"You are stronger than I expected," the Raikage said with a smirk, wiping a small trickle of blood from his lip.
"Don't flatter yourself," Tsuchikage Arano replied coolly, adjusting his stance. "Your speed did surprise me, though."
They stood amidst a wasteland of their own making — the ground split open, the sky heavy with smoke, trees uprooted and shattered.
"We've completely destroyed the surroundings," the Raikage chuckled, glancing around at the devastation.
"It doesn't matter," Arano said dismissively, crossing his arms.
"Maybe not to us," the Raikage shrugged, "but the Hokage will be furious."
"Even if he wants to stop us, he won't dare," Arano stated, his voice steady with certainty.
After this brief exchange, the ferocity of their battle diminished slightly, each Kage conserving strength. Both understood — if the Hokage arrived, weakened warriors would be easy targets.
But for now... the battle raged on.
Chapter: Thundercloud Fury
"Jinton: Sphere of Annihilation," Arano murmured, soaring towards his opponent, forming a glowing orb in his palm.
"Thunder Cloud Formation!" roared the Raikage, summoning dark clouds overhead. Within moments, the skies wept — a torrential downpour, the heavens roaring with thunder.
Rain slashed through the battlefield. Arano, wary of lightning strikes, was forced to slow his advance. The Raikage used the opening, widening the distance between them.
Arano zigzagged through the sky, evading bolt after bolt until he finally landed, finding it easier to defend himself on solid ground.
Minutes later, as the rain subsided, Arano refocused his gaze on his opponent.He leapt forward, conjuring stone spears mid-air and hurling them toward the Raikage. But with a flick of his chakra-cloaked hands, the Raikage shattered each projectile effortlessly.
While the Raikage dismantled the incoming spears, Arano formed multiple floating Jinton Cubes, preparing for a deadly counterattack.
When Arano closed the gap to just a few meters, he launched into close-quarters combat.
Normally, in hand-to-hand, the Raikage's monstrous strength and chakra armor would grant him dominance. But with Jinton Cubes hovering ominously around Arano, every move had deadly consequences.
Arano lashed out with a vicious kick aimed at the Raikage's gut. The Raikage blocked it easily, seizing Arano's leg.
Without hesitation, Arano hurled a Jinton Cube toward the Raikage's face. Forced to retreat with swift jumps, the Raikage barely escaped vaporization.
Frustrated, Arano channeled an enormous amount of chakra.Thousands of stone spears erupted from the ground, raining mercilessly toward the Raikage.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Raikage shattered spear after spear, but they were endless. Blood oozed from new cuts on his arms and legs. Still, he stood firm, his chakra cloak blazing an intense blue, stronger and more furious than ever.
Despite minor injuries, he remained unbroken.
With a furious growl, the Raikage infused even more chakra into his body, his aura now radiating like a storm about to explode. In an instant, he charged.
Seeing the oncoming thunderbolt of a man, Arano raised four fingers — Earth Release: Stone Wall!
A massive wall erupted between them... and was shattered instantly as the Raikage burst through like an unstoppable force of nature.
Too close.
Arano desperately tried to summon another Jinton Cube, but it was too late.
The Raikage's fist, wreathed in lightning and rage, collided with Arano's ribs.
BOOM!!
The impact hurled the Tsuchikage thirty meters back. Dust and smoke engulfed the battlefield. As it cleared, the Tsuchikage was still standing — battered, bloodied, but unbowed.
Both Kage now bore the marks of their brutal clash.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Waterfalls – Far From the Battlefield
Fifteen kilometers from the border between Iwagakure and Takigakure, under the veil of night, three figures huddled around a flickering campfire.
"We've searched every marked location and found nothing," Azora sighed, frustration heavy in her voice.
"Yes, it's unfortunate," Yusu replied, her gaze distant.
Azora looked up. "Should we keep searching, or return?"
Han, the oldest among them, leaned closer to the flames. "Continuing would be foolish. The Waterfall Country's ANBU are already hunting us. This mission must remain secret."
He threw a twig into the fire and added, "Best we return to Iwa and report our failure."
Azora hesitated. "Won't the Tsuchikage be furious?"
Han shrugged. "Perhaps. But he'll likely dispatch another team to capture the traitor."
"The enemy could be hiding inside a village," Han mused. "And the Waterfall ANBU complicate everything."
"Has the village already put a bounty on his head?" Yusu asked.
"I haven't heard anything," Han replied.
He stood up. "Let's move. It's a long journey back."
Three Days Earlier — Somewhere in the Land of Waterfalls
A lone shinobi stumbled across a vast plain, exhaustion weighing down his steps.He had been fleeing the relentless Iwa ANBU for over half a month, barely surviving. After crossing the border into the Land of Waterfalls, he thought he might find safety. But no such luck.
His breath heavy, he followed a narrow path winding through the open fields...
Until suddenly, two masked figures appeared before him.
Their presence was like a blade across his throat — silent, cold, inevitable.
Autor note : hello 👋👋
something from wiki
Jiraiya was one of Konohagakure's Sannin. Famed as a hermit and pervert of stupendous ninja skill, Jiraiya travelled the world in search of knowledge that would help his friends, the various novels he wrote, and, posthumously, the world in its entirety – knowledge that would be passed on to his godson and final student, Naruto Uzumaki.