisui on the high peak, Shiraishi took off his glasses. He slowly unfastened his Kage hat and robes.
By drawing the Kazekage out early, Shisui had made a bold move. Facing the Leaf's little scheme, Shiraishi stepped down from his floating throne, walking toward the arena one step at a time.
The Five Kage Summit was entering its true climax. Other Kage watched with hidden agendas as the battle was about to erupt.
Shiraishi, strolling as if in a garden, stepped onto the stage. At that moment, a terrifying pressure swept out, making Shisui break into a cold sweat, his breath hitching in his chest.
This crushing presence...
A massive vortex of wind began to swirl in Shiraishi's palm. Like a king looking down upon the world, he gazed coldly at the young genius.
"Then let me see... how much of Uchiha Zhan's Body Flicker you have actually inherited."
As Shiraishi spoke, his Whirlwind Blade transformed into a tyrannical torrent of air, slicing the very peak of the Land of Iron into countless stone fragments.
Such a domineering display of Wind Style left every Kage in attendance shaken.
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