There is a school of thought that a ninja's mastery lies in the depth of their techniques, not the breadth. In reality, this usually holds true—take a certain transcended-level ninja who spent his entire life perfecting a single sphere of energy until it reached profound heights.
Then there's Ui. While his offensive repertoire is diverse, his go-to move is almost always erupting into a frenzy of Lightning Style, making himself as conspicuous as a flickering, short-circuiting lightbulb.
This is what you call "one trick to rule them all."
According to intel, Pakura is the same type. Her Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder follows a simple two-step process: First, trap the enemy. Second, evaporate them. The second step is certain death, but dodging the initial attack? That isn't actually as difficult as it looks.
In a large-scale war where ninjas are packed like sardines, Pakura's Scorch Release is a nightmare of mass destruction. But in a one-on-one duel? It's a different story. As long as you don't let it touch you, what is there to fear?
Furthermore, she is facing Ui—a speed specialist and a master of Nintaijutsu (Ninja Body Techniques). If a fighter like him manages to close the gap, the advantage shifts dramatically.
Ui carefully observed Pakura's movements. From his current perspective, he felt that while she was famous, she wasn't necessarily harder to handle than that high-speed Fuma ninja he had encountered previously. That ninja had been pulverized by his Kirin; against Pakura, he wouldn't even need such a grand technique.
...Actually, that's nonsense. To be honest, he couldn't even use Kirin right now if he wanted to.
Though Ui's squad had four members, Pakura had locked onto Ui alone. First, because of his "White Yaksha" reputation; second, because his crackling, sparking Lightning Cloak made him a beacon in the flickering firelight of the night. He really was just a leaky lightbulb.
Ui whirled and leaped through the forest, staying on the periphery. Every so often, a ball of Scorch energy carrying the scent of death would whistle past his skin.
The opportunity for a close-quarters engagement was hard to find. He had to remember that even in melee, he couldn't get too close, or he'd still end up mummified. He was waiting for the perfect moment: a "one-strike retreat" that would simultaneously be a "one-strike collapse" for the enemy.
Should he wear her down? Switch to mid-to-long-range attacks? No, for now, he wanted to keep testing her limits.
He dodged another blast and flicked a couple of shuriken, not to kill, but to disrupt her rhythm. It was a minor annoyance at best. Ui didn't feel particularly nervous. Pakura's speed was that of a standard Elite Jonin. He felt that as long as he could break through her defensive orbs and close the distance, his superior speed would allow him to seize the initiative.
Battle makes a ninja grow. Compared to his fight with the Fuma ninja, Ui felt his movement was more fluid, more versatile—it was no longer just "fast."
The "Silly Dog" Strategy
As the two of them clashed, the Rain Ninjas were left blinking on the sidelines. Deciding they shouldn't just be spectators at their own party, they leaped into the fray, turning the duel back into a chaotic free-for-all.
Unfortunately, the Rain Ninjas made a creative mistake: a group of them broke off to attack the drool-covered Multi-Headed Hound.
You can't really blame them; attacking a large summon is standard procedure. First, the dog looked like a liability, carrying three seemingly incapacitated kids. Second, its sheer size made it a massive potential threat. Better to neutralize it before it went on a rampage, right?
One Rain Ninja struck the hound. Then another.
The ninjas quickly realized that this "stupid dog" was apparently so dumb it didn't even know how to dodge. They gleefully landed hit after hit.
Then, they understood. It wasn't that the hound couldn't dodge; it was that it didn't need to. Because every time it took damage... it split.
The Rain Ninjas stood in stunned silence as the hound multiplied. It was a summon they had never seen before.
One Rain Ninja gained a new perspective on biology. Another Rain Ninja was promptly bitten to death.
The Human Shield
While one group was busy being outbred by a dog, another group targeted Ui and Pakura. One Rain Ninja charged Ui, but his skill level was laughable. He began weaving signs for a Water Style jutsu, but before his hands could finish, Ui surged forward—purely to bully him with speed.
Ui's Lightning Cloak flickered, and he shifted gears, closing the distance instantly. He dropped low and drove a no-frills straight punch into the man's gut.
The ninja's jutsu was canceled immediately. It wasn't just about the physical force—the Chidori Nagashi surrounding Ui's body acted as both offense and defense. Just ask the paralyzed Kurenai; anyone who touches this version of Ui loses all motor control instantly.
Ui's fist opened into a palm, grabbing the man's vest. With a sharp pivot, he hurled the paralyzed Rain Ninja like a discus.
It was a beautiful piece of cooperation. One side was Ui; the other side was also Ui.
The punch didn't kill the man, but the "Human Shield" was thrown directly into the path of Pakura's Scorch orb. The poor ninja was electrocuted by Ui, then instantly mummified by Pakura.
While the "steaming" corpse was still suspended in mid-air, white smoke pouring from its orifices, Ui delivered a savage kick to the body. The mummy became a projectile launched straight at Pakura.
The corpse blocked Pakura's line of sight. Using it as cover, Ui wove a sign and charged!
A Chidori Sharp Spear pierced through the corpse without resistance, stabbing directly at Pakura herself!
Pakura had anticipated some trickery behind the body; she was an elite, after all. Dodging the spear was easy enough. But the spear wasn't the real threat—the spear was a distraction for the real jutsu. Ui didn't need signs for the spear; he had woven a sign for the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
As the corpse fell, its belly sliced open by the lightning spear, two clones erupted into Pakura's vision.
They were fast—impossibly fast, wreathed in the same blinding lightning. They flanked Pakura from the left and right in a pincer movement. Their movements were identical: right arms bent with tension, ready to hook around a neck.
In the Land of Lightning, the Fourth Raikage and Killer B have a legendary combo called the Lariat (Double Lariat). Ui had never seen it, nor did he care about matching power levels with a partner.
All he knew was that his arms, wrapped in Chidori Nagashi and moving at high velocity, were the sharpest blades in existence. They would snap a spine and tear a throat in a single collision...
If only the next second would actually arrive.