Chapter 31: What is the Will of Thunder?
Arashi's heroic sacrifice had bought them a sliver of a chance to escape.
Kyohei appeared in front of Dana in a flash. "Young Master Dana," he said urgently, "we have to go, now!"
But Dana didn't move. He looked past Kyohei, at the bleeding figure of his brother, struggling to his feet at Choza Akimichi's feet. He looked at Mamoru, his face pale from the strain of his secret jutsu. He looked at the anxious face of Kyohei.
Their voices echoed in his mind.
"Take Young Master Dana and Young Master Arashi and get out of here. I'll hold them off!"
"You can't hold them for long on your own... We'll hold them off together. They'll have to step over my dead body to get past."
"An 'A' sacrifices himself for his comrades, he does not sacrifice his comrades to save himself!"
In that moment, he finally understood this world. And he accepted it.
"Are you kidding me?" he said calmly, his eyes fixed on the enemy in front of them. "Hey, Jonin Kyohei, you have some soldier pills, right?"
"Young Master Dana?!"
"You are all my comrades, willing to risk your lives to protect me. My brother is lying over there. Do you really think I would run?"
Dana held out his hand to Kyohei and smiled. "I never planned on inheriting the name of 'A,' but I was born with a strong backbone. Maybe it's a sickness."
Kyohei hesitated for a moment, then a smile spread across his own face. He gently placed three soldier pills in Dana's hand.
The pills were a bit big for him, so he had to eat them one by one.
"Tell me, Jonin Kyohei," he said as he chewed, "do we in the Hidden Cloud have something like a 'Will of Thunder'?"
Kyohei shook his head. "I've never heard of it."
Dana swallowed the last pill. He felt a surge of chakra, a feeling of fullness he had never experienced before.
"Well," he said, "maybe we will now." The lightning around his body reignited, brighter and more dazzling than ever before, far surpassing the glow of the Yotsuki clan's Lightning Release Chakra Mode. His small body seemed to exude the aura of a thunder god.
The unknown pulsating image in his mind returned, clearly outlining everything within a hundred-meter radius. But this time, he didn't close his eyes. He understood now. In this state, he would no longer be affected by genjutsu.
"Oh? And what do you think the Will of Thunder is, Young Master?" Kyohei asked, his eyes blazing with a renewed fighting spirit.
"It means 'Charge with me'!" Before the words had even left his mouth, Dana shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
"With pleasure!" Kyohei gripped his short sword and followed close behind.
"A Cloud ninja never backs down!" Mamoru roared, forcing himself forward, a flush of color returning to his pale face.
Dana moved faster than he ever had in his life. In his memory, only his father was faster. Even Arashi was a distant second. He wasn't yet familiar with the miraculous changes in his body, so he let his instincts take over.
He flew low to the ground, the grass and trees bending in his wake. He circled the earth prison that held Choza Akimichi, his hands a blur as he slapped its surface again and again. Arcs of penetrating lightning shot through the earthen walls and struck Choza's body. His massive size offered no protection. A wave of pain and paralysis washed over him.
Arashi, struggling to his feet, saw Dana and a savage grin spread across his face. He wiped the blood from his mouth and, with a final burst of energy, charged towards the top of the earth prison, where Choza's head was exposed. He and Dana crisscrossed, one from the left, one from the right.
Dana spiraled up the side of the prison, his hands a blur, striking it dozens of times in an instant. Then, while Choza was still stunned, he reached his massive head.
"Thunder Jump Chop!" Dana roared, bringing his leg down in a heavy axe kick.
"Righteous Thunder Axe of Sinking Fury!" Arashi, high in the air, unleashed the same technique.
The two brothers, in perfect sync.
Trapped in the earth prison, Choza took the full force of the two heavy blows. His massive head actually dented slightly. Dana's kick, in particular, seemed to detonate some kind of energy within him. Despite his immense toughness, his mind went blank for a second, and his eyes rolled back in his head.
"Super Multi-Size Technique: Release!" Choza quickly dispelled the jutsu, shrinking to his normal size to escape the prison.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru leaped out from the hole he left behind. But Jiraiya and Orochimaru were immediately engaged by Kyohei and Mamoru. Tsunade went straight for Dana and Arashi, clearly intent on getting her revenge.
Freed from the prison, Choza felt a throbbing pain in his head. A strange energy was rampaging through his body, disrupting his chakra flow. He quickly took a yellow pill from his ninja pouch and swallowed it, and the feeling began to subside.
Who is that kid? he thought. He doesn't seem like a member of a migrating bloodline clan. Such a unique constitution...
And that speed... is that even possible for someone his age? What kind of Kekkei Genkai is that? He replayed Dana's performance in his mind. The strange lightning that had bypassed his defenses and disrupted his chakra was powerful, but the damage was minimal. But that speed... it was completely illogical. It defied all understanding.
It was so fast. Choza's experienced eyes were reminded of the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique. He wasn't a speed-type ninja, but he knew what he was seeing. It wasn't a space-time ninjutsu like the Flying Thunder God. It was just pure, unadulterated speed. So fast he couldn't even react.
This kid, Choza thought grimly, whoever he is, if we can't capture him, we can't let him live.
But the battle, he realized, was already over.
On the battlefield, Mamoru was gasping for breath, blood streaming from his nose and mouth. The after-effects of his secret jutsu could no longer be suppressed. Jiraiya, on the other hand, was only slightly winded.
When the Cloud ninja had chosen to charge instead of flee, their fate had been sealed. The ninja world was a place where strength was absolute. Willpower alone was not enough. Not that he thought they would have survived if they had run.
Kyohei's chakra blade was a whirlwind of steel, but Orochimaru was simply toying with him, biding his time. Victory was already assured. His opponent was just a cornered animal, fighting a desperate, futile battle.
Just Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru alone were more than enough to overwhelm them. His old teammate's disciples were all very talented. Though, after this incident, their test scores probably wouldn't be very good.
Dana and Arashi were fighting Tsunade together, but her injuries were healing almost instantly, while the two brothers were clearly reaching their limits.
But they were still young. They had plenty of time to grow.
THUD
THUD
THUD
A series of dull, heavy impacts from the distance broke Choza's train of thought.
Thunder? But the sky is clear...
THUD
THUD
A meteor fell from the sky and crashed into the center of the battlefield. The earth cracked, and trees were uprooted.
BOOM!
Everyone was thrown back by the shockwave. The three separate battles were brought to an abrupt halt.
"That's—!" Choza's pupils dilated in shock.
At the center of the crater, a figure slowly rose. Its imposing silhouette cast a shadow of absolute, overwhelming pressure.