Chapter 28: Chapter 28: This Is the Route I Planned
The anticipated explosion never came. Under the stunned gaze of the blond-haired youth, Raiden, who was pinned to the ground by the clay bomb, was now surrounded by crackling lightning chakra. Slowly, he sat up, the sheer force of his chakra causing the clay bomb to fall off him like brittle mud.
Plop!
The inert clay bomb hit the ground, useless and deformed.
"What… what's going on?" The blond youth's voice was sharp, tinged with disbelief. For a ninja, the most unnerving thing is the unknown, and Raiden's ability to neutralize his clay bomb was utterly baffling.
"You want to know? Too bad, I'm not teaching you," Raiden shot back, his voice filled with venom. "I just wanted to pass my academy exam. Why did you have to interfere?"
Raiden stood, his expression radiating hostility. Chakra facial markings had appeared on his face, golden streaks extending from his forehead and tracing patterns across his body. His chakra, now fully unleashed, began to take on a physical presence, wrapping around him like a living force.
The pain from the wounds on his back and arms only fueled his growing irritation. As his anger swelled, so too did the intensity of his chakra, fluctuating wildly and forming a visible vortex around him.
Before unlocking the Yin Seal, Raiden could channel chakra roughly equivalent to that of Kakashi. Now, fully unleashed, his chakra reserves dwarfed that, surging to nearly fifty times as much. The sheer magnitude of this power created a palpable pressure that bore down on the blond ninja.
"At such a young age, he's already mastered chakra nature transformation?" the blond man muttered, his face darkening. "This kind of talent can't be allowed to exist in Konoha. I'll kill you here and now!"
The playful demeanor the man had shown earlier vanished, replaced by an icy determination to kill.
"Kill me?" Raiden raised an eyebrow before vanishing from his spot. The next moment, he appeared behind the blond ninja, delivering a whip-like kick aimed directly at the back of his head.
Despite his chakra-enhanced body, Raiden understood the limitations of his taijutsu. While his chakra could amplify his strength, the physical techniques themselves were constrained by his young, underdeveloped body. To maximize his chances, Raiden targeted the back of the head—a vulnerable spot capable of incapacitating or killing with minimal force.
The blond ninja, caught off guard by Raiden's speed, barely managed to raise his arms to protect his head.
Thud!
The impact sent him flying forward, crashing into the ground. But as he fell, small clay bombs slipped from his sleeves, landing near Raiden.
"Boom!"
The bombs exploded, the shockwave sending Raiden hurtling backward. When the dust cleared, the blond ninja stood, albeit visibly shaken.
"That brat… his strength is no joke," he muttered, scanning the smoke where Raiden had been.
Unbeknownst to the blond ninja, Raiden had used the explosion as a diversion to escape. He now darted through the forest, weaving between bushes and trees with his Kagura's Mind Eye fully active to detect any nearby enemies.
"I knew I wasn't his match in a prolonged fight," Raiden admitted to himself. "Most of my techniques aren't suited for combat. If even my sneak attack failed, staying would've been suicide."
Raiden gritted his teeth as he pushed forward. "I'm still young. I'll have plenty of time to take revenge. For now, I'll live to fight another day."
Instead of heading back to Konoha, Raiden chose to run toward the assessment destination. "If they're bold enough to attack this close to the village, the return path is probably full of ambushes. The safest place is where Konoha's forces will concentrate—at the assessment site."
As he ran, Raiden's focus sharpened, his mind racing to anticipate possible traps. But his thoughts came to a screeching halt when he stumbled upon an open clearing.
The sight before him was harrowing. Scorched corpses lay scattered across the area, their small, charred forms unmistakably those of children. Among them were several larger bodies—presumably the Chunins assigned to protect the children. Raiden recognized a few faces from when they had set out from the village.
"Houto… I'll remember this grudge," Raiden whispered, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "You won't escape my vengeance."
Suppressing the bile rising in his throat, Raiden clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms. His body trembled with anger, his chakra flaring erratically. But he forced himself to remain composed. After taking one last look at the devastation, he disappeared into the forest.
Moments later, Namikaze Minato arrived at the scene. His usually calm face was drawn with tension, and blood—though not his own—streaked his white clothing. Three masked Anbu followed closely behind him, their swords drawn as they surveyed the carnage.
"Damn it," Minato muttered, his voice heavy with frustration. "We're too late. The kids… they've all been killed. Even the Chunins couldn't protect them."
The Anbu began inspecting the area, looking for any signs of survivors. Meanwhile, Minato's heart sank. He scanned the scene frantically, hoping against hope that one particular figure was not among the dead.
"Raiden… you'd better not be here."
After several tense minutes of searching, Minato exhaled a sigh of relief. Raiden's body was not among the fallen. "He's not here," Minato murmured, his relief tempered by lingering worry. "But where is he?"
"Let's keep moving," he ordered the Anbu, his voice firm. "We're not done yet."
With a wave of his hand, Minato and his team set off once more, determined to find the surviving children and put an end to the threat.
(End of Chapter)
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