Boom!
Within the layers of dark clouds blanketing the Forest of Death, a thick bolt of lightning crashed down once more, briefly illuminating the gloomy sky.
Splash—
Almost in sync with the thunder, the rain intensified, pouring down in sheets.
Standing amid the downpour were two figures, arcs of lightning crackling around their bodies as they faced each other from a distance, both breathing heavily.
The battlefield around them was utterly devastated. The ground was riddled with craters, massive trees lay scattered and broken, and forest fires—barely suppressed by the rain—flickered weakly. Smoke and mist filled the air.
There was no doubt about it—these two, Hyūga Kagami and Darui, had single-handedly torn apart vast stretches of the forest and even triggered this thunderstorm. Now, both were disheveled and exhausted.
Under the searing electrical discharge, Kagami's robe was badly torn, wisps of smoke rising from it. A deep wound marred his left arm—half blade, half lightning burn—and the sleeve on that side was completely gone.
Darui wasn't in any better shape. His hair stood on end like a hedgehog's quills, his clothes were shredded into rags, and several deep scars crisscrossed his body. The long sword in his hand had snapped in half, leaving only the hilt.
"This guy…"
Staring at Kagami, Darui's face held none of his usual laziness. Instead, it was filled with gravity—and shock.
At the start of the fight, he'd been somewhat dismissive. As it dragged on, that attitude turned into surprise. Now, it had become outright awe.
Strong.
Ridiculously strong.
That was Darui's most instinctive assessment of Hyūga Kagami.
In the shinobi world, Lightning Release users were rarely known for stamina. Lightning chakra was violent and difficult to control, making prolonged battles a weakness for most Lightning Release ninja.
The Hidden Cloud was the exception.
The Raikage line had produced one "monster" after another.
Not only were their Lightning Release techniques extraordinary, but their physical constitutions far exceeded normal limits, granting them terrifying endurance. This was something the Hidden Cloud had always taken pride in.
And yet, fighting Kagami—who was clearly using a Lightning Release clone—left Darui with countless questions.
He simply couldn't believe that a Lightning Release ninja of this level existed outside the Hidden Cloud.
The opponent's mastery of Lightning Release was terrifying, nearly rivaling Darui's own Storm Release kekkei genkai. On top of that, Kagami's taijutsu and chakra reserves were absurdly powerful.
At one point, Darui had even felt as though he were fighting the Fourth Raikage himself.
Ptooey—
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Darui spoke in a low voice.
"Kirin… you really are an opponent worth taking seriously."
Kagami smiled faintly. "Then show me what you've really got. That warm-up should be enough by now."
"Warm-up?!"
Darui's expression stiffened. After hesitating for a moment, he said,
"This is just an exam. Do we really need to go that far? You know as well as I do—if we keep fighting, people will die."
"Then surrender," Kagami replied calmly.
Darui shook his head and let out a sigh.
"Looks like I don't have a choice but to get serious."
If it were only about himself, surrender wouldn't have been unacceptable. As someone who hated trouble, he might even welcome it.
But this was different.
Right now, he represented not just himself, but the entire Hidden Cloud.
If he surrendered in a Lightning Release showdown, the village's reputation would be dragged through the mud. Not only could he not surrender—he had to win.
He had to prove to the entire shinobi world that the Hidden Cloud stood at the pinnacle of Lightning Release ninjutsu.
Tossing aside the broken sword hilt, Darui said in a deep voice,
"Be careful, Kirin."
"Heh. Now this is getting interesting."
Kagami smiled, eyes gleaming.
...
"Huh? Is it over?"
"But the chakra fluctuations are still intense!"
"They must've stopped. There's no benefit to continuing."
Sensing the sudden lull in the distant clash, the jōnin overseeing the exam were immediately confused.
Hiashi activated his Byakugan and observed for a moment, then frowned.
"No… their chakra is still surging. They're preparing for a decisive clash!"
"What?!"
The jōnin were stunned.
After fighting to such a catastrophic extent, this wasn't the decisive battle yet?
Then what were the thunder, the torrential rain, and the ravaged forest supposed to be?
As if sensing something, Kakashi vanished with a whoosh and rushed toward the battlefield without another word.
Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai followed immediately.
After several leaps, they landed atop the crown of a massive tree at the edge of the battlefield.
They were only a few hundred meters away—well within range of being caught in the aftermath at any moment. But the battle's intensity was beyond imagination. As invigilators, they had no choice but to move closer.
Even through the curtain of rain and mist, they could now clearly see the battlefield with their naked eyes.
Guy suddenly pointed at Darui.
"Kakashi, look!"
Kakashi nodded.
There was no need to point it out. Everyone's eyes were already locked onto Darui.
The lightning crackling around him wasn't the usual blue—it was a destructive, jet-black lightning unlike anything they had ever seen.
This was one of the very reasons Kakashi had risked approaching.
"Kakashi," Kurenai asked instinctively, "what kind of jutsu is that?"
As the most proficient Lightning Release user present, Kakashi answered with extreme seriousness.
"If I'm not mistaken, Darui is blending his own chakra nature into Lightning Release, triggering a secondary nature transformation within Lightning chakra itself."
Asuma frowned.
"A nature transformation within a single chakra attribute? Is that even possible?"
Still staring at Darui, Kakashi sighed.
"In theory, yes. But it's something no ordinary ninja could ever accomplish. Darui is a true Lightning Release prodigy."
"Stronger than you?" Kurenai asked in surprise.
Kakashi nodded without hesitation.
"Yes. Stronger than me. He may be the only ninja in the world capable of doing this. From this moment on, Black Lightning stands at the pinnacle of Lightning Release ninjutsu."
Mid-sentence, Kakashi abruptly fell silent.
Because he had just realized—
On the other side of the battlefield, Kirin of the Hidden Mist was also wreathed in lightning.
An eerie, crackling purple lightning.