Chapter 21: Chp-21: The First Battle of the Electromagnetic Railgun
"Eh, my kidneys hurt?"
The thought had just emerged when it was swallowed by intense pain and fear. The rock armour began to crumble, revealing the flesh beneath.
"Is that... Gentle Fist?" the tall Iwa-nin asked, his face pale.
"Not exactly."
Satoru thought for a moment before replying.
Strictly speaking, this move was the 2.0 version of the Magnetic Burst Palm. The first version used the principle of electromagnetic pulses, causing both burning and impact damage to the body. However, the 2.0 version involved combining the Gentle Fist technique with his Magnetic Burst Palm, allowing the damage to be delivered internally.
This was why the opponent's rock armour had been so fragile—because the damage was inflicted from the inside.
Satoru never adhered to rigid forms; combining various techniques to maximize power was his goal and pursuit.
With internal organs severely damaged and his kidneys essentially shattered, the tall Iwa-nin let out an anguished wail before collapsing powerlessly to the ground.
Satoru looked towards Rin, whose battle had also reached a fever pitch. The Iwa-nin wielded his ninja sword, forcing Rin to retreat step by step.
Upon seeing his comrade killed by Satoru, the Iwa-nin let out a blood-curdling scream, his eyes bloodshot. His sword attacks grew more ferocious, pushing Rin to the brink.
"Damn it!" Satoru's heart sank as he rushed to help.
However, during a flurry of attacks, Rin left a small opening, which the Iwa-nin seized. His sword slashed towards her head with a ferocious gleam in his eyes.
"Die!"
Too far, I can't make it in time!
Satoru's heart sank further.
The scene seemed to freeze, leaving only the sound of flesh being pierced and the steady flow of blood.
The Iwa-nin's body stiffened, his pupils quivering. His sword halted an inch from Rin's forehead, and a single black hair fell.
He opened his mouth to speak, but only red bubbles emerged. A kunai was lodged in his throat, blood dripping from the slender fingers gripping it.
Rin's cold eyes were now blood-red, a single black tomoe spinning slowly within them.
Satoru finally arrived, standing dazedly behind Rin.
"Are you okay?"
"You were right, Satoru. Only in the face of life and death can the Sharingan truly awaken."
Pulling the kunai from her opponent's throat, Rin spoke calmly.
"Congratulations."
Satoru sighed in relief, and then his expression turned peculiar. Awakening the Sharingan at age 9, there was no doubt that Rin was a true genius.
Being so close to her, would he one day be used as a sacrificial pawn?
Hopefully... not.
"Where's Anko?" Rin asked.
Satoru looked over to see Anko fighting the Genin. Suddenly, a swarm of black bugs burst from the ground, swarming the Genin and devouring his flesh, eliciting agonized screams.
"It's... over." Anko wiped the sweat from her forehead and collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
Shibi appeared on the battlefield, looking at the team with admiration.
"You all did exceptionally well, completing the mission perfectly despite facing opponents above your level."
"No, it was all thanks to Satoru and Rin. I couldn't even defeat a single Genin," Anko said dejectedly, the battle making her aware of the gap between her and her teammates.
"That's not true, Anko. You were already turning the tide against that, Genin. Even without my intervention, you would have ultimately won."
Anko remained silent, her head slightly lowered.
"Shibi-sensei, let's check the supplies the Iwa-nin were carrying," Satoru suggested.
"Right."
Arriving at the cart, Satoru noticed that the Iwa-nin guarding the supplies was gone. A bad premonition rose in his heart. He pulled back the cloth covering the cart, only to be stunned.
Inside the cart were only empty wooden boxes arranged with anti-peeping seals. There were no supplies at all.
"We've been tricked!"
"The cart was just a decoy. The real supplies were probably transferred using a sealing scroll."
Shibi's heart sank. He had focused on protecting the students during the battle, leaving a gap in their defences.
Satoru immediately activated his Byakugan. In his field of vision, he saw a Chunin with a large scroll on his back, fleeing in the distance, about a kilometre away.
It was the Iwa-nin who had been guarding the supplies!
"Over there, about 800 meters away," Satoru pointed out the fleeing Iwa-nin's position.
Shibi looked towards the endless grassland and spotted a small black dot on the horizon, rapidly shrinking.
From the distance covered in such a short time, it was clear this Chunin was highly skilled in speed. Even at full speed, Shibi doubted he could catch up.
Shibi analyzed the situation quickly, sighing helplessly.
"This mission is a failure. I'll explain to the Hokage that it was my mistake. You all performed excellently."
"Wait, Shibi-sensei, can you lift me with your insects? I don't need to go high; just five meters will do."
Shibi was puzzled but said, "Given your weight, it's possible to form a platform with the insects to lift you to that height, but..."
"There's no time to hesitate, hurry!" Satoru urged, his tone serious.
"Alright."
Though unsure of his student's intentions, Shibi had no choice but to trust him now.
Shibi raised his palm, and a swarm of black insects emerged from his body, forming a platform beneath Satoru's feet, lifting him shakily.
"A bit higher."
Shibi increased the output, raising Satoru to five meters.
"What exactly are you planning?"
He looked up at Satoru on the black platform.
Standing on the soft insect mat, Satoru took a deep breath, pulled out a scroll, and his eyes shone with anticipation.
"First field test of the electromagnetic railgun; don't let me down!"
With a puff of smoke, a large bow appeared in Satoru's hands, its string gleaming with a metallic lustre.
"Is that... Satoru, you're finally using it?" Rin's eyes sparkled from below.
Picking up a metal arrow, Satoru took a deep breath and began constructing the electromagnetic propulsion, aiming at the tiny black dot in the distance.
Electromagnetic propulsion setup... complete!
Wind speed measured...
Air humidity calculated...
Gravity acceleration computed...
Byakugan's sight corrected, and the target locked.
Satoru held his breath, his fingers slightly loosening the bowstring. In an instant, accompanied by a sharp crack, the metal arrow turned into a blue lightning arc and vanished.
"Go my Railgun!" he roared in his mind.
---
"That was close! It looks like they didn't follow."
Fleeing desperately, Kuro-Tsuchi glanced back, gasping for breath.
"Didn't expect Tsuchi and the others to get taken down. Those Konoha kids are terrifying. Once I get back to Iwagakure, I'll make sure the Tsuchikage increases security, especially against that Byakugan kid..."
Thinking of his fallen teammates, Kuro-Tsuchi felt a chill in his heart. That terrifying Byakugan user couldn't be left alive!
As the thought crossed his mind, a strong sense of impending death erupted from behind. He turned slightly, his pupils dilating.
A metal arrow, wrapped in lightning, hurtled towards him like a thunderbolt.
Kuro-Tsuchi's eyes widened in disbelief.
What kind of jutsu is this?!
Before he could even scream, the arrow had already arrived. Its terrifying penetration power tore through his body and the scroll on his back, pinning him to the ground.
---
Standing on the insect platform, Satoru lowered his bow, a slight smile playing on his lips. He whispered to himself.
"Target eliminated."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone