Thunder Arts, the Terrifying Power of Thunder Shackles

"Looks like you're a fugitive. If I'm not mistaken, you're also an infamous rogue ninja."

Itachi sensed the gravity of the situation as well. An ordinary nobleman was actually able to shelter and conceal such a powerful figure. Who knew what even darker dealings he had been involved in behind the scenes?

Moreover, only heinous criminals who had committed every sort of evil would receive such a severe branding punishment. Yet this man had found another way and obtained a chained formation armor.

"So what if you found out? My ninjutsu has basically reached mastery already. I didn't expect to see a Sharingan here. Not bad, not bad. I can transplant it into my own eyes."

The old man panted heavily as he spoke with a cruel grin. He hadn't expected to fulfill such a grand ambition in his lifetime.

And his experiments were indeed lacking only a Bloodline Limit.

This was actually quite interesting.

"Those who covet the eyes of our clan never meet a good end."

Izumi snapped from the side. They had also realized how serious the situation was.

[Name: Cedar Ghosthead]

[Gender: Male]

[Age: 63]

[Height: 176]

[Identity: Rogue Ninja]

[Ninja Rank: Unknown]

[Danger Level: High]

[Bounty: 200,000]

[Wanted Record: He once raided several villages, draining the villagers alive for use in some kind of forbidden technique. His methods were exceptionally cruel, and he slaughtered every Chunin sent to besiege and eliminate him. He once publicly hanged a city's lord alive.]

That information suddenly flashed through Itachi's mind. On the wanted list, this man had once been a figure troublesome even for the Anbu.

Yet Itachi had run into him here.

What a deal delivered right to his doorstep.

"What, scared? Good boy, even if you want to leave now, it won't be so easy. You destroyed what I depended on to survive, so I'll break all four of your limbs, gouge out your eyes, and let your wandering soul drift painfully upon the River Styx, never finding a home."

Cedar Ghosthead spoke with utter cruelty, licking his lips. Seeing the youngsters hesitate, he assumed they were afraid.

He immediately used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to surround them.

In an instant, several Cedar Ghostheads clad in red inner armor and blue outer armor encircled them.

"Ninja Art: Fourfold Hell Thunder Shackles!"

Several Cedar Ghostheads shouted at once. With their practiced coordination, a burst of white light flashed, and with their humanoid bodies serving as conductive pillars, several Tesla-like spheres of lightning crackled into existence.

In an instant, several nearby trees were caught in the crossfire and electrocuted into charred, burning husks.

"Ninjutsu: Great Fireball Technique."

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Mist Release: Great Mist Vaporization Technique!"

"Heavenly Rotation, Thirty-Six Slashes!"

Itachi's teammates also realized something was wrong and hurriedly unleashed all kinds of ninja arts. Yet the moment their chakra touched that layer of electromagnetic field, it was blasted into dust, completely ineffective.

Even a slight brush with the high-voltage current devoured their chakra entirely. Meanwhile, the Thunder Shackles grew increasingly powerful. Lightning flashed continuously within it, and the magnetic field nearly enclosed the entire forest.

"What's going on? Our techniques aren't working!"

Izumi cried out as the lightning continued closing in. Before long, they would likely be struck by those million volts.

With their flesh and blood bodies, they simply couldn't withstand that kind of power.

"It's useless. Give up struggling. There are very few who can withstand my lightning ninjutsu."

Cedar Ghosthead sneered as he continuously shaped the lightning, gathering it into a blazing sphere of electricity above them. It radiated terrifying power and kept striking downward.

If they failed to dodge for even a moment, they would probably be blasted into nothing the next second. The immense electrical energy even pierced the ground, bringing a numbing current that left Itachi and the others' limbs paralyzed.

Those lightning-attribute chakras were even continuously corroding their cells.

"Oh? A few small fry can hop around for a while, and they think they're something special?"

Only then did Itachi slowly speak. In an instant, he hurled a mass of shuriken. Accompanied by piercing whistles through the air, they shot toward the electric net's defenses, but before they could even touch a hair on Cedar Ghosthead's head, they were pierced by the powerful current and fell to the ground. The charred tips of the kunai even melted into pools of molten iron from the scorching heat.

"Hahaha! You're just talking tough. Don't worry, I'll capture you alive in a moment. I won't let you die so easily. After all, if you die, how am I supposed to get your eyes?"

Cedar Ghosthead felt victory was within reach. He kept driving the lightning closer, compressing the space in which they could move. These Konoha ninja really were good at dodging, but so what?

You could dodge countless times, but as long as you made one mistake, you would be doomed beyond redemption.

He had to end this quickly. Who knew whether there were other variables nearby? If a Jonin showed up, the consequences would be—

"Kunai, Shadow Clone Technique."

Itachi shouted coldly. The kunai scattered on the ground were positioned exactly as he had predicted. In an instant, the Transformation Technique disguising them was undone, revealing the Explosive Tags beneath them. A storm of explosions swept across the clearing.

"Boom!"

The scorching blast wave swallowed the surrounding trees and collided violently with the lightning field. But Itachi and the others had already slipped into a stone house prepared in advance. The solid structure let out a muffled groan, yet Cedar Ghosthead, who bore the brunt of the blast outside, was not having such an easy time.

"It's merely a ninjutsu with flaws, not an all-encompassing offense-and-defense technique. Any ninjutsu will have weaknesses."

Itachi patted Izumi's head, signaling for her not to be afraid. As a ninja, the most important thing was to observe the surrounding environment and circumstances.

Even if a blade had already swung before your eyes, you still had to force yourself to overcome the fear in your heart, find the trajectory of the blade, and defeat your enemy.

Blind fear would only leave them unprepared to defend themselves.

"Mm, I'll be more careful next time."

Like a child who had made a mistake, Izumi nodded slightly. It felt as though, with this man around, even if the sky fell, she would still feel safe. It was only because what had happened to the villagers tonight had enraged her so much that she had lost her composure.

Next time, I won't cause him any more trouble.

"You—"

Hinata Bai had just wanted to say something, but he abruptly forced himself to stop. His face was full of resentment and unwillingness.

It seemed he had no standing to blame anyone else. After all, if they were talking about who came first, Itachi Uchiha had always been the only one in Izumi's heart.

If only he were the one who could hold her in his arms. He could give her broad enough shoulders too.

"Sigh."