The air trembled faintly.
Shaking his head lightly, Neji looked up at the descending green dome of earth that threatened to crush him flat. The sky above seemed to sink, as if the heavens themselves were pressing down on him. Without hesitation, he raised his palm, and the dazzling light of his chakra flared outward.
"Godly Air Palm!"
A resounding crack split the silence. The immense green lid of rock didn't collapse with a thunderous boom as expected; instead, it fractured delicately, like glass breaking in slow motion. The entire technique shattered from its core, scattering into countless shards and stones that rained down around Neji like a deadly storm of rubble.
His pale eyes swept over the battlefield with calm precision. Around him stood four massive stone pillars—the anchors of the sealing formation. Neji exhaled lightly, and in the next instant, his body blurred.
The Body Flicker Technique, enhanced by Lightning Release Chakra Mode, turned him into little more than a streak of light. He slipped out of the sealing array before the Root shinobi could even react.
"Earth Release: Falling Lid… shattered?"
"That wasn't Ninjutsu, was it? Taijutsu?!"
"No… that speed and chakra—could it be Lightning Release Chakra Mode?"
"Or even… the secret technique, Black Lightning? The one developed by the Third Raikage himself?"
The four Root shinobi who had prepared the formation staggered back in alarm, their cold masks unable to hide their unease. The boy before them was only six years old, yet he had just destroyed their carefully prepared sealing array as if it were nothing.
One of them barked a quick command, his voice betraying his tension.
"He excels in close combat! Don't let him approach—attack from range!"
Whoosh!
But his words were too slow.
In Lightning Release Chakra Mode, every cell in Neji's body burned with power. His speed was amplified beyond normal human limits. The world stretched into sluggish motion as he appeared behind the unlucky Root shinobi who had just spoken.
Neji's voice was calm, almost cold, as he whispered into the man's ear.
"Between you and me, distance is meaningless."
Pfft!
His chakra blade pierced clean through the man's chest. Blood splattered, and the Root operative fell to the ground lifelessly.
From a distance, Yume Ryuma—the second-in-command of Root—stiffened. His parasitic insects, relaying the battlefield information back to him, told him the truth in merciless detail. His usually expressionless face broke into a faint grimace.
Unlike Uzumaki Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki of Konoha, whose power was volatile and in need of constant supervision, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki of Kumogakure was different. Yugito Nii had full control of her beast. She had fought in the late stages of the Third Great Ninja War, carving a bloody path across battlefields and killing more than a dozen elite jōnin.
Ryuma remembered clearly. Once, Root had captured the spectral outline of a massive, flaming blue cat on the battlefield. Even though it had been just a partial transformation, the sheer destructive power had been overwhelming.
And now, that very monster stood before them.
Ryuma's skin prickled with cold sweat.
The appearance of the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki had completely thrown their plans into disarray.
But there was no retreat. Not for Root.
Danzo Shimura demanded results, not excuses. Whether the mission succeeded or failed, whether they lived or died, only the outcome mattered. To fail meant death upon return.
Ryuma tightened his jaw.
"I'll handle the Two-Tails Jinchūriki. That boy is yours."
He glanced at his companion, Aoyama Hideomi. Without waiting for a reply, Ryuma led a team of Root shinobi directly toward Yugito, insects already beginning to swarm around him.
Aoyama's expression stiffened. Forcing down a bitter laugh, he called out, "Fox Squad, with me!"
Helplessly, he led the last group of Root shinobi toward Neji.
---
On the other side of the battlefield, Yugito retracted her bloodied claws, and another Root shinobi collapsed in a pool of crimson. She didn't pause, her feline eyes flicking up toward the sky.
A faint buzzing drifted closer. From the darkness, a massive swarm of black insects approached, a shifting, writhing mass that blotted out the stars. It was difficult to see against the night sky, but the sound—the endless droning of countless wings—was unmistakable.
Yugito's lips curled into a scowl.
"Yume Ryuma…"
Her distaste was clear.
Of all the clans in Konoha, Yugito feared the Uchiha the most. The Sharingan alone had the power to suppress Jinchūriki. But the clan she despised most was the Aburame.
To turn one's body into a nest for insects—it was disgusting. Unnatural. Revolting.
The sight of the swarm confirmed her suspicion.
"They want to eliminate me first?" She narrowed her eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Good. If Ryuma dies here, the rest of Root will scatter like flies without their hive."
She pressed her hands together.
The single "Tiger" seal.
Most Fire Release techniques required a long sequence of hand seals, but Yugito had been a prodigy in Fire Release long before she became a Jinchūriki. She had mastered the art of condensing seals, until even her most powerful fire techniques required only one.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Her cheeks swelled, and she spat out a torrent of flame. The blaze roared outward, an inferno that engulfed the night. The swarm was swallowed whole, a sea of flames incinerating tens of thousands of insects in seconds.
But even as the flames roared, a second attack struck silently.
"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
The voice came from the shadows. An imperceptible soul arrowed into Yugito's body, seizing control. Her feline pupils dilated, and for a moment, her body froze unnaturally.
In her mental space, Matatabi—the blazing blue demon cat—watched lazily. The beast yawned and flicked its twin tails dismissively.
"Let her suffer a little. She isn't a perfect Jinchūriki, after all."
The great cat curled back into slumber, leaving Yugito alone to struggle against the invading presence.
Aboveground, Yume Ryuma seized the opportunity.
"Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!"
Bursting from the ground, he unleashed every insect at his command. From cracks in the earth, from blades of grass, from the very soil beneath Yugito's feet, black insects poured forth. They gathered into a whirling sphere of death, rushing to engulf her immobilized form.
Three seconds.
That was all it would take for the Two-Tails' host to be devoured alive.
The Yamanaka operative who had cast Mind Transfer would perish too, but such sacrifices were the foundation of Root. The death of one shinobi meant nothing if the mission succeeded.
---
Elsewhere, a Root shinobi poked his head above the soil. "Earth Release: Inner—"
Pfft!
His words were cut short. A blade flashed, and his head toppled from his shoulders. Neji stood above him, his sword glowing faintly with chakra.
His Tenseigan suddenly pulsed. A colossal, blazing presence burned into his vision—a beacon in the darkness.
The outline of a gigantic blue cat demon shimmered at the edge of his sight. Yugito's chakra had surged violently.
She was entering her half-transformed state.
The power of Matatabi, the Two-Tails, erupted like a tidal wave.
Neji's chest tightened with something akin to envy.
He was strong—far stronger than any six-year-old child should have been. With the second stage of his Tenseigan, his chakra reserves rivaled that of an elite jōnin. But compared to a Jinchūriki? Compared to the overwhelming, limitless chakra of a tailed beast?
He was still far behind.
His Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his chakra rosary, his devastating techniques—all consumed immense chakra. He couldn't wield them recklessly, not with his current reserves.
"To increase my chakra… I can only train slowly, or…" His eyes gleamed. "I need to set my sights on the tailed beasts."
He flickered forward again, his blade cutting down another Root shinobi. A single Godly Air Palm exploded outward, crushing his opponent's skull from a distance.
"Secret Technique: Shadow Imitation Jutsu!"
A shadow stretched under the moonlight, darting forward like a venomous snake. It linked with Neji's own shadow, freezing his body in place. His sword arm halted mid-swing, his entire frame locked unnaturally still.
His lips curved into a faint smirk.
"So, that guy is here…"
Two dark figures leapt from the grass. Swift, silent, they flanked him from both sides, blades aiming for his kidneys. Root's close-combat specialists, striking at the perfect moment.
But Neji's voice broke the silence.
"Idiots. Don't underestimate me."
The Nara clan's jutsu could restrain his limbs, but not his voice. More importantly—it couldn't seal his chakra.
Crackling sparks lit the night.
The Root shinobi's eyes widened as the glow of lightning reflected in Neji's chakra blade.
"Black Lightning: Chidori Stream!"
A dome of searing black lightning exploded outward.
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