There was a long-standing belief among shinobi that mastery mattered more than quantity when it came to ninjutsu—and reality largely supported that idea.
For example, there were Kage-level shinobi who spent their entire lives refining a single jutsu, polishing it until it reached absurd heights.
Hagoromo was much the same.
Although he possessed a fairly diverse set of offensive options, what he did most often was activate Lightning Release at the slightest provocation, turning himself into something resembling a walking, sparking light bulb.
This was the very definition of "one perfected move conquers all."
According to intelligence reports, Pakura belonged to the same category.
Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder was a two-step execution jutsu.
First—capture the enemy.
Second—evaporate them dry.
The second step was invariably fatal.
But the difficulty of avoiding her attacks was actually not that high.
In large-scale battles, Pakura's Scorch Release was undeniably devastating.
When enemies were packed together on a battlefield, there was simply nowhere to dodge.
But in a one-on-one fight, the equation changed entirely.
As long as one avoided being hit in the first place, what was there to fear?
Moreover, she was facing Hagoromo, a speed-oriented shinobi who excelled at taijutsu.
Once he managed to close the distance, Pakura would be at a clear disadvantage.
Hagoromo carefully observed her movements.
From his current impression, despite her fearsome reputation, Pakura did not feel any more difficult to deal with than the high-speed Fūma clan shinobi he had encountered earlier.
That opponent had been crushed by Lightning Release: Kirin.
As for Pakura?
She didn't warrant such an overkill jutsu.
…Of course, that was nonsense.
At the moment, Hagoromo couldn't use Kirin even if he wanted to.
Although Hagoromo's squad consisted of four people, Pakura focused exclusively on him.
First, because she hated him.
Second, because in the flickering firelight of the forest, Hagoromo's crackling Lightning Release made him impossible to miss.
A literal leaking power source.
Hagoromo darted and twisted through the trees, staying on the outskirts of the battlefield as scorching waves of Scorch Release brushed past him again and again.
Finding a clean opening for close combat was difficult.
And even if he got close, he couldn't afford to get too close—
otherwise, he'd still be turned into jerky.
What Hagoromo was waiting for was a chance to strike decisively and withdraw instantly, collapsing the fight in a single exchange.
Prolong the battle?
Switch to mid- or long-range attacks?
No—he wanted to probe her a bit longer.
While evading, he casually flicked out a pair of shuriken to disrupt her rhythm.
They did little more than that.
Hagoromo wasn't particularly tense.
Pakura's speed was about average for a jōnin.
If he could breach her defenses and close the distance, he was confident he could seize the initiative through sheer speed.
Battle tempered a shinobi.
Compared to his fight against the Fūma clan ninja, Hagoromo felt his movements had grown more fluid—not just faster, but cleaner.
At this point, the Amegakure shinobi were starting to feel awkward.
After a brief hesitation, they decided they couldn't just stand around watching.
After all, this was still their territory.
And so, they joined the fight.
The duel instantly devolved back into a chaotic melee.
Unfortunately, the Rain shinobi made a fatal mistake almost immediately.
They split off a group to attack the three-headed hound, which had been drooling idly like a spectator.
This wasn't unreasonable.
Targeting a large summon was standard practice.
First, the dog was carrying three seemingly incapacitated shinobi—clearly a burden.
Second, its massive frame and vicious appearance screamed high threat.
Better to eliminate it early than wait for it to go berserk.
So a Rain shinobi struck the hound.
Then struck it again.
Then they realized—
The dog didn't even dodge.
It looked terrifying, but it didn't avoid attacks at all.
So they hit it again.
And again.
Then they finally understood.
The hound hadn't failed to dodge.
It simply didn't need to.
Because after being struck repeatedly—
It split.
The Rain shinobi froze.
Why was it multiplying?!
They had never seen a summon like this before.
One Rain shinobi learned something new that day.
Another Rain shinobi was bitten to death.
While some Rain shinobi attacked the summon, others turned their attention toward Hagoromo and Pakura.
One Rain shinobi rushed Hagoromo—but his skill was lacking.
He appeared to be preparing a Water Release jutsu, yet before his hand seals were complete, Hagoromo surged forward instead of retreating.
Lightning flashed.
Hagoromo abruptly accelerated, changed tempo, and closed the distance in an instant.
He dropped his stance and drove a straight punch into the enemy's abdomen—clean, simple, brutal.
The jutsu was interrupted.
This had nothing to do with raw strength.
With Chidori Nagashi active, Hagoromo was offense and defense incarnate.
Anyone approaching him would be paralyzed instantly—just ask the Kurenai currently sprawled on the hound's back.
His fist became a palm.
He grabbed the enemy's clothing, spun, and hurled him away.
It was a perfect collaboration.
Between Hagoromo—and Hagoromo.
The punch alone wouldn't have killed the man.
But Hagoromo threw him like a shield, straight into Pakura's Extremely Steaming Murder.
First—electrocuted.
Then—steamed.
While the corpse was still airborne, steam billowing from its orifices, Hagoromo followed up with a brutal kick.
The body rocketed straight toward Pakura.
The corpse blocked their line of sight.
Using it as cover, Hagoromo formed hand seals and charged.
Lightning Release: Chidori Sharp Spear(Lightning Release: Thunderclap) pierced straight through the body and stabbed toward Pakura herself.
She had anticipated this.
Dodging the thrust was trivial.
But this jutsu required no hand seals.
The seals Hagoromo had formed were for something else entirely.
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
As the corpse sagged under its own weight, Chidori tore open its abdomen—
—and the clones were revealed.
Two Hagoromo clones, wreathed in crackling lightning, moving at terrifying speed.
They flanked Pakura from both sides.
Their motions were identical.
Their right arms bent naturally, coiled with tension—
perfectly shaped to lock around a human neck.
In the Land of Lightning, the Fourth Raikage and Killer B possessed a combination jutsu called Lariat.
Hagoromo had never seen it.
He didn't care about synchronization or equal strength.
He knew only this—
With Chidori Nagashi flowing through his arms, at this speed, they were blades.
They would shatter a spine, tear through a neck, and send a head flying in the next instant—
If there was a next instant.
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