"..."
Aoi stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
This was the first time his Serpent Lightning Cutter had been so thoroughly defeated — it hadn't even lasted a single second before being completely overwhelmed.
What was more, he had a strange feeling: these bolts of lightning seemed to possess a will of their own…
Crackle, crackle~!
Having devoured the Serpent Lightning Cutter, the purple lightning pouring down from the clouds seemed to detect Aoi as an intruder.
Dozens of bolts coiled and struck like venomous serpents, giving chase as if intent on biting him.
"Are you kidding me? I was just talking to myself!"
Aoi inwardly groaned. Who would have guessed that these bolts truly behaved like living creatures, and held such a fierce grudge?
He dared not let them make contact. If they could swallow his strongest technique in just a few bites, they would turn his flesh and blood into nothing more than ash in an instant.
Yet he refused to give up so easily. To turn back after barely covering a tenth of the distance would mean he might as well abandon all hope of ever claiming the meteorite.
"To hell with it — may Professor Yang watch over me!"
Gritting his teeth, Aoi lowered his head and charged deeper into the storm clouds.
Pushing himself to full speed, he managed to pull ahead, and for the moment the purple lightning could not keep up.
Second breath!
In the span of one breath, he advanced another thousand meters.
But as soon as he crossed that distance, the bolts chasing him seemed to hesitate, as if afraid to go further, and retreated back down toward the ocean below.
"What is going on here?"
Aoi had barely begun to wonder when a terrifying bolt of white lightning suddenly descended — twice as fast as the purple ones.
With the strike almost upon him, Aoi instinctively formed the hand seals: "Serpent Lightning Cutter!"
Two masses of pale white lightning collided in the air, writhing like two small dragons locked in combat.
But this time was different from before. His technique failed to break through even a single bolt.
Instead, it was like a younger sibling being seized by the elder — the white lightning wrapped itself around his attack, crushed it into a ball, and swallowed it whole.
"Damn this useless Lightning Cutter! Kakashi really led me astray!"
Seeing that his strongest jutsu was completely ineffective, Aoi turned and fled, deciding to at least push forward far enough to get a better look before retreating.
He rushed straight toward the meteorite.
But this time, he had severely underestimated the speed of the white lightning…
ZAP!!!
A bolt struck him squarely in the backside. Violent electricity surged through his entire body in an instant, singeing his hair and skin, and sending his internal organs into painful spasms.
The smell of burnt flesh began to fill the air…
"I let my guard down!"
Aoi's eyes snapped open wide in shock. He had never imagined that just one bolt could leave him so gravely wounded.
And at that very moment…
Crackle, crackle!
Dozens more white bolts leaped out from the clouds, surrounding him on all sides while emitting sharp, menacing screeches.
If all of them struck true, not even a god would survive. Seeing this, Aoi's eyes went wide: "Flying Thunder God — save me!"
He activated the technique, but to his dismay, his incomplete mastery of it required a full second to charge.
Ordinarily, one second was nothing. But right now, that single moment would decide whether he lived or died.
The nearest bolt was already almost upon him, while the seal was only halfway completed. At this rate, death was certain.
His mind raced frantically: Should I endure it in Sage Mode?
Use the First Hokage's Wood Style to turn myself into an insulator?
Or encase myself in ice with Ice Release?
In the end, he made the decision that came most instinctively…
Lightning Armor!
Fight lightning… with lightning itself.
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