The Temple of Nirvana technique a jutsu once used by Kabuto during the Chūnin Exams had the power to lull even a stadium full of people into deep slumber, their minds drifting away no matter how loud the chaos around them grew.
Against civilians, it was overwhelming. Against trained shinobi, it merely bought a few precious seconds of confusion. But that was all Fugaku needed.
Feathers fell like snow across the battlefield, white and shimmering, each one carrying the pull of illusion. The enemy recognized the genjutsu instantly, scrambling to form seals or channel chakra into their comrades to break free. But that brief moment of disarray was exactly what Fugaku had been waiting for.
A sharp, piercing sound erupted. The cry of a thousand birds filled the air, drowning out even the raging wind. Kurozawa Shūichi, who had just broken free from the illusion, froze. Across the field, his eyes widened as he saw the enemy captain's hand wreathed in lightning blinding, living lightning. The chakra condensed and screamed, sparks twisting into a roaring storm that danced wildly around Fugaku's arm.
"What kind of jutsu is that?!"
Before Kurozawa could even comprehend what he was seeing, Fugaku vanished.
"So fast!"
He strained to follow the movement but failed. The Lightning chakra surged through Fugaku's body, amplifying his reflexes and speed to an almost inhuman level. His entire form became a streak of light, tearing through the sand like a thunderbolt let loose from the heavens.
He's aiming for our formation! If that hits, it will be devastating!
Kurozawa's instincts screamed. He snapped his arms forward, ten chakra threads whipping out from his fingers and latching onto two massive puppets that had stalled during the earlier illusion. The puppets roared to life, moving with startling speed.
In a heartbeat, the twin giants stepped into Fugaku's path, one left, one right, their massive limbs swinging together in a crushing arc meant to smash him flat.
For a moment, it seemed Fugaku was trapped from every direction. But every motion the puppets made was perfectly clear to him. His Sharingan spun, scarlet light slicing through time itself.
He didn't stop. He didn't slow. His eyes tracked every joint, every thread of chakra, every gap in movement. Adjusting his path slightly, he sprinted straight through the narrowest opening between the puppet joints.
Kurozawa's eyes went wide. "Impossible!"
He knew the durability of his puppets. Normal ninjutsu would only scratch their surface at best. But this lightning-covered monster of a man had cut through them as if they were made of paper.
"Stop him! Now!"
His fingers flickered, chakra threads blurring. One of the fallen puppets jerked upright. Its head split open into six segments, revealing a honeycomb of hidden launchers.
A storm of kunai erupted.
The barrage blotted out the sky, thousands of glinting points raining down, each reflecting a faint violet hue. Poison-tipped.
Even with the roar of the Chidori in his ears, Fugaku could hear the deadly hiss behind him. He turned his head just enough to see and his blood ran cold.
One hit from that, and his body would be torn apart.
Calculating quickly, he realized he couldn't dodge. Forward was blocked by the enemy line. To the sides, the range was too wide. If he twisted sharply, his legs might shatter under the momentum.
His Sharingan caught the faint glimmer of toxin coating the kunai. One graze would mean death.
He slammed his Chidori into the ground. Lightning burst from the point of impact, shaking the earth. As sparks faded, Fugaku's hands blurred through seals.
"Earth Style, Earth Wall!"
A massive wall of stone surged upward, shielding him from the deadly storm. The kunai struck it in a cacophony of metallic screeches. Dust and poison mist scattered harmlessly into the wind.
No hesitation. Fugaku leapt onto the rising wall, forming another sequence of signs midair.
"Fire Style, Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A blazing dragon roared from his mouth, propelling him forward with explosive force. The heat wave carried him out of the attack's range, hurling him high above the field.
Kurozawa's lips curved into a cold smile. "In the air, you're mine."
He unrolled a scroll, summoning another puppet. Its arms elongated instantly, transforming into whiplike chains of segmented steel. The twin whips lashed upward, snapping toward Fugaku with deadly speed.
Midair, Fugaku had no leverage, no way to dodge. He flung a kunai, hoping to disrupt the strike, but Kurozawa's control was precise. The whips twisted around the weapon and kept going, coiling around Fugaku's body.
In an instant, the steel arms constricted, locking tight. Faint symbols along their surface began to glow, feeding power to a set of retractable blades hidden between each joint. Kurozawa's fingers twitched once more, and the blades extended, stabbing straight through Fugaku's bound form.
Blood didn't fall.
Instead, Fugaku's body dissolved into smoke.
"An… afterimage? No, a shadow clone?!" Kurozawa gasped.
Before the thought could settle, the kunai Fugaku had thrown earlier detonated in a cloud of smoke.
From within it, a piercing screech rang out again the sound of lightning tearing through air.
Chidori.
A streak of blinding light burst from the smoke, racing straight toward Kurozawa's chest like the wrath of thunder itself.
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