chapter 15:Fire and Thunder

We arrived at the base. Some looked at me with curiosity, others with pity because of how young I was. But I kept my gaze forward, ignoring the murmurs. It wasn't the first time I had been judged before being seen in combat.

Sakumo stepped forward and spoke with his firm voice:

"Well, many of you already know Arata Uchiha for what he has done this past month. Now, let's get to what matters. We have comrades fighting at this very moment, and we can't waste any more time. We'll reinforce the plan, and this time, Arata and I will be on the front lines. Don't underestimate the kid."

A tense silence filled the room. I noticed some exchanged glances, skepticism on some faces. I felt my blood boil. How many more times would I have to prove my worth?

"We'll divide the offensive into three fronts," Sakumo continued, unfolding a map on the table. "The enemy has set up barriers at the main entrances to the camp. They're shinobi from Kumo, which means they'll be using ambush tactics and lightning-fast combat. If we give them even the slightest breather, they'll counterattack without hesitation."

One of the jonin frowned and pointed at a spot on the map.

"If they've reinforced the entrances, it means they're expecting us there. Do you want us to attack head-on?"

"Not exactly," I replied before Sakumo could speak. I felt several eyes on me, but I remained calm. "The frontal attack will be a distraction. The real strike will come from the east flank, right here."

Some blinked, surprised by the confidence in my voice. I didn't stop.

I ran a finger over a wooded area near the enemy camp.

"Kumo relies on their speed, but that makes them vulnerable in tight terrain. If we force them to fight in confined spaces, their advantage disappears."

"And by the time they realize the trap," Sakumo added with a slight smile, "we'll have already cut off their escape routes."

I noticed some of the shinobi nodding in approval. Others remained skeptical, but that no longer mattered.

""See you in 15 minutes."" Sakumo ordered.

I crossed my arms and looked at those who still doubted. I looked at them one by one and spoke with the same authority I had used to lead armies in my past life.

"I don't need you to trust me," I said firmly. "Just watch."

The meeting ended, and the air was thick with tension. I didn't care. My chance had come.

This time, there would be no doubt about what I could do.

The sky was heavy with dark clouds as we set out. The humidity in the air made every breath feel heavy, as if the approaching storm was already enveloping us. My muscles were tense, not from fear, but from the need to take action.

Sakumo and I led the offensive. The formation was precise, almost perfect. Every step brought us closer to the inevitable clash with the shinobi of Kumo, warriors known for their speed, brutality, and relentless determination in combat.

When we finally approached the enemy camp, stealth became impossible. A flash in the distance alerted me just before a barrage of lightning fell from the sky.

"Ambush!" shouted a jonin behind me.

I had already seen it coming. I jumped to the side and, with a quick spin, formed a hand seal. A wall of flames erupted from the ground, intercepting the lightning that tried to split us in two. The explosion illuminated the area, revealing the figures of Kumo ninjas slipping through the shadows, swift as specters of the storm.

Sakumo didn't flinch. He disappeared in a blink, and when he reappeared, blood gushed from an enemy's throat. His kunai gleamed under the lightning, dripping crimson.

"Hold the formation!" he ordered firmly.

The Kumo shinobi weren't about to fall behind. A war cry tore through the air as several of them charged, enveloped in crackling electric sparks. One of them, larger and faster than the rest, appeared in front of me with a lightning spear in hand.

"Meddling brat!" he growled as he lunged.

My Sharingan spun, capturing every movement. An instant before impact, I leaned back and let the spear graze my cheek, feeling the electricity burn my skin. Before he could turn, I wrapped my fist in flames using a brief Kamino no Fuga and drove it into his stomach with all my strength.

The sound of flesh and bone giving way was drowned out by his scream. The explosion of fire consumed his torso, sending him flying like a ragdoll. His body slammed into a tree, leaving a charred mark on the bark before collapsing.

There was no time to celebrate. Another enemy dropped on me from above, a flashing blade ready to split me in two. I raised a chakra barrier at the last second, but the force of the impact drove me into the ground.

"Arata!" Sakumo appeared beside me in a flash of silver. His kunai pierced the attacker's collarbone, and a guttural scream escaped the man before Sakumo slit his throat with a clean motion.

I jumped back into action. More Kumo shinobi surrounded us, their eyes blazing with fury and the confidence that they still outnumbered us.

"Surrender now, and we'll grant you a quick death!" one of them shouted, a tall man with white hair, dark armor, and lightning dancing in his hands.

I spat to the side, wiping blood from the corner of my mouth.

"Is that all you've got?"

Sakumo smiled faintly beside me.

"Let's show them what it means to fight Konoha."

The Kumo shinobi roared in rage and charged.

What followed was pure chaos.

I moved among them like a shadow, my Sharingan seeing every attack before they executed it. I dodged by millimeters, every lightning strike passing inches from my skin, while my kunai found soft flesh between their ribs.

Beside me, Sakumo was a storm of death. His silver chakra gleamed like the moon in the midst of battle, and every time his blade cut through the air, a body fell with a slit throat or a pierced chest.

One of the Kumo jonin tried to catch him off guard with a point-blank ninjutsu.

"Die, White Fang!"

But Sakumo twisted his kunai with inhuman precision, deflecting the lightning at the last second. Before his attacker could react, Sakumo's hand pierced his chest like a spear, drawing a gush of hot blood.

As the body fell, I felt a chill.

One of them hadn't made their move yet.

A leader.

My eyes found him across the battlefield.

Tall, muscular, with a scar on his face and an aura of chakra so intense the ground beneath his feet was cracked.

He was looking at me too.

And he smiled.

"So, this is the famous Uchiha," he said in a deep voice. "Let's see if you're really worth anything."

I didn't respond with words. He simply appeared in front of me in a flash of pure speed.

My eyes caught him, but my body barely reacted.

The first blow sent me flying as if I'd been struck by thunder. My body broke through several tree trunks before crashing into the ground, leaving a crater around me.

Pain shot through my bones, but I ignored it.

Because this was just the beginning.

I smiled, spat blood, and stood up.

"Your mistake was not killing me with that hit."

My body ached, blood ran down my forehead and mixed with the rain that had started to fall, but none of that mattered.

My crimson eyes flashed, capturing every movement of the enemy in front of me. The Kumo shinobi leader smiled, baring his teeth like a wolf finding worthy prey.

"You didn't die right away. I like that."

I didn't respond. My mind was cold, my breathing controlled. There was no room for distraction.

Then he moved.

Lightning exploded under his feet, propelling him like a projectile. Before I could blink, he was on me. His electrified fist descended like a hammer, aiming to crush me.

But I had already seen the attack before he even executed it.

I twisted at the last instant, his punch tore through the ground where I had been, and the explosion of lightning sent debris flying in all directions. Before he could reposition, my hand was already on his chest.

"Wind Vortex!"

The air collapsed into a whirlwind of pure pressure, sucking him into a spiral of invisible blades. The Kumo shinobi grunted, trying to resist, but the vortex dragged him, cutting his skin in dozens of places.

Then I saw him forming hand seals amidst the chaos.

"Water Style: Water Gun!"

A compressed jet of water burst from his mouth with the force of a cannon, piercing through my technique and slamming into my abdomen. I felt the impact shatter my balance as I was thrown backward.

I rolled across the ground but stood up immediately, panting.

"Interesting." The Kumo shinobi shook off the blood from the superficial cuts. "Not bad, kid. But you still don't understand what it means to fight a true lightning user."

Before I could move, his hand rose to the sky.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Rat Strike!"

A crackling electric charge filled the air, and in an instant, dozens of small lightning bolts took shape around his body, resembling mice made of pure electricity. In a blink, they all shot toward me.

I jumped back, but the bolts split and surrounded me. They moved erratically, impossible to predict.

"Damn it!"

There was no choice.

"Fire Style: Ash Cloud Blaze!"

I exhaled a cloud of flammable ash and ignited it with a simple chakra snap. The explosion roared like an unleashed dragon, consuming the electric projectiles. However, I had no time to react when a shadow appeared through the smoke.

A kick wrapped in electricity struck my side.

The pain was like being stabbed by a thousand needles at once. My body was sent crashing into a tree, breaking it in half from the force of the impact.

I spat blood.

"He's fast..."

"Come on, Uchiha. Don't tell me that's all you've got."

I forced myself to stand.

And I smiled.

"Now I'm having fun."

My chakra surged. Fire danced around my hands, forming a bow of flames.

"Kamino Fuga!"

I shot the arrow of fire.

The Kumo shinobi tried to dodge, but it exploded before he could fully move. The shockwave was brutal. The ground shook, and a curtain of flames enveloped everything.

I didn't wait to see if he had survived.

I ran straight into the flames.

My Sharingan saw his silhouette through the fire.

And I attacked.

My kunai clashed against his lightning-wrapped kunai. Every impact created sparks, every strike was fierce and lethal. We moved like specters, slipping through the smoke and chaos.

Then, a second presence appeared.

Sakumo.

His glowing white sword cut through the air with the speed of a falling lightning bolt. The Kumo shinobi barely had time to raise his arms in defense before Sakumo's blade descended on him.

The explosion of silver chakra sent our enemy flying several meters back. He crashed into the ground, his armor scorched and his breathing ragged.

Sakumo gave him no respite.

"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"

A spinning kick caught him in the chest. A crack echoed. The Kumo shinobi spat blood as he was sent flying again.

But when he hit the ground, he wasn't alone.

More Kumo shinobi appeared around him.

One of them formed hand seals in an instant.

"Earth Style: Mud Wolf!"

The ground trembled, and wolves made of hardened mud emerged from the earth. Their eyes glowed with chakra, their jaws open to tear apart anything in their path.

Another shinobi raised his hands.

"Lightning Combo: Thunder Bomb!"

A sphere of lightning formed in his palm.

Sakumo and I braced ourselves.

This was just the beginning.

And the true massacre hadn't even started yet.