[You picked up 100 points of Fire Release talent]
[You picked up 100 points of Fire Release talent]
[You picked up 80 points of Water Release talent]
[You picked up 100 Chakra points]
[You picked up 200 Chakra points]
[You picked up Ninjutsu: Fire Release — Great Flame Bomb]
[You gained 1000 XP in Fire Release — Great Flame Bomb. Current Level: Lv2 (0/1000)]
[You gained 200 XP in Water Release — Water Wall]
[You picked up 100 points of Fire Release talent]
[You picked up 50 points of Water Release talent]
Dozens of brilliant golden lights shimmered toward him through the trees.
Tatsuya, hidden in the shadows, smiled calmly under his Anbu mask.
Now this… this is what I call a harvest.
Chakra points? Fire and Water Release talent?
Even a fully-formed jutsu?
He was reaping like a Kage-level farmer at harvest time.
BOOM—!
A series of detonations rang out from the enemy's hidden formation as Jiraiya's flame jutsu ignited several explosive tags, lighting up the forest in flashes of orange and smoke.
"Watch out!"
"The enemy's charging in!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke's voice cut through the chaos.
Whirr—whirr—whirr!
Dozens of shuriken sliced through the sunbeams, aimed precisely at the Konoha forces.
"Earth Release — Earth Wall!"
With a sharp clap to the ground, a wall of stone burst up in front of Sarutobi Shinnosuke, catching the incoming projectiles and splintering them across its rugged surface.
In the next instant, Anbu operatives surged outward, fanning through the forest to engage.
Twelve-on-nine. Konoha had the numbers.
Tatsuya narrowed his eyes, watching from his hidden position.
Standard strategy: isolate and disrupt. Turn the skirmish into one-on-ones before the enemy's Kage-level backup can get involved.
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Byakugan?!"
The Hyuga Jōnin from the 8th Squad stepped forward, fury burning in his veins.
Across the field stood a sharp-eyed man with a Kirigakure headband — the infamous Ao.
"You dare show your face in the Land of Fire, traitor?" the Hyuga growled. "Today, you pay for desecrating the Hyuga clan!"
Without hesitation, the Hyuga ninja activated his Byakugan and lunged forward.
Gentle Fist. Vacuum Palm.
Their chakra systems collided before either could blink.
Tatsuya, still in the shadows, chuckled. "So it really was Ao. No wonder he set the Hyuga off."
Around him, the clearing exploded into motion. Konoha's Anbu and the enemy Jōnin crashed together, high-speed strikes, genjutsu counters, and elemental jutsu flashing in every direction.
Meanwhile, high above in the trees—
Jiraiya stood face to face with the enemy Kage-level presence.
He frowned.
"Ai…"
The man before him was massive — towering, muscular, dark-skinned, wrapped in a crackling shroud of blue lightning.
"Fourth Raikage," Jiraiya muttered.
"So it's you."
The Raikage folded his arms, lightning flickering at his elbows. "Jiraiya the Gallant. One of Konoha's Legendary Sannin."
His tone was laced with disdain.
"Looks like my infiltration was cursed from the start."
"Raikage," Jiraiya's voice turned steely, "You crossed into the Land of Fire's borders under cloak and shadow. That's an act of war."
"And what?" the Raikage barked. "You think Namikaze Minato could make me pay? Much less you?"
Jiraiya's eye twitched.
Minato...
"Lightning Release Armor," Raikage shouted.
CRACK!
A shockwave erupted as his chakra surged, coating him in a veil of lightning. The trees shuddered beneath his raw power.
Even Jiraiya braced himself.
This isn't some hired blade. This is one of the strongest shinobi in the world.
Jiraiya leapt upward.
"Fire Release — Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
A massive serpent of flame twisted from his mouth, roaring across the canopy like a living creature.
"HA!"
"Heavy Thunderstorm!"
The Fourth Raikage met the dragon head-on, elbow-first, shattering it with pure strength and thunderous chakra. The resulting explosion lit up the sky.
And then—
BOOM!
A sonic boom tore through the forest as Raikage vanished into a blur of lightning.
"LARIAT!"
He came in low, barreling toward Jiraiya with a thunder-charged strike.
But Jiraiya's hands were faster.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
His wild silver hair bristled into hardened spikes, forming a living armor around his body.
CRASH!
The Raikage's lariat collided. Lightning sparked. The two titans skidded across the treetops in a violent clash.
"Not bad," Jiraiya smirked.
"Lion's Mane Technique!"
His hair extended like tendrils, twisting toward the Raikage's limbs like living ropes.
BRAWN vs BRAWN.
LIGHTNING vs FIRE.
Two Kage-level shinobi in their prime.
Below, even the other Jōnin paused for breath at the sheer force of the battle overhead.
And in the shadows...
Tatsuya was bouncing with excitement.
"Yes! That's it!"
"Hit him harder! That's a Raikage, not some Genin!"
"Call him a lightning-wrapped meathead! Smash his smug face in!"
"Force out Sage Mode! Let's make this a cinematic finish!"
His hands clenched with anticipation, golden lights still drifting toward him.
If it were up to him?
No one was leaving this battlefield alive.
---