Twenty Jōnin.
Two Kage-level titans.
A clash of this scale was the kind only seen during the Great Ninja Wars.
Jōnin weren't common foot soldiers—some smaller villages barely had enough to field double digits. Yet here they were, locked in a battle that raged across the forest like a storm of chakra.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rocked the dense woods as elemental jutsu lit up the battlefield:
Fire Style!
Lightning Style!
Wind Style!
Water Style!
Shuriken and kunai clashed in rapid succession, and every fighter brought their experience and technique to bear—crafty misdirections, dangerous tricks, and devastating finishers.
In the center, the real storm brewed.
Jiraiya vs. the Fourth Raikage.
Close-quarters combat between two monsters.
Fourth Raikage's thunderous fists tore through Jiraiya's hardened white hair, rattling his Lightning Style Chakra Mode armor.
Jiraiya's Lion's Mane Jutsu was no joke—it had even crushed a summon in the original timeline. For any ordinary Kage-level ninja, that blow alone might've been fatal.
"Lateral Bolt of Pain!" the Raikage bellowed, launching a brutal hand strike crackling with lightning.
"Yellow Spring Swamp!" Jiraiya countered, slamming his hand into the ground.
In a blink, the earth beneath them liquefied. The entire area began to sink. Trees, stones, and soil vanished into the mire.
Even Raikage stumbled, nearly losing balance.
"Damn you, Jiraiya!" he growled, leaping back just in time.
He knew better than to get caught in that swamp. It might've cost him his life.
Meanwhile...
In the shadows, behind a blank mask, Tatsuya was thrilled.
[You picked up 500 Chakra points]
[You picked up 500 Chakra points]
[You picked up 300 Chakra points]
[You picked up 200 Combat EXP]
[You picked up 100 points of Fire Style talent]
[You picked up 100 points of Lightning Style talent]
[You picked up 100 points of Wind Style talent]
[You picked up 100 points of Physical talent]
[You picked up 200 points of Body Flicker Technique EXP]
[You picked up 200 points of Body Replacement Technique EXP]
The forest shimmered with waves of golden light.
Tatsuya was bathing in brilliance.
Twenty elite Jōnin. Two Kage-levels. The amount of energy and skill released was astronomical—and he was absorbing all of it.
By the end of this encounter, Tatsuya had gained almost 20,000 Chakra points.
> Current Chakra Level: lv4 (33,500 / 100,000) — Mid-tier Kage-level.
And it didn't stop there—
[You picked up Ninjutsu: Lightning Style Chakra Mode]
[You picked up 1000 EXP for Lightning Style Chakra Mode]
> Lightning Style Chakra Mode: Upgraded to lv2 (0/1000)
Even the secret arts of the Cloud Shinobi were within reach.
And more—
Fire Style Talent: lv5 (200/1000)
Lightning Style Talent: lv4 (300/1000)
Water Style Talent: lv3 (100/1000)
Earth Style Talent: lv3 (100/1000)
Wind Style Talent: lv3 (900/1000)
With every level, his strength soared.
> "At this point, even the other Anbu team leaders and Uchiha Shisui wouldn't be a match for me," Tatsuya murmured.
Though... he hesitated.
> "Well, maybe not Shisui. That Mangekyō and Kotoamatsukami of his are damn annoying."
He glanced toward Kurenai Yuhi.
> "Not much Genjutsu to pick up here... but her potential's solid. Future top-tier in illusions. She's one to watch."
Then it happened—
[Physique Talent Upgraded to lv5 — MAX LEVEL]
[Special Talent Unlocked: Super Speed Reaction]
> Super Speed Reaction: Enhances neural reflexes, drastically increasing reaction speed.
Tatsuya's eyes widened.
"This... this is like Minato's core strength!"
Without his legendary reflexes, the Flying Thunder God wouldn't have been nearly as effective.
He clenched his fists.
> "If all maxed talents unlock bonuses like this, then I have a whole new tier of growth waiting."
---
Back on the battlefield—
The 100-meter-wide swamp had forced everyone to pause. The Jōnin slowly backed off, wary of being swallowed. Cuts and bruises were everywhere, but there were no casualties yet.
Neither side had gone for a killing blow.
Even Terumi Mei, still a young kunoichi, was watching warily from the Mist side. Her bright green eyes peeked out from beneath her red curls, and though her beauty was striking, it was her wariness that stood out.
She glanced toward the treetops.
> "There's another team watching. They haven't moved yet... Hidden. Waiting. Dangerous."
Even at her age, Mei could sense it: fangs waiting in the dark.
Predators.
---
The battle lulled. Both sides began to disengage.
A truce?
Tatsuya narrowed his eyes.
> "No. Not yet. I'm not done."
"If this fight ends, so does the golden light."
"You don't want to fight anymore? Then I'll light the fuse."
He turned his attention toward the Fourth Raikage.
A new storm was coming.
---