"Such quick reflexes! You actually reacted in the midst of my Lightning Release Chakra Mode!"
The first release of this book across the entire web was at
The flames slowly dispersed. The Fourth Raikage, who had been sent flying, walked out of them, regarding Uchiha Shūichi with a slightly more serious expression.
"So you're from the Uchiha Clan, with the Sharingan? What's your name, Uchiha ninja?"
Though he had looked rather battered just moments ago, the Fourth Raikage was, in fact, completely unharmed thanks to his Lightning Release Armor. The Great Dragon Fire Technique hadn't even singed a single hair on him.
The Fourth Raikage's imposing presence, accompanied by his immense Chakra, filled the air. Uchiha Shūichi and Yamanaka Fū, who had undergone Root training, were hardly affected, but Hyuga Homura and Yūhi Kurenai were already feeling their legs go weak.
That was how terrifying the pressure from a top-tier fighter could be. Chakra itself was the product of combining spiritual and physical energy. What people called an "aura" was the pressure that the spiritual energy within Chakra exerted on an enemy—a genuine form of mental attack.
But this mental attack only truly worked when there was a vast difference in strength between the two sides. An ordinary Special Jonin facing a peak Kage Level fighter like the Fourth Raikage was little more than a slightly stronger elite grunt.
"I am Uchiha Shūichi. I never expected that a piece of intelligence about the Rinnegan, true or not, would bring Lord Fourth Raikage here in person!"
Uchiha Shūichi spoke calmly. He truly hadn't expected the Fourth Raikage to set out with the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki based on nothing more than an unverified rumor. The Fourth Raikage and his band of brutes certainly knew how to act fast.
"Jonin Shūichi, reinforcements from Kumogakure are about to arrive!" Hyuga Homura hurriedly called out.
The Fourth Raikage hadn't come alone. Besides Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, he had brought four elite Kumogakure ninja.
After sensing the teams from Sunagakure and Konoha, the A and B combination had split up, each taking two ninja to hunt them down. In other words, besides the Fourth Raikage, two more Kumogakure ninja were on their way here.
The Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode made him so fast that the group had become separated. The Fourth Raikage was already difficult enough to deal with; if the other two Kumogakure ninja showed up, things would only get worse.
Even Uchiha Shūichi found the situation tricky, especially while trying to keep his abilities hidden.
Forget it. If things really get dangerous, I'll have to use Susanoo and Kotoamatsukami. For now, let's see what this guy can do!
Uchiha Shūichi flickered forward, creating several clones that charged at the Fourth Raikage. Unfazed, the Fourth Raikage, clad in Lightning Release Chakra Mode, turned into a bolt of lightning and charged right back.
With a swish, two of Uchiha Shūichi's clones were struck apart. The Fourth Raikage rushed past them, then looked back and saw the clones reform. He frowned slightly.
"Body Flicker Shisui! No, I've seen the intelligence on Uchiha Shisui. You're not him!"
"Didn't I already tell you? My name is Uchiha Shūichi! I've just learned a little of Shisui's Body Flicker Technique."
Uchiha Shūichi replied calmly. Uchiha Shisui had earned the name Body Flicker Shisui not only because of his superb Body Flicker Technique, but more importantly because he combined it with his genjutsu, making it difficult for others to distinguish his clones from his real body.
In fact, it was just the most ordinary D-rank Clone Technique. It only seemed so strange and unpredictable, making it impossible to tell the real body from the clones, because he had mixed it with genjutsu.
Now that Uchiha Shūichi had transplanted Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami Mangekyo, even his ordinary genjutsu was already very close to Shisui's level. Copying Shisui's signature technique was naturally easy.
"Konoha really is a cradle of geniuses, especially your Uchiha Clan. Every one of you is exceptionally gifted—and that's exactly why I can't let you live!"
"Lightning Release: Raikiri!"
Moving at an unimaginable speed, the Fourth Raikage smashed through one illusion after another in an instant. He chose a seemingly crude, violent way to counter Uchiha Shūichi's Body Flicker Technique: if he hit every clone and illusion, he was bound to find the real body.
And with the Fourth Raikage's speed, that was no difficult task!
With a bang, the Fourth Raikage's face lit up with delight. He felt that he had hit Uchiha Shūichi's real body.
Seeing Uchiha Shūichi fly backward, his hand bone bent into a bizarre shape, the Fourth Raikage pursued without hesitation, aiming to kill him with a single blow!
The next moment, the Uchiha Shūichi in front of him vanished. The Fourth Raikage's strike hit nothing, and his balance wavered slightly. Then a chill suddenly came from behind him.
It's genjutsu! When did I fall for it?
The Fourth Raikage was startled, but he didn't rely on his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to withstand the attack from behind. Instead, he twisted his body, trying to keep the strike away from his vital areas.
With a squelch, the Fourth Raikage felt a sharp weapon pierce his back. But after breaking through his Lightning Release Armor, it had lost ninety-nine percent of its force. It only broke the skin before losing the strength to go any farther.
The weapon also carried powerful lightning. The instant it cut his skin, it cauterized the wound, saving the Fourth Raikage the trouble of stopping the bleeding.
"That's some incredible resistance to lightning. Are you really human? It feels like you could withstand some ordinary C-rank Lightning Release techniques with your bare body!"
Uchiha Shūichi looked at the Fourth Raikage, the lightning on the long blade in his hand flashing with surprise.
"The Lightning Release Chakra Mode used by Kumogakure ninja requires strong resistance to lightning in the first place. This move of yours is a little like that Lightning Blade used by Hatake Kakashi of your Konoha!"
Uchiha Shūichi gave the Chakra blade in his hand a wave. Lightning flashed across its edge, as if it had become a sword of lightning.
"This is a variation of Kakashi's Lightning Blade. I condensed the lightning, which he originally used through his palm, into a weapon instead. I call it Chidori Blade!"
Just as Uchiha Shūichi's Body Flicker Technique had been learned from Uchiha Shisui, this Chidori Blade had also been copied from Kakashi and the future Sasuke.
The Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan gave all Uchiha an astonishing ability to learn. As long as a technique suited them, they could perform it after seeing it just once.
But even the same technique could produce vastly different results depending on the user's Chakra nature and shape transformation, their level of training, and how deeply they had studied it.
Uchiha Shūichi had both Lightning and Fire Release. With Fire Release, he followed the orthodox path of the Uchiha Clan. With Lightning Release, he had modeled himself almost entirely on Kakashi and the future Uchiha Sasuke. Thanks to his careful study, Chidori Blade was much more powerful than the techniques he had casually copied.
Before you continue