[Sasuke Uchiha: "What?! Thirty chūnin and jōnin?!"]
[Ōnoki: "You're not joking… this is a newly graduated genin?"]
[Fourth Raikage (A): "Thirty chūnin and jōnin? Even I'd approach that lineup cautiously."]
The power scaling of the shinobi world was never entirely consistent. Some jōnin were monsters—like Kakashi Hatake or Might Guy. Others were comparatively average.
But a jōnin was still a jōnin.
They were the high-end combat force of a village.
Chūnin were its backbone.
Shinobi were typically high offense, low defense—one mistake could cost everything.
Even if most of the thirty were chūnin and special jōnin, an average Kage-level fighter would not treat them lightly.
The Battle Begins
The Root shinobi struck first.
A barrage of shuriken filled the air.
Shing—shing—shing—
Dozens of blades streaked toward Nagi.
He did not move from his spot.
With precise sensory perception, his body made minute adjustments—barely perceptible shifts.
Every shuriken missed.
When the rain of steel ended—
Nagi still stood exactly where he had started.
Uninjured.
Not even a tear in his clothes.
[Naruto Uzumaki: "What?! How did you do that?!"]
[Ōnoki: "I imagined many possibilities. That wasn't one of them."]
[Fourth Raikage (A): "How…?"]
Even as a master of Lightning Release and taijutsu, the Raikage could tank attacks and overwhelm with speed—
But this level of micro-evasion? That was something else entirely.
[Kiba Inuzuka: "That was awesome! Nagi, teach me!"]
Ninjutsu Barrage
With ranged weapons ineffective, the Root shinobi unleashed ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"…"
A storm of elemental attacks converged.
Nagi raised his right arm, palm open.
"Water Release: Water Shield."
Chakra surged into his palm, forming a massive, condensed shield of water.
The techniques struck—
Ripples spread across the surface—
But the shield held firm.
Then—
The surface of the water shield morphed.
Eight dragon-shaped protrusions emerged.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Eight water dragons burst forth at high speed.
The Root shinobi reacted instantly.
Some evaded.
Others countered.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"…"
Meanwhile, those who had dodged drew blades and kunai, closing in for close combat.
Nagi drew his katana.
Despite facing overwhelming numbers and lethal strikes aimed at vital points, he relied on his sensory perception to evade every killing blow—countering with precise sword strokes.
The exchange reached a stalemate.
Then—
The attackers leapt back.
But as they retreated, the kunai they had previously concealed behind their bodies flew toward Nagi.
Too close.
He deflected them with his blade—
But—
Several were wrapped in explosive tags.
The moment steel touched steel—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions erupted, filling the field with smoke.
"Did we get him?"
A veteran jōnin saw lightning flicker within the haze.
His instincts screamed.
"Not good—scatter!"
"Lightning Release: Lightning Spear!"
A concentrated bolt of electricity blasted out from the smoke.
Those too slow to evade were struck instantly.
When the light faded—
Their skin was charred, hair standing on end, eyes rolled back unconscious.
Nearby shinobi quickly dragged them to the waiting medical-nin, who began treatment.
[Naruto: "What just happened?"]
[Shikamaru Nara: "Too fast to see…"]
Ōnoki, experienced in fighting Lightning Release users, narrowed his eyes.
[Ōnoki: "He likely used a Lightning Release Shadow Clone from the start. The clone was caught in the explosion. The electrical discharge synchronized with the lightning in his hand, allowing him to instantly reclaim and redirect the current."]
He left one thought unspoken—
If that current hadn't been controlled perfectly, Nagi's own arm would have been destroyed.
[Chōji Akimichi: "I don't understand… but that sounds amazing."]
Counteroffensive
Nagi advanced.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A massive surge of water erupted around him like a tidal wave.
He drew his blade—
"Flowing Ripple Slash!"
He dashed forward in a high-speed draw-cut, water spiraling around him into a vortex of slicing force.
Most could not evade in time.
They were swept away instantly.
When the waters receded—
The majority lay unconscious.
Nagi had struck with the blunt edge of his blade.
Otherwise, they would have been bisected.
The remaining shinobi attacked the instant he reappeared.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Nagi froze.
His body stiffened.
A pale, purple-tinged shinobi—Torune Aburame—appeared in front of him and struck him with a palm.
Nagi was blasted backward, crashing into the ground.
A violet handprint marked the point of impact—
The purple hue spreading rapidly.
[Shino Aburame: "Not good. Those are Torune's nano-sized poison insects."]
[Kiba: "Like your bugs?"]
[Shino: "No. Torune's nano-insects are far more lethal. Direct contact means instant infection—often death."]
[Naruto: "That's terrifying! Nagi's in trouble!"]
[Ōnoki: "Unlikely. As Root's leader, Torune would have a retrieval method. Still… that boy's performance was impressive."]
[Killer B: "Yo! Nice blade work, bro! Hope we spar someday!"]
[Fourth Raikage: "At his age… this is extraordinary."]
Kumogakure respected strength.
[Mei Terumī: "You've done wonderfully, handsome."]
For Mei, talent and looks both carried weight.
Thirty chūnin and jōnin—
That was comparable to the military force of a small nation.
And these were Konoha's elite—whose quality was widely regarded as the highest among the Five Great Nations.
Many shinobi watching realized—
They might not have performed as well in his position.
Yet veterans of the Warring States Period sensed something off.
Those who had lived through constant war developed instinctual caution.
[Tajima Uchiha: "Something's not right."]
[Uchiha Hokage-era elder (Fire Core): "It feels strange."]
[Butsuma Senju: "This is genjutsu!"]
Sometimes, those most adept at identifying genjutsu were not its users—
But those who had spent lifetimes fighting the Uchiha.
Butsuma Senju's instincts reacted immediately.
[Ōnoki: "What?! Genjutsu? Impossible!"]
[Hashirama Senju: "Hm? Wasn't it obvious?"]
[Ōnoki: "…If the First Hokage says so, then it must be so."]
The battlefield's truth—
Had yet to be revealed.