"Earth Style… Heart-Decapitation Technique!"
Raizen's eyes scanned for the special Jōnin, but suddenly the ground beneath him shifted. Soil loosened violently, and a terrifying force yanked him downward. One second he was standing, the next he was swallowed by earth—leaving nothing but a head-shaped mound behind.
"You little brat, die!"
The Jōnin leapt out of the soil, kunai flashing in hand, aiming to finish Raizen in a single strike.
Not so fast.
From atop a nearby tree, Raizen's real body launched an attack. The Jōnin froze, only to watch the "Raizen" below him split into a mass of clay. His instinct was to jump back, but it was already too late.
"Art is an explosion! Drink!"
The clay decoy swelled violently and detonated. Rocks flew, trees shuddered, and the forest floor erupted in chaos. Smoke cleared, but the Jōnin was still alive, glaring with barely restrained fury.
Of course he survives. Why wouldn't he? Raizen thought, heart racing.
Without hesitation, he formed a hand seal, chewing a fresh batch of clay. The new construct formed quickly, small but deadly, and he hurled it toward the Jōnin.
"You're strong, kid… but the game ends now!"
The Jōnin had used Body Flicker to dodge most of the earlier explosions, but Raizen's rapid barrage caught him off-guard, leaving him severely injured.
"Earth Style… Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A colossal dragon of mud erupted from the ground, roaring skyward, while a volley of mud bombs shot at Raizen.
Well, I guess it's payback time.
He sent his clay birds crashing into the mud bombs, triggering a chain of explosions. The forest became a hellish storm of flying soil and splintered trees. Raizen ignored the exhaustion, creating more clay constructs and sending them straight toward the elite Jōnin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Each explosion shredded the dragon, and the little clay birds slammed into the Jōnin perched in the trees. He tried to evade, but Raizen's follow-up attack with clay spiders finally pinned him, detonating in a storm of mud and debris. When the smoke cleared, the Jōnin lay on the ground, scarred and lifeless.
"Forest Gump!"
Amamiya Tian, fighting nearby, used the moment to strike decisively, beheading his opponent. Teaming with another Amamiya ninja, they eliminated the remaining Ueshi Jōnin.
In total: one Chūnin and one Genin fell to Amamiya left wing and Raizen; another Genin killed Amamiya Seven, but was swiftly cut down by pursuing Jōnin. The six Ueshi Family ambushers were wiped out completely.
"The victory of this battle belongs to Raizen," Amamiya Tian announced, his gaze lingering on Raizen's hands, where clay still gleamed like deadly flowers.
Curiosity twinkled in Tian's eyes. "What exactly is this Clay Explosion Style you used, Raizen? Our clan has never seen such a technique."
"I… don't know," Raizen replied innocently, opening his palms. "It appeared the day my father died. I just figured out how to use it. You chew special clay, mold it… and it goes boom."
Amamiya Tian's lips twitched. "A hidden Amamiya bloodline, perhaps?"
Silence fell over the gathered ninjas before Tian spoke again. "Can you demonstrate it?"
"Of course."
Raizen grabbed the last bit of clay in his pouch, chewing it swiftly. A lively clay spider emerged in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, it exploded, showering the area in a controlled detonation.
"What power… the Amamiya Clan could flourish under your hands," Tian murmured, eyes wide. A five-year-old Genin had just felled a special Jōnin. The implications were staggering.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Tian said finally, exhaling. "Next, we move to the Uchiha residence."
With that, he waved, leading the group forward. Any lingering questions about Raizen's abilities would have to wait as the Amamiya squad advanced into enemy territory.