Chapter 35 — The Storm Approaches
His forearm bones shattered—an agonizing, piercing pain.
Under the intense torment, Kinoshita Hikaru let out a scream, his assault faltering for a brief moment.
Iruwa rapidly closed in. The distance between them was less than ten meters.
Ignoring his broken arm, Kinoshita Hikaru charged forward like a madman, roaring:
"I will defeat you—I will defeat you! Even if my limbs break, even if every bone in my body shatters, I will still defeat you! No matter how strong you are, no matter how powerful—you will never hurt my companions. Do you hear me?!"
The others lying on the ground, upon hearing Hikaru's declaration, broke down in tears. Uchiha Mikoto cried out loudly, "No—no!"
They struggled, weeping, hating their own weakness. Slowly, one by one, they forced themselves to stand, their eyes filled with unyielding resolve.
Pushing their bodies beyond the limit—whether it would help or not—they would try.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
"Expansion Jutsu: Human Bullet Tank!"
"Rasengan!"
"Byakugan: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
Control, ranged, close combat—every type of attack unleashed with everything they had.
Nine jutsu struck Iruwa simultaneously. Even someone as strong as him staggered under the assault, his body freezing for an instant as his trajectory shifted, leaving a wide opening.
Kinoshita Hikaru seized that opportunity.
Pouring everything he had into it, staking his life on a single moment—he drove his fist into Iruwa's chest.
Then his punches fell like meteors, raining down endlessly upon his body.
"Bang! Bang! Bang…!"
Kinoshita Hikaru had completely lost himself to madness, venting every ounce of anger.
Finally, the assault ceased.
Exhausted, Hikaru collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily.
Iruwa slammed into the ground like a ragdoll.
At that moment—
Kushina staggered forward to Hikaru's side, extending her arm to his mouth.
But Hikaru refused.
A bright smile spread across his pale face as he said, "Kushina… if it's not to protect my companions, how could I ever hurt you? I can endure this. Don't worry."
Kushina froze on the spot, tears streaming down her face. She had already lost count of how many times she had cried today.
"Hikaru…"
She murmured softly. The fear and unease she had felt just moments ago vanished completely.
At this moment, she was certain—
Even if the whole world were to hurt her, the man before her never would.
Because they were companions.
Because they trusted one another.
Through life and death, they would never abandon each other.
Kinoshita Hikaru reached out his hand and said, "Kushina, help me up."
"O-Okay…"
Kushina supported him. The sudden movement made him wince in pain.
"S-sorry!"
She apologized repeatedly, afraid he might be angry—but what she received instead was a radiant smile.
"Shigeru, quickly—finish him off. This guy's like a monster, he might suddenly revive again."
"Tch…"
Uchiha Shigeru staggered forward and delivered the final blow to Iruwa. Then he collapsed onto the ground, utterly drained.
"Is everyone… okay?"
The group gathered together, panting heavily. Though all of them were severely injured, their expressions were filled with relief.
"As long as everyone's alive… that's all that matters…"
The moment Kinoshita Hikaru relaxed, he instantly lost consciousness.
Through blurred vision, he could vaguely see everyone calling out to him in panic.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"The night may be cold and dark… but ahead, there will always be dawn. Sincerity will always find its echo."
...
When Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived, all he saw was the devastated battlefield.
Several gravely injured children lay on the ground, completely exhausted.
"Where is the enemy?"
They pointed toward Iruwa.
"This is a Cloud ninja… Did he reveal any intelligence?"
They shook their heads. Seeing that none of them showed abnormal conditions, Hiruzen let out a quiet sigh of relief. Only then did he notice the unconscious Kinoshita Hikaru.
"Let me see."
He stepped forward to examine him.
"Multiple fractures, but his life is not in danger. We need to return to Konoha immediately—Hikaru needs urgent treatment."
At this moment, the clan heads also arrived. Ignoring Hiruzen, they rushed forward to check on their children.
"Father, why are you here?" Hiashi asked.
The Hyūga clan head did not answer. The scene was too tragic—his son had been beaten beyond recognition.
"Enough talk. We return to Konoha first."
"Right, let's go immediately."
"Agreed."
Hiruzen glanced at them, his expression as gentle as ever.
To think they dared to monitor the Hokage… they've grown quite bold. If not for the approaching storm and the imminent war, I would certainly discipline them.
He said nothing.
With a burst of speed, he carried Kinoshita Hikaru and dashed back toward Konoha.
Everyone else: "..."
Unlike the others, the Uchiha clan head was overjoyed—two of them had awakened the Sharingan.
As the strongest bloodline, once awakened, their combat power would immediately rise to another level.
Most Uchiha awakened between the ages of twelve and fifteen.
To awaken at nine… that was the mark of a genius.
If the situation were not so inappropriate, he would have burst into laughter.
...
Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.
Inside the Raikage's office—unlike the Hokage's, it appeared unusually spacious. There was only a single desk; the rest of the room was filled with training equipment.
A tall, dark-skinned man was lifting weights.
His muscles were solid and bulging, veins protruding as arcs of lightning flickered across his body. This was Kumogakure's body-tempering secret technique, which could also activate Lightning Release Chakra Mode in battle.
The Third Raikage—A.
Known as the strongest spear and strongest shield, the most powerful Raikage in history. A man who believed in fists and raw strength.
Three days ago, he had received a secret message requesting permission to capture the Uzumaki survivor.
He approved it immediately.
Although Kumogakure had participated in the war against the Land of Whirlpools, they had not obtained the clan's core secret techniques.
There was anticipation in his eyes.
As long as Kumogakure could obtain the Uzumaki techniques and fully control the Eight-Tails, victory in the war would be assured.
The Land of Lightning had already completed its war preparations. A jōnin assembly had even been convened to assess the village's battle readiness.
"Rankigu!" the Third Raikage called out.
The door opened, and a beautiful woman walked in.
Rankigu was tall, with long golden hair. Unlike most people of the Land of Lightning, her skin was fair and smooth.
"What is it?"
Her tone was cold, devoid of respect.
The Third Raikage didn't mind. This was his beloved wife—he wouldn't dare lose his temper, or he'd suffer at home.
"The team sent to the Land of Fire border—what's their status?"
He lowered his voice, clearly cautious.
If outsiders saw this, they would be utterly shocked.
The mighty Third Raikage… afraid of his wife?
"We just received word. They've already reached the border."
"Good. As long as we can perfectly control the Eight-Tails, I'll make Konoha pay."
Rankigu frowned.
"No. Kumogakure must not be the first to start the war, nor the first to enter the battlefield. Otherwise, we'll be dragged into the mire of war, and our losses will be too great."
"Then what should we do?"
"Wait. Compared to us, the Land of Wind is more anxious. According to intelligence, they've already completed their war preparations. Once both sides suffer heavy losses, then Kumogakure will make its move."
"…You're right. Our people shouldn't die meaninglessly. We'll wait."
The Third Raikage nodded, convinced by her reasoning.
(It definitely wasn't because he was afraid of his wife.) ∪ω∪