The "Water Dragon Flame Flow" surged forward with immense force. Originally colorless, the water dragon turned a pale red after being infused with a large amount of flames. The speed of the water dragon increased, and the flames scorched the water, creating steam that further amplified the dragon's size.
In less than two seconds, the water dragon's body thickened significantly. From its elevated position, accompanied by a deafening dragon's roar, it crashed toward the rapidly approaching Raiga.
"Raiga, be careful!" Ranmaru's youthful voice warned him.
Raiga burst into maniacal laughter, tears streaming down his face. "Looking at their forehead protectors, they're ninjas from the Hidden Leaf Village! Don't worry, these guys don't have the courage to fight head-on!"
Raiga Kurosuki wielded the famous ninja sword of the Hidden Mist Village, the Lightning Blade: Fang! The Lightning Blade: Fang was a dual sword; the left blade could attract natural lightning, while the right blade could release it.
Raiga himself was a ninja skilled in Lightning Release, known for his speed and lethality. This ninja sword amplified his strengths to the extreme.
Moving like lightning, Raiga raised both swords high, laughing maniacally as thunder gathered at the tips of his blades. He drew in natural lightning and combined it with his own Lightning Release Chakra. With a loud shout, a thick, snake-like bolt of electricity shot toward the water dragon.
Lightning overcomes earth—this was the advantage Sasuke had when fighting Deidara in the original timeline. However, lightning has no inherent advantage over water or fire.
The jagged bolt of lightning collided with the massive water dragon. The lightning pierced through the dragon multiple times, but Ino, who had unleashed the Water Dragon Bullet, never let go. She tightly maintained the final "Yin" hand seal, and through her control, the water dragon stubbornly surged toward Raiga.
This was the first time Raiga had encountered a controllable Water Dragon Bullet.
With his extensive combat experience, Raiga didn't engage in a direct clash. Instead, he used the left blade's ability to manipulate lightning, loosening his own control and allowing the lightning to pull him to the side.
"Choji!" Asuma shouted.
"Human Bullet Tank!" In the next moment, Choji transformed into a giant meatball, rolling down from the mountaintop with incredible speed and force, crashing toward Raiga.
"What the hell is that?!" Raiga had never encountered anyone from the Akimichi clan during the Great Ninja War. This was his first time witnessing such a Secret Technique. It was too late to dodge, so he gathered Lightning Release Chakra at the tips of his swords and thrust them toward Choji.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball!"
A lightning orb the size of an adult's head formed at the tips of the swords and collided violently with Choji's meatball form.
With a deafening "BOOM," the cliffside was shattered at the one-third mark. A portion of Choji's impact force dispersed into the mountain, leaving spiderweb-like cracks across the steep rock face.
Choji's meatball form was sent flying, but the water dragon controlled by Ino struck Raiga from the side, lifting the former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into the air.
Raiga Kurosuki was no ordinary opponent. Faced with the sudden water dragon, he instinctively used "Ninja Art: Thunder Armor" to protect himself. Just as he released the lightning, he realized something was wrong and tried to pull it back. However, Ranmaru, who was in the hood behind him, was struck by the "Thunder Armor." With a cry of pain, a child of indistinguishable gender tumbled out of the black robe and was swept away by the water in another direction.
"Ranmaru!" Raiga Kurosuki retracted his "Lightning Armor," resulting in his body being scorched by the flames within the water dragon. He didn't even glance at his injuries, twisting his body as he attempted to retrieve the unconscious Ranmaru.
"Not so fast! Choji!" Ino called out to Choji once more. The chubby ninja, who had been severely electrocuted by the lightning sphere earlier, gritted his teeth and spread his arms wide, catching Ranmaru as he was swept over by the water current.
"Choji! Run! Don't stop! Remember, with great power comes great responsibility!"
Encouraged by Ino, Choji charged into the forest like a joyful wild boar, clutching the unconscious Ranmaru tightly.
"My Ranmaru! Give him back!" Raiga Kurosuki was on the verge of madness, desperate to chase after Choji. However, Asuma relentlessly entangled him, making it impossible for Raiga to break free.
In the blink of an eye, Asuma slashed Raiga's back, shoulder, and arm with his Chakra Blade, leaving three wounds. Fortunately, Raiga reactivated his "Lightning Armor," mitigating some of the damage while significantly boosting his speed.
Ino, standing nearby, unleashed a high-level Water Release Ninjutsu to restrain Raiga. The cliff beneath their feet soon collapsed, turning into a vast expanse of water.
"Ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village, do you think I fear you?"
"Ah! Do you ninjas of the Hidden Leaf Village really enjoy meddling in others' affairs?!" "I really want to give you a grand funeral!!—!"
Raiga Kurosuki, desperate to save Ranmaru, became increasingly frenzied, often attacking without defending, willing to trade injuries.
Fortunately, he was facing Asuma.
Asuma excelled in Body Techniques and was equally fast. Most importantly, Asuma's Chakra Nature was Fire and Wind, with Wind countering Lightning.
He intermittently released Wind Release Ninjutsu, piercing through the thunderstorm and significantly slowing down Raiga's pursuit of Choji.
On the other side.
Raiga Kurosuki's seven subordinates also caught up.
They bypassed the forest, speeding along the riverbank, but as they chased, they noticed something was wrong. Where did this dense mist come from? The fog grew heavier, rapidly reducing visibility.
A voice, indistinguishable between male and female, echoed through the mist: "Throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, collarbone, kidneys, and heart—which one should I attack first?"
One of the black-clad men was startled, nervously looking around: "Zabuza... Zabuza-sama?"
Ino's Shadow Clone used its sensing ability to detect the positions of the seven men within the mist.
The thick fog affected both sides, but with the sensing ability, some traces could still be found.
The Shadow Clone relayed the detected positions to Shikamaru.
Shikamaru used the Nara clan's Secret Technique, the "Shadow Imitation Technique," to control the bodies of the seven men. Ino's Shadow Clone rushed over, delivering a punch to each, knocking them all down before tying them up and tossing them aside.
With Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru separated, Ino's sensing ability could once again cover the entire battlefield. The Shadow Clone quickly received information from the other side.
"We should be executing Plan B3. Choji is running towards the 9 o'clock direction, Asuma-sensei is leading the main attack, my main body is providing support, and the enemy is already injured, but their strength is slightly stronger than we anticipated," the Shadow Clone Ino succinctly summarized the situation.
Shikamaru nodded lightly. The enemy was stronger than expected, but the situation was still under control.
"Alright, let's set up an ambush at the 10 o'clock direction."
"Got it."
Ino, using her main body's sensing ability, detected that Shikamaru had already dealt with the miscellaneous enemies and was heading towards the 10 o'clock direction. She then informed Asuma, who had been continuously adding wounds to Raiga Kurosuki, and rushed to Choji's side: "Give me that child!"
Choji, who had been chased by Raiga all the way, was drenched in sweat on his chubby face: "I can still hold on, I can still hold on!"
"We're a team! Hand him over!"
Under Ino's strong insistence, Choji tossed the unconscious Ranmaru to her.
Ranmaru, with his red lips and white teeth, exuded a delicate fragility from within after being injured. Ino glanced at him and thought, "He's so cute, must be a boy." She carried Ranmaru and waved at Raiga Kurosuki in the distance. Then, utilizing the water spread across the battlefield, she employed the Water Body Flicker Technique and swiftly headed towards the 10 o'clock direction.