chapter 17:Fangs in the Tempest

The lightning danced around him, embracing him like a storm god. His black metal armor reflected the flickering light of the lightning bolts, and on his back, a blue-edged sword gleamed with overwhelming power. Raijin no Ken.

My senses were on high alert. I could feel Goro's life force burning like a sun. His chakra wasn't normal; this wasn't just a shinobi from Kumo, but a beast chained to a human form.

Sakumo, by my side, firmly gripped the White Light Sword. His gaze remained unyielding, but the weight of the battle fought so far was reflected in his wounds. His left arm bled slowly, staining his glove with a deep red.

"Arata," he murmured without taking his eyes off his opponent. "No matter what happens, keep up with my rhythm."

I swallowed and nodded. The pressure was overwhelming. But if anyone could match Raijin no Goro, it was Sakumo Hatake and me, the White Fang of Konoha and me, with the Mangekyo.

The battle began without a word.

Raijin no Goro vanished in a flash. Instant movement! My Sharingan barely caught the fraction of a second in which his silhouette faded into a trail of lightning.

"Watch out!" I shouted.

BOOM.

Sakumo had already moved. The impact shattered the ground where he had been standing into a thousand pieces. Goro's fist, wrapped in lightning, pierced the rock with an explosion of blue sparks. The speed was superhuman. If Sakumo hadn't reacted at the right moment, he would already be dead.

"Fast..." I whispered, feeling my skin crawl.

But Sakumo was also a monster.

The White Light Sword descended in a lightning arc, leaving a glow of chakra that lit up the night like its own lightning bolt. Raijin no Goro turned in time, blocking the strike with Raijin no Ken. The clash unleashed a shockwave that split the nearby trees.

Sakumo smiled.

"Not bad," he repeated mockingly.

Raijin no Goro growled and jumped back. His eyes shone with murderous fury.

"Let's see how long that smile lasts."

The sky roared.

In an instant, Goro raised his hand and summoned a whirlwind of lightning above us.

"Raiton: Rairyū no Tatsumaki!"

Out of nowhere, an electric dragon emerged from the whirlwind, snaking with impossible speed. Its jaws glowed with the power of a thousand storms.

There was no time to dodge.

"Wind Vortex!"

My chakra exploded. The air around me compressed into a spinning spiral and drew Goro's attack like a black hole. The dragon writhed, trapped in the force of my technique.

But it wasn't enough. I felt my skin burn as the electricity forced its way through the vortex.

Sakumo took advantage of the distraction.

"Konoha no Ken."

A flurry of white slashes cut through the air. Goro raised his sword to block, but Sakumo was already behind him.

"Konoha Daisenpū!"

His leg spun like a typhoon and crashed into Goro's head.

The sound of the impact was like the roar of thunder.

Raijin no Goro was sent flying like a projectile, crashing through several trees before slamming into a rock. The ground cracked around him.

I breathed heavily. The battle had just begun, but the level of power was unreal. Every clash could mean death.

The dust cleared.

And Goro was smiling.

He stood up, his face bloodied from the impact. But his chakra hadn't diminished in the slightest.

"That hurt, Hatake... but it's not enough."

The air charged again with electricity. His body glowed with a blinding light.

"Nazuma Senkō!"

I couldn't see anything.

Goro's speed broke the barrier of perception.

And then I felt the edge of his sword piercing my side.

Indescribable pain exploded in my body. Blood gushed like a fountain, soaking my clothes and the ground.

My legs gave way.

"Arata!" Sakumo lunged toward me, but Goro was already there.

An electric punch sank into his abdomen.

Sakumo flew, spitting blood as his body was thrown more than ten meters.

The fight had turned into a nightmare.

Raijin no Goro looked at us, satisfied.

"Konoha... today is your last day."

And then, he unleashed his true power.

My skin tingled with static, and the throbbing pain in my side threatened to cloud my senses. Warm blood slid down my side, soaking my clothes. The wound was deep but not fatal.

Sakumo got up with a grunt. His eyes, usually calm, were now embers ignited by contained fury. The White Fang of Konoha wouldn't fall so easily.

Raijin no Goro stood still, his body illuminated by flashes of chakra. His confident smile was like that of a predator who had already decided his victory.

"If that's all you have, I'll finish you now."

Sakumo, who was by my side, looked at me.

"Arata..." His voice was grave but carried a spark of determination. "There's no room for mistakes."

I nodded, feeling the Sharingan burn in my eyes. My life force detection showed me the overwhelming presence of Goro, a black flame devouring everything around him.

"Then..." Goro's smile widened. "You'll die together!"

He disappeared.

A thunderclap tore through the air as his speed surpassed perception. Only my Sharingan could catch the dark flash that lunged at us like a murderous lightning bolt. But Sakumo was already moving.

The white blade met Raijin no Ken in a burst of sparks. The impact sent shockwaves that destroyed everything around them. Trees were split in two. The ground sank. My heart pounded in my chest.

"Konoha no Ken!" Sakumo roared.

A flurry of white slashes filled the air. Raijin no Goro retreated, blocking with impossible reflexes. His sword hissed with each slash, a tempest of steel and chakra. But then, he raised his other hand.

"Lightning Prison! (Raiton: Kaminari Shibari)"

A flash, and cages of black electricity materialized around us. The lines of chakra crackled, closing our mobility.

"Damn it!" I tried to move, but the prison responded to every attempt with painful shocks. My body tensed, the electricity coursing through every muscle.

Sakumo couldn't advance either. Goro smiled, with a sadistic glint in his eyes.

"It's over."

He formed seals in a blink.

"Raiton: Kage Bunshin!"

Two electric clones materialized. Their presence was as overwhelming as the original. They weren't harmless shadows but lethal duplicates.

"Let's have some fun."

The two clones lunged at us. There was no escape. Only one resource remained.

"Wind Vortex!"

The air compressed into a roaring spiral, absorbing the electricity within. The whirlwind grew, devouring the clones like leaves in a gale. Their chakra disintegrated as it was swallowed by my technique.

But the real Goro was already upon Sakumo.

A flash.

A spray of blood.

Raijin no Ken sank into Sakumo's shoulder, piercing through with a wet, repulsive sound.

"No!" I shouted, lunging forward.

Sakumo grunted in pain, but his response was brutal.

"Kōratsui!"

His chakra-wrapped fist crashed into Goro's jaw with a force that resonated like a cannon shot. Goro was thrown back but landed on his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"Not bad... but you're still bleeding."

Sakumo panted, but he hadn't fallen yet.

Neither had I.

"Kamino Fuga!"

Fire came to life in my hands, forming into a dancing arrow of flames. I shot it with all my strength, straight at Goro's heart. The arrow whistled, illuminating the forest with its incandescent glow.

Goro reacted instantly.

"Raikyū!"

A sphere of lightning burst from his palm, colliding with my attack. The explosion that followed was blinding. The ground exploded, raising a cloud of dust and ash.

My body burned. My side was still bleeding. But Goro...

His silhouette emerged from the smoke.

And he was smiling.

"Not bad... but it's still not enough."

The echo of the explosion still resonated as Sakumo stood up fully. His hand gripped the White Light Sword with contained fury, and the blood oozing from his shoulder didn't seem to matter in the slightest.

But what made me shudder wasn't his wound, nor the gleaming edge of his tanto. It was his expression.

His eyes, usually serene, were now abysses of pure rage. There was no trace of the composed man. Only the warrior remained. Only the killer.

Raijin no Goro, still wrapped in black electricity, smiled with the arrogance of a god who believed himself untouchable.

"I see rage in your eyes, Hatake. Do you finally understand that you can't win?"

Sakumo didn't respond.

He just disappeared.

It was instantaneous. There was no sound, no warning. Only the white glow of his sword cutting through the air in a flash impossible to follow.

Goro barely had time to raise his Raijin no Ken.

CLANG!

The clash was monstrous. An explosion of white chakra and black lightning destroyed the ground beneath them. The impact sent shards of rock in all directions. But what mattered was that Goro... retreated.

For the first time in the entire battle, he staggered.

Sakumo gave him no respite.

"KONOHA NO KEN!"

A flurry of white slashes rained down on Goro. His sword blocked desperately, but his defense crumbled under the ferocity of the blows. Each slash from Sakumo was faster, more precise, more lethal.

"Damn it...!" Goro growled, pushing himself back, trying to gain space.

But Sakumo was already behind him.

"KAGE BUYŌ!"

Like a shadow, his figure appeared above Goro, descending in a dive with his sword raised.

The black lightning burst around Goro as he released his chakra.

"Kuroi Kaminari!"

A pure lightning bolt erupted from his body, but Sakumo didn't stop.

The White Light Sword pierced through the storm.

And sank into Goro's side with a clean, brutal cut.

The scream that tore through the air wasn't human. It was a roar of agony, a curse directed at the heavens. Goro fell to his knees, his chakra exploding uncontrollably.

But Sakumo wasn't done.

"...You're strong," he whispered, his voice low, icy. "But not strong enough."

The White Fang disappeared again.

He reappeared above Goro, the light of his tanto shining like a star.

"KONOHA DAISENKŌ!"

The great lightning of the blade fell.

The cut was absolute. A single slash.

Raijin no Goro's body split diagonally, from his shoulder to his hip.

The black chakra crackled... and then disappeared.

An instant later, the upper half of his torso slid off the lower half.

Raijin no Goro fell in two pieces on the destroyed ground.

Sakumo landed softly, his sword still gleaming with his enemy's blood.

Silence.

I breathed heavily. My body trembled.

The monster of Kumo was dead.

Sakumo stared at the corpse for a second.

And then, without a word, he wiped the blood from his tanto and sheathed it.

The White Fang of Konoha had shown why he was feared.