"Based on their skin and appearance, they're Cloud Ninja, right? Rogue Ninjas wouldn't dare cause destruction so blatantly in the heart of the Land of Fire.
Even in times of peace, secret wars never stop. Causing destruction within a hostile nation to delay economic recovery is a common tactic used by major powers." Aoki Yoru looked at the two with a vigilant expression.
Although the two weren't wearing headbands, their dark skin and rugged features were consistent with the Ninjas of the Hidden Cloud Village.
"Kenta, Yui, leave the leader to me. You two tie down the one wearing sunglasses," Aoki Yoru instructed the two.
"Remember, don't fight head-on; focus on staying alive. Kakashi-sensei will soon finish off his enemies and come to support us."
Aoki Yoru glanced at the older Ninja. The man felt strong, but not so strong that he had to flee. If it were someone like Kakashi, whose depth he couldn't gauge, he would have turned and run immediately.
"Finished with your last words? You can die now!"
Lightning instantly flashed on both their bodies as they lunged toward them. The Body Flicker Technique, enhanced by Lightning Release Chakra Mode, left a trail of afterimages in the air.
Aoki Yoru decisively used the Body Flicker Technique to meet the middle-aged Ninja. He had never been afraid of a contest of speed.
Clang!
The tachi and gauntlets collided, sending sparks flying.
The middle-aged Ninja's pupils constricted. He hadn't expected his strike to be easily blocked by a kid. His gaze turned dangerous, filled with killing intent.
"You must be a genius of Konoha's new generation. That makes it even more important that you don't escape. Killing you would make even Konoha ache for a long time."
With that, the lightning-attribute Chakra on his body became even more violent, and he attacked Aoki Yoru with even greater speed.
He had no intention of playing cat and mouse; he wanted a lethal blow as quickly as possible. On the battlefield, the growth of a genius was unpredictable, and many had met their end by being overconfident.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Two figures collided fiercely, moving so fast they were mere afterimages. There were no wasted movements; they fought in close quarters relying solely on extreme speed, with blade shadows and fist shadows intertwining.
Every collision sounded like a cannonball exploding. Shockwaves swept in all directions, snapping nearby trees in half, leaving the ground pitted and dust flying.
The massive commotion caused even Kenta and Yui, who were fighting the man in sunglasses, to look over in surprise.
Through the dust and smoke, two blurred figures could be seen flashing, colliding, and exploding away from each other repeatedly.
Gradually, the middle-aged Ninja felt something was wrong. Why was his opponent's speed slowly increasing? Suddenly, as if realizing something, his expression changed drastically, filled with disbelief.
"This brat is actually learning my Chakra Armor during the fight! How is that possible? It took me two whole years to learn it under Lord Raikage's guidance!"
.
Aoki Yoru's talent and brilliance stunned him, and an ominous feeling welled up in his heart.
"Leimu, hurry up and finish your opponent to help me! We can't delay; we need to regroup with the captain immediately!" he urged his teammate.
The man in sunglasses, called Leimu, quickly responded, "Understood, Senior."
"Lightning Release: Lightning Fang Dual Tigers"
His Chakra surged instantly. His fingers moved like lightning, leaving afterimages as the lightning-attribute Chakra on his body converged into two fierce tigers that lunged at the two.
Aoki Yoru, who was colliding with his enemy at high speed, glanced sideways and was slightly surprised.
He had thought the two would be in a sorry state facing a Chunin, but they had easily dodged.
"Although Kenta lacks stamina, his instantaneous explosive power is quite strong."
He was seen dodging the lightning attack while simultaneously throwing a Kunai at the enemy, with an explosive tag tied to the handle.
"Oh, he's learning quite fast. He must have been inspired by that trap earlier."
On the other side, Yui used a Wind Release Ninjutsu to neutralize the attack.
Boom!!!
As the flames dissipated, the sunglasses of the Cloud Ninja were shattered, his clothes were torn, and several burns and bloody gashes marked his body.
A surge of humiliated rage rushed to his head. He never expected to be tricked by a kid. Although the injuries were minor, it was a complete humiliation for him. He then charged at the two with a burst of lightning.
Seeing that they were safe for the time being, Aoki Yoru felt relieved and focused back on his fight with Senior.
Aoki Yoru had mostly analyzed his Lightning Release Chakra Armor and gauged his strength. That was enough; it was time to send him on his way.
Lightning suddenly exploded from Aoki's body as his figure flickered, appearing instantly in front of the enemy.
Senior only felt a flash of cold light and had no time to dodge before a deep wound appeared on his chest, running from his chest down to his abdomen.
At this moment, Senior's face was full of disbelief. That familiar Lightning Release mode was exactly his Chakra Armor.
"To learn it so quickly during a battle... Konoha has produced another monstrous genius!"
His eyes darkened, and his expression became resolute, filled with the resolve to take his enemy down with him. "For the Hidden Cloud Village, I cannot let this brat grow up. Otherwise, he'll be another Minato Namikaze."
He then used Lightning Release Chakra to stimulate his cells and cauterize his wounds to stop the bleeding, charging at Aoki Yoru.
"He's going for a life-or-death struggle!" Sensing the opponent's state, he knew this was the most dangerous moment.
In this attack, Senior frantically used Lightning Release to stimulate his body, burning his life force. He moved forward without retreat, completely abandoning defense, forcing Aoki Yoru to scramble to keep up.
Suddenly, Senior grabbed his blade with one hand. He didn't care that his palm was bleeding profusely, and he wore a gruesome smile.
"Die!" Then, lightning exploded from his body.
Suddenly, Senior stopped. The Chakra on his body instantly dissipated, and his head fell off. Aoki Yoru was standing behind him, while the person in front of him turned into a puddle of water.
"When did he use a Water Clone?" Senior's consciousness gradually faded into darkness.
Earlier, while the dust and smoke from their collisions obscured their vision, Aoki Yoru had replaced his real body with a Water Clone. Not knowing what trump cards the enemy might have, it was better to be safe.
He turned his head to look at the other battlefield.
Both Yui and Kenta had wounds. Kenta was taking the opponent's Lightning Release head-on, while Yui attacked with long-range Ninjutsu and hidden weapons. The two sides seemed evenly matched.
Leimu saw that Senior had been killed and suddenly panicked.
"An opportunity."
Yui seized the moment, her fingers quickly forming seals. She gave a low shout: "Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique"
Leimu felt as if he were trapped, and he frantically used Lightning Release to stimulate his body.
"It's useless. To a Lightning Release Ninja, this level of genjutsu is child's play..."
Before he could finish, a Kunai was thrust into his heart from behind. Leimu's face was filled with disbelief.
Aoki Yoru, standing to the side, was also surprised. He hadn't expected Yui to have this trick up her sleeve.
"Using genjutsu to disrupt Chakra, and then using Water Release Ninjutsu to create a mist for a false environment and visual illusions... A two-pronged attack. He didn't die in vain."
Seeing that the enemies were all taken care of, Kenta slumped to the ground, panting. Blood slowly seeped from his wounds, staining his clothes.
"That was really dangerous. One slip-up and we would've been killed."
Yui stepped forward to treat him with a Healing Technique. Unlike Kenta, who had faced the enemy head-on, her injuries were much lighter.
Then Yui turned to Aoki Yoru and asked, "How's Kakashi-sensei doing? He must have encountered enemies too. Should we go help?"
"Not bad. You guys actually managed to take down the enemies." Kakashi suddenly appeared in the center of the field.
Aoki Yoru, who was looting the bodies, rolled his eyes. He had noticed Kakashi lurking nearby since the start of the battle. The one fighting the enemy was just a Lightning Clone, and the enemies had been dealt with by that Lightning Clone long ago.