The crowd reacted.
"He read that!"
Raizen exhaled slowly.
Inside him, two sensations overlapped.
The first was familiar.
His natural sensing ability stirred.
It allowed him to feel chakra like distant ripples.
But the second—
Was different.
Subtle.
Physical.
The Heaven Pulse of the Tenrai bloodline.
Tiny shifts in the air.
Electrical disturbances.
Movement through wind currents.
When Kaito gathered lightning chakra—
The air reacted.
Raizen felt it.
Not as chakra—
But as disturbance.
And that disturbance came just before the attack.
Just enough time to move.
Kaito surged forward again.
This time—relentless.
Punch.
Kick.
Palm strike.
Raizen moved with him.
Step.
Block.
Slip.
Counter.
Their movements accelerated.
Sharper.
Cleaner.
Lightning sparks flickered with every clash.
Students struggled to follow.
"They're too fast!"
Daigo laughed.
"This is awesome!"
Kaito spun.
A lightning-enhanced kick whipped toward Raizen's head—
Raizen ducked under it.
Stepped inside.
A tight body strike landed.
Kaito staggered back.
The arena erupted.
"He hit him!"
Kaito wiped the corner of his mouth.
Then laughed.
A real laugh.
"Alright."
"Now it's getting interesting."
Lightning surged again—stronger.
The air crackled louder.
Akari frowned.
"He's overloading it."
Daigo blinked.
"Is that bad?"
"Yes."
"If he pushes further, his muscles could tear."
Below them, Kaito lowered his stance.
Lightning spread across his limbs.
Maximum stimulation.
High risk.
His eyes locked onto Raizen.
"Let's finish this."
Kaito exploded forward.
The fastest movement of the match.
Even Raizen barely saw it—
But he felt it.
The surge.
The pressure.
The disturbance in the air.
Raizen stepped at the exact moment.
Their bodies crossed.
One motion.
Clean.
Precise.
Raizen pivoted.
Redirected Kaito's momentum.
Kaito stumbled forward—
Raizen's palm stopped just short of his neck.
Silence.
The instructor raised his hand.
"Match concluded!"
For a moment—
Nothing.
Then the arena erupted.
Cheers exploded across the stands.
Kaito looked at the hand near his throat.
Then laughed.
"Okay."
He straightened.
"You win."
Raizen lowered his hand.
Kaito stretched, lightning fading from his body.
"You're strange," he said.
"You moved before I attacked."
Raizen shrugged.
"Instinct."
Kaito smirked.
"Yeah."
He turned toward the stands.
"I'll remember that."
That evening, the Thunder Ranking Board updated again.
Raizen Tenrai climbed even higher.
Students gathered, whispering.
"He beat Kaito too…"
"That's three major wins now…"
"He might reach the top rank."
Across the hall, Akari studied the board quietly.
Daigo leaned beside her.
"Well," he said,
"looks like our generation is getting famous."
Raizen glanced at the rankings one last time.
But his thoughts were elsewhere.
Because during the fight—
For the briefest moment—
He had felt it.
Lightning and air—
Moving together.
Not separate.
Not clashing.
But aligning.
And for an instant—
It felt like the beginning of a storm