The strength of a Ninjutsu depends on its rank, its inherent power, and the caster's chakra quality and mastery.
Raikiri vs. Lariat. Both were Lightning Style; there was no elemental advantage.
Saiki's technique had a shorter name—and usually, the longer the name, the stronger the jutsu—but Raikiri was an S-rank assassination art, while the Lariat in its current form was a high-tier C-rank or B-rank physical enhancement.
In a direct comparison of raw power, Saiki held the advantage. The moment 'Thunderstorm' collided with A's forearm, the outcome was absolute.
The Raikiri-enhanced steel shredded through the Lightning Armor wreathed around A's arm. It sliced through the muscle and was about to sever A's hand completely at the wrist.
"BROTHER!" Bee roared, a massive octopus tentacle erupting from his back to provide cover.
A had already sensed the catastrophe.
Even though he pushed his Lariat to an A-rank level of output, it was still inferior to Saiki's perfected Raikiri. A couldn't believe his eyes, but he wasn't a fool; he knew that continuing the clash would cost him his hand. He decisively aborted the strike and pulled back.
The exchange happened in a microsecond. A managed to retreat, but his palm was still sliced open, half of it dangling by a thread of skin and muscle.
Bee's incoming tentacle forced Saiki to abandon his pursuit.
After slicing A's hand, Saiki performed a reverse-slash. Even though the Eight-Tails' tentacles were tough enough to pulverize boulders, Saiki's blade acted like a hot wire through wax, bisecting the octopus limb perfectly.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Spear!!"
The other Cloud ninja weren't just watching. One operative clapped his hands together, launching a spear of blue-white electricity that tore through the air toward Saiki's chest.
BOOM!
The spear struck home. But instead of a charred Saiki, a cloud of white smoke erupted, revealing a scorched, blackened log that shattered into splinters.
"Substitution?! SHIT!"
"LOOK OUT!"
The Cloud ninja screamed, but it was too late.
The Jonin who had launched the spear felt a sudden, frigid chill on his right side. He reached for a kunai, spinning to face the threat, but before his body was halfway around, a flash of white light crossed his vision. He never felt the ground as his head left his shoulders.
As stated before: if Saiki fought these people with his eyes closed, he might struggle. But with a Flower Clone nearby specifically to handle his hand signs and sensory input, a sneak attack was impossible.
CRASH!
The sound of displaced air roared again. Bee's tail swept toward Saiki in a massive horizontal arc. Saiki didn't even think; he just swung his blade again.
His Kenjutsu could easily carve through the beast's soft flesh. To him, this wasn't an attack; it was a nuisance.
Bee should have learned his lesson by now. He was treating his tentacles as if they weren't his own body parts, but disposable, regenerative meat.
SHRED!
As expected, the tentacle fell in two clean pieces.
It was almost insulting. To most ninja, a strike from a Tailed Beast was a terminal event, and their hides were considered immune to standard weaponry.
But to Saiki—a master of multiple Nature and Shape Transformations—the Tailed Beast was just a giant, slow-moving pile of wagyu beef. He could slice it however he pleased.
With his "Auspicious Cloud" active, he had an impenetrable shield. With 'Thunderstorm' and Senjutsu chakra, he had an unstoppable spear. He was fast, durable, and lethal. He was essentially a "glitch" in the system.
Having had his brother's hand shredded and his own limb severed again, Bee realized Saiki was a nightmare. If A didn't receive medical attention immediately, his hand was gone forever. Bee decided to go all out.
"GET BACK!" Bee roared. He entered a semi-tailed beast state, wreathed in a bubbling, crimson chakra cloak. Eight tails thrashed behind him, and a pair of translucent bull-horns manifested on his head.
The Cloud ninja, seeing the Jinchuriki's transformation, scrambled to clear the area.
Next instant.
PEW! PEW! PEW!
Bee didn't even need to charge them. His jaw unhinged, and a rapid-fire barrage of fist-sized chakra orbs launched toward Saiki like a line of machine-gun fire.
These were highly concentrated spheres of Tailed Beast chakra. Each one had the explosive yield of a C-rank fireball. For a fragile human ninja, a single direct hit was fatal. Even Saiki would feel the sting.
Using a Tailed Beast's ultimate power as a standard "auto-attack" was a level of extravagance only a Jinchuriki could afford.
Saiki could have easily used his cloud to tank the hits, but he chose a different path.
"Water Sword Style: Flowing Reflection!"
In what looked like a series of chaotic, random flourishes, Saiki swung his blade in a bizarre, swirling pattern.
If anyone with a Sharingan had been watching, they would have seen the sublime mechanics of the move.
Saiki didn't try to cut the orbs. The trajectory of 'Thunderstorm' followed the principle of "Water is the ultimate softness." The chakra orbs were like boats on a river; the blade became the current. He used the momentum of the incoming spheres to guide them along the arc of his steel, launching them back out in harmless directions.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
The chakra orbs hit the ground nearby, triggering a series of explosions that launched soil and splintered trees into the sky. In seconds, the lush forest was transformed into a scarred wasteland.
"Impossible!" The Cloud ninja stared in shock. The target remained untouched, having literally parried a machine-gun fire of nukes with a single sword.
Huff!
Gripping his blade with both hands, Saiki took a long, steadying breath.
It wasn't as effortless as it looked. Bee's orbs carried massive kinetic force; parrying them required not just god-tier technique, but enough raw physical strength to redirect a tank shell. There were perhaps only three people in the world who could have pulled that off.
Saiki didn't press the attack. He needed to catch his breath, and he was waiting for a guest.
Just as the Cloud and Bee were prepping their next volley, thinking Saiki was winded, a specialized kunai slammed into the dirt between the two forces.
FLASH!
A shock of yellow hair materialized beside the kunai. The man picked it up and stood slowly.
"My apologies. I'm late." Minato Namikaze offered a brief apology to Saiki before turning his analytical gaze toward the Cloud unit.
"Whatever. I don't care," Saiki replied flatly.
Even without Minato, Saiki was confident he could wipe these guys out—it would have just been a lot more work.
And with Minato here to act as a distraction, Saiki could afford to be even more of a "salted fish." To Saiki, nothing was more precious than a low-effort victory.
The battlefield was a disaster zone, first ploughed by Saiki's vortex and then leveled by Bee's bombardment.
Comparing the two sides, Saiki's team was clearly winning. The Cloud had lost dozens of men, and their primary commander was bleeding out from a mangled hand.
Minato was young, but he was already moving into the village's upper echelon. He recognized the A-B brothers instantly. His curiosity regarding Saiki's true depth grew even sharper.
A recognized the newcomer as well. While Minato didn't have the "Yellow Flash" title yet, his reputation was already soaring.
"Minato Namikaze!" A barked, his voice thick with gravity.
Saiki rolled his eyes. He felt a bit neglected.