Thunder roared across the sky.
A flash of lightning struck down from the heavens, connecting directly with Kurosuki Raiga's twin-bladed swords.
Then it expanded violently.
In an instant, a thick arc of electricity surged like a galloping, hissing silver serpent.
Swift, savage, and brimming with destructive force!
It crashed down in the direction of Uchiha Haru and the two kunoichi beside him!
Haru, Yuhi Kurenai, and Uzuki Yugao quickly leapt aside to evade the oncoming lightning strike.
With a deafening roar, the spot they had just vacated exploded into a crater several meters deep.
The acrid scent of ozone and scorched earth filled the air.
The sheer destructive force of the strike was terrifying.
A single misstep, and they could have been gravely wounded or killed instantly.
Yuhi Kurenai and Uzuki Yugao frowned, tension weighing heavily on their faces.
What had begun as a simple C-rank mission had escalated into a battle against Kurosuki Raiga, a rogue shinobi and former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
This situation had spiraled far beyond what they'd expected.
They were in deep trouble.
Suddenly, a calm voice broke through the tension: "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Both kunoichi looked up instinctively, startled.
They saw Uchiha Haru standing with composed resolve, his Sharingan activated, its crimson glow flickering with lethal clarity.
A faint, confident smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Despite the chaos, he radiated stability—a stillness that anchored those around him.
In that moment, Kurenai and Yugao both felt their hearts skip a beat.
For a second, they forgot they were surrounded by danger.
Then Haru rocketed into the air like a cannonball, and they snapped back to reality.
He was charging straight at Kurosuki Raiga—alone!
Both women cried out, alarmed.
Kurosuki Raiga's strength had clearly surpassed that of an elite jonin.
Even the three of them working together would have little chance.
Yet Haru was confronting him solo?
Ignoring their cries, Haru closed the distance to Raiga with calm, deliberate steps.
Raiga narrowed his eyes at the seemingly reckless Jonin.
Before the battle, he had already gathered intelligence: one jonin, two chunin. Nothing worth worrying about.
As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Raiga had no reason to fear them.
But now, as Haru approached step by step, an odd sensation crept over him—an illusion of danger.
He shoved the thought aside.
Just a kid. No threat.
Did this brat really think he was the legendary "Copy Ninja" Hatake Kakashi?
Raiga sneered. "Kid, since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish!"
With a roar, he slammed his foot into the ground and raised his twin swords high.
In an instant, a monstrous amount of lightning surged through the blades.
Crackling arcs of electricity erupted from them, ready to discharge destruction.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Gate!"
He stabbed both swords into the ground, their lightning-infused steel embedding deep into the earth.
The electric surge pulsed outwards, linking with the storm above.
Thunderbolts rained from the heavens in response, expanding the lightning field to cover dozens of meters.
A dome of crackling lightning surrounded them.
From the sky, bolts slammed down like divine punishment.
Frequent. Unrelenting. Designed to obliterate anything living.
Even at the perimeter, Kurenai and Yugao felt the intense pressure. They were forced to retreat further.
Frowning, they stared into the blinding storm with growing concern.
Raiga's power was overwhelming.
If even the edge of the field affected them this severely—
Then how could Haru possibly survive within it?
But then, their eyes widened. Their lips parted in disbelief.
Within the field of lightning, a lone figure darted and spun with impossible agility.
Despite the oppressive storm of lightning, Haru weaved through the gaps in the strikes.
The sky fell with bolts like an ocean of death, but Haru glided between them like a leaf in the current—graceful, yet unshakable.
His movements were mesmerizing.
Even Might Guy, the taijutsu master, might not match such speed and control.
The kunoichi remembered the warmth of Haru's words:
Don't be afraid. I'm here.
Maybe... just maybe, he could do it.
Raiga, too, began to sense something was wrong.
No ordinary Jonin should possess such speed.
Not even some veteran jonin could move like that.
Could it be that Konoha had produced another genius to rival Kakashi?
Determined not to underestimate his opponent, Raiga prepared his next technique.
"Lightning Release: Sky-Splitting Thunder Snake!"
The lightning surged across his blades, enveloping his entire body in a radiant storm.
He became one with the thunder—its weapon and its armor.
Hundreds of crackling electric serpents split from his body, slithering toward Haru with vicious speed.
Raiga grinned cruelly.
No one could dodge this.
A hundred strikes of electrical current, converging from all sides.
Even if Haru survived, his body would be useless.
But Haru's expression didn't change.
His speed increased again—to a level that seemed to warp reality.
He moved so fast, the lightning snakes couldn't even brush the edge of his clothing.
He was a blur within the storm.
Raiga's smug grin froze.
How could this Uchiha kid be so fast?
Was this taijutsu? Or something else?
Without relying solely on his Sharingan, Haru had honed his physical prowess to absurd heights.
He launched himself into the air, straight at Raiga.
His hand clenched into a fist, and with a ferocious cry, he dove from the sky.
The punch came like a cannon, tearing through the air like a thunderclap.
Raiga growled, raising his swords to block the attack.
At the same time, a fresh swarm of lightning snakes burst from his body.
Smaller and fewer than before, but more concentrated, more lethal.
At this close range, even someone as fast as Haru couldn't possibly dodge, could he?
The next moment would decide everything.