บท 94: Chapter 94: Going All Out
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Terrifying explosion sounds kept emanating from the forest, with large areas of trees turning into charcoal under the onslaught of lightning.
Sakumo Hatake and Yatsuki Rin, along with two Cloud Ninja jonin, renewed their intense battle.
"Bang!"
A chakra short sword glowing with a azure brilliance, struck Yatsuki Rin's fist like a heavy hammer, sending him flying away.
"Lightning Release: Thunderbolt Dance!"
However, the next moment, a massive area behind them was ravaged by rampant lightning, spreading like a dense spider's web.
Sakumo had no time to deal with the Yatsuki Rin he had just knocked back. His form moved like a specter weaving through the gaps in the lightning, while Yatsuki Rin's figure was completely engulfed by it.
Swish!
Soon after, a ferocious silhouette burst out from the lightning. Protected by his Lightning Release chakra armor, Yatsuki Rin was unfazed by this attack.
It was obvious that Sakumo's tactics were highly effective against them.
Sakumo felt a slight headache. Although he could break through the Lightning Release chakra armor, it required a considerable amount of chakra. Yatsuki Rin was an extremely formidable opponent.
After molding the Lightning Release chakra armor twice, it was evident that Yatsuki Rin's chakra consumption was intense. Yet he still pounced like a vicious tiger.
"Hatake Sakumo, is that all you've got?" Yatsuki Rin taunted as he charged.
Sakumo chuckled lightly: "Is that so?"
By now, they had moved a considerable distance from the previous battlefield. Yatsuki Rin and his team thought Sakumo was being forced to retreat in desperation.
However, they were unaware that this was Sakumo's deliberate ploy.
He was still haunted by that strike Yatsuki Rin had aimed at Minato earlier. If Minato's reflexes weren't fast enough, that blow could have taken his life.
But the timing should be just about right, though he wondered why Toriumi Jun hadn't sent the signal yet.
At the moment, Sakumo wasn't worried about Toriumi Jun, but rather the two young ones facing foreign ninja for the first time.
So when Yatsuki Rin charged again, Sakumo's expression changed.
"Boom!"
The fist wrapped in powerful Lightning Release chakra and the chakra blade clashed once more, sending Yatsuki Rin reeling backwards again.
"Sizzle!"
What greeted him next was blinding lightning filling Sakumo's vision. This Cloud Ninja jonin's timing was impeccably precise.
"Heh heh."
Sakumo chuckled, but rather than evading immediately, his speed spiked as he crossed past Yatsuki Rin's form.
"Hum."
The white short sword in his hand was radiating brilliant chakra, its minuscule blade unleashing dazzling brilliance.
"Sizzle!"
Lightning met lightning, but this time there was no explosion. Sakumo's chakra blade seemed to become an unstoppable cutting force, slicing straight through the Cloud Ninja's Lightning Release ninjutsu.
Swish!
Under the lightning, Sakumo's speed didn't slow at all. In just a few moments, he had sliced through the entire lightning barrage. By the time Yatsuki Rin reacted, the sight before him left him utterly shaken.
This man could even cut through lightning itself - just how strong was he?
After slicing through the lightning, Sakumo glanced at the hiding spot of the two Cloud Ninja jonin in the forest. They now stood frozen, their bodies rigid from the immense suppressive force.
The overwhelming pressure had temporarily robbed the two jonin of their will to fight.
But Sakumo ignored them, noticing Yatsuki Rin snapping out of his daze behind him. He stomped his foot, transforming into a white flash and vanishing from their sight.
"After him!"
Yatsuki Rin's voice jolted the two Cloud jonin from their trance. He too morphed into a lightning bolt in hot pursuit.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Shredding Claw!"
Blazing flames engulfed the dancing hand scythes, the scorching heat causing ripples in the air.
"Boom!"
The flaming scythes pierced the Lightning Release chakra gauntlet, the fires rapidly melting its form.
The two figures disengaged once more, though one appeared frail and diminutive, making their clash seem lopsided.
"You almost broke through my Lightning Gauntlet," the Cloud Chunin said in disbelief, regarding Uchiha Homura with the caution reserved for a formidable foe, no longer dismissive due to his youth.
Be it his skill or ninjutsu, he was nothing like a child.
Swish swish swish!
In that moment, a dozen black blurs - Uchiha Homura's hand scythes - came slashing in, their trajectories untraceable in the night.
Having clashed with Uchiha Homura, the Cloud Chunin had learned some of his combat habits. As he retreated, his hands rapidly formed seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Chaos!"
Slamming his palms to the ground, lightning erupted and snaked across, batting away all the hand scythes.
Swish!
But then, Uchiha Homura's black form dropped from above as the cloudy moonlight scattered. The glint off the thrown shuriken revealed his trail to the Cloud Chunin.
"Damn it!"
Uchiha Homura cursed under his breath. This battleground was where Sakumo and Yatsuki Rin had clashed, its surroundings devastated, opening up the forested area somewhat.
He had deliberately lured the Cloud Chunin here, intending to set up the killing blow using various ninjutsu and hand scythe techniques. But he hadn't anticipated the limitations of the terrain.
The moonlight filtering in had eliminated any chance of concealment.
Still, Uchiha Homura was incredibly swift. Though the Chunin spotted him, he lacked time to counter, only managing to retreat as a shuriken grazed his right chest.
But Uchiha Homura too was struck by a powerful blow mid-air, unable to evade.
"Cough."
Both retreated, Uchiha Homura coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood as he clutched his chest.
Trying to kill a chunin without cost was impossible - Uchiha Homura was well aware of this bitter truth.
He had nearly exhausted all his tactics, yet the ambush seemed to have failed.
If so, then a head-on assault was the only option left.
"After that extended skirmish, his Lightning Gauntlet and chakra must have suffered major depletion."
With this thought, Uchiha Homura unwrapped the white bandages binding his wrists, revealing black markings.
He had no choice but to use that technique!
Crossing his arms, the markings on his wrists pulsed faintly as a dozen hand scythes materialized in his grasp.
Uchiha Homura wasn't certain, for if the Cloud Chunin blocked his Shuriken Shadow Imitation Technique using the Lightning Gauntlet and lightning barrage, he would be left with no escape.
His battle with Minato had shown him this technique's grave flaw - afterwards, the user's body would temporarily weaken, drastically reducing their combat ability.
Enough for the enemy to finish him off.
However, the Chunin's earlier chakra armor and jutsu must have drained him considerably as well.
If Uchiha Homura could exhaust the Cloud Ninja's defenses before launching all his hand scythes, the man would be skewered like a pincushion.
This final clash was win or die, a final all-out gambit risking his very life!
(end of chapter)
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