The sound wasn't loud, but in that moment, it swept across the entire battlefield like a hurricane.
Arrogant and domineering? Just spouting nonsense?
To the Cloud Shinobi—and even to the Konoha forces—it was undoubtedly the latter.
The situation, whether in numbers or strength, was like catching a turtle in a jar. They had the clear advantage.
And yet, Uchiha Kenji was speaking with such arrogance. It was nothing less than blatant disrespect.
"You really are just a foolish child. Let's see how you plan to kill us!"
"Hmph! Take him down first! He'll soon understand the meaning of 'power gap'!"
"A Chūnin's first lesson on the battlefield should be evaluating strength differences... and learning how to survive!"
"Kill him!"
A Cloud Shinobi roared, brandishing a kunai and charging forward.
Behind him, several more moved without hesitation.
In the blink of an eye, seven or eight ninja were rushing toward Kenji at full speed.
"Kenji, watch out!" cried Jingyin, her voice anxious and strained.
But beside her, Tsukikage Arata's pupils suddenly contracted.
Faced with the charging enemies, Kenji didn't even try to dodge.
Instead, his hands moved rapidly, weaving hand seals with astonishing speed.
"Tsukikage, isn't that your Lightning Style: Falling Thunder Jutsu?" exclaimed Inuzuka Riku in disbelief.
"He's insane! Trying to use a lightning technique at this range—!" Arata was about to leap forward in support when—
Boom!
A low rumble of thunder echoed in the sky.
Kenji's hand seals halted suddenly.
"Lightning Style: Falling Thunder Jutsu!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seven bolts of lightning lit up the sky above him.
The next moment, they streaked downward at blistering speed, targeting the seven Cloud shinobi now only ten meters away.
So fast. So many. There was no time to react.
Boom!
The bolts struck dead-on.
The destructive power cracked the earth beneath them.
The pale blue lightning lit up the entire canyon.
Dust and rubble filled the air. Everyone's heart tightened.
When the dust settled, a deep crater—seven or eight meters wide—was left behind.
The Cloud shinobi were lying in blood, some missing limbs.
Undeniably dead.
"What kind of jutsu is that?"
"It looks like the A-rank Lightning Style: Falling Thunder... But even most skilled Jōnin can only summon three strikes. How did he launch seven? And so precisely?"
"Something's not right with this kid. Scatter! Don't let him hit us again!"
Panic spread through the Cloud ranks.
Just moments ago, they had completely dismissed Kenji, thinking a mere Chūnin was no threat.
But now, he had taken out seven trained shinobi in seconds.
As for the Konoha side—shock was an understatement.
They knew for a fact that Kenji had only started learning this jutsu three days ago.
And yet, not only had he mastered the A-rank technique, he had clearly surpassed "mastery".
To release seven bolts simultaneously—he must have understood the technique's deepest essence.
On the cliff, A, future Raikage, narrowed his eyes.
"Don't panic. He's just an unknown Chūnin. Maybe he has some natural talent for Lightning Release. Sato—you're our Lightning specialist. Go bring him back."
The masked Cloud ninja named Sato nodded and took a step forward.
But then he froze.
A scorching wave of heat blasted through the air.
Kenji's hands flew once more—and the moment his chakra flared, it took the form of a massive twenty to thirty-meter-wide fireball, roaring down from above.
"What the hell is that?"
"Am I dreaming? Is that still the Great Fireball Jutsu?"
Fwoosh!
The air itself seemed to rupture.
In an instant, the fireball crossed hundreds of meters.
Everything in its path—rocks, trees—erupted into flames.
Sato's face turned pale. He instinctively backed away.
Even A and Killer B tensed, narrowly dodging.
The fireball missed them at the last moment—fired at an upward forty-five-degree angle.
Boom!
It exploded mid-air.
Flames filled the sky, lighting it up like a festival of fireworks.
The brilliant sparks dazzled the entire battlefield.
Everyone—especially the Cloud ninja who had scattered in fear—was stunned.
Looking at the scorched ground where the fireball had passed, they saw a long gouge burned into the earth.
Trees nearby were still ablaze. Many couldn't even process what had happened.
Whether it was the Lightning Release: Falling Thunder earlier, or this colossal fireball now—
The power was overwhelming.
Kenji had transformed a mid-level jutsu into something on par with S-rank techniques.
Just the thought of being struck head-on by that fireball made many tremble.
"Tch. What a bluff. I thought you had real skill," scoffed A.
"Turns out your chakra is just overwhelming—your ninjutsu mutated."
Seeing his men humiliated one after another, he had to save face.
Looking down at Kenji, still calm and composed, A sneered:
"Unfortunately for you, your obsession with power is also your greatest weakness."
"A ninjutsu that can't even hit its target—even if it's massive—ends up like that firework. Flashy… but useless."
The shaken Cloud forces began to regain composure.
"Lord A is right. Stay focused!"
"He missed. He's just all power, no control."
"And after those two techniques, he must be low on chakra. He can't cast much more."
"We just have to endure one more attack. Then we can take him down."
Greedy looks returned to the Cloud shinobi's eyes as they eyed Kenji.
On the Konoha side, the reactions were entirely different.
"If only that fireball had landed... it could've wiped out dozens," muttered Uzuki Renji.
"I didn't know Kenji had hidden such talent... he elevated basic jutsu to the level of forbidden arts."
"Tsukikage, what should we do? With talent like that, and his mastery of Genjutsu, Lightning, and Fire Release, we should bring him directly to the Third Hokage."
"With proper training, he could become a pillar of Konoha's future."
Even Arata was shaken by the thought.
After witnessing years of bitter war, he understood just how much impact one genius could have on the tide of battle.
Look at Namikaze Minato, the "Yellow Flash", now the pride of the village.
If Uchiha Kenji could one day stand alongside—or even surpass—him…
Then Konoha might soon welcome another legend.