Kihana Sakiya strolled down the streets of Konoha.
She could feel the shift in the village's atmosphere—gradually growing tense.
It wasn't the same as before, when peace and quiet filled the air.
Sighing, Sakiya decided to stop thinking about it and headed straight to the training ground where Sasuke was practicing.
As she approached, she heard his voice echo through the area.
"Chidori!"
A sharp, high-pitched sound filled the air.
Boom!
A massive boulder crumbled into pieces, scattering debris everywhere.
Sasuke, exhausted, collapsed onto the ground, sweat dripping down his face as he stared up at the sky.
"So tired... but..."
He clenched his fists, recalling Naruto standing in front of him. And then, the image of that man appeared in his mind.
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke forced himself back up.
"Now's not the time to rest. Again!"
"Oh~ Nice lightning release."
A familiar voice rang out.
Sasuke froze. He turned and saw a girl standing beside him. He hadn't even noticed when she arrived.
"What... what are you doing here?"
Sakiya casually tossed something into the air. A badge spun mid-flight before landing in Sasuke's hands.
He caught it instinctively and examined it.
"What's this?"
Standing with her hands on her hips, Sakiya smirked.
"Hmph! This is the latest special badge of my Death Pact! It holds the protection of my Eye of Death! This badge is here to replace the Dark Knight!"
Sasuke studied the badge. Other than a slight design change, he didn't feel anything different about it.
Shrugging, he pocketed it.
"I've accepted it. Now, if you're done, don't get in the way of my training."
Sakiya raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Training?"
She grinned proudly.
"You know, I've dabbled in lightning release myself."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"You know Lightning Release?"
Sakiya's smirk deepened.
"Hmph, I've mastered all five elemental releases."
Sasuke wasn't convinced.
Sure, he'd seen her use some strange illusion techniques and an incredibly powerful secret art before... but he had never seen her use Lightning Release.
Noticing his skeptical look, Sakiya huffed in annoyance.
"I am the wielder of the Eye of Death! The strongest Eye of Death! I wouldn't lie to you!"
She pulled out a kunai.
"Watch closely!"
Electricity crackled at her feet, flowing up her body and surrounding the kunai in her hand.
Sasuke's eyes glimmered with anticipation.
Sakiya bent her knees, holding the kunai behind her while raising her other arm like a guard.
This was the pose she believed looked the coolest.
"Even light and thunder are limitless!"
With a sudden burst—
Whoosh!
A flash of lightning streaked past.
Sizzle—
Thud!
Sasuke blinked.
He turned his gaze to see...
Sakiya sprawled out on the ground, facedown in the dirt.
What the hell?
A black line formed on Sasuke's forehead.
Sakiya groaned, rubbing her head, her eyes dazed.
"Uhh... That hurt. I ran too fast and didn't stop in time."
Sasuke felt a headache forming.
Just then, a faint cracking sound echoed from the boulder.
Sasuke snapped his gaze back to it.
There, right in the middle of the massive rock, several pits had formed. A smooth, clean slit had been cut through it, causing the top portion to slide down and crash into the ground.
Boom!
A cloud of dust rose into the air.
Sasuke stood frozen.
"This..."
Sakiya dusted herself off and smirked.
"Amazing, right?"
Sasuke nodded absentmindedly.
Sakiya explained seriously,
"Speed is power! When speed reaches its peak, even the gods will fear it! My Lightning Release is at its limit—that's the principle behind it!"
Hearing this, something clicked in Sasuke's mind. His eyes widened with excitement.
"Yes! Sakiya! You're right!"
Sakiya smirked, feeling even prouder.
"Alright, I'm heading to see Ino."
But Sasuke was no longer paying attention. He was completely focused on rethinking his Chidori—new applications, new techniques.
"That's it! This technique should be done like this!"
"Yes! Sakiya just pushed Lightning Chakra to the limit—then my Chidori!"
His eyes burned with newfound determination.
---
Sakiya wandered leisurely through Konoha's streets.
"Ino will definitely be happy to see me again."
She arrived at Ino's house and knocked on the door.
After a few moments, the door opened, revealing a woman—Ino's mother.
"Excuse me."
Ino's mother smiled gently.
"If you're looking for Ino, she's on a mission."
Sakiya blinked, then quickly asked, a hint of anxiety in her voice,
"How long has she been gone?"
"It's been eight days."
"Eight days?!"
A sinking feeling settled in Sakiya's chest.
---
Meanwhile, Ino and her team were in serious trouble.
Just like Sakiya before, they had encountered an Iwa shinobi squad.
At first, despite the numbers, Asuma wasn't too concerned. He had confidence in their abilities.
But as the battle dragged on, more and more Iwa shinobi kept appearing. Eventually, a Jōnin from Iwa arrived.
It was likely that Konoha's border defense had already been wiped out.
The enemy forces were overwhelming.
They had been forced to retreat continuously. For three days and nights, they were on the run.
Exhausted.
Out of supplies.
They had no choice but to take shelter in a hidden cave, barely escaping the relentless pursuit.
Inside the cave, the team huddled in silence.
Outside, enemy shinobi filled the forest.
Asuma stood guard at the cave entrance, tense and alert.
Choji, his round face visibly thinner, clenched his fists.
"Damn it! How dare they!"
Shikamaru, uncharacteristically quiet, looked grim.
"At this point, war is unavoidable."
Ino gritted her teeth.
"First, let's focus on surviving. We can think about the rest later."
Suddenly, Asuma's urgent voice rang out from the cave entrance.
"Quick! Get out of the cave!"
Ino didn't hesitate—she sprinted out of the cave as fast as she could.
The moment she made it out, the cave collapsed behind her.
Panting, she turned to look at the rubble, only to see several Iwa shinobi standing on the mountainside above them.
"Knew it! There were rats hiding in that cave!"
The Iwa nin laughed among themselves.
Asuma stepped forward, drawing his signature chakra blades.
More enemy shinobi emerged from the surroundings, encircling them.
Asuma frowned.
"Shikamaru, Choji, Ino—stay behind me!"
"Understood!"
The trio quickly fell into position.
Shikamaru gritted his teeth.
"Formation C!"
"Got it!" Choji and Ino responded in unison.
Against so many enemies, strategy had its limits.
Ino's abilities were ineffective against large numbers—there was no way she could control multiple minds at once.
Suddenly, an Iwa shinobi made the first move.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A massive dragon made of rock and soil formed in the air, its jaws opening wide as it launched chunks of hardened earth at them.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
Another enemy's attack targeted Asuma directly.
The only option was to dodge.
Asuma leaped out of the way.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio followed suit, scattering in different directions.
But as soon as they landed, more Iwa shinobi charged at them.
Asuma's chakra blades flared with wind chakra as he met the attack head-on.
With a swift motion, he slashed.
"Piercing Fang Strike!"
His blade didn't just cut—it shattered through the enemy's defenses.
The first opponent was sent flying, crashing into the ground.
Asuma spun and delivered a powerful kick, sending another enemy tumbling backward.
He didn't pause—his hand moved swiftly.
His chakra blade flew through the air.
Thud!
In an instant, it pierced an Iwa shinobi straight through the mouth.
Without missing a beat, Asuma grabbed his second blade and parried an incoming strike, dodging another attack with a quick duck.
With a sharp tug, he pulled his first blade from the fallen enemy's body and resumed his assault.
Each movement was efficient—no wasted energy, no unnecessary chakra use.
At this moment, Asuma fought like a warrior possessed.
While Asuma carved through enemy ranks, things weren't going as smoothly for the others.
After using his Super Expansion Jutsu to fend off wave after wave of attackers, Choji was already covered in wounds.
At that moment, an Iwa shinobi attempted to launch a sneak attack on Choji.
"Shadow Possession Jutsu!"
Shikamaru reacted instantly, his shadow stretching out and stopping the attacker in his tracks.
Ino followed up quickly, hurling a kunai that struck the enemy directly.
But just then, a massive figure appeared in front of her, his fist raised high.
Ino's eyes widened in horror—it was an Iwa jonin.
He locked onto her immediately, knowing she was a major threat. He had been controlled by her jutsu once before, and he wasn't about to let it happen again.
"Earth Release: Heavy Rock Fist!"
"No!"
Shikamaru and Choji's faces paled.
It was a sneak attack—Ino had no time to react.
The rock-covered fist was mere centimeters from her.
Clang!
A sudden light flared from Ino's chest.
In an instant, a powerful force surged outward, blasting the Iwa shinobi back.
The rock on his arm shattered, and he was sent flying.
Ino stared in shock at the badge floating in front of her, glowing faintly.
She remembered what Sakiya had said when she gave it to her:
"This badge carries my power. You could call it an artifact! It'll protect you when you need it most."
Ino whispered, "She was serious…?"
Before she could process it, the badge lit up again.
The strange emblem on it pulsed with light.
Then—
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke appeared.
And standing in its place was… Sakiya.
Ino's eyes widened. "Sakiya?"
Shikamaru and Choji were just as stunned. Even Asuma, still locked in battle, shot a glance in their direction.
Sakiya nodded. "It's me. But also… not me."
"Huh?" Ino blinked.
Sakiya's usual way of speaking wasn't this cryptic.
Then she realized—"You're a clone?"
Sakiya smirked. "Correct. But don't worry, I'm more reliable than the original."
Ino felt a twitch in her forehead. A clone that's more reliable than the real one…?
Meanwhile, the Iwa jonin was already struggling back to his feet. His entire arm was numb and nearly useless.
Rage twisted his face.
"Damn it! Kill them all!"
____
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