For a split second, Armani thought he had fallen under a genjutsu. Everything before his eyes seemed far too unreal.
He hurriedly checked his chakra flow — it was circulating smoothly, perfectly balanced. That meant it wasn't an illusion.
If genjutsu could be ruled out, then everything happening before him was real!
But that made no sense. The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was right before his eyes — how could it be a clone? Then where was the real one?
And that brat… he was a clone too? Even worse, his subordinate had just been impaled through the heart. Rage flared violently inside Armani.
"You little brat… I'll kill you!" he roared, lightning bursting from every pore. His eyes went white with fury, no color left in them.
Veins bulged across his face; his upper garments eEXPloded apart, revealing muscles as hard and vast as mountain ridges.
"Heh…"
Leo gave a cold sneer as he retracted his lightning blade. The lean Cloud-nin before him stared blankly for a moment, then fell to the ground, lifeless.
Assassinating a chūnin — child's play for him!
Before coming to rescue Kushina, he had already created a shadow clone as a diversion.
With Observation Haki, he had no reason to believe those two Cloud-nin were really asleep.
Everything had been calculated precisely — every step interlocking. One mistake, and the whole plan would've fallen apart.
"I'll admit I underestimated you," Armani growled. "Because of that, my man died. But your time has run out."
He stamped the ground, cracking it open beneath him, then shot forward like a bolt of living lightning.
"Nintaijutsu: Thunderstorm Fist!"
His fist was wrapped in blazing arcs of lightning. The next instant, the electric energy erupted outward, forming a massive thunderous punch.
Thunderstorm Fist — one of the most common forms of ninja taijutsu among the Cloud-nin, using lightning chakra to hyperactivate the body's cells, stimulating the muscles for a short burst of extreme speed!
With lightning-enhanced acceleration and pure forward momentum, all his chakra was condensed into that single blow.
"Testing strength, huh?" Leo muttered, his eyes glinting with fighting spirit.
Even if his opponent was a chūnin, in raw power Leo was confident he wasn't weaker than anyone.
"Armament Haki: Hardening!"
"Monster Strength: Spiral Force!"
Half his arm instantly turned jet-black. Wisps of steam rose from his skin, swirling around him.
Then came the monster strength technique — Spiral Force! His entire body's strength compressed and focused into his fist. His arm swelled slightly as the compressed energy reached its limit — stronger than ever before!
Perhaps due to continuous combat, his compression rate had improved — from ten percent up to fifteen!
"Iron Fist!"
With a thunderous roar, Leo's punch — infused with both Armament Haki and Monster Strength — was unleashed.
The air itself eEXPloded as it struck, echoing with thunderous force!
BOOM!
For one still moment, the heavens and earth went silent — then everything dimmed. An oppressive force blanketed the area.
Leo's fist collided with Armani's head-on!
Time seemed to freeze at the instant of impact.
Lightning spiderwebbed from Armani's fist, crackling blue arcs scattering in every direction.
From Leo's knuckles, dark energy rippled outward — the unique distortion field of Haki.
Those black lightning-like waves flared and flickered, each burst slamming into the ground, blasting it apart.
Buzz…!
Space itself hummed in resonance, trembling in a strange rhythm.
Energy waves rippled outward from the two of them — earth shattered, trees splintered, clouds twisted violently overhead!
Even the fabric of space seemed to distort under their overwhelming power.
Both men strained with all their might, blood surging so violently it sprayed as steam through their pores.
Though their bodies barely moved, the energy radiating from them annihilated everything around.
"This guy isn't a normal jonin," Leo thought grimly as their fists locked.
"How can this brat have such power?" Armani was equally shaken. "Even most jonin couldn't match me in raw strength!"
His reputation among the Cloud's elite jonin was well-earned — and his master was none other than the Third Raikage, from whom he'd inherited the art of Lightning Body Taijutsu itself.
Against any ordinary jonin, he could crush them with a single hand.
BAM!
The two eEXPloded apart, each skidding backward. Their eyes locked, both breathing heavily, both gathering power again for the next strike.
"No wonder the White Fang didn't show up," Armani said, voice rumbling like thunder. "I thought Konoha had no one worth fighting. Didn't eEXPect such a monster in brat form."
"I told you," Leo replied coldly. "If the White Fang had come, you wouldn't have lasted even one strike."
Armani grinned fiercely. "I'd love to test that! You're no nameless kid — if you survive today, you'll surely make your mark in the ninja world. But your fate's sealed. You're not leaving here alive!"
"Lightning Release: Lightning Armor!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Armani's hands blurred through the seals. Lightning surged across his body, forming a glowing armor of electricity.
Then, using Lightning Body Flicker, he vanished — reappearing instantly before Leo.
Twin spears of lightning condensed in his hands, crackling with deadly power.
From above, he descended like a thunder god, lightning splitting the sky and shattering the air itself!
Soru!
Leo disappeared in an instant — but Armani was right on his tail, keeping up even through high-speed movement.
As eEXPected of the Cloud's elite jonin — the fusion of lightning enhancement and body flicker was terrifyingly fast.
"Die!!" Armani roared, thrusting down with his twin lightning spears.
Leo hardened his arm again, counterpunching while using Soru to evade.
But with that lightning armor absorbing most of the impact, his attack barely left a mark.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The two clashed repeatedly, pure taijutsu versus taijutsu, vanishing and reappearing dozens of times. Their afterimages filled the air like lightning ghosts — far too fast for the naked eye to follow.
Each collision unleashed violent white shockwaves that tore through the forest, toppling trees by the dozen.
After several breaths, both halted — panting, glaring at each other across a small clearing.
Leo crouched slightly, a trickle of blood at his lips, eyes burning with resolve.
This man… was a real monster. The strongest opponent he'd faced besides the White Fang.
Armani wasn't unscathed either — his armor flickered, his body bruised and bleeding.
Even with his powerful physique, maintaining Lightning Armor, using dozens of flicker techniques, and casting multiple Lightning Release jutsu was taking its toll.
At this point, both men knew — the next exchange would decide everything.
Whoever slipped first… would die.
Leo steadied his stance, every sense razor-sharp.
Armani's eyes narrowed, his earlier arrogance gone — replaced by deadly respect.
This fight… would end in blood.
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