Chapter 71: Team 10 vs Raiga Kurosuki

Chapter 71: Team 10 vs Raiga Kurosuki

The "Water Dragon Flame Flow" jutsu surged forward menacingly. The once-colorless water dragon was now tinged with red as it was infused with intense flames. Its speed increased, the fire scorching the water and creating steam that, in turn, amplified the dragon's size.

In less than two seconds, the water dragon visibly bulked up. Towering above, it unleashed a deafening roar and charged towards Raiga, who was speeding towards them.

"Raiga, watch out!" Ranmaru's childish voice squeaked a warning.

Raiga erupted in manic laughter, tears streaming down his face. "Look at the headbands! Leaf Village ninjas, eh? Don't worry, these guys haven't got the guts for a real fight!"

Kurotsuchi Raiga wielded the Mist Village's famed ninja blades, the Thunder Blades: Fangs!

The Thunder Blades were a pair. The left blade could draw in natural lightning, while the right one could unleash it.

Kurotsuchi Raiga was already a skilled Lightning Release ninja, fast and deadly. These blades simply amplified his strengths to the extreme.

Moving like lightning himself, and still cackling madly, Raiga raised his twin blades high. Lightning crackled at their tips, drawing in natural electricity which he then amplified with his own Lightning Release chakra. With a roar, he unleashed bolts of lightning thick as tree trunks, lashing out at the water dragon.

Lightning counters Earth, as Sasuke exploited against Deidara in another timeline, but there's no such advantage against Water or Fire.

The crackling lightning bolts slammed into the massive water dragon, repeatedly piercing through it. But Ino, having unleashed the Water Dragon Jutsu, hadn't broken her seal. Clinging desperately to the final 'Rooster' hand sign, she maintained control, guiding the water dragon relentlessly towards Raiga.

A controllable Water Dragon Jutsu? Raiga had never encountered anything like it.

His combat experience was vast. He didn't try to meet it head-on. Instead, using the lightning-manipulating power of his left Thunder Blade, he relaxed his stance, letting the electricity pull him aside.

"Choji!" Asuma bellowed.

"Human Bullet Tank Jutsu!" The next instant, Choji transformed into a massive, rolling ball of flesh, hurtling down the mountainside with incredible force, aimed directly at Raiga.

"What the hell is that?!" Raiga, who hadn't encountered the Akimichi clan during the previous Great Ninja War, was seeing this secret technique for the first time. Too late to dodge, he channeled lightning chakra into his twin blades and thrust them forward like spears at the oncoming Choji.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Ball!"

A ball of lightning the size of a grown man's head materialized at the tips of his blades, then slammed into Choji's rolling form.

The resulting explosion was deafening. Lightning blasted away a third of the cliff face, and the force of Choji's impact radiated outwards, spider-webbing cracks across the steep rock face.

Choji, knocked back out of his jutsu, was sent flying. But Ino's controlled water dragon struck Raiga from the side, sending the former Swordsman of the Mist spiraling into the air.

Kurotsuchi Raiga was no slouch. Faced with the sudden water dragon, he instinctively activated 'Ninja Art: Lightning Armor' to protect himself. But as soon as the lightning crackled to life, he realized his mistake and tried to retract it. Too late. Ranmaru, hidden in the hood behind him, was caught in the blast. A pained cry echoed, and a small figure, gender ambiguous, tumbled out of the black robes, swept away by the water in another direction.

"Ranmaru!" Kurotsuchi Raiga deactivated his Lightning Armor, now scorched and battered by the flames of the water dragon. Ignoring his own injuries, he twisted, ready to snatch back the unconscious Ranmaru.

"Dream on, Raiga! Choji!" Ino yelled again. Choji, still reeling from the lightning blast, gritted his teeth, spread his arms, and caught Ranmaru as he was swept towards him by the current.

"Choji! Run! Don't stop! Remember, with great power comes great responsibility!"

Encouraged by Ino's words, Choji took off like a delighted boar, clutching the unconscious Ranmaru and charging into the forest.

"My Ranmaru! Give him back!" Kurotsuchi Raiga was going ballistic. He tried to give chase, but Asuma was a relentless obstacle, giving him no chance to break free.

In the blink of an eye, Asuma's chakra blades had slashed across his back, shoulder, and arm, leaving three deep wounds. Luckily, Raiga reactivated his Lightning Armor, mitigating some of the damage while also boosting his speed.

Ino continued to unleash high-level Water Release jutsu, keeping Raiga pinned down, while the cliff face beneath their feet rapidly crumbled, transforming the area into a churning lake.

"Leaf Village ninjas... you think I'm scared of you?!"

"Ugh! Do you Leaf Village ninjas just love sticking your noses where they don't belong?!"

"I'd just love to throw you all a spectacular funeral!—!"

Driven mad by the need to save Ranmaru, Kurotsuchi Raiga fought with reckless abandon, often abandoning defense entirely, willing to trade blows.

Luckily, his opponent was Asuma.

Asuma excelled in taijutsu and was plenty fast himself. Crucially, his chakra nature was Fire and Wind – and Wind countered Lightning.

He repeatedly unleashed Wind Release jutsu, tearing through Raiga's lightning storms and significantly slowing his pursuit of Choji.

Meanwhile, Raiga's seven subordinates were closing in. They skirted the forest and raced along the riverbank, but as they ran, they sensed something was off. Where had this thick fog come from? It was getting denser by the second, visibility plummeting.

A voice, androgynous and eerie, drifted from the fog: "Throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, collarbone, kidneys, heart... Hmm, which vital point shall I target, do you think?"

One of the black-clad figures gasped, nervously glancing around. "...Z-Zabuza-sama?"

Ino's shadow clone, using its sensory abilities, pinpointed their locations within the fog.

The dense fog hampered both sides, but with sensory skills, faint traces could still be detected.

The shadow clone relayed the locations to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru used the Nara clan's Secret Technique: Shadow Imitation Jutsu, seizing control of all seven bodies. Ino's shadow clone darted forward, one punch each, knocking them all unconscious before quickly tying them up and tossing them aside.

With Kurotsuchi Raiga separated from Ranmaru, Ino's sensory range could encompass the entire battlefield once more. Her shadow clone swiftly gathered intel from the other fight.

"Plan B3 is in motion. Choji's heading towards nine o'clock. Asuma-sensei is on the offensive, and my main body is playing support. The enemy is wounded, but stronger than we anticipated," Shadow Clone Ino summarized the situation concisely.

Shikamaru nodded slightly. Stronger than expected, but things were still under control.

"Alright, let's set up an ambush at ten o'clock."

"Mm."

Ino's main body sensed that Shikamaru had dealt with the subordinates and was heading towards ten o'clock. She contacted Asuma, who was still relentlessly wearing down Kurotsuchi Raiga, and then sprinted towards Choji. "Hand over the kid!"

Choji, chased relentlessly by Raiga, was drenched in sweat, his round face flushed. "I can keep going! I can keep going!"

"We're a team! Give him to me!"

Under Ino's insistent demand, Choji gently tossed the unconscious Ranmaru to her.

Ranmaru had rosy lips and pearly white teeth, and even injured, exuded a delicate vulnerability. Ino glanced at him. So cute. Definitely a boy.

Slinging Ranmaru over her shoulder, she waved tauntingly at the distant Kurotsuchi Raiga, then used the Water Body Flicker Jutsu, utilizing the surrounding water to vanish and reappear, speeding towards ten o'clock.

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