While infiltrating the Land of Lightning, Asuka suddenly sensed a squad of ninja rapidly approaching his position. He immediately began changing directions to shake them off, but the Land of Lightning ninja pursued him relentlessly, sticking to him like a shadow.
Asuka quickly realized that he had likely been discovered.
Understanding the situation, he stopped in the middle of a clearing and calmly waited for the enemy to arrive.
Before long, the approaching figures became visible. The ninja leading the group had short white hair and a pair of droopy, dead-fish eyes. If it weren't for his dark skin, Asuka might have thought he was looking at a younger version of Kakashi.
The Kumogakure ninja also noticed Asuka standing calmly in place. They immediately formed a battle formation and landed around him, surrounding him from all sides.
Ignoring the other Cloud shinobi, Asuka focused his attention on the sturdy man standing at the front.
The dark-skinned ninja stared at Asuka and spoke in a low voice.
"To dare infiltrate the Land of Lightning alone, you must not be an ordinary ninja. I am Darui, a jonin of Kumogakure. May I know your name?"
The identity of the man was obvious—Darui, the future Fifth Raikage. At this time, he still lacked the composure he would later display at the Five Kage Summit, and there was still a hint of youthfulness on his face. Even so, his talent was already evident; he had become a jonin at a very young age.
Faced with Darui's question, Asuka did not refuse to answer.
"I wouldn't call it a famous name," he said calmly. "I am Kaguya Asuka."
Darui raised an eyebrow slightly, clearly surprised that Asuka had revealed his name so openly.
"So you're a Hidden Mist expert. For you to report your name so confidently, you must be very sure of your own strength."
Asuka smiled faintly.
"If you want to know my strength, that depends on your ability."
At that moment, Darui's half-lidded eyes suddenly sharpened. With a wave of his hand, the surrounding Cloud ninja attacked simultaneously.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
"Lightning Release: Emotion Wave!"
"Lightning Release: Lightning Bird!"
The Cloud ninja split into two groups. Several remained at a distance, releasing ninjutsu to suppress Asuka, while the others drew their ninja swords and rushed forward for close combat.
Kumogakure specialized in lightning-based taijutsu. Their most famous technique was the Raikage's Lightning Release Armor, which perfectly combined offense and defense. The Third Raikage had even been known as the strongest spear and shield in the ninja world.
Because of this, their usual combat strategy was simple—use ninjutsu to suppress the enemy from a distance, then rush in with lightning-enhanced weapons for brutal close-quarters combat.
Asuka instantly used Ninjutsu: Soru, disappearing in a flash to evade the incoming attacks before charging toward the weakest point in the encirclement.
Bone spurs extended from both of his hands as his body moved with fluid grace, swaying like willow branches in the wind. While dodging incoming attacks, he seized an opening and slashed forward with the bone blades, piercing straight through a Cloud ninja's chest.
Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Willow.
Asuka continued spinning and weaving through the battlefield. Despite being surrounded, not a single enemy managed to land a solid blow. Instead, he repeatedly seized openings to counterattack, injuring several Cloud ninja in return.
Seeing his incredible taijutsu skill, the surrounding Cloud ninja began using their signature techniques. Lightning crackled along their arms and spread onto their ninja swords.
In an instant, the clearing was filled with the harsh buzzing of electrical currents.
The lightning-enhanced blades greatly increased both the reach and power of their attacks. Gradually, small wounds began appearing on Asuka's body.
The Cloud ninja watching from the outside shouted excitedly.
"Everyone, push harder! He's starting to get injured!"
Darui, however, remained outside the battlefield, observing quietly. He did not believe that someone bold enough to infiltrate the Land of Lightning alone would be defeated so easily.
From their earlier conversation, Darui could tell that Asuka had immense confidence in his own strength.
At first, Darui had suspected that Asuka might be lying about his identity. After all, what kind of scout would casually reveal their name to the enemy?
But the Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit Asuka displayed proved that he was telling the truth.
So Darui chose not to join the melee. Instead, he carefully observed the fight, searching for a weakness.
Although Asuka's body was now covered in wounds—some even scorched by lightning—his movements remained completely unaffected, as if the injuries didn't exist at all.
Then, under Darui's watchful gaze, thick bone spikes suddenly erupted from all over Asuka's body.
In the next instant, Asuka began spinning at high speed.
Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Larch.
The bone spikes rotated with his body like the blades of a spinning top, violently forcing the nearby Cloud ninja backward. The repelled ninja collapsed to the ground, their bodies riddled with bloody holes of varying depths.
In the center of the clearing, Asuka slowly came to a stop.
The wounds that had covered his body moments ago had completely disappeared.
Seeing this, Darui's pupils shrank.
He finally understood what had felt wrong earlier. Even when Asuka had been injured, his movements had never faltered.
Now, looking at his completely healed skin, Darui felt his heart sink. Such powerful regeneration reminded him of the Third Raikage, whose recovery ability was equally terrifying.
Asuka glanced at the fallen Cloud ninja and spoke loudly.
"What's wrong? Is this all you've got? With strength like this, you won't be able to stop me."
The surrounding Cloud ninja instantly exploded with anger.
"Damn you! How dare you insult us!"
"I'll show you the power of Kumogakure!"
"Don't get arrogant, Kaguya brat!"
Kumogakure was a village full of warriors. Its ninja were tall, muscular, and battle-hardened. It was a place where even the moderates were considered aggressive, and the aggressive ones believed the moderates were too soft.
Hearing someone insult them like this was like tossing a spark into a pile of gunpowder.
Several of the muscular shinobi raised their swords, ready to charge forward recklessly.
Darui raised a hand to stop them.
Looking at Asuka, he said calmly, "Your strength is indeed impressive. But by insulting the Cloud ninja like this, are you trying to start a war between our two countries?"
Asuka slowly retracted the bone spikes covering his body.
"I'm simply stating a fact," he replied coldly.
Darui said nothing more.
Behind his back, he quietly made a hand signal.
Then he suddenly dashed forward like an arrow released from a bow.
During the charge, Darui drew the massive sword from his back. Lightning chakra surged along the blade as it crackled with energy.
The great sword collided with Asuka's bone blade, sending sparks and lightning flying in all directions. The ground beneath them was instantly scorched black.
While the two were locked in a stalemate, several Cloud ninja attempted to circle behind Asuka for a sneak attack.
But before they could get close, dense bone spikes suddenly erupted from his body, piercing them through instantly.
They collapsed to the ground unwillingly.
Darui was also forced back.
During their clash, he suddenly noticed that Asuka's entire body had become covered in sharp bone spikes. Instinctively sensing danger, Darui had quickly channeled chakra to form a crude Lightning Release Armor around his body.
That instinctive reaction saved his life.
Even so, several bone spikes were now embedded in his body. Fortunately, the wounds were shallow and not fatal.
Darui spat lightly to the side, then planted his large sword into the ground. Forming hand seals, he shouted:
"Storm Release: Laser Circus!"
Several beams of lightning shot out like lasers, twisting through the air and surrounding Asuka from all directions.
Unlike ordinary Lightning Release techniques that traveled in straight lines, Darui's Storm Release could be controlled freely, much like Water Release.
The laser-like beams slammed into Asuka's position—
And a massive cloud of dust erupted into the air.
---------------Author---------------
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