Chapter 100: Lightning Release: Duck Neck!
Seeing the violent black lightning, Ringo Ameyuri suddenly realized something, her heart trembling. "You... you're the Star of the Cloud?" she exclaimed.
"Oh? You know me?" As he spoke, Neji-kun tilted his head slightly and started walking towards her.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
In the next instant, a massive wave of water, conjured by several Mist ninja working together, surged forward, engulfing Neji-kun. Fighting near the sea gave the Mist ninja a significant environmental advantage. However, for a ninja of Neji-kun's caliber, terrain limitations were almost negligible.
The moment the waterfall swallowed him, two Mist ninja quickly helped the staggering Ringo Ameyuri retreat, putting distance between her and Neji-kun.
"Ma'am, are you alright?" a medical-nin nearby asked, using the Mystical Palm Technique on her right arm.
Ringo Ameyuri didn't answer, her eyes fixed intently on Neji-kun. "Star of the Cloud," she roared, "since you've delivered yourself to our doorstep, we Mist ninja will gladly accept this gift!"
She instinctively judged Neji-kun to be on the same level as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Although she had lost the initial exchange, she remained confident. Skull Island was a crucial logistics hub, guarded by eight hundred elite Mist ninja. With such numbers, taking down the Star of the Cloud shouldn't be a problem.
Her words seemed to be the signal to attack. From the surrounding sea, dense ranks of Mist ninja emerged, rapidly forming hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Severing Rain!"
"Water Style: Water Whip!"
"Water Style: Water Trumpet!"
A torrential downpour of Water Style ninjutsu materialized, crashing down towards Neji-kun.
"This...?" Samui, hiding in the shadows, gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
Normally, ninja missions involved one-on-one combat, or at worst, one person against a small squad. Facing a large-scale enemy force meant sticking to reconnaissance; getting exposed was a death sentence. Even the mighty Third Raikage had eventually been worn down and killed by ten thousand Iwa ninja. Only those two legendary figures from the Warring States period could truly take on an entire army alone.
The roar of explosions in the air seemed to echo Samui's shock. But Neji-kun, the target of the concentrated assault, showed no fear. A playful look even flickered in his eyes.
Splash!
He stomped hard on the water's surface. Spray flew everywhere as his figure shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
"Courting death!" Seeing Neji-kun advance instead of retreating, the sensory ninja beside Ringo Ameyuri sneered. This was the ocean! Water Style jutsu, amplified by the sea, were already powerful, let alone this massive combination. Trying to tank ninjutsu with his body? Does he think he's a human Tailed Beast?
However, in the blink of an eye, the sneer froze on the Mist ninja's face.
Neji-kun charged straight into the deluge of Water Style techniques. His not particularly large body suddenly erupted with terrifying Lightning Release chakra.
BOOM!
Black lightning danced violently around him, the electrical stimulation making his hair stand on end.
Lightning Release Armor!
Whether it was the Water Style jutsu, or the explosive tags and kunai mixed within, none of it had any effect as it slammed against him. Like fireworks, they merely added to the spectacle, completely failing to harm him. In mere breaths, Neji-kun tore through the barrage of ninjutsu and arrived right in front of the Mist ninja ranks.
"What?!" The shocking scene left many Mist ninja stunned.
A blue-haired Mist ninja rushed forward, blocking Neji-kun's path. "Water Style: Great Water Arm Technique!" His right arm muscles bulged, visibly swelling, as he threw a heavy punch towards the charging Neji-kun.
"Don't underestimate the Mist—"
Before he could finish, the other Mist ninja only saw a black shadow flash past. Neji-kun suddenly appeared right in front of the blue-haired ninja.
"So fast!"
One hand clamped onto the ninja's enlarged right arm, the other grabbed his head. With an explosion of terrifying chakra, Neji-kun kicked off the water, leaped high into the air, and then descended, bringing down a devastating combination of black lightning and immense force.
"Lightning Release: Duck Neck!" (Lariat variant, literally "Lei Ya Bo")
The water's surface seemed to cry out in agony as a massive volume of seawater was displaced outwards. The resulting shockwave sent over a dozen Mist ninja, including Ringo Ameyuri, tumbling through the air.
The sight that met their eyes made their pupils dilate. Even with the seawater mitigating the impact of the Lightning Release: Lariat Bomb, the blue-haired ninja's body was mangled beyond recognition. The surrounding sea quickly turned red. The intense heat generated by the lightning vaporized the water, tinging the rising steam with crimson.
"Damn it!" Neji-kun casually tossed aside the ruined corpse, his deep eyes locking onto the furious Ringo Ameyuri. His slightly youthful face now bore a wild, bloodthirsty expression. The Fourth Raikage's taijutsu style was not only powerful but also brutally violent and visually shocking.
"I sense your anger," Neji-kun stated coolly, "but that is merely the wail of the powerless."
"You damn bastard!" Ringo Ameyuri's eyes blazed with hatred. If looks could kill, Neji-kun would have died a hundred times over.
Hearing her curse, a cruel smile touched Neji-kun's lips. He charged forward again, still clad in his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
The Mist ninja, raised in the brutal environment of the Bloody Mist, were all bloodthirsty fanatics. Even after Neji-kun dealt them one psychological blow after another, they didn't retreat, steeling themselves to meet him head-on.
But at this point, fighting to the death wasn't exactly praiseworthy.
Neji-kun was like a completely out-of-control dump truck, rampaging through the ranks of several hundred Mist ninja in his Lightning Release mode. Everywhere he passed, bodies flew; no one could withstand a single blow.
His Tenseigan pierced through the thick mist, locking onto Ringo Ameyuri's figure.
Heavy Bolt! (Taijutsu technique name)
His elbow, seemingly not that thick, slammed viciously towards Ringo Ameyuri. She could only barely raise her left arm to block. Ringo felt as if she had been hit by a small mountain. With a pained cry, she was sent flying, crashing into a building on the island.
"Gah!" Spitting out a large mouthful of blood, the genius ninja was now on the verge of death.
"Ma'am!"
"Bastard!"
"Get the Commander out of here!"
The nearest Mist ninja rushed to pick up Ringo Ameyuri and retreat.
"You're not going anywhere."
The Mist ninja only saw a flash of black light. The one carrying Ringo Ameyuri collapsed instantly, dead. Neji-kun grabbed the powerless Ringo Ameyuri and threw her over his shoulder.
The intense pain washing over her in waves threatened to swallow her fading consciousness, but Ringo Ameyuri fought desperately to stay awake. "Cough... Retreat... Quickly... retreat..."
"Commander!" Her subordinates were frantic but dared not act rashly with her captured.
"That's an order... Retreat immediately..." With her last ounce of strength, Ringo Ameyuri gave her final command before losing consciousness.
Neji-kun carried her deeper into Skull Island, the Mist ninja不敢上前 (daring not to approach), falling back before him.
"Neji-kun!" Witnessing the near-total domination, Samui's face held a complex expression. She had always seen Neji-kun as a quiet, even somewhat introverted boy. But the battle just now... it was extremely violent, even bordering on cruel.
However, Kumogakure, a village that prized strength above all, naturally admired the strong. The bloodier, the more brutal the fight, the more it stirred their hormones.
"Neji-kun possessing such power... is truly captivating." A blush crept onto Samui's face.
"Not collecting spoils of war at a time like this, just standing there spacing out? What an idiot." Sasori, nearby, glanced disdainfully at the daydreaming Samui, shaking his head inwardly as he stored a high-quality corpse "material" into a storage scroll.
"Shuriken, explosive tags, soldier pills—" Neji-kun laughed heartily, looking at the mountains of supplies piled up in the warehouse. "Losing all these supplies will be like stabbing the Mist ninja right in the heart."
"Izumi, take inventory."
"Take as much as we can carry. Burn the rest. Don't leave a single scrap for them."
"Yes, Neji-kun." Izumi's face also showed unconcealed excitement.
War between villages wasn't just about individual duels. Victory wasn't determined solely by combat prowess. Logistics, strategy, intelligence—all were crucial.
Based on Izumi's initial estimate, the supplies on Skull Island could sustain four thousand Mist ninja for over three months. She carefully selected the most valuable items—soldier pills, chakra conducting metals, kunai—then placed explosive tags throughout the warehouses.
Neji-kun carried Ringo Ameyuri to the central command tent on Skull Island, handing her over to Samui for basic treatment. Then, he carefully examined the tent. It was spacious. In the center stood a large sand table model of the eastern sea region. On a long table beside it lay stacks of scrolls.
[Commander Utakata's Deployment Orders]
[Supply Distribution List]
[Mist Ninja Roster]
Looking at the intelligence scrolls, Neji-kun's eyes narrowed slightly. According to Samui, there were about five thousand Mist ninja deployed in the eastern sea, but the roster listed nearly eight thousand. And Kirigakure was still continuously sending reinforcements.
The total number of active shinobi across the Five Great Villages was around eighty thousand. Konoha had the most, close to thirty thousand. Kirigakure's registered ninja numbered around fifteen thousand. It was clear that Obito had bet almost everything Kiri had on this war.
"If Kiri has committed their entire force, destroying this supply point won't be enough to cripple them," Neji-kun mused, raising an eyebrow. "Subsequent reinforcements will surely bring emergency supplies."
"Cough, cough... Now you should understand Kumo's predicament, right?" Ringo Ameyuri, revived by Samui's treatment, coughed twice, then gave Neji-kun a weak but malicious smile. "The Mist have allied with Konoha and Iwa. Kumogakure is doomed, just like Uzushio back then."
"Kumo can't possibly sustain a three-front war. We won this war from the start. The only question is how big our spoils will be." Perhaps declaring victory in front of the man who defeated her gave her a sense of accomplishment. A faint flush appeared on Ringo Ameyuri's paper-white face as she coughed up blood and continued in a low growl. "No matter how strong you are, you can't turn the tide alone. If you insist on staying on the Eastern Front, you will die here. And it will be a miserable death."
"Shut up!" Samui snapped angrily. As she spoke, she plunged chakra needles into Ringo Ameyuri's pressure points, causing the Kiri genius to convulse in pain, yet a savage grin remained on her face.
"First," Neji-kun said, still examining the scrolls, without turning around, "you know nothing of my true power. If I don't wish to die, no one can kill me. Second, Kirigakure will suffer a crushing defeat and ultimately bow down to Kumogakure, becoming our eternal vassal."
"You... You're bluffing!" The calm certainty in his tone was undeniable. Ringo Ameyuri was momentarily stunned, then shouted, "Where do you get this confidence? The Fourth Raikage has already left! Once my Mizukage takes the field, how long can you possibly hold out?!"
Neji-kun turned his head slightly, looked at Ringo Ameyuri, and smiled. "Yagura Karatachi, hailed as a perfect Jinchuriki. With his strength, if he had joined the battle early on, the Fourth Raikage would never have been free to reinforce the western front. Yet, he remains holed up in Kirigakure. Don't you find that strange?"
"That..." Ringo Ameyuri was speechless.
Unlike Konoha's Hiruzen, who preferred to command from the rear, the Kage of the other four villages often led from the front. Yagura had become the Fourth Mizukage for two reasons: first, his power as a perfect Three-Tails Jinchuriki, and second, his bravery and leadership during the Second and Third Wars, which earned him immense popularity among the common shinobi. For him to remain passive while his army suffered setbacks was indeed abnormal.
Neji-kun continued, "Although I've never met Yagura, I'm certain that after becoming Mizukage, he seems to have become a different person. He avoids public appearances, rarely showing himself even to staunch supporters like you. Am I wrong?"
"Cough, cough... What... what are you implying?" Ringo Ameyuri coughed up more blood, her pale face filled with confusion and doubt.
"Don't worry," Neji-kun said cryptically. "You'll understand soon enough. And when you do, your jaw will drop. Hahaha." He didn't elaborate, turning back to the scrolls.
Before long, Uchiha Izumi and Pakura entered the tent.
Izumi reported, "Neji-kun, the supplies have been dealt with. I've placed explosive tags on everything we couldn't take. Should I detonate them now?"
"Not yet," Neji-kun shook his head.
Suddenly, a crow flew in from outside and landed on Izumi's shoulder. After exchanging a few words with the crow, Izumi's expression changed. "The crows I sent out report that Kiri has issued an urgent mobilization order. Waves of Mist ninja are converging on this location."
"I see." Neji-kun nodded calmly. The Mist's reaction was expected, just faster than anticipated.
"Neji-kun, should we retreat? Rendezvous with Yugito-san?" Samui asked worriedly, after knocking Ringo Ameyuri unconscious again with a single punch.
"Why retreat?" Neji-kun sat on the edge of the command table, looking at the nervous Samui with a slight smile. "The supply depot is destroyed, and meeting Yugito-san isn't urgent right now. Our mission is to draw Kiri's fire and create an opportunity for her. The more Mist ninja that come, the better."