In his left hand, Satoru concentrated Lightning Release chakra, and in his right—Wind Release chakra.
Then the youth clasped his hands together. Wind Release and Lightning Release merged into one, the two different chakra natures transforming into something entirely new.
In the next instant, Flash Release chakra formed in Satoru's hands, fundamentally different from both Wind Release and Lightning Release.
"Flash Release! Today I'll finally see your true power!" Though Satoru had created Flash Release chakra before, he'd never used it in real combat. He'd employed this unique Kekkei Genkai only once before, on Sarutobi Sasuke.
This unusual Flash Release chakra, guided by Satoru's will, instantly enveloped his entire body.
Lightning and Wind granted incredible swiftness, multiplying the user's speed manyfold.
Satoru felt that after being cloaked in Flash Release chakra, his overall condition improved dramatically; his strength and reflexes sharpened.
"Incredible! This is way stronger than using Wind Release or Lightning Release separately. No wonder it's so hard to fight ninjas with Kekkei Genkai. Combining two chakra natures elevates them to a whole new level of power," Satoru thought in admiration.
While he was lost in these thoughts, three Hidden Cloud ninjas suddenly appeared before him. Satoru instantly assessed them: all three had impressive chakra reserves—clearly jonin from the Cloud.
*Whistle! Boom!* Countless kunai and explosive seals flew toward Satoru.
Ninjas attack from the shadows. Facing three opponents, Satoru naturally fell victim to a surprise attack. Even the Cloud shinobi, known for their love of direct assaults, knew that surprise was one of the foundational principles of ninja tactics.
Faced with this avalanche of thrown weapons and explosives, Satoru showed no hesitation. He immediately activated Flash Release, and his speed received an unbelievable boost. Using the Body Flicker Technique, Satoru moved so fast that he surpassed not only Shi with his Lightning Armor but even the legendary speed of Konoha's Yellow Flash.
Satoru's speed was simply off the charts. Speed enhancement via Kekkei Genkai and speed boosts from Wind or Lightning nature transformation were entirely different levels.
Satoru's sensory abilities covered the entire battlefield, with Observation Haki activated at full power. The enemies were fully exposed within his perception.
It could be said with certainty that no matter how the opponents tried to hide, Satoru would still detect them.
"Here!" Armed with a kunai, Satoru forced the three Cloud ninjas out of cover with swift thrusts.
"He knows where we are! We hid our auras and figures! This guy's a sensor type!"
"Our goal is to protect Lord Shi! We must stop him at any cost! Even if we can't stop him, at least wear him down, drain as much stamina as possible!" One of the Cloud shinobi was already preparing for a desperate fight, his eyes burning with determination.
"Lightning Release: Earth Shock!" "Lightning Release: Lightning Ray!" "Lightning Release: Projectile of the Thunder Dragon!"
Satoru's opponents were Hidden Cloud ninjas, all masters of Lightning Release. Their combined Raiton techniques created truly devastating effects. However, the problem was that their foe was Satoru. Not to mention his new Flash Release—even his standard Lightning Release was on a level unattainable for them.
"Flash Release: Flash Wall!" Satoru formed a special seal—the Flash Release seal. In that instant, a spinning wall of blinding light appeared before him.
The bright light flickered rapidly, nearly blinding. The three Lightning Release techniques finally crashed into the Flash Wall.
When the three Cloud ninjas thought their techniques would sweep away Satoru's strange defensive jutsu like a hurricane scattering dry leaves, in the next second, they froze in astonishment.
Their Lightning Release techniques not only failed to pierce the sparkling energy barrier, but the energy itself seemed to instantly absorb their attacks. Satoru's Flash Wall shone even more intensely.
"Th-that can't be?! Our Lightning Release techniques... completely useless?!"
"How is that possible?! Even if it's his defensive technique, our attacks should've done some damage!"
"What technique did he use?! I heard him shout 'Flash Release'! What kind of release is that?! Is this guy a Kekkei Genkai user?!"
The three Hidden Cloud ninjas sensed how strange and dangerous their opponent was, but they had no intention of giving up. Coordinating their actions, they attacked again with three long-range Lightning Release techniques. The power of these was immense; combined, they could force even a mid-Kage level shinobi to retreat.
Satoru didn't use any new elaborate technique. He simply raised his hand slightly, and that same shining Flash Release energy reappeared before him, forming an impenetrable barrier.
The Lightning Release attacks slammed into the Flash Wall again... and vanished without a trace once more.
Yes, Satoru absorbed the enemies' chakra again. His Flash Release didn't weaken—instead, it grew stronger!
"Again?!"
"What is that sparkling thing?!"
"Impossible! Flash Release! What the hell is that?!"
"We can't keep this up! We'll never beat him like this!"
The faces of the three Cloud ninjas changed sharply. They realized Satoru was an incredibly tough opponent; after all, even Lord Shi had fallen to him.
"This technique seems effective only at range! Enough shooting at him! Close combat! The three of us can definitely handle some kid! I refuse to believe otherwise!"
"Didn't you see the previous fight?! This guy's got monstrous strength! One hit and we're done!"
"Then kill him before he kills us!"
In the end, the three Hidden Cloud ninjas decided on close combat, hoping to overwhelm Satoru with numbers and speed.
Seeing the enemies change tactics, Satoru said nothing. It was even to his advantage; he wanted to test his Flash Release in various combat scenarios, see what other surprises it had in store.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!* The three Cloud ninjas didn't possess Lightning Armor, but they had mastered Lightning Release nature transformation, so their bodies were cloaked in Raiton chakra, boosting their speed and striking power.
They fought with all their might, each of the three trying to breach Satoru's defense, seizing any chance to instantly take him down.
However, Satoru's Observation Haki made him practically invincible to their attacks. And Flash Release endowed him with such otherworldly speed that even if there were thirty of them instead of three, they still couldn't touch him.
"Hey, you three, had enough fun? Time for you to drop already? I've still got to chase Shi!" Satoru fought while tossing sarcastic remarks, which left the three Cloud shinobi somewhat bewildered and furious.
"Up close! Finish him!" they growled, preparing for a decisive attack.
All three simultaneously readied some powerful combined technique to destroy Satoru.
"How naive!" At that moment, Satoru activated Flash Release again. This time, it wasn't Flash Wall, but a close-range technique.
"Flash Release: Flash Star Core!" In one hand, Satoru concentrated Flash Release chakra. Blinding light formed a shining core like a miniature star. And with this core, Satoru struck one of the Cloud ninjas square in the gut.
The three shinobi completely lost control of their bodies. The star core instantly mangled them from the inside, as if tearing them apart, and in the next instant, it sucked them into a space-time rift from which they never returned.
"So that's the power of Flash Release..." Satoru himself froze for a moment, stunned by the destructive force of his new ability.