"You bastard! Take this to your grave!"
"Ikazuchi Slash!"
A blade of light tore through the night sky, crackling with thunder and lightning.
Raizen—Douren to the world—saw it coming and blurred forward, movements so fast they left ghostly afterimages in the moonlight. Then his fist struck. The air itself screamed.
The ninja who had unleashed the thunder slash gasped in pain as his chest erupted with a shockwave. His body flew back like a sack of rice, hitting the ground and twitching violently. Eyes wide, lifeless, his energy drained in an instant.
"Hahaha!" Raizen laughed, the sound harsh and unrestrained. The moment the door swung open, he felt the raw surge of his chakra thrum through every muscle. With a single punch, a Cypress ninja was sent flying into the forest like a ragdoll. Raizen didn't stop—he barreled through the remaining guards, kicking, slamming, and rolling them across the floor like some twisted ninja pinball.
"It's all trash!"
One of the elite Jōnin, observing from the side, roared. Chakra surged through him as a massive water dragon erupted from the ground, jaws snapping toward Raizen from top to bottom.
Boom! The dragon smashed into the earth, leaving a gaping pit, but Raizen was nowhere near it.
"Where'd he go?!" the Jōnin barked, scanning the shadows.
A violent crack overhead made him look up just in time. Raizen's leg slammed down with crushing force, sending bones splintering and blood spraying as the Jōnin barely blocked the impact.
"Not done yet!" Raizen growled. He twisted, swept another ninja off his feet, and kicked him hard across the chest, sending him skidding back.
The elite Jōnin scrambled upright, a flush of fury coloring his face. His body radiated chakra as he roared:
"Water Style: Twin Dragon Strangle!"
Two colossal water dragons surged from the ground, roaring toward the sky. They lunged at Raizen like living predators, heads snapping, bodies coiling with terrifying lifelike power.
Raizen smirked. Planting his foot, he kicked one dragon with a force that shattered its head in a spray of water and chakra. Using the distraction, he darted toward the elite Jōnin, punching and dodging with surgical precision.
"Damn it! Damn it!" the Jōnin cursed, repelled again and again, his frustration boiling over.
The other three elite Jōnin tensed, ready to intervene—but their comrade's furious roar stopped them.
"I don't care who else you've got—I'll kill this bastard myself!"
Raizen chuckled under his mask. "Kill me with your own hands? You guys really love talking big."
He glanced at the remaining three elites and melted into the shadows. Each strike had drained him, each kick carried the weight of his entire body—but that was the price of leaving the Cypress family trembling in fear.
"I'll be back," he whispered, voice low and deadly. "From now on, the Cypress family will always taste my fear."
In a heartbeat, Raizen vanished. The surrounding ninjas searched frantically, but he was gone. For now, the Kashiwagi clan could only stew in the aftermath of his terror.