The end of the first battle

Golden Lightning Flash shot toward Kazemori Masaki like an arrow. He met it without fear, but the instant their blades clashed, his opponent pulled hers back. She spun around to his side and slashed at his head.

Kazemori Masaki understood her intent. She did not want to give him another chance to use the ninjutsu he called Wind Reversal, so she broke away after every brief clash, repositioning to attack from another direction.

Kazemori Masaki immediately turned to block. Just as he expected, she withdrew again, using Lightning Release to stimulate her body's cells and launch one high-speed attack after another.

Kazemori Masaki had no choice but to block each strike. This was his first time facing such a situation. To keep from injuring himself, Wind Reversal had a limited range. His opponent seemed to have learned from their last battle, moving beyond that range every time she repositioned. Detonating it anyway would only waste chakra.

Kazemori Masaki sighed inwardly. She certainly lived up to her status as the Third Raikage's junior fellow disciple. Although she had never appeared in the manga, that did not mean Kumogakure Ninja Village had no young experts besides the Third Raikage.

Their battle drew the others' attention. To them, a streak of golden Lightning Flash was darting back and forth around Kazemori Masaki, while he constantly shifted position to meet her attacks. The sheer speed of their battle made for a truly thrilling sight.

Zhenghui, are you all right?

Satomi only glanced over in passing, keeping most of her attention on her own opponent, but she could not help worrying about Kazemori Masaki. He had told her that as long as he did not give the signal, he could handle things. Yet with his opponent attacking like that, perhaps he simply had no chance to signal?

In truth, Kazemori Masaki was not under that much pressure. If anything, he once again felt his blood surging with excitement. Last time, he had defeated her in a single move only because she had failed to react in time. Now that they were fighting on even terms, she was showing her true strength.

I can't let you keep the initiative forever.

Kazemori Masaki's eyes flashed slightly. After parrying another slash, he moved almost simultaneously to launch an attack of his own at Sora.

Sora was startled. His attacks were just as fast as hers. After blocking, she could only dodge away to avoid that ninjutsu, but he seemed to know her movements in advance, redirecting his attack and forcing her to move again.

Within Kazemori Masaki's perception, even the slightest twitch of Sora's muscles created ripples, allowing him to judge her next move. Earlier, Sora had kept him on the defensive. Now their positions had reversed, and he was forcing her to move all over the battlefield.

This is just like having the Sharingan, Kazemori Masaki thought. He was finally experiencing firsthand the advantage its wielders enjoyed. It was practically cheating.

Sora had never expected to be overwhelmed like this. Anger flared within her, and she kept searching for an opportunity to wrest the initiative back from Kazemori Masaki.

Yet nothing she tried let her regain control. Instead, her impatience gave Kazemori Masaki an opening. As he knocked her long blade aside, he kicked her in the abdomen.

Sora slammed into a tree, then fell to the ground, gasping in pain. Kazemori Masaki's blow had been tremendously powerful and precisely controlled, driving its force deep into her body. She felt as though she was about to vomit, her internal organs seemingly seized by spasms.

Kazemori Masaki let out a breath of relief. Their high-speed battle was over. His relief did not last long, however. He had judged that Sora should be unable to fight anymore, but she suddenly turned toward him, her hands already forming seals, and shouted, "Lightning Release: Lightning Strike!"

Blinding Lightning Flash gathered in an instant, filling Kazemori Masaki's vision with intense light. Twisting bolts closed in on him from every direction, and he hurriedly dodged aside. Fortunately, his sensory ability let him perceive every bolt clearly. Only a handful were impossible to evade, and he easily broke through those with his blade.

Watching Sora roll up from the ground and leap onto a distant tree, Kazemori Masaki said, "That's quite a surprise. I thought you'd run away right off."

"I can still fight. Why would I run?" However unwilling Sora was to accept it, she had to admit that she had lost to him in taijutsu. But ninja did not fight with taijutsu alone. She still had ninjutsu at her disposal.

"Really? Then show me your ninjutsu—that's what I'd like to say, but it's time for us to leave." Even as Kazemori Masaki spoke, he was already retreating.

Sora paused, then looked back and saw that her comrades had arrived. Faced with so many enemies, Kazemori Masaki and the others ought to withdraw and preserve their strength. By the time she turned back, he had already vanished.

"Sora, are you all right?" a Kumogakure ninja who had rushed over asked anxiously.

"I'm fine." Sora shook her head and touched her still-aching abdomen. Kazemori Masaki's strike had been truly formidable. Had she not hastily formed her Lightning Release Armor, she probably would not have been able to get up at all and could only have waited helplessly for death.

Seeing Sora's poor complexion and the movement of her hand, the Kumogakure ninja immediately realized she was not as unharmed as she claimed. "Rest for a while, Sora. We'll pursue those Konoha ninja. You should head back to the main force afterward."

With that, he beckoned to his subordinates and led them in pursuit of Kazemori Masaki and the others. Sora wanted to follow, but she knew taijutsu was vital when fighting in terrain like this. She no longer had the strength for it. Returning to the main force and coordinating her ninjutsu with the others was her best option.

With no other choice, Sora took the other wounded back to the main force. As she hurried back, she bit her lip hard. She had lost to that Konoha ninja again. This time, it had been no accident; he had beaten her fair and square. She made no excuses, accepting that her skills were inferior.

Sora resolved to review what she had learned from this battle once she returned. The next time she encountered that Konoha ninja, she would not lose again!

By the time Sora, Kazemori Masaki, and the others had each returned to their main forces, the battle had entered its final stage. Too much time had passed. No matter how many soldiers the Samurai Legion needed to assemble, they should have finished their preparations by now. In other words, the Kumogakure ninja's surprise attack had failed—at least along this route.

Hahn gathered the remaining Kumogakure ninja for one final assault, unleashing a barrage of Lightning Release Ninjutsu. Against the enemy's varied ninjutsu, however, it achieved little. They might have inflicted some losses, but without breaking through the defensive line, those meant nothing. When Hahn saw the Samurai Legion appear, he decided to retreat.

After Hyuga Qi reported that the Kumogakure ninja force had withdrawn, Senju Toka breathed a sigh of relief. Their delaying operation had succeeded. The enemy had lost its target, and the Samurai Legion had now assembled and secured the road. Unless the Kumogakure ninja wanted to suffer excessive losses, their only choice was to rejoin the other Kumogakure forces.

"Count yourselves fortunate, everyone. The enemy's plan has failed, and you've survived," Senju Toka told the surviving members of the Third Division. "But don't celebrate too soon. We'll rest briefly, then join up with the other divisions. A real battle will await us there. For now, get some rest."

(End of chapter)