Early morning, outside Kumogakure, Training Ground Number One.
The terrain was wide and open, surrounded by exposed gray black rock. In the distance, clouds lingered year round around steep mountain peaks.
At the edge of the training ground, a temporary viewing area had already been set up.
The Third Raikage, A, sat in the main seat. His expression revealed little emotion as his steady gaze rested on the center of the field.
Dodai stood half a step behind him. Behind the lenses of his glasses, his eyes swept the area calmly. The rune stones and barrier pillars that seemed casually placed around the field were in fact the safeguards he had carefully prepared.
The younger A stood in the center of the field. His short blond hair spiked upward, his massive frame wrapped in Kumogakure standard gray combat attire. His muscles bulged with explosive strength.
He rotated his wrists and ankles slightly. Fine arcs of lightning jumped across his body, and his sharp gaze burned with intense battle intent and desire for victory.
His goal today was simple. To test the true strength of the man known as Konoha's Asura, Kamiyama Ryo.
Guided by Kumo shinobi, Ryo and the others entered the viewing area.
Tsunade crossed her arms. Her golden ponytail swayed slightly in the morning breeze as her eyes swept over the concealed barrier devices around the field with knowing amusement.
Kushina held a bag of Kumogakure specialty snacks, her red hair bright as flame. She casually found a seat and spoke around a mouthful of food.
"Wow, this setup is something."
She chewed while curiously looking between A and Ryo.
Mikoto stayed quietly at Ryo's side. Her long black hair draped over her shoulders, her posture calm and elegant, like an orchid hidden in a deep valley.
Ryo wore his usual dark outfit. His posture was upright, his sword, the Kusanagi, hanging at his waist. His expression was calm, his gaze deep.
Sensing Mikoto's eyes on him, he turned slightly and gave her a small nod, a rare softness appearing in his expression.
That subtle change only showed itself before those closest to him.
"Go on," Tsunade said casually. "Let these big guys from the Land of Lightning see for themselves."
Ryo did not answer. He simply stepped forward and walked toward the field at an unhurried pace.
The moment Ryo entered the central area, the atmosphere tightened.
The Third Raikage's focus sharpened, his fingers lightly tensing.
The barrier pillars around the field shimmered faintly as Ryo crossed into the core area. Complex runes surfaced briefly. The defenses targeting space time fluctuations and mental interference activated silently.
This was their first layer of preparation.
A stared at Ryo as he approached, his battle intent surging to its peak.
This was the man his father took so seriously, serious enough to mobilize village resources and deploy barriers.
He took a deep breath and spoke loudly, his voice carrying the pride and confidence of a young powerhouse.
"Kumogakure, candidate for Fourth Raikage, A."
Ryo stopped ten meters away. His calm gaze rested on A, as if examining an object of interest rather than an opponent.
He gave a slight nod.
"Kamiyama Ryo."
No unnecessary pleasantries.
A knew the expectations of his father and village. His eyes flared with light as he shouted.
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode."
Violent blue lightning erupted from his body.
Blinding arcs crackled like countless electric serpents, wrapping around him and forming a solid lightning armor.
The surging chakra blasted outward, sending gravel skittering across the ground.
In that instant, A's presence soared. His speed, strength, and defense skyrocketed.
The ground beneath his feet cracked as he vanished in a blur of blue light.
Lightning Body Flicker.
Almost the moment A disappeared, he reappeared behind Ryo, faster than ordinary vision could follow.
His elbow, packed with violent lightning chakra, screamed through the air as it drove toward Ryo's back. Lightning Release taijutsu Heavy Flow Crash.
"So fast," Kushina gasped, forgetting to chew.
At the instant the attack was about to land, Ryo took a single step.
It looked casual, but the timing was perfect. He avoided the strike by a hair's breadth.
The lightning shockwave grazed his clothes and slammed into a massive rock behind him, shattering it into fragments.
A missed, without hesitation.
Using the explosive momentum of the lightning armor, his body flickered again, appearing above Ryo.
He leapt high, his arm wrapped in the strongest lightning, chopping down like a battle axe. Guillotine Drop.
The blue lightning blade carried destructive force, briefly entering a state that could overwhelm most defensive ninjutsu.
Ryo neither blocked nor retreated.
As if he had already seen the trajectory, he leaned back and shifted aside at the exact moment the strike fell, again avoiding it by a margin too small to measure.
The lightning blade slammed into the ground.
A thunderous boom followed.
The earth split open into a charred trench several meters long. Dust and debris flew.
The sheer destruction made the watching Kumo shinobi tense.
"He cannot touch him at all," Dodai muttered, his brow tight, sweat forming in his palm.
With the lightning armor, A's speed had reached an absurd level. Yet Ryo's movements looked unhurried, always making the smallest and most precise adjustments at the last instant.
As if he knew every move in advance.
Prediction. Or some form of perception.
Alarm bells rang in Dodai's mind.
A felt it even more strongly.
Two full power attacks, and he had not even brushed the other man's clothes.
Ryo's evasions were minimal and clean, like a stroll through a garden, yet carried absolute control.
The frustration and sense of being looked down upon ignited his anger.
"Do not underestimate me," A roared, his lightning intensifying.
He abandoned the idea of a single decisive blow and pushed Lightning Release Chakra Mode to its limit.
His body became a constantly flashing bolt of blue lightning, launching a storm of relentless attacks around Ryo.
Heavy Flow Thrust. Horizontal Lightning Chop.
Fists and kicks mixed in, each strike carrying power that could tear steel apart and lightning that numbed the body.
Blue light filled the field. Explosions and thunder overlapped as the ground was torn apart again and again.
A's figure blurred into a continuous curtain of lightning, completely engulfing Ryo.
Yet at the center of that storm, Ryo stood like a reef amid raging waves.
His steps were minimal. Each sidestep, slide, and lean avoided every lethal strike.
Occasionally, a fist or palm coated in Armament Haki intercepted the path of A's attack, producing a dull metallic impact that dispersed or deflected the force with ease.
Ryo's eyes remained calm, carrying a focused, analytical look.
The Third Raikage's hand tightened on the armrest.
He could see it clearly. Ryo was not using his full strength. He was observing and analyzing Kumogakure's prized Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
The young man's composure and insight sent a chill through him.
"Damn it."
Every attack failed or was deflected. A's frustration reached its limit.
He leapt backward, lightning compressing tightly around him, radiating extreme danger.
He spread his arms, locking onto Ryo, and activated Lightning Body Flicker again.
This time, the goal was clear. Close in and grapple.
He was going to use the strongest close range killing technique of Kumo's Kage level taijutsu.
Lightning Release Lariat.
As long as he caught the opponent, the explosive power of his lightning armor would crush even a mountain of stone.
Blue lightning flashed.
A appeared directly in front of Ryo, his arms clamping down like iron jaws toward Ryo's waist. Faster and stronger than before, unstoppable.
Did it work.
Dodai's heart jumped to his throat.
The Third Raikage's gaze sharpened.
At the fraction of a second before A's grip closed.
Ryo moved.
His right hand flashed to the hilt of the Kusanagi.
A clear, resonant sound rang out, like a blade cutting through the air itself.
A terrifying sword light condensed to the extreme, invisible yet carrying the will to sever all things.
Armament Draw Slash.
A burst of formless, annihilating energy erupted instantly.
The air screamed as it was torn apart.
A blade of pure sword energy formed, only a few fingers wide but spanning dozens of meters in an instant.
It was nearly impossible to see, yet its sharpness froze the soul.
The moment it appeared, the Third Raikage sat upright.
Dodai's face drained of all color.
Tsunade's expression turned grave.
Kushina froze, her mouth open, snacks falling to the ground. Even Mikoto's calm eyes flickered with surprise.
This simple slash moved faster than perception itself.
It struck head on along A's charge path, colliding with the lightning armor that represented his greatest defense.
There was no earth shattering explosion.
Only a soft tearing sound.
The lightning armor, capable of withstanding A rank and even S rank ninjutsu, was split apart effortlessly, like butter under a hot blade.
The sword energy cut through the armor without slowing and struck A squarely in the chest.
A choked violently.
His forward momentum stopped instantly.
His eyes bulged, bloodshot and filled with disbelief.
An indescribable force and sharpness tore through his body. His organs felt twisted apart.
His massive frame flew backward faster than he had charged.
Blood sprayed from his mouth like a fountain, forming a glaring red arc in the sunlight.
He crashed into the rocky ground dozens of meters away, smashing out a shallow crater.
The lightning vanished. The armor dispersed.
A lay amid broken stone, a deep wound across his chest exposing bone, blood pouring out and soaking the ground.
He coughed violently, each spasm spraying more blood. His eyes lost focus, filled with pain, fear, and blank shock.
He tried to push himself up, but the severe injury robbed him of all strength.
Kage level power, crushed by a single casual strike.
A complete and overwhelming defeat.
The training ground fell into absolute silence.
Only A's ragged breathing and muffled groans broke the stillness.
The Third Raikage stood frozen, his dark face twitching as shock surged through his eyes.
That single strike. The ease with which it cut through the lightning armor. The power behind it.
This was far beyond Kage level.
The intelligence had not been wrong. It had been far too conservative.
This Kamiyama Ryo had already stepped into a completely different realm.
A flawless combatant. Monstrous physical ability, an unstoppable blade, and perception that bordered on precognition.
For a brief, absurd moment, the Third Raikage even felt that Ryo had held back.
Otherwise, A would not have survived.
Dodai stood pale, cold sweat pouring down his face and soaking his clothes.
Fear filled his eyes as he looked at Ryo.
Seizing the Nine Tails now felt absurdly foolish and suicidal.
The surrounding Kumo shinobi were equally stunned.
A was the strongest of their generation, the future Fourth Raikage, a war god in their eyes.
And yet he had been reduced to this with a single strike.
The impact shattered their understanding.
"A."
The Third Raikage's low and urgent voice finally broke the silence.
He vanished and appeared beside his son, crouching to inspect the wound.
The severity made his heart sink. More crushing was the pressure of Ryo's overwhelming strength.
"Medical unit. Now."
Kumo medical ninja rushed in, finally snapping out of their stupor, scrambling to stabilize A and stop the bleeding.
Ryo stood where he was and slowly lowered his hand.
His expression remained calm, as if he had done nothing of note.
He glanced at the frantic Kumo shinobi, paused briefly on the Third Raikage's tense profile, then turned and walked back toward the viewing area.
"Ryo," Kushina shouted, jumping up and waving excitedly. "That was amazing. One move and the blond big guy was done."
All her earlier worry was gone, replaced by pure excitement.
Mikoto smiled softly as Ryo returned, relief and pride clear in her eyes.
She said nothing, simply handing him a clean handkerchief.
Tsunade watched him, her expression a mix of shock, satisfaction, and quiet understanding.
She glanced toward the Third Raikage and curled her lips in faint mockery.
A test. Was the result clear enough now.
Ryo took the handkerchief and wiped his hand casually, even though there was nothing on it.
"Finished," Tsunade asked.
"Mm," Ryo replied. He looked toward the distant mountains wrapped in cloud. "Lightning Release Chakra Mode is interesting."
From that brief observation and A's full power display, combined with his own abnormal insight, he had already grasped the essentials of Kumogakure's secret technique.
For him, the purpose of this fight had been fulfilled.
(To be continued.)