Night, thunderstorm.
The rumble of thunder and the splash of heavy rain drowned out the sounds of running and shouting.
Fleeting lightning occasionally tore open the night sky, turning darkness into daylight.
With the illumination of the lightning, one could see three Konoha ninjas wearing green flak jackets running one after another in a certain area.
Their expressions were filled with panic and urgency, as if a fierce beast were chasing them. They wished they could grow another pair of legs to make their already limit-reaching speed a bit faster, quickly reaching a safe area.
Whether combat units or support units, every ninja squad must act in a group of four.
If a member died, the village would arrange a new member for their squad.
If only one person was left in the squad, that person would be arranged into another squad.
Unless in special circumstances, four people must be gathered to execute a mission; this was the rule of every ninja village.
There were only three Konoha ninjas running away, indicating that one person in their squad had already sacrificed themselves.
Boom—
Lightning turned the night into day again, and deafening thunder resounded.
When the thunder disappeared, the expressions of the two Konoha ninjas became even more terrified.
Yes, two.
Because another person had fallen behind.
Rewinding to when the lightning tore through the night.
Splat—
The sound of thunder rang out almost simultaneously with the sound of a sharp weapon entering a body.
The Konoha ninja running at the back, responsible for covering his companions, had just seen the daylight world when a ninja sword covered in flowing water entered his vision. Then, his neck and heart hurt simultaneously.
The next second, his head detached from his body. His vision spun a few times before being completely invaded by darkness.
In front of and behind him stood a Rain ninja wearing a gas mask.
One Rain ninja held a sword in one hand and maintained the posture of forming seals with the other.
That was a Genjutsu seal.
Instantly killing another Konoha ninja, the two Rain ninjas turned into a puddle of water and disappeared, continuing to chase the remaining two Konoha ninjas.
The entire process from instant kill to disappearance took less than three seconds, just as the thunder disappeared.
By the time the second Konoha ninja realized his companion behind him had fallen behind, he had already leaped a long distance.
Using the Sensing Technique, he couldn't capture his companion's Chakra either.
He instantly realized his companion had also been assassinated.
Even more despairing was that his Sensing Technique couldn't capture the enemy's Chakra at all.
Even so, as a qualified ninja, he chose to slow down, using himself as bait to buy time for his companion.
Making the preparation to die, this Konoha ninja calmed down instead.
Forming seals with both hands and constantly using the Sensing Technique, seeing he couldn't find the enemy's position, he suddenly thought of something. Maintaining the seals unchanged, the Chakra flowing in his body suddenly became chaotic.
Then his expression changed, and he quickly took out a kunai from his ninja tool pouch, throwing it towards the eleven o'clock direction.
Coincidentally, another bolt of lightning tore through the sky, illuminating the Rain ninja standing less than three meters away from the Konoha ninja.
The kunai pierced his body, but instead of the sound of a sharp weapon entering a body, he turned into a puddle of water.
Water Clone!
The Konoha ninja was very vigilant. The moment he saw the figure, he leaped up.
But the next second, he felt a slight pain in the back of his neck.
Several senbon, using the rain curtain as cover, accurately hit the Konoha ninja who was a moving target.
Then a palm gently patted the back of his heavy flak jacket.
Boom—
The explosion of the explosive tag and the sound of thunder rang out simultaneously.
Before being engulfed by flames, the Konoha ninja saw three figures continuing to chase towards his companion.
When his consciousness became heavy and his vision blurred, he vaguely saw another figure holding a ninja sword, harvesting his head.
"Damn it!"
The Konoha ninja running at the front soon noticed the disappearance of his companions.
He knew that the two companions behind him had been killed.
When their hiding place was discovered and the first companion was assassinated, he had anticipated this situation.
He really wanted to stay and fight side by side with his companions, a desperate struggle.
But reason and ninja quality told him he couldn't do this.
Fighting three against four on the spot in the enemy's home field, they might not even be able to take one down.
In this weather and environment, they couldn't even trade lives for injuries.
Even if they would be defeated one by one, he had to run.
With luck, the remaining people might survive.
Even if no one survived, he had to try to delay time, preferably leading the enemy towards their own area. If support arrived in time, maybe a miracle would happen, or at least one team could be exchanged for another.
Just like the Konoha ninja who scolded Hatake Sakumo for saving him instead of prioritizing the mission.
For these inheritors of the Will of Fire, they didn't fear death, only dying without value!
The Konoha ninja just never expected the enemy's assassination speed to be so fast.
Not long after sending the signal for support, two other companions were killed one after another. The opponent was obviously not an ordinary assassination squad.
Another bolt of lightning tore through the night, making the Konoha ninja stop in his tracks. A scene full of despair appeared.
Four Rain ninjas had surrounded him in a square formation at some point.
With only one target left, the Rain ninja assassination squad obviously didn't plan to continue using assassination methods but wanted this enemy ninja to die in the most painful and despairing way.
The Konoha ninja didn't choose to beg for mercy.
Realizing he couldn't escape, the despair in his eyes was quickly replaced by determination.
He reached for his ninja tool pouch, ready to take out weapons to counterattack or form seals to cast techniques at any time.
Under the darkness and thunder, no one made a move, seeming to wait for an opportunity.
Perhaps affected by the atmosphere.
In less than ten seconds, another huge bolt of lightning tore through the darkness.
Three Rain ninjas were about to unleash charged killing moves.
At this moment, the Rain ninja maintaining the Genjutsu seal suddenly shouted loudly: "Retreat quickly!"
After speaking, he disappeared using Body Flicker without hesitation.
Just like this Konoha squad before, fleeing without hesitation upon seeing a companion assassinated.
Only this Rain ninja was even more exaggerated than them.
It was this intense reaction that made the other three Rain ninjas subconsciously stop their attacks.
Zzzzz...
The sound of electric currents converging came from far to near.
One second it felt far away, but the next second, it seemed close by.
Looking in the direction of the sound, the three Rain ninjas' pupils constricted, and they simultaneously disappeared using Body Flicker.
The Konoha ninja who was ready to die had intense joy burst from his eyes, feeling relieved.
In the brief daylight world, a figure surrounded by black electric currents, like teleporting, flickered a few times and arrived in front of him from the end of his vision.
The sound of electric currents converging didn't come from his body.
Instead, his right palm grasped a ball of black and white lightning. The harsh sound emitted by the high-frequency current convergence was like a thousand birds chirping in unison.
"Yoru-sama..."
Just as the Konoha ninja called out the figure's name, the other party had already disappeared from his vision.
Immediately, he gave up the idea of escaping and turned around, wanting to follow Gojo Yoru.
When he used the Sensing Technique, he just captured Gojo Yoru's Chakra, but that Chakra instantly disappeared, already beyond his sensing range.
Thus, he used Body Flicker at full speed towards the direction where the Chakra disappeared.
Approaching that location, the Konoha ninja saw a corpse broken in two on the road, not his companion, but a Rain ninja corpse.
The other party's expression was filled with the horror of encountering a "monster," and his eyes still held a trace of confusion, seeming not to know how he died.
Using the Sensing Technique again, the Konoha ninja still couldn't sense Gojo Yoru's Chakra. Looking at the smooth and straight cut, he couldn't help but sigh: "Haven't seen him for over a month; Yoru-sama's Body Flicker is faster, and the destructive power of Black Lightning has become stronger."
The scene switched to the other three Rain ninjas.
Turning night into day and looking down from a god's perspective, one could enjoy a "racing game" with disparate strength.
Like a Ferrari letting three old mobility scooters scatter and run for a few hundred or a thousand meters first, then catching up one by one and smashing them into Gundam fragments.
Unlike the Konoha ninja squad running one after another, the four Rain ninjas scattered and fled, each for themselves.
Because they knew no support from the village would come, nor would it arrive in time.
What they could do was save their own lives, hoping that the monster wasn't targeting them.
For this, they used all their methods: Water Body Flicker, Water Hiding Technique, and even Water Clone Technique and Shadow Clone Technique, scattering and fleeing with the main body.
But not far away, the sound of Chidori chirping came to their ears.
Before they could react, severe pain came from their bodies.
A black and white lightning spear, with speed surpassing their neural reaction, instantly pierced through their bodies.
Even if someone used Water Replacement and Water Body Flicker to escape in time, before the water flow not far away could reassemble the body, it was cut in half at the waist by the horizontal lightning spear.
It wasn't like a lightning spear, more like a Storm Release laser.
Its power was even stronger than the Storm Release laser.
Just a gentle sweep, and the body wearing a flak jacket and armor was torn like thin paper.
The last Rain ninja died most miserably and shockingly.
The black and white laser shot diagonally, piercing through the Rain ninja's body and continuing to extend into the ground.
Then the laser moved upward, cutting the Rain ninja's upper body in half.
Split in half along with him was the ground where the laser entered.
The smooth and straight cut surface, if not for the traces of lightning, would make one suspect this wasn't done by physical or energy attacks, but by some power of rules cutting and erasing.
In less than two minutes, the scattered and fleeing Rain ninja assassination squad was all caught up and killed by Gojo Yoru.
Throughout the process, Gojo Yoru didn't use any Ninjutsu. He just grabbed a ball of nature transformation lightning, then used shape transformation to turn this ball of lightning into a spear-like laser, controlling its movement at will.
However, this level of nature transformation and shape transformation was already a technique, and an A-rank Lightning Release Ninjutsu with high cultivation difficulty—Chidori Sharp Spear.
In the eyes of outsiders, this was a shape transformation Black Lightning secret technique.
In the eyes of Hatake Kakashi in the final battle of the original work, this was "Kamui Raikiri" and "Kamui Chidori Sharp Spear" wrapped in space-time power.
But here with Gojo Yoru, it should be called Space-Time Release: Chidori and Space-Time Release: Chidori Sharp Spear.
More than a month had passed since the second evolution ended.
Gojo Yoru returned to the battlefield half a month ago and displayed terrifying strength. Whether day or night, he made Rain ninjas tremble with fear.
His prestige spread throughout the four-nation battlefield again.
Because... Gojo Yoru became stronger.
Already recorded in the bingo books of various countries with the titles of Black Flash and Number One Speed in the Ninja World, Gojo Yoru's Body Flicker speed was recognized as among the strongest in the Ninja World.
There were only a few who could compare with him.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Gojo Yoru, like Senju Tobirama, was the fastest ninja in the Ninja World.
The Ghostly Silent Step + Chakra Concealment + Earth Body Flicker Technique, which had spread throughout the Ninja World, was known as an assassin second only to Hanzo the Salamander, even surpassing Hatake Sakumo.
After all, Konoha's White Fang didn't have the record of injuring the Salamander.
Such Body Flicker speed had reached the limit of cognition.
Unexpectedly, Gojo Yoru, who took a leave for more than half a month, returned as if reborn.
Not only was he faster, but his Chakra also went from the Tokubetsu Jonin standard line to a genuine all-rounder Jonin, shocking many people.
But the most outrageous was his Lightning Release attainment.
During his leave, it seemed Gojo Yoru went to train hard in Lightning Release.
Originally using Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Gojo Yoru only had a few electric arcs around him.
After returning, his whole body could release electric currents, not only increasing Body Flicker speed but also possessing both offensive and defensive forms. It was very similar to Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode, a result of fusing nature transformation and shape transformation.
In addition, he also developed close-range and mid-to-long-range Black Lightning secret techniques, namely Chidori and Chidori Sharp Spear.
Gojo Yoru's "Black Lightning Secret Technique" had been confirmed.
Unlike the diffusive Black Lightning developed by the Third Raikage, which caused immense pain upon contact and had immobilizing ability...
Gojo Yoru's Black Lightning characteristic was destruction.
And his Black Lightning could also merge with ordinary Lightning Release, giving ordinary Lightning Release penetrating and cutting power not inferior to the Raijin Sword.
Heavy armor was as fragile as thin paper in front of his lightning.
Upon returning, Gojo Yoru rarely used the Flying Thunder God Technique and assassination methods.
He almost always used Body Flicker and Lightning Release to fight enemies.
At this time, some powerhouses discovered that Gojo Yoru's weakest point, sensing, had also become much stronger.
With the help of similarly strengthened neural reaction speed and unrivaled Body Flicker speed, Gojo Yoru seemed to have become a sensing ninja, always able to discover and dodge attacks and Ninjutsu about to hit him in time.
That electric current filling his body, surging inside to stimulate cells and enhance speed, and winding around him outside for both offense and defense, made even Genjutsu ninjas who could counter Gojo Yoru before feel very powerless.
Ninjas targeted by him alone, whether Chunin or Jonin, as long as their neural reaction speed couldn't keep up, would be stunned on the spot like wooden figures and easily killed by Gojo Yoru.
The previous Gojo Yoru could also achieve this level, but not as easily or lastingly as now.
This return, Gojo Yoru displayed terrifying dominance.
Jonin only had two major classifications: Tokubetsu Jonin and all-rounder Jonin. There was no promotion rank of Elite Jonin.
The so-called Elite Jonin was just another name for ace combatants.
And ace combatants referred to the strongest group among Jonin.
Their strength was monstrous, able to easily defeat and kill multiple Jonin of the same level, even threatening and killing Kage.
The number of S-rank missions completed also crushed Jonin of the same level, possessing exclusive titles known to everyone in the Ninja World.
The Five Kage were ace combatants with the title of Kage.
If a Kage sacrificed themselves, another ace combatant would take their place.
While the Kage were still around, ace combatants were the sharpest blades in their hands.
During the Five Kage Summit, ace combatants were their personal guards.
Ace combatants were the top members of the ninja village's higher-ups circle.
Shimura Danzo, the Sannin, Hatake Sakumo, Kato Dan, the patriarchs of major ninja clans... were all such existences.
And now, Gojo Yoru had also become such an existence.
...
The next morning.
Amegakure, Tower.
"Hanzo-sama, in last night's assassination operation, according to our statistics, a total of fifteen enemies were killed. However, we also lost six assassins, and one assassination squad was wiped out."
Sakawa knelt on one knee and reported: "Before the operation, I issued instructions to abandon assassination and retreat immediately upon encountering danger or sensing powerful Chakra fluctuations. Yet an assassination squad was still wiped out. Only a powerhouse with extremely fast Body Flicker speed could leave an assassination squad with nowhere to run on a stormy night. I suspect it was Konoha's Black Flash."
"Are there casualties every night now? That brat, what exactly did he experience to gain such a huge improvement in such a short time?" Hanzo the Salamander murmured, then asked, "How long can our current supplies last?"
"Two more months." Sakawa looked troubled. "However, at this consumption rate, the village's production capacity can no longer keep up. Even if the support unit doesn't encounter accidents, they can only resupply twice a month."
"Continuing like this, we... we can only last until next year at most."
Hearing this, a rare trace of confusion appeared in Hanzo the Salamander's eyes.
Then he looked at Sakawa below and couldn't help but ask, "Sakawa, say... did I do something wrong?"
"Hanzo-sama did nothing wrong. We are all willing to die for you." Sakawa answered with determined eyes.
"Is that so..."
Looking at the loyal Sakawa, Hanzo the Salamander revealed a smile, then waved his hand: "You may leave."
"Yes."
After Sakawa left, Hanzo the Salamander finally revealed a fragile side, murmuring with empty eyes: "Can't even last two years? Is this the gap between a small country and a major power? Is the fate of a small country really unbreakable?"
"What pinnacle of the Ninja World, what Demigod of the Ninja World... this old man is truly a joke."
At this moment, Hanzo the Salamander's spirit dropped to the lowest point.
The fighting spirit of once being high-spirited, wanting to lead Amegakure single-handedly to break the oppression of major powers on small countries and change the situation of the Ninja World, was also destroyed by cruel reality.
The Demigod of the Ninja World was ultimately not the God of Shinobi; he couldn't pacify the chaotic times like the First Hokage.
Being powerful alone was useless. Konoha, fighting a war of attrition and tug-of-war on just one battle line, could render him helpless, only able to sit and eat away his resources, eventually killing himself.
Even if he finally defeated this battle line, the remaining supplies and troops wouldn't be enough to continue invading the Land of Fire.
If not for his Salamander being able to drag the Ninja World to perish together, the Land of Wind and Land of Earth might have beaten him while he was down long ago.
Although the result hadn't come out yet, Hanzo the Salamander knew that he and the Land of Rain... had already lost.
Seeing no hope of victory, Hanzo the Salamander already had the idea of withdrawing.
Yes, withdrawing... not surrendering.
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