There is a school of thought that suggests a ninja's mastery should focus on quality over quantity. Reality often reflects this—take certain ninja who spend their entire lives perfecting a single swirling sphere of chakra until it reaches the pinnacle of power.
Then there's Hagoromo. While his arsenal is technically diverse, his most frequent habit is flaring his Lightning Style at the drop of a hat, making himself as conspicuous as a leaking, high-voltage lightbulb. This is what you call "one trick to rule them all."
According to intelligence, Pakura is the same type of specialist.
Scorch Style: Extremely Steaming Murder. The process of eliminating an enemy involves two steps: first, trap the target; second, evaporate them. The second step is a guaranteed death sentence, but avoiding the initial attack isn't actually that difficult.
In large-scale warfare, Pakura's Scorch Style is undeniably devastating; in a crowded battlefield, such a wide-reaching heat wave is nearly impossible to dodge. But in a one-on-one duel? That's a different story. As long as you don't let it touch you, what is there to fear?
Furthermore, she was facing Hagoromo—a speed specialist exceptionally skilled in Nintaijutsu. In this matchup, once the distance is closed, she loses her primary advantage.
Hagoromo watched Pakura's movements with clinical precision. Despite her fearsome reputation, his subjective impression was that she wasn't necessarily harder to handle than the high-speed Fuma mercenary he'd recently crushed with Kirin.
...Of course, he also knew he couldn't pull off another Kirin right now even if he wanted to.
Squad Hagoromo had four members, but Pakura's eyes were locked solely on Hagoromo. Partly because his attacks were the most ruthless, and partly because his crackling, strobe-light lightning made him the easiest target to track in the flickering shadows of the forest.
Hagoromo blurred through the trees, staying on the periphery. Periodically, a lethal orb of Scorch Style would whistle past his shoulder, missing by a hair's breadth.
An opening for close-quarters combat is hard to find...
And he couldn't forget: even in a melee, he couldn't get too close, or he'd be mummified by the ambient heat. Hagoromo was waiting for the perfect window—a "one-strike-and-withdraw" opportunity that would shatter the enemy's defense in an instant.
Wait it out? Or switch to mid-to-long-range attacks? No. For now, he wanted to keep testing her.
As he dodged, he flicked out several shuriken to disrupt her rhythm. It was a harassment tactic, nothing more.
He wasn't particularly nervous; Pakura's speed was standard for an elite Jonin. He felt that if he could just bypass her orbs and close the gap, his superior velocity would give him the edge.
As the two of them clashed, the Hidden Rain ninjas stood by, momentarily dazed. After a quick huddle, they decided they couldn't just stand there—this was their territory, after all. The duel turned back into a chaotic free-for-all.
Unfortunately, the Rain ninjas made a blunder right out of the gate: they diverted a portion of their forces to attack the drool-leaking, three-headed "spectator"— The Multi-Headed Hound.
You can't really blame them. Attacking a giant summon is standard procedure. Firstly, the dog was carrying three brats who looked like easy pickings. Secondly, the beast looked incredibly aggressive with its massive frame and gnashing teeth. Better to take it out now than wait for it to join the fray.
So, one Rain ninja hit the dog. Then another hit it. The Rain ninjas were delighted; this "scary" dog was a total pushover—it didn't even try to dodge.
Then, they kept hitting it. And then they realized: the dog wasn't "failing" to dodge. It was choosing not to. Because after being hit enough times, the Multi-Headed Hound... split.
The Rain ninjas stared in horror. Why are there more of them now?! One Rain ninja learned a valuable lesson about rare summons. Another Rain ninja was bitten to death before he could process the lesson.
While some were "creatively" attacking the dog, others went for Hagoromo and Pakura. One Rain ninja lunged at Hagoromo, but his skill level was pitiful. He began weaving signs for a Water Style jutsu, but before his hands could finish, Hagoromo was already upon him.
His lightning flared, his rhythm shifted, and he closed the gap instantly. Dropping into a low stance, Hagoromo drove a no-nonsense straight punch into the man's gut.
The jutsu was cancelled mid-cast. It wasn't just about the physical force—the Chidori Current provided an absolute paralyzing shock to anyone who touched him. Ask Kurenai; anyone near Hagoromo in this state loses all motor control.
Hagoromo's fist opened into a palm, grabbing the man's vest. With a sharp twist of his body, he hurled the ninja away like a human shield—aimed directly at Pakura's incoming Scorch Style orb.
The man was first electrocuted, then instantly mummified.
While the "well-done" corpse was still suspended in mid-air, steam hissing from its orifices, Hagoromo delivered a brutal follow-up kick. The body rocketed toward Pakura.
The corpse blocked Pakura's line of sight. Using it as a screen, Hagoromo wove a set of seals and charged! A Chidori Sharp Spear punched through the dead man's chest and lanced toward Pakura!
Pakura had anticipated a trick behind the body; dodging the spear wasn't difficult for her. But the spear wasn't the result of the seals she'd seen. The spear was instant.
The seals he'd woven were for the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
As the corpse slid down the lightning blade, its midsection charred open, two clones were revealed to Pakura's eyes.
Two lightning-clad shadows, moving at a speed that defied logic, closed in from her left and right. Their arms were bent, muscles tensed, ready to hook around her neck in a pincer maneuver.
Hagoromo didn't know the specific Cloud Village technique called the Lariat, but he knew physics. At this velocity, his lightning-shrouded arms were sharper than any blade. The impact would snap a spine like a dry twig and tear a head clean off...
If it connected that is.
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