Max stood in the training grounds watching thena and Terra's intense training which was what they had been doing for the past few days to distract themselves from what had happened.
Above him, Thena was suspended in the air, teeth clenched in concentration. She tore massive chunks of rock from the earth below, splitting them mid-air into dozens of sharp, smaller fragments before launching them downward at her shadow clones for target practice. The impacts leveled a wide stretch of trees and kicked up a towering cloud of dust.
Before it could settle, dozens of kunais with explosive tags came whistling out of the smoke,headed straight for Terra.
Terra reacted instantly. She pulled the rocks hovering around her inward, forming a cocoon of earth around herself and sending a portion of them forward to intercept the incoming kunais. The tags detonated on contact.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Explosions riddled the sky in rapid succession. When the dust finally dispersed, only the earth cocoon remained, cracks already spreading across its surface before it shattered outward. Terra lowered herself gently to the ground, breathing hard.
Below, Thena's clones surged forward toward her.
"Time out!" Terra shouted, dropping straight onto the ground.
The clones halted their advance.
"You okay?" one of them asked.
"Yeah..." Terra exhaled. "I just need a breather."
"I think that's enough combat practice for one day," another clone said.
"Yeah, I have to work on something else anyway," Terra replied.
She took a long, slow breath. Then she reached down, pulled a small rock from the ground, placed it flat on her open palm and closed her eyes.
Thena's clones dispersed in quiet puffs of smoke one by one.
The training grounds fell silent. In Terra's outstretched hand, the rock began to crumble,breaking down slowly into fine particles of dust that lifted from her palm and hovered gently in the air around her.
Nearby, the real Thena sat cross-legged, eyes closed.
Green markings spread across her face as she activated Sage Mode. Her eyes snapped open, revealing the two tomoe Sharingan in each eye. She moved through a rapid sequence of hand seals and activated Lightning Chakra Mode. A cloak of purple, flashing lightning crackled to life across her body, her hair spiking up immediately from the stimulation.
She rose, walked to the cliff's edge, and clenched her fist.
She punched.
Boom!
The entire cliff shook violently. Cracks spider webbed outward from the point of impact in every direction. A large portion of the cliff edge broke away and collapsed with a thunderous bang,silence settled in the training grounds.
Then the rubble exploded outward from within, revealing an unharmed Thena standing at the center of it. She turned toward Max, reached into her pouch and pulled out a handful of kunais, and tossed them into the sky. She watched them rise, then begin to fall.
And the moment they were about to touch the ground she was already gone.
She reappeared before Max in a burst of speed and drove her fist forward.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave erupted on impact, stripping every tree within a twenty meter radius bare. When the dust settled, Max stood at the center of a deep crater,Thena before him, jaw clenched, her lightning cloak flickering wildly around her.
He had stopped her fist with a single finger.
Thena felt it immediately. Her chakra began draining, pulled away from her steadily and deliberately. She jumped back,but it was already too late. The lightning cloak was stripped from her body entirely, drawn into Max's fingertip and absorbed without effort.
She landed and opened the fist she had punched with.
In her palm sat a mangled ball of steel,what remained of every kunai she had thrown.
She stared at it for a moment.
"The Rinnegan is completely overpowered,"
she thought,inwardly cursing.
"Using Sage Mode to power the Lightning Chakra Mode is a genius idea," Max said. "It massively ramps up your speed, defense and especially your power. But to use it more effectively you need to pair it with its associated techniques,the strongest spears, and more importantly the Hell Stab. One finger Nukite."
"I know," Thena said. "But in the end it's just a technique. It's not as reliable as my own strength. And once I master the lightning cloak and reach the seventh level, I'll hit a wall regardless."
"You're right," Max said. "Reaching Six Paths level without Six Paths power is an entirely different challenge. As things stand right now I'd put you at super Kage level. Once you master the gates up to the seventh,which will take time and growing, you should reach quasi-Six Paths."
Thena was quiet for a moment before speaking again.
"Can you teach me those exploding energy blasts? And that energy mode you use,what even is that?"
"That's something entirely unique to me," Max said. "It's called ki. I don't think you've inherited it."
The words visibly dampened Thena's mood.
Max sighed quietly. He walked toward her and stopped directly in front of her. Her scarlet eyes met his lavender rippled ones.
"I know you want to get stronger," he began, his voice softer now. "Strong enough that you never have to feel powerless again." He held her gaze. "But at the rate you're pushing yourself, it's only a matter of time before you crash and burn. I'm as strong as I am because I know how to balance things." He paused. "So take it easy. Okay?"
He reached out and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
Thena closed her eyes. She exhaled slowly, then nodded.
Max allowed himself a small smile.
"Now," he said. "Tell me,could you sense it when you were in Sage Mode?"
Thena's eyes opened. "Yes. I've been meaning to ask you about that actually. What is it?"
Max's expression shifted slightly as he spoke.
"That," he said quietly, "is the Juubi. In the making."
Here's the edited scene!
Meanwhile in Deep Space, Several Light Years Away
A massive ship drifted through the void, silent and unhurried against the backdrop of endless dark.
Inside, the command room was completely dark.
Brainiac sat alone within it.
Kara should have returned days ago. She hadn't. Which meant one of two things,she had failed in her mission, or she had encountered unforeseen circumstances significant enough to delay her indefinitely. Either way, it had gone on long enough.
No matter,He rose slowly from his seat.
If she wouldn't bring Kal El to him, then he would go there himself.
End of Chapter.
Chapter 36:Exchanging eyes
Chapter 37:The Anti-Monitor crisis
Chapter 38:The Juubi awakens
You can visit my patreon at patreon.com/darker knight to read advanced chapters there while supporting me,till nextime!