I Am Uzumaki Menma

Now, only five years had passed since the end of the Third Great Ninja War. As one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Raiga was a renowned Jonin within Kirigakure.

During his battles against Konoha, the Ninja of the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans left the deepest impression on him.

The Hyuga clan was troublesome because their Byakugan could see through the Hiding in Mist Technique commonly used by Kirigakure's Ninjas, perfectly countering their tactical advantage.

As for the Uchiha clan, while their Sharingan could be somewhat hindered by the Hiding in Mist Technique, their dynamic visual tracking ability granted them reaction speeds far surpassing ordinary Ninjas.

What's even worse is that once they make eye contact with the Sharingan, they'd fall under their Genjutsu!

Even breaking free in an instant could create a fatal opening on the battlefield! Countless Kirigakure's Ninjas had died because of this!

"Damn it! Are they Ninjas from Konoha?" As the thick mist gradually rose, Raiga hid in it, frowning and wondering if his men had killed some merchants from the Land of Fire recently, which led Konoha sending their Ninjas after him.

It was well known that among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha was the most eager to take on all sorts of missions… even merchants and nobles from neighboring countries would hire Konoha's Ninjas for tasks.

For example, after the Third Great Ninja War, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind repeatedly slashed Sunagakure's funding, and the nobles and merchants of the Land of Wind even delegated most of their missions to Konoha. This led to a severe economic crisis in Sunagakure, forcing them to adopt an elite-focused strategy.

So Raiga wasn't entirely surprised to encounter a Konoha's Ninja… he just hadn't expected them to send an Uchiha.

"Wait…" Raiga suddenly grew wary.

He realized that the opponent hadn't been wearing a Konoha's forehead protector or the standard Konoha's flak jacket.

Moreover, the people he had ambushed were supposed to be Ninjas from Hoshigakure.

As for why Hoshigakure shinobi would appear in the Land of Rivers, which is very far from the Land of Bears, Raiga, who had been holed up in the Katabami Gold Mine Mine for a long time, had no idea about the changes outside.

Meanwhile, Hikari, seeing the enemy use the Hiding in Mist Technique, turned to Natsuhi behind her and ordered, "Go support Hotarubi and the others. Deal with their Ninjas. I'll take care of Kurosuki Raiga myself."

"Yes, Nanashi-sama!" Natsuhi, who had been worried about her husband, immediately left in relief.

Once Natsuhi was gone, Hikari crossed her arms, her Sharingan glowing red in the mist, and sneered, "Kurosuki Raiga, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist… is hiding all you're good at??"

"Brat, you're not a Konoha's Ninja?" Raiga's voice echoed from all directions, distorted by the mist, making it hard for Hikari to pinpoint his exact location.

"And what if I'm not? I'm just here to crush your Kurosuki Clan and make you submit." Hikari replied coldly, her Sharingan scanning the surroundings.

"Hahaha!" Black Zetsu's laughter reverberated through the mist, "A Missing-nin from Uchiha Clan? Interesting, very interesting. If I weren't about to hold your funeral, I'd love to hear how you deserted."

Raiga's loved holding funerals, especially for people he knew, and listening to their life stories.

"Don't worry, once I beat you down, we'll have plenty of time to chat." Hikari mused, thinking of a way to locate her enemy.

Suddenly, several lightning serpents burst from the ground, lashing toward Hikari like silver whips.

[Lightning Burial: Banquet of Lightning!]

Another technique of Kiba.

Instead of retreating, Hikari leaped forward, toward the source of the lightning snakes.

Mid-air, she formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"

Hikari first spat out a massive fireball, then hurled a dozen shuriken.

The shuriken struck the flames, scattering them… ach now imbued with flames.

A storm of blazing fire and shuriken rained down toward the origin of the lightning snakes.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed through the thick mist.

Raiga blocked the incoming shuriken, but in doing so, revealed his position. Gritting his teeth, he raised Kiba high, crossing the twin blades in the air to summon lightning.

Boom! Boom!

Two massive bolts of thunder crashed down, striking the tips of the blades and infusing them with crackling electricity.

"Ninja Art: Lightning Strike Armour!"

Countless arcs of lightning surged along the blades, wrapping around Raiga's body and forming a defensive, yet offensive, lightning armor. Sparks danced wildly around him, sharp and deafening.

Clad in this lightning shroud, Raiga looked like a thunder god descended upon the battlefield.

"Oh? Not bad." Hikari landed lightly, watching as Raiga wielded his lightning-based techniques with Kiba.

It can be said that as expected of a Jonin and a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. The moment he realized he was facing an Uchiha, he immediately created distance, used the Hiding in Mist Technique to disrupt the Sharingan's sight, and launched long-range lightning attacks.

This combination of tactics, which denied Hikari any chance to close in, showed battle-hardened experience, likely earned through brutal lessons in the Third Great Ninja War.

Against an ordinary Uchiha Jonin with only the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, this would've been a troublesome fight.

But Hikari was no ordinary Uchiha!

Growl-

An untimely growl from her stomach made her ears turn slightly red.

"Let's see how long you can keep hiding!"

Hikari formed hand seals, her eyes sharpening.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

A torrent of Fire Attribute Chakra erupted from her mouth, forming a towering wave of flames that surged toward Raiga!

The blazing tsunami roared forward, evaporating the mist in its path and forcibly tearing open a corridor through the mist.

Seeing this terrifying wall of fire, which is several meters high, Raiga's eyes widened.

It's not like he hasn't seen Uchiha Clan's Ninjas use this move before.

But such a huge wave of fire, surging like a tsunami, far surpassed any Fire Release Ninjutsu he had ever witnessed!

"As expected, those who can defect are not ordinary Ninjas." Raiga raised Kiba again.

Lightning gathered, twisting and howling in the air until it formed a crimson-eyed dragon of pure electricity.

"Lightning Release: Thunder Dragon Tornado!" Hei Chui Raiga roared.

Swinging the blade down, the snarling dragon of lightning crashed headlong into the tsunami of flames!

Boom!

The collision of the two techniques triggered a massive explosion, flattening the surrounding ruins and forest in an instant.

Amid the flames, Raiga smirked, satisfied that he had blocked the attack: "The Uchiha… are nothing spe-"

Before he could finish, a dark red skeletal claw tore through the explosion's shockwave, parting smoke and fire as it slammed down toward him!

"Wha-?!"

Raiga had never seen this technique before. Panicking, he pushed his Lightning Strike Armor to its limits, raising Kiba in a desperate attempt to block.

But the claw, unfazed by the blade or his lightning armor, smashed him into the ground with crushing force.

"Cough-" Blood sprayed from Raiga's mouth as he stared up in disbelief.

Through the clearing smoke, Hikari stepped forward, her body now encased in a towering, dark red skeletal half-form.

Her right skeletal arm had extended over twenty meters, bridging the distance instantly and slamming him down with enough force to leave him dizzy, ears ringing, and bleeding.

And worse, the claw was wreathed in eerie, dark flames that burned through his Lightning Strike Armor.