The scroll Neji pulled out was a disposable healing scroll recently developed by Tsunade, combining the principles of Fūinjutsu and Medical Ninjutsu.
Once activated, it functioned like a single-use healing technique. Its creation greatly increased the survival rate of shinobi in combat.
Tsunade had designed it at Naruto's request, but the cost of production remained high. Due to technical limitations, the scrolls could not yet be mass-produced across the Umbrella organization.
At present, only a few hundred existed. If the cost and technical barriers could be overcome, their usage could eventually spread throughout the entire force.
C took in the situation before him and realized their mission had failed. There was nothing left but to retreat and report back to the Raikage.
He exchanged glances with his remaining comrades, then suddenly raised his sword.
A violent surge of lightning chakra erupted from his body. He was about to unleash his ultimate technique.
"Lightning Sword Secret Art — Heavenly Net, Earthly Trap!"
As he roared, arcs of lightning danced across the clouds, forming a web that descended like a divine punishment.
Bolts of pure thunder rained down in a relentless storm.
Sasuke and Neji instantly grew serious.
Sasuke used the Substitution Technique to evade the first strike, but the following blasts were too fast and came from every direction.
Clicking his tongue, Sasuke flicked a coin into the air.
In an instant, a thunderbolt struck it with explosive force — the flash blinding — and much of C's lightning net dissipated in the backlash.
Beside him, Neji continuously unleashed Eight Trigrams: Empty Palm, deflecting and dispersing the falling lightning with precise bursts of chakra.
C's eyes widened in disbelief. That technique had consumed an enormous amount of chakra — its destructive potential was supposed to be overwhelming — and yet, Sasuke had neutralized it with ease.
"How…?" he muttered.
A split second later, another bolt of lightning struck near his position.
In the distance, Yakumo Kurama's drawing board shimmered with light — and as her painted landscape shifted, a nearby mountain collapsed in on itself.
Rumble!!!
The deafening roar of crumbling stone filled the air. C watched in horror as the cliffside beside him gave way.
Sasuke and Neji both turned to Yakumo in shock.
Her once rosy complexion had turned pale, her breathing shallow.
Yakumo had clearly overexerted herself. She had wanted to test the limits of her illusionary creation — the greater her influence over the real world, the more chakra and mental energy it demanded.
Her current range was massive. Even Sasuke and Neji were caught within its reach.
The remaining Kumogakure shinobi stared in dread. They were ninja — trained and hardened — but before a cataclysm like this, their strength seemed meaningless.
Tons of rock and debris rained down from above.
Sasuke and Neji immediately abandoned their pursuit and dashed toward Yakumo.
Lifting her between them, they took to the skies.
From above, the destruction looked apocalyptic.
Enormous boulders rolled and crashed down upon the Kumogakure squad below, painting the battlefield in blood. Even those who tried to destroy the rocks with Ninjutsu were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer force of an entire mountain collapsing behind them.
Moments later, the area fell silent — buried under a sea of rubble.
Yakumo, held in Sasuke's arms, looked weak and pale — almost completely drained. She had known Sasuke and Neji could fly, and that had given her the idea for the illusion, but she hadn't expected it to consume nearly all her chakra and mental energy.
The entire road ahead was now buried beneath stone.
Sasuke and Neji exchanged glances, both a little stunned. None of them had expected Yakumo to annihilate the remaining enemies in one stroke.
Especially since the leader of the Kumogakure team had been no ordinary opponent — even Sasuke had to acknowledge his strength, particularly that last lightning technique.
"Alright," Sasuke said finally, exhaling. "Let's head back."
Their mission had been a success.
They had also confirmed Yakumo's limits. Below Kage-level, she was virtually unstoppable — but she required time and protection from her fellow shinobi to perform.
She was like a battlefield sorceress — devastating, but only when given the chance to prepare her technique.
The team departed, unaware that beneath the rubble, a hand suddenly broke through the cracked stone.
With a groan and the shifting of rocks, C dragged himself out of the debris — battered, but alive.
C no longer had the pride and confidence he'd possessed when he first arrived. His clothes were tattered and soaked in blood, making him look more like a beggar than a jōnin of Kumogakure.
"Cough… cough…"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, grimacing. If he hadn't used his Lightning Release to protect himself at the last moment, he wouldn't have survived the mountain collapse at all.
"I need to… report back to Raikage-sama," he muttered through clenched teeth. "The power of the Umbrella… isn't something simple."
After this encounter, C understood one thing clearly — the Umbrella's strength was far beyond what he had imagined.
Just three young shinobi — Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Neji, and the Kurama clan girl, Yakumo — had annihilated his entire squad.
Each of them possessed terrifying techniques: high-level Ninjutsu, flight through unknown means, and that girl's Kekkei Genkai — a Genjutsu that could alter the very environment itself.
Even if luck and terrain had been on their side, C knew that in battle, luck was also a form of strength.
Dragging his battered body forward, he estimated that several of his internal organs had been injured. Still, he forced himself onward, step by step, until he finally returned to Kumogakure.
When the Raikage received the report that C's entire squad had been wiped out, his reaction was explosive.
"What?!"
His palm slammed down on the desk, shattering it into splinters. The heavy table flipped over, slamming against the wall.
"Not only did you fail to bring back intelligence, but your entire unit was destroyed by three brats? Useless!"
C bowed deeply, blood still staining his lips. "I apologize, Raikage-sama… I was too arrogant."
His voice carried both shame and fear. He had underestimated Sasuke and his team — and now, his comrades had paid the price.
Mabui, standing silently to the side, listened intently to the report. While the Raikage raged, she quickly pieced together the full picture.
From C's description, it was clear that their defeat wasn't merely due to incompetence. It was a lack of intelligence. They hadn't anticipated Uchiha Sasuke's current strength, nor the Kurama girl's terrifying abilities.
That Bloodline Limit of hers — manipulating the five senses and even reshaping the battlefield — had turned the entire fight upside down.
Had it been only Sasuke and Neji, C's squad could have dragged the battle out, exhausting their chakra reserves through attrition. But Yakumo's Genjutsu had turned the terrain itself into a weapon.
Even Sasuke's lightning could not compare to the scale of her illusion.
Meanwhile, Naruto, who had assigned the mission, had not been overly worried about the team's safety. After all, both Sasuke and Neji possessed flight-capable techniques; their escape was all but guaranteed if things went wrong.
"Big Brother!"
The voice of Killer Bee cut through the tense atmosphere. His eyes burned with fury.
"This is unforgivable! Let me avenge our fallen brothers!"
The Raikage clenched his fists, veins bulging across his arms. "Damn it… This time, I'll act personally!"
His chakra flared violently, lightning sparking across his body. The room trembled from the sheer pressure of his killing intent.
"Raikage-sama," Mabui said quickly, stepping forward. Her tone was calm but firm — the voice of reason amid his fury. "Please don't be impulsive. We still don't fully understand their strength. A rash move could put Kumogakure at a disadvantage. And more importantly—" she paused, meeting his eyes, "we don't know if Konoha is secretly supporting the Umbrella."
Her words cut through the tension like a blade.
The Raikage's breathing slowed slightly, though his anger still burned hot.
"Say no more," he growled. "With Bee by my side, we'll remind them of what true power means. Some people seem to have forgotten the terror of our A–B Combination!"
Though fury still clouded his judgment, the Raikage's reason hadn't been completely consumed. Beneath the rage, calculation still stirred — the mark of a true leader.
...
TN:
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