The three opponents standing before Aoki Yoru were none other than the Hidden Cloud Village contestants from the Chunin Exams—Darui, Karui, and Omoi.
The battlefield around them roared with chaos. Explosions rang out in the distance, blades clashed, and ninjutsu tore through the air. Yet in this small space, an intense stillness formed—a deadly calm before the storm.
Omoi stepped forward first, his expression twisted with anger. His usually anxious demeanor was gone, replaced by raw hostility.
"You bastards," he growled, teeth clenched tightly. "Because of you, we were chewed out by the Raikage and Lord Bee. Then we were thrown into the Cloud-Lightning Ravine for hellish training."
His voice trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the lingering trauma.
"That place… it wasn't training," he continued bitterly. "It was torture. Lightning strikes every day, getting slashed by Lord Bee's sword, even taking hits from the Eight-Tails' attacks…"
He paused, swallowing hard.
"There were times I thought I was already dead."
Darui, standing calmly at the front, spat out the grass stem he had been chewing. Unlike Omoi, his expression remained composed, though a sharp glint flickered in his eyes.
"Little brother," Darui said lazily, though his tone carried hidden danger, "don't blame us for ganging up on you. The Raikage gave a direct order—to take the lives of your entire squad."
He smiled faintly.
"So how about this? Just stand still. I'll make it quick. It won't hurt."
Aoki Yoru looked at the three surrounding him from different directions. They had already sealed off his retreat, forming a perfect encirclement.
Yet his face showed no trace of fear.
Instead, a faint smile appeared—almost mocking.
"You talk as if you've already won," he said calmly. "You sounded just as confident last time… and yet, you still ran away in the end."
Karui, standing behind him, snapped impatiently.
"Enough talking! Kill him already!"
In an instant, the atmosphere shifted.
The three moved simultaneously.
Their hands blurred as they formed hand seals at astonishing speed, their chakra surging violently.
"Lightning Release: Triple Lightning Strike Formation!"
Above Aoki Yoru's head, three streams of lightning shot upward, intertwining and merging. Within seconds, they condensed into a massive sphere of crackling electricity. Violent arcs danced across its surface, emitting a terrifying hum.
The surrounding air trembled.
Even nearby combatants instinctively retreated, sensing the destructive power gathering overhead.
Aoki Yoru glanced upward, completely unhurried.
"Oh? Not bad."
His tone was almost appreciative.
The next moment, the lightning sphere crashed down.
BOOM!
A blinding explosion erupted. Purple-blue light swallowed everything, illuminating the battlefield like a second sun. The ground shook violently as electricity surged outward in all directions.
For a brief moment, the battlefield seemed to freeze.
All eyes turned toward the explosion.
"What kind of technique is that…?"
"Is that even human…?"
The smoke and lightning slowly began to dissipate.
Omoi burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! He's dead! No one could survive that—"
His voice abruptly stopped.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
From within the fading smoke, a figure stood calmly.
Aoki Yoru.
Completely unharmed.
Not even his clothes were damaged. He casually brushed dust from his shoulder as if nothing had happened.
Surrounding him was a massive construct of condensed lightning chakra—shaped vaguely like a humanoid guardian. The purple lightning flickered and surged, absorbing the remaining energy from the explosion like a living entity.
Darui's throat tightened.
"Th… this… what is that…?"
For the first time, fear crept into his voice.
He forced himself to remain calm, quickly making a decision.
"You two retreat," Darui said sharply. "I'll hold him off."
"What are you saying?!" Omoi snapped. "We're not running!"
Karui nodded fiercely. "We fight together!"
Aoki Yoru dispersed the lightning armor around him. The crackling energy faded, leaving only silence.
He raised his ninja sword slowly.
"There's no need to argue," he said flatly.
"None of you are leaving."
Silence fell.
The tension became suffocating.
Then—
Clang!
The four vanished simultaneously.
Their movements were so fast that only afterimages remained. Blades collided mid-air, sparks bursting with every impact.
To ordinary eyes, it was impossible to follow.
Only flashes of steel and brief glimpses of motion revealed the deadly exchange.
Aoki Yoru moved like a phantom.
Over the past year, his control over chakra had reached a terrifying level. Combined with the explosive muscle techniques he had learned, his speed had surpassed what most ninja could even perceive.
To him, the three opponents were fast—
But not fast enough.
"They've improved," he thought calmly. "But still far from enough."
In an instant, he accelerated.
He appeared directly in front of Omoi.
Omoi's eyes widened—but his body couldn't react in time.
"The first one."
Slash.
A clean, precise movement.
The blade grazed Omoi's throat.
For a brief second, nothing happened.
Then blood erupted.
Omoi collapsed before he even realized what had occurred.
"Omoi!!"
Darui and Karui shouted simultaneously, rage overtaking reason.
They charged forward with everything they had.
Aoki Yoru's figure flickered again.
He vanished.
Karui's instincts screamed.
Danger.
Before she could turn—
A sharp pain pierced her chest.
She froze.
Looking down, she saw the blade protruding through her body.
Drops of blood fell slowly from the tip.
Her vision blurred.
Then darkness.
Darui stood alone.
The battlefield noise faded from his ears.
Images flashed through his mind—training in the ravine, surviving together, pushing through impossible hardships.
They had endured everything together.
And now—
They were gone.
His breathing became erratic.
His pupils shrank.
"I'll kill you…"
His voice trembled, filled with madness.
"I'll tear you apart!"
Veins bulged across his face. Blood trickled from his mouth and nose as he forced his chakra beyond its limits.
"Secret Technique: Storm Release: Laser Circus!"
A dark aura erupted around him.
Countless beams of light shot outward in every direction—wild, uncontrollable, indiscriminate.
They tore through everything in their path.
Allies.
Enemies.
Nothing was spared.
Aoki Yoru frowned slightly.
"He's lost control."
He moved instantly, positioning himself near a cluster of Konoha ninja. Lightning chakra surged along his blade as he deflected incoming beams.
Nearby, screams echoed.
Some ninja weren't fast enough.
Barriers shattered.
Bodies fell.
Darui had become a storm of destruction.
"Enough."
Aoki Yoru's voice was cold.
He disappeared again.
In the next moment, he appeared beside Darui.
His blade flashed.
Slash!
An arm fell to the ground.
Blood sprayed into the air.
But—
Aoki Yoru's eyes narrowed.
His attack had been deflected.
A figure had intervened.
A middle-aged Kumogakure jonin stood there, holding the unconscious Darui in his arms.
His gaze was sharp, filled with caution.
He didn't attack.
Instead, he turned—
And fled.
Aoki Yoru did not pursue.
"That man… an elite jonin."
Chasing him would be risky.
The battlefield was still raging. Overextending could lead to encirclement.
He lowered his blade.
The wind carried the scent of blood and smoke.
Around him, the battle showed no signs of slowing.
If anything, it had grown more intense.
Both sides had lost too much.
Rage consumed reason.
Ninja clashed with reckless abandon, driven by vengeance.
Aoki Yoru exhaled slowly.
Then he turned away from the center of the battlefield.
He did not rush into the chaotic melee of elite fighters.
Instead, he moved along the edges.
Silent.
Precise.
Deadly.
One by one, isolated Kumogakure ninja fell.
Occasionally, he intervened to save a comrade.
But mostly—
He hunted.
Like a shadow moving through war.
Unseen.
Unstoppable.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)