Lightning and thunder converged into a massive blue dragon that surged upward, encircled by three giant snakes.
Kinrin watched the scene with disdain—the golden serpent always took the lead.
Without hesitation, she lunged straight at the thunder dragon, her massive body barreling forward.
"Just a snake, and it dares to challenge lightning…?"
"Impossible!!!"
Raiga had initially scoffed. His lightning techniques were devastating, and he never imagined that an ordinary giant snake could withstand or even break through his attack.
But the next second, his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
What did he just witness?
The golden snake had wrapped itself around the thunder dragon, and in the blink of an eye, the lightning-formed beast was torn apart into scattered sparks.
"Ssshhhh! That felt amazing!"
"Kazuyama! From now on, you should give me lightning massages regularly too!"
Kinrin's cheerful voice rang out, completely unfazed by the intense electric current she had just endured.
Seirin and Korin, upon seeing this, instinctively distanced themselves from Kinrin, clearly disgusted.
"Hey, Kinrin… are you really okay after taking that hit?"
"Huh? What's the big deal? Most snakes fear lightning, but I'm a golden serpent trained in body refinement. Honestly, getting struck by it feels pretty good."
Kinrin basked in the lingering stimulation, relishing the sensation.
Even Kazuyama was momentarily stunned.
"Damn it… are you even a snake?"
"You're not afraid of lightning at all?"
"Damn it!"
No one was more shocked than Raiga. He had absolute confidence in his lightning, yet in the first clash, he was the one caught off guard.
Kazuyama smirked as he observed Raiga's growing frustration.
For some reason, he really enjoyed watching his enemies lose their composure.
The more unhinged they became, the more satisfied he felt.
Perhaps this was just a hidden side of him.
The battle fully erupted.
Kinrin activated her innate ability, Rampage, her blood-red mouth opening wide as she charged straight at Raiga.
Though thrown off by the bizarre turn of events, Raiga quickly reacted.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
Countless spheres of lightning shot into the air before raining down, but Kinrin didn't even flinch, allowing them to strike her head-on.
Boom!
Explosions erupted across her massive form, but beyond some scorched scales, she remained unharmed.
Seirin and Korin attacked in their own ways.
Seirin coiled back and opened her mouth, releasing thick green clouds of poison that condensed into long serpents, which lunged toward Raiga.
Korin, meanwhile, shook her tail, unleashing powerful sonic waves that shattered the ground wherever they landed.
The three snakes, each utilizing their distinct attack methods, surrounded Raiga completely.
Even as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and one of the most formidable fighters of Kirigakure, Raiga was struggling against the three giant serpents from Ryūchi Cave—each having mastered Senjutsu.
Lightning flared repeatedly, but it was useless.
Kinrin was like an unstoppable beast, completely unfazed by pain. Each charge of her massive body forced Raiga further back.
At the same time, the toxic mist and piercing sonic waves added to his mounting difficulties.
As the battle raged on, the battlefield became nearly unrecognizable—either corroded by poison or shattered by sound waves.
"Damn it! You want my life? Then come and get it!"
Raiga grew more frenzied, his crimson eyes blazing as a terrifying aura radiated from his body. He raised his dual blades high into the air, making no effort to dodge as crackling lightning gathered ominously above him.
Kazuyama watched the spectacle unfold and merely shrugged with disdain.
"A suicide attack?"
He smirked. "Unfortunately, you're overthinking it."
"Kinrin, Seirin, Korin, retreat."
At his command, the three giant snakes rapidly withdrew.
"Trying to escape? Not that easy!"
Raiga had already made up his mind—he would kill these three snakes before him. Pouring all his chakra into his twin swords, the Lightning Blades of Kiba, the lightning above became even more fearsome, distorting the sky itself.
"If you want to die, at least pick a better place than this plain."
Kazuyama cracked his neck, his voice laced with amusement. "Let me send you off properly."
"Chōmei, Partial Tailed Beast Transformation."
As the three snakes and Raiga looked on, a crimson aura exploded from Kazuyama's body. In the next instant, his entire form turned deep red as he activated his Partial Tailed Beast Transformation.
"Jinchūriki...?"
Korin's voice was filled with shock, while Kinrin and Seirin were too stunned to react.
Raiga's frenzied grin faltered slightly as realization struck him. "A Jinchūriki? The Nine-Tails?"
His expression twisted with a mix of madness and disbelief. "No, Konoha would never send the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki into battle. Who the hell are you?"
Every village knew the terror of the Nine-Tails, and Konoha had never risked their Jinchūriki on the front lines. There was no way this brat belonged to them.
Kazuyama chuckled. "Does it matter? You're going to die anyway."
His gaze sharpened. "I don't care much for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but your blades... those, I do value. For them, I'll make an exception and use my strongest attack to send you off."
"Tailed Beast Ball!"
A monstrous surge of chakra erupted as red and blue energy fused together, forming a deep purple-black sphere that pulsed with raw destruction. The chilling aura it emitted sent a shiver down the spine.
Raiga clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with defiance. "Hmph! So this is how I die... at the hands of a Jinchūriki?"
Lightning crackled wildly around him. "Even if you're a Jinchūriki, I won't back down! I am Raiga Kurosuki! Lightning is my power!"
He roared, lifting his blades skyward.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Burial!"
Lightning cascaded down in a cataclysmic wave, as if intent on rending the very earth apart. This was Raiga Kurosuki's most powerful strike—an all-consuming storm of lightning meant to obliterate everything in its wake.
"Hoo!"
Kazuyama, still in his transformed state, grinned. "Tailed Beast Ball—handheld mode!"
Before the stunned eyes of the three snakes and Raiga, Kazuyama reached out and grabbed the Tailed Beast Ball that had been floating before him. The unstable energy fluctuated wildly under his touch, its once-perfect sphere beginning to distort.
From within, Chōmei's voice shrieked in horror.
"Holy shit! Kazuyama, what are you doing?!"
Panic laced his words. "That's a Tailed Beast Ball! Do you want it to blow up in your face?!"
"Just launch it! Don't squeeze it! Hey, hey, hey—it's gonna blow! IT'S GONNA BLOW!"
Then suddenly—
"Wait... what?"
Chōmei's tone shifted from terror to sheer disbelief. His voice wavered in utter confusion.
"How is that even possible...?"
His understanding of reality had just shattered.
..
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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