The half-broken dead branch in my hand swayed.
Green life energy raced beneath its withered bark.
Raikage A's eyes nearly popped out when he heard my insolent remark.
"You brat! You've got a death wish! I'll tear you apart today!"
He roared and slammed his fist into the solid wooden round table before him.
Boom!
The enormous table, which took several burly men to carry, shattered beneath the lightning.
Wood chips and broken porcelain flew everywhere like giant snowflakes.
Even the snow falling through the skylight swirled from the shock.
"Nice going, Uncle Raikage. That table cost a pretty penny."
I rolled my eyes without budging.
The splinters flying toward me were pushed aside by a thin layer of green light.
"Die!"
The Raikage bellowed, and the Lightning Release chakra covering his body surged.
Blue arcs crackled through the air with a piercing shriek.
He became a blinding streak of blue lightning, charging straight at my face.
He moved too fast for the naked eye to follow, crushing the gravel beneath his feet into powder.
"Sen! Dodge! The Raikage's too fast!"
In his panic, Kakashi yanked off his Hokage hat.
His exposed Sharingan spun furiously, but it struggled to keep up.
His white hair streamed backward in the gale.
"Dodge? My clothes just dried. Why the hell would I run around eating dust?"
I sneered and slowly brought my hands together before my chest.
Clap.
The soft sound was barely audible amid the thunder.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Gun Technique!"
My lips barely moved.
At that moment, the divine tree origin underground erupted wildly through the earth.
Unexpectedly, the branches that emerged this time were so dark they were nearly black.
A thick, iron-gray metallic patina shimmered over their surfaces.
Like dozens of raging green pythons, they shot up beneath