Just as the Cloud ninja began retreating in unison and tightening their formation, a series of sharp, metallic screeches suddenly rang out!
The moment they heard that sound, the Cloud shinobi collectively let out a breath of relief.
"Great—it's B-sama!"
"B-sama is here!!"
Before the words had even fully fallen, a streak of blue-white lightning shot out from the depths of the mist-filled valley, instantly crossing several hundred meters and crashing straight into the center of the battlefield!
Damn it!
The lightning paused for a fraction of a second, revealing the tall, powerfully built figure of Yotsuki B—his muscles now bulging grotesquely from sheer rage. His gaze swept across the ground littered with corpses, lingering in particular on the remains and bloodstains of two jōnin.
Such heavy losses?!
From the moment he heard the explosion at the valley entrance and rushed over at full speed, to his arrival at this battlefield—it hadn't even been ten seconds!
He had assumed that the warehouse's defenses and its stationed elite would be enough to repel any sneak attack, even counter-killing or at least stalling the enemy.
But he had never imagined that in those mere ten seconds, his side would suffer such devastating casualties!
Yotsuki B's gaze locked onto the boy standing at the very front of the Konoha forces.
Higashino Shinichi?!
He froze for a split second—then his heart surged with excitement!
The youngest jōnin in Konoha's history! The genius who had carved out a fearsome reputation on the southwestern front! The target marked in intelligence reports as "priority elimination"!
And now, he had delivered himself right to his doorstep!
"This brat is mine!"
With that declaration, the lightning around Yotsuki B's body flared violently. The ground beneath his feet exploded apart as he launched forward, transforming into a blue-white bolt of lightning streaking straight toward Higashino Shinichi.
"Captain, wai—"
Ueno Kaito didn't even finish his warning before Shinichi cut him off.
"I'll handle this one!"
Before his words had even settled, Shinichi—standing at the very front—suddenly saw his legs blaze with a rapid flicker of crimson.
Boom!!
With a single step, it was like a bomb had detonated beneath him. He shot forward, turning into a streak of red light that tore through the mist at a terrifying, absurd speed!
So fast that his movement carved a long trail through the air—rings of visible shockwaves erupting outward from his trajectory in rapid succession!
He was even faster than Yotsuki B!
This was a unique nin-taijutsu Shinichi had developed by fusing the Body Flicker Technique with the compressed explosive force of Monster Strength, along with the high-temperature expansion and explosive properties of Fire-attribute chakra.
Using the techniques of Monster Strength, he compressed Fire-attribute chakra to the absolute limit and channeled it into his legs—turning them into "turbocharged jet engines." At the instant his foot struck the ground, the stored energy detonated, producing an overwhelmingly powerful burst of propulsion!
Boom!
One blue, one red—two streaks of light moving at extreme speed collided head-on in midair without any flourish!
In that instant, sparks cascaded like a waterfall, silver lightning writhing wildly!
Two overwhelmingly ferocious forces clashed directly, erupting into a thunderous explosion that shook the air itself! A visible ring-shaped shockwave expanded outward like a tidal wave, instantly shredding and clearing the dense mist within dozens of meters!
The ground was violently overturned, dust and debris blasted skyward, shattered stones shooting outward like bullets!
This brat's strength is this great?!
Yotsuki B steadied himself, his pupils shrinking sharply. He had already known from intelligence reports that this Konoha kid was reputed for his physical strength—but he had dismissed it outright.
Strong? What kind of joke is that? Since when could Konoha shinobi be called physically powerful?
Even with talent, he was just a brat who hadn't even grown properly—how strong could he possibly be?
Yet from that direct clash just now—their strength was evenly matched!
He was a member of the Yotsuki Clan—the previous generation's "B."
When it came to raw strength, in the entire Cloud Village, the only one who could decisively overpower him was his elder brother—the Third Raikage, hailed as both the strongest spear and the strongest shield!
Even his gifted nephew, who had inherited the name "A" at a young age—the Fourth Raikage—was only slightly stronger than him.
And yet this ten- or eleven-year-old brat… was matching him blow for blow?!
"Hmph!"
Staring at Shinichi, who had also stabilized himself in the distance, B let out a heavy snort. His killing intent surged even further as lightning around him exploded outward again, dazzling arcs of electricity writhing wildly in the night. The ground beneath him shattered as he launched himself skyward once more!
Twisting midair, his body coiled—
His right leg came down like a battle-axe, wrapped in countless strands of destructive lightning, cleaving toward Shinichi below!
The strike resembled a thunder god wielding a divine axe, descending from the heavens to split the earth in two!
Facing the incoming attack, Shinichi's expression remained unchanged. He simply stepped again—Flame Burst Step activating once more—his body launching upward with overwhelming force.
At the same time, he swung his hand. Fire-attribute chakra ignited violently in his palm, tracing a beautiful arc of flame through the air—before instantly transforming into a towering pillar of fire that surged skyward like a raging inferno vortex!
Fist against leg! Bottom against top! Fire against lightning!
The crimson fire vortex and the blue-white lightning axe slammed together once again in midair!
Countless flames and arcs of lightning exploded outward, intertwined and scattering, accompanied by raging winds and shockwaves that swept across the battlefield like a furious ocean storm!
Whether Konoha or Cloud shinobi, everyone instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces from the scorching heat and the storm of sand and debris!
And in the sky—
Within that blinding sphere of intertwined fire and lightning—
Two figures could faintly be seen, locked in close-quarters combat, exchanging several deadly blows in rapid succession.
But they were too fast. The blazing light of fire and lightning was too intense.
No one could see clearly what was happening inside.
All that could be heard was a rapid series of dull, explosive impacts—like beans popping in a pan—mixed with the sharp screech of air being torn apart!
Bang!
Shinichi landed first.
The instant his feet touched the ground, his body lunged forward again. As he charged, the Fire-attribute chakra gathered in his right fist erupted violently—transforming into a massive crimson serpent of flame!
The blazing snake burst from his fist, raising its head, opening its burning jaws—and lunged straight at Yotsuki B, who had just landed!
"Good timing! Come on, brat!"
B was startled—but not flustered. He roared, his battle intent surging even higher. Though he had landed a split second after Shinichi, the Cloud Village's secret Lightning Release Chakra Mode was nothing like Chidori, which merely activated the arms and legs. Instead, it spread Lightning-attribute chakra throughout the entire body, stimulating every inch of muscle—and even the neural reflex system itself.
Because of that, even though Shinichi had seized the landing gap to strike first, Yotsuki B's reaction speed was just as terrifying.
Lightning flared explosively around his body as he threw a punch of his own! His fist was wrapped in violent, ferocious lightning, carrying a force that seemed capable of shattering everything as it met the crimson serpent head-on!
Boom!!
Two overwhelming forces collided directly, kicking up a massive storm of dust and sand. The gale spread outward like a tidal wave!
Flames exploded into a rain of fire, lightning scattered in all directions, scorching holes and cracks into the surrounding rock and earth.
Crack—crack.
The sound of bones grinding violently against each other rang out.
"Brat… looks like I underestimated you!" B bared his teeth in a grin, his white fangs gleaming as he stared at the boy before him.
But the boy merely looked back at him indifferently.
That gaze was light—casual—like someone who had finally picked something up, tested its weight, and then simply said: "Not bad."
The tone carried no fluctuation. No praise. No provocation.
Only a natural, unquestioned… judgment from above.
At those words, an indescribable surge of absurdity and humiliation ignited into fury within Yotsuki B. "You damn brat!"
The anger and killing intent in his chest were completely detonated by those two words. With a furious roar, the lightning around him erupted again!
With a violent burst, the momentary stalemate between them was shattered!
His fist shot forward, smashing toward Shinichi's head!
Shinichi shifted his footing slightly, crimson light flaring once more—and in the next instant, both figures vanished from where they stood.
One blue, one red—
Like beasts breaking free from their chains, the two streaks of light once again transformed into extreme-speed afterimages, wildly weaving, colliding, separating—then colliding again—splitting apart—only to clash once more in a frenzied, brutal exchange!
Crimson fists blurred in rapid succession!
Blue-white fists and legs swept across the battlefield!
Speed against speed! Power against power!
The thunderous explosions rolled endlessly like crashing thunder. From ground to air, from air back to ground—they fought without pause. Wherever they passed, the earth collapsed, rocks shattered, and flames and lightning intertwined into a blinding radiance.
Shockwaves spread outward one after another, completely clearing away all the surrounding mist.
No one could follow the details.
All anyone could see were those two streaks of light—sometimes entangled, sometimes splitting apart in an instant—leaving behind a trail of detonating fire and lightning.
The Cloud and Konoha shinobi fighting nearby had already, without a word, retreated far away, leaving the battlefield entirely to the two of them as they continued their slaughter elsewhere.
Only those two lights remained—
Still colliding madly.
Damn it!
In the midst of the fierce battle, Yotsuki B grew more and more alarmed. When he had first read the intelligence on Higashino Shinichi, it had mentioned that the kid seemed to be developing some kind of Fire Release-based nin-taijutsu.
At the time, he had dismissed it as a joke.
Nin-taijutsu?
Was that something you could just casually develop?
Let alone using Fire-attribute chakra—known for its violent instability and difficulty to control—like Lightning Release.
How many years had the Yotsuki Clan spent developing Lightning Release nin-taijutsu?
As far back as the Warring States era, before the founding of Kumogakure, their clan ancestors had already begun deep research into it. It wasn't until the First Raikage that it was roughly formed, and the Second Raikage poured immense effort into refining it further.
By the time of his elder brother, the Third Raikage—with his unparalleled talent and relentless training—it had finally been pushed to its peak, earning the legendary title of the strongest "spear and shield."
That was the result of a top-tier clan, multiple master-level experts, and decades of effort.
And a brat from Konoha… what right did he have?
He didn't have the ability—did he?!
Yet the reality before him struck Yotsuki B like a slap to the face.
Though the boy's Fire Release nin-taijutsu was still not as refined as their Lightning Release version, it was already capable of integrating fire into strikes, movement bursts, and even localized defense. With every motion, flames responded like an extension of his limbs—effortless, controlled, precise!
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before it evolved into a more complete Fire Release armor—or even a full-body enhancement state similar to the Lightning Release Chakra Mode!
This kid's talent… was terrifying!
Yotsuki B's eyes sharpened.
At the instant their fists were about to clash again—his right hand suddenly shifted into a claw at a speed far beyond before, accompanied by a piercing thunderclap and dazzling lightning, shooting forward—
And directly grabbed Shinichi's incoming right wrist!
"Got you!"
Yotsuki B roared as every muscle in his body and his Lightning Release chakra erupted simultaneously. The hand gripping Shinichi's wrist slammed downward—then yanked!
He aimed to instantly break Shinichi's balance and power flow, then lift him up and smash him viciously into the ground!
A sudden reversal—dragged straight into annihilation—a thunderous strike of pure force!
However—
Shinichi's counter was even faster than Yotsuki B had anticipated.
With the terrifying boost of Flash Step, this kind of high-speed close-quarters exchange and deadly variation was no longer his weakness—it had become his domain.
At the exact instant Yotsuki B completed the downward jerk and transition into lifting force—Shinichi's free left hand, like a hunter that had been waiting all along, snapped upward!
The moment it rose, veins bulged across his arm like coiling dragons. The chakra surging through his pathways roared like a breached flood, converging violently into the center of his fist!
Even the air seemed to tremble under the pressure of that condensed force!
Monster Strength: Inch Punch!
BOOM!!!
At point-blank range—within the smallest window of time—the punch slammed heavily into Yotsuki B's abdomen!
Crack!
A crisp, shattering sound rang out!
The seemingly indestructible layer of lightning armor around Yotsuki B—was blown open by that single punch, a massive fissure tearing through it!
Violent force poured through the crack, sending shockwaves through his internal organs!
The gathered power shattered instantly. His grip loosened involuntarily—and under the impact, his entire body was blasted backward uncontrollably!
Step! Step! Step!
His feet carved two deep trenches across the ground as he was driven back dozens of meters before barely stabilizing himself.
Meanwhile, Shinichi used the opening to give a slight shake, landing steadily. His gaze remained calm—deep as still water—as he looked toward Yotsuki B dozens of meters away, whose expression had turned as dark as storm clouds.
"Good. Very good!"
B drew in a deep breath. The muscles across his entire body began to tremble violently, wave after wave of chakra surging out like tangible tides. It transformed into piercing arcs of lightning, crackling with explosive thunder!
At the instant the chakra and lightning reached their peak—
His figure vanished.
Fast! Fast! Faster!
No other words could describe Yotsuki B's speed at this moment—
Only speed.
An unimaginable, absurd speed!
All the surrounding lightning condensed and compressed entirely into his right fist, forming an attack that seemed to transcend distance itself!
Lightning Release: Lariat Slash—
A pinnacle instant-kill technique within Lightning Release nin-taijutsu. It abandoned all defense and variation, pouring everything into explosive burst and absolute speed—seeking a single decisive strike!
I see it!
Facing this attack that had reached the absolute limit of speed—Shinichi's eyes snapped wide open!
His body instantly coiled like a drawn bow. His center of gravity dropped, his right arm bent sharply, his elbow becoming the hardest shield—
Rising upward and outward—
Directly meeting the trajectory of that destructive lightning punch!
Nue Snatch!
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erupted!
The surging Yotsuki B abruptly halted mid-charge. The thick layer of lightning armor around him burst into a dense cascade of cracking sounds—fractures spreading across his entire body in an instant!
At the same time, Shinichi was blasted backward by the overwhelming force, his body unable to fully resist the impact—after all, Nue Snatch was not true adamantine defense; it could not perfectly block an attack of this level.
However—
Even as he was forced backward, Shinichi's footing showed not the slightest disorder!
His gaze was sharp as a blade, locked tightly onto Yotsuki B, who had been momentarily stunned by the rebound, his lightning armor destabilized for a fleeting instant.
Using the momentum of his forced retreat, Shinichi pivoted low in a sharp turn, dropping his center of gravity. His right fist tightened as his body coiled, compact and ready to strike.
At the instant of the turn—
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
The air temperature around him skyrocketed to a terrifying degree!
Countless crimson flames seemed to be born from nothingness—or ignited by the surging chakra within him—erupting, roaring, and surging outward!
In the blink of an eye, they formed a blazing domain of fire spanning over a dozen meters, warping the air as it burned violently!
At the same time—
At Shinichi's right fist—
A terrifying vortex seemed to form, devouring everything!
All the flames in the surrounding area, roaring and surging—
As if answering the summons of a supreme sovereign—
Crazily converged, compressed, and concentrated toward that single fist!
There was too much fire—too violent—compressed too quickly, too densely—to the point that his right fist seemed to transform into a miniature crimson sun, swelling and growing brighter by the second!
Turn—twist the waist—drive the shoulder—punch!
The entire sequence flowed in one seamless motion, as if it had been practiced tens of thousands of times!
The trajectory of that punch—was like the first ray of dawn piercing a silent night!
Like a blazing meteor tearing through the heavy heavens!
Carrying an absolute power—and an absolute will—that seemed capable of shattering stars and crushing darkness itself—it slammed straight toward Yotsuki B, who had just recovered from the backlash, caught in that fleeting instant where old force had faded and new force had yet to rise!
Fire Release: Heavenly Collapse!
Fast! Fierce! Violent! Absolute!
In Yotsuki B's pupils—that rapidly expanding crimson sun completely filled his vision!
At the final instant, he only had time to raise both arms in front of his chest.
BOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion shook the entire valley!
Blinding light swallowed everything in an instant. Violent flames and shockwaves spread outward in a ring, collapsing and cracking the ground within hundreds of meters!
Shattered stones were lifted by the blast and hurled in all directions!
The already fractured lightning armor around Yotsuki B—was completely obliterated under that punch!
His body was blasted away like a kite with its string cut, flying hundreds of meters, smashing through multiple massive boulders in succession—before finally crashing into a huge warehouse behind him!
BOOM!
The warehouse wall shattered on impact, smoke and dust billowing into the sky!
"B-sama! B-sama!!"
At the sight, the Cloud ninja could no longer care about the Konoha forces before them. One after another, they rushed anxiously toward the ruins!
Moments later—amid the drifting dust—a swaying figure slowly stood up.
Yotsuki B.
But at this moment, he was in a miserable state.
His right arm was completely gone—vanished without a trace.
His left arm still remained, but hung limply, the bones utterly shattered.
At his chest, a charred, horrifying hole pierced clean through—front to back.
"B-sama! You—!?"
The Cloud shinobi beside him were horrified, their faces filled with fear.
Yotsuki B ignored them.
He didn't even look down at his own devastating injuries.
He simply lifted his head, his gaze passing across the ruined battlefield, landing on the boy in the distance.
And slowly asked: "What… is the name… of that move…?"
"Heavenly Collapse."
Shinichi stood where he was. The flames around him gradually subsided. He shook his somewhat overheated right hand, faint wisps of heat rising from it, and answered calmly.
Heavenly Collapse—the ultimate strike that perfectly fused the techniques of Monster Strength.
It compressed and condensed his Fire-attribute chakra into his right fist to the absolute limit—to a degree even surpassing the Great Fire Spiral Sphere.
Though it lacked the rotational tearing force of the Rasengan—what it gained was extreme instantaneous penetration and explosive power!
All concentrated into a single point—nothing could withstand it!
"Heavenly Collapse… cough… good name…"
Yotsuki B murmured.
Then—his remaining left hand dropped weakly.
His upright body swayed—and finally, all strength left him.
He fell backward.
Thud.
The heavy sound of his body hitting the ground echoed clearly across the suddenly silent battlefield.
Yotsuki B—the "B" of the previous generation AB Combination of the Yotsuki Clan of Kumogakure—the life-and-death partner of the Third Raikage—had fallen.
"B-sama! B-sama!!!"
After a brief silence, the Cloud shinobi erupted into heart-wrenching wails and furious roars. In the next instant, every single one of them turned their vicious, bloodthirsty gazes toward Shinichi.
"Captain Shinichi, what do we do next?"
Ueno Kaito stepped forward and asked quickly.
Shinichi glanced at Aburame Shishō, who had appeared beside him at some point, and asked: "Shishō-senpai, what's the situation?"
"The Cloud forces are converging here. Southeast direction—at least three hundred. Estimated arrival in three minutes."
Shinichi nodded, his gaze sweeping across the blazing ruins of the Cloud warehouse before him, now completely destroyed.
"The mission is complete. Gather everyone immediately—we withdraw!"
"Yes!"
…
The next day—
Cloud Village main camp, command headquarters.
Wails filled with grief, fury, and disbelief echoed endlessly.
"B! You died so miserably!"
"Heavens above!"
At that moment, Dodai, who had just returned from handling other tasks, was about to report to the Third Raikage. But the moment he reached the entrance, he heard the Raikage's anguished cries.
"Karot!" Dodai called out to the Cloud jōnin standing guard outside. "What happened to Raikage-sama? Why is he crying out like this?"
Before Karot could answer, the sorrowful voice of the Third Raikage rang out again from inside the tent: "Brother! Brother! Your big brother has failed you! I've let you down!!"
"Gah—!"
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