As soon as the first crack appeared on the ice at the Arakawa ferry crossing in the Land of the Moon, Senju Tenpuku's Azure Dragon Army was already planted on the south bank.
The 30,000 Azure Dragon Army stood in formation like a wall. The first row of powerful ninjas wore black armor covered by scarlet cloaks, forming a burning iron curtain in the biting cold wind. The shield bearers at the very front slammed their twelve-foot-wide rune shields heavily on the ground. As the ice trembled, the "fire" totem on the shield surface glowed red—that was the Wood Release enhancement bestowed by the Hokage, capable of withstanding the Raikage's lightning strikes.
"Report! The Raikage has led his personal guards to the north bank!"
Before the messenger could finish speaking, Tenpuku heard the thunderous sound of hooves coming from the opposite bank. Looking up, he saw the Third Raikage A, his body crackling with lightning as he strode across the ice. Behind him, three hundred Lightning Release ninjas left trails of blue-purple arcs of electricity wherever their feet touched the ice. This " Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf of the Land of Lightning " was clad in scale-like Lightning Armor, and his bare forearms were covered with lightning-shaped runes. With each step he took, Spiderweb -like cracks appeared on the ice.
" Senju Tenpuku!" Ai's voice was like a piece of iron smashing on ice. "Are you bringing ten thousand troops here to die? My Land of Lightning has fifty thousand soldiers!"
Tenpuku pressed his hand to the Crimson Sky Sword at his waist, the newly engraved Tsubasa runes on the scabbard gleaming faintly in the sunlight. " Lord Raikage, you misunderstand. With the year drawing to a close, I feared your country might lack New Year's goods, so I've come to deliver several cartloads of cured meat from the Land of Fire." Suddenly, the Azure Dragon Army behind him erupted in laughter, someone shouting at the top of their lungs, "Enough cured meat! We're just worried you might not have good teeth!"
Ai's Lightning Armor suddenly erupted with a blinding light, and the ice beneath his feet cracked open with a three-foot-wide fissure. "Enough nonsense! If you want to fight, then fight; if you want to retreat, then retreat! Don't be like your so-called ' God of Shinobi,' always putting on a show!"
The ice on both sides of the Arakawa had been trampled into shattered pieces by the two armies.
Senju Tenpuku leaped to the middle of the river, Crimson Sky Sword was drawn three inches from its sheath, its cold light piercing through the dark clouds. The Third Raikage A, followed closely behind. The Raikage roared, and a pillar of lightning ten feet high rose from the ice beneath his feet. Ten thousand Azure Dragon Army and Lightning Release ninjas on the shore held their breath, with only the waters of the Arakawa surging among the broken ice, as if providing accompaniment for the duel.
"Take this!" Ai struck first, his Lightning Armor transforming into a storm that swept in, his right fist crackling with purple lightning as he aimed straight for Senju Tenpuku's face. Senju Tenpuku neither dodged nor evaded, his Crimson Sky Sword slashing horizontally, the Wood Release on the sword colliding with the lightning, unleashing a blinding golden light. A thick fog instantly rose from the ice surface, and when the fog dissipated, the two had already fought on the rocky beach a hundred meters away.
Ai's Lightning Release Nintaijutsu lived up to its reputation; each punch carried the force of a landslide, shattering rocks into dust wherever the wind blew. Tenpuku, however, moved with the agility of a fish, his Crimson Sky Sword dancing like a curtain of light, deflecting all of the Raikage's attacks. The two fought from midday until dusk; the Raikage's Lightning Armor gradually dimmed, and Tenpuku's cloak was torn to shreds, yet neither gained the upper hand.
"Take this! Lightning Release: One-Finger Nukite!" Ai roared, his entire right arm suddenly expanding to three times its original size, the lightning crackling around it moving like a living thing. Tenpuku's pupils shrank, and he swung his sword, unleashing a crescent-shaped sword aura—this was the Crimson Sky Sword's innate skill, " Sky-Splitting Slash "! The Setsuna the sword aura collided with the Kirin Arm, the entire Arakawa Gorge trembled, and startled water birds flapped their wings as they swept across the blood-red setting sun.
As dusk settled, the two had retreated back to the frozen surface of the river.
Ai knelt on one knee, his Lightning Armor tattered and blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Tenpuku leaned on the Crimson Sky Sword, his undergarment soaked with cold sweat, and several deep lightning burn marks appeared on the blade. The soldiers on both sides of the river were dumbfounded; no one had expected this duel to last from day to night.
"Phew... that was exhilarating!" Ai suddenly laughed, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. " The Blood Sword Killing God of the Senju Clan, you are the first person who can fight me for a full ten hours."
Tenpuku, panting heavily, reached down and tore off his tattered cloak. " Lord Raikage's Lightning Release is indeed unparalleled. If it weren't for this sword..." He lightly patted the Crimson Sky Sword, and the runes inscribed with the Hokage on the blade glowed faintly again, "I'm afraid I would have been smashed into mincemeat by you long ago."
Ai stared at the sword, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He knew, of course, that the Crimson Sky Sword was forged from Chakra Metal Mother Metal and was priceless, sharp and sturdy, specifically designed to Lightning Release Chakra Mode. If it weren't for this sword, even if Senju Tenpuku was incredibly powerful, he would never have been able to fight him to a draw. But for some reason, looking at Tenpuku's sweat-drenched face, he felt no longer the initial anger he had felt.
"Let's retreat." Ai stood up and waved to the north bank. "It's almost New Year's; let the brothers go home and have a hot meal."
Tenpuku raised an eyebrow. " Lord Raikage, you don't plan to fight anymore?"
"Fight my ass!" Ai spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "Fighting any longer will only increase casualties, and I'm starving." He turned and walked towards the ice, then suddenly turned back and grinned. "But Senju Tenpuku, if I ever see that sword of yours again... I'll break it in half!"
The winter snow in the Land of Lightning arrived unusually quickly, yet Ai's command tent was sweltering with heat.
"What utter bullshit draw!" Raikage slammed his wine bowl on the table. "That guy only managed a draw with me because of that crappy sword! If it were a real fight..."
"My lord, please calm down." Lieutenant Rashi carefully handed over a hot towel. "Besides, our Land of Lightning's food supplies are only enough to last until the fifteenth of the first lunar month. If a war really breaks out..."
"I know!" Ai irritably ripped off his Lightning Armor, revealing his scarred chest. "Those shrewd people from the Land of Fire guard the border granaries like an iron barrel. Even if we win, we won't be able to steal a single grain of rice..." He suddenly remembered the look in Tenpuku's eyes during the battle that day—it wasn't fighting spirit, but some indescribable weariness, just like the look in his eyes when he looked at the frozen and starving people of the Land of Lightning after each battle.
A patrolling ninja's voice came from outside the tent. "At three-quarters past the hour of Wu (戊时), the snow is heavy and the roads are slippery—" Ai took out his gourd and took a swig. The liquor flowed down his chin and into his scar, stinging painfully. He remembered what the Azure Dragon Army soldiers had shouted at them when they retreated this morning, " Lord Raikage! Want some cured meat? Our Konoha stoves are so warm!" He had been so angry at the time that he wanted to curse them, but now he suddenly felt that the smiles on the faces of those soldiers wearing rune-embroidered cotton coats were brighter than the sun in the Land of Lightning.
"Sir, it's time for your medicine." The army doctor came in with a bowl of medicine. "Your aftereffects from the Lightning Release technique... can't be delayed any longer."
Ai waved his hand, staring blankly at the snowstorm outside the tent. In the distance, he could faintly hear the sound of firecrackers coming from the direction of the Konoha military camp. He suddenly remembered his mother steaming rice cakes in front of the stove at home. Although the Land of Lightning was poor, they would never let anyone starve to death in the dead of winter. He touched the ninja tool pouch at his waist, which contained half a hard, black flatbread. This was the ration of the Land of Lightning.
"Pass down the order," he suddenly said. "After spring begins, send envoys to Konoha to buy grain. If money is insufficient, exchange it for thunderstone ore."
The lieutenant's eyes widened. " Lord Raikage! But—"
"Change it!" Ai roared, "It's better than letting the kids eat ice chips!" He stood up, stepped out of the tent, and let the snowflakes fall on his burning skin. In the distance, the ice of the Arakawa was covered by heavy snow, showing no trace of the daytime battle. He looked at the lights in the direction of Konoha and suddenly remembered the gesture of Senju Tenpuku when he sheathed his sword—it was not the posture of a victor, but like putting away an old friend.
The snow fell heavier and heavier. Ai pulled out a lightning-attribute ore from his pocket, a specialty of the Land of Lightning imbued with the power of lightning. He gripped the stone tightly and suddenly smiled—perhaps, after this winter, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire could truly find a way to coexist, like ice and water in the Arakawa?
A sigh came from inside the tent, but Ai brushed the snow off his backside and strode towards the central command tent. He had decided that tomorrow he would write a letter to Senju Tenpuku, beginning with. " Blood Sword Killing God, I've heard that your Senju Clan has incredibly strong physical bodies. Next time we fight, I won't use my Lightning Release, and you shouldn't use that broken sword either. Let's just fight purely on the physical..."
Snowflakes rustled against the tent flaps, and Ai suddenly felt that this snowy night, which was destined to be sleepless, didn't seem so cold anymore.