When Aoba Yamashiro, Asuma Sarutobi, and Kurenai Yuhi arrived at the clearing, they finally understood why Hagoromo had insisted on splitting the battlefield.
Looking at the aftermath, they didn't even want to imagine the consequences of being caught within the radius of that technique.
The rain had thinned moments before the strike, but the second Hagoromo's Lightning Style: Kirin was released, the downpour returned immediately, resuming its relentless assault on the landscape.
The terrain, once flat and unremarkable, had been fundamentally altered. The ground looked like shattered glass, with a massive depression at its center as if struck by a titan's hammer. The earth hadn't just cracked; it had buckled and cratered, sinking eight to ten meters below the original elevation.
The lightning itself was gone, but the path it took had left jagged fissures of varying widths across the mud. Some were no wider than a finger, while others were cavernous gashes. Because of the new topography, the rainwater was already pooling and draining rapidly into these subterranean cracks.
The surrounding trees at the edge of the blast zone bore scorched, blackened marks. Those deeper within the radius fared much worse—their very fibers had been entirely carbonized.
This was the power of the Kirin
While Kirin is classified broadly as an S-rank technique, its actual potency varies depending on the weather. A version fueled by fire-induced thunderclouds rarely matches the scale of one born from a natural rainstorm.
The energy density of a man-made storm simply cannot compete with the atmospheric majesty of nature.
A natural lightning strike consists of multiple discharge components; Hagoromo's Kirin effectively condensed all that layered energy into a single, instantaneous burst.
Hagoromo had roughly estimated the energy output during his preparation:
Peak Voltage: Approximately 500 million Volts
Average Current: Between 150,000 and 250,000 Amperes
Energy Equivalent: Effectively a nuclear discharge in terms of raw electrical release.
By focusing natural lightning rather than relying purely on his own chakra, Hagoromo had achieved a "true thunderclap." The efficiency was staggering—low chakra cost for cataclysmic lethality. The only drawback was its situational nature; it was a "miracle" technique that required the perfect environment to manifest.
The Aftermath
Hagoromo was currently inspecting what remained of the "twelve-times-well-done" ninja, hoping to find a scrap of intelligence. Reality, however, was "bony"—literally. Between the carbonized flesh and the protruding white bone, the corpse was a grim mosaic of black and white.
"Hagoromo... was this your jutsu?" Asuma asked tentatively as the trio approached.
If the answer was "yes," it would be quite demotivating. They had all graduated together, but if Hagoromo was playing at this level, could they even call themselves his peers anymore?
"In a way," Hagoromo explained, wiping rain from his mask. "Did you notice the flashes in the sky earlier? I just used my lightning to guide the natural bolts down. The effect is exaggerated because of the environment; it's not purely my own power."
It sounded logical, but the implication was still terrifying. Being able to "guide" the sky wasn't exactly a basic skill.
Hagoromo quickly abandoned the search of the charred remains. His reasoning was simple: Asuma and the others had successfully captured the second ninja alive. Aoba was currently carrying the unconscious prisoner over his shoulder.
"A live one? Caught in a Genjutsu?" Hagoromo asked. Aoba nodded.
Capturing an enemy is always harder than killing them. Even though it was three-against-one, the trio hadn't emerged unscathed. Asuma's right shoulder was bleeding steadily, and Aoba had several deep lacerations. Kurenai, kept back and protected by her teammates, was the only one unhurt.
"Wait," Asuma interjected, a new thought occurring to him. "How did you survive a blast of that magnitude when you were standing right in the middle of it?"
"Now isn't the time for a lecture," Hagoromo cut him off. "We need to evacuate. That noise was loud enough to wake the dead, and the light... well, the Kirin is basically a giant flare in the sky. If there are any other ninjas in the area—friend or foe—they're coming this way."
Even with the thunder and rain, anyone with a brain would realize that a dragon-shaped bolt of lightning wasn't a natural occurrence.