Chapter 21 – Baptism of Fire
The smell of blood and ash filled the air.
The forest that once sang with birds now echoed with screams.
For the first time, Yuva, Tenzo, and Daichi were not training.
They were at war.
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⚔️ The Ambush
"Team Hiwatari! Move!" their chūnin leader shouted, voice breaking through the chaos.
The ground exploded beneath their feet.
Stone spikes burst upward — killing two Konoha shinobi instantly. Blood splashed across Yuva's face.
"Daichi, wall! Tenzo, get the wounded!" Yuva barked.
Daichi slammed his palms down. "Earth Release: Mud Wall!"
A solid wall rose, blocking incoming kunai.
Tenzo dragged a bleeding man back, his hands glowing green.
Then — the earth trembled.
A figure stepped out from the smoke — calm, cold, and terrifyingly confident.
"That's not a genin…" the squad leader whispered. "That's an Iwa jōnin."
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⚡ The Monster of Stone
He was tall, his flak jacket worn but spotless.
Each step he took cracked the ground. His eyes were sharp, his presence heavy like a mountain.
"Children?" he said, voice dripping with disdain. "Konoha must be desperate."
Yuva's grip tightened on his sword. "Desperate or not… we'll stop you."
The man smiled faintly. "Try, then."
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⚡ Purple Lightning Unleashed
Chakra surged through Yuva's veins.
Lightning crackled to life around his blade — brighter, sharper, darker. It shifted from blue to violet, unstable with traces of natural energy.
The Iwa jōnin raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Not bad. But lightning alone won't save you."
Yuva's muscles tensed. "We'll see about that!"
He swung.
A streak of purple lightning shot through the forest, splitting trees and blasting a crater into the earth.
The jōnin flickered — gone in an instant.
The blast missed, leaving only scorched ground and rising smoke.
Before Yuva could react, the man appeared behind him.
"That was a nice move," he said quietly.
Then his kick slammed into Yuva's ribs.
Yuva flew back, crashing into a tree, coughing blood.
His lightning sputtered out. His arm trembled. His skin began to harden — the curse of his unstable nature energy leaking out.
Not now… not again.
He forced chakra through his body, sealing it away. The gray stone receded, his breathing heavy.
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🌪️ The Brothers' Counterattack
"Big brother!" Daichi roared.
He and Tenzo charged together, fury blazing in their eyes.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
"Earth Release: Stone Fist!"
Wind blades sliced forward while Daichi's fists glowed with dense chakra.
The jōnin smirked and stepped aside, dodging effortlessly. "Fast… but predictable."
In a blur, he flickered behind them — kicking both brothers away like leaves in the wind.
"Still standing? You kids are stubborn."
He raised his hand for a finishing strike — then paused.
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🍃 Interrupted by Reinforcements
Multiple chakra signatures approached fast — sharp, focused, unmistakably Konoha.
The jōnin's eyes narrowed. "Tch. Reinforcements."
He clicked his tongue. "You're lucky, brats. I've got more important business today."
In a puff of dust and stone, he vanished — gone as quickly as he came.
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🍃 Konoha Arrives
Seconds later, three Konoha shinobi landed around them — a jōnin and two chūnin, weapons drawn.
"Medic team, over here!" one shouted.
The jōnin knelt beside Yuva, checking his pulse and chakra flow. "You three… what happened?"
Yuva coughed, barely conscious. "Ambush. Iwa jōnin. He escaped."
Tenzo winced, pressing a hand over a bleeding cut. "We tried… to hold him back."
The older jōnin looked around — burnt trees, corpses, shattered earth. His expression softened.
"You held your ground against an elite. That's no small feat."
He formed a quick seal. "We're taking you back to camp. You've done enough for today."
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🩹 The Aftermath
Hours later, they lay inside a medic tent, the night quiet except for groans and murmurs of pain.
Tenzo's bandages glowed faintly as he treated Daichi's ribs.
Yuva stared at his hands — still trembling, still humming faintly with lightning.
"He dodged my attack like it was nothing…" he whispered.
Daichi frowned. "He was stronger than anyone we've fought. But we're still alive. That means we can get stronger."
Tenzo smiled faintly, exhausted. "Next time… we'll be ready."
Yuva closed his eyes. The scent of medicine filled the air.
"Next time," he said softly. "We won't just survive."
He clenched his fist.
"We'll win."
Outside, thunder rolled faintly across the distant mountains — the sound of a war that had only just begun.