Naruto: Promotion is my Ninja Way

The Power of Lightning and Flame

"So strong!"

"Incredibly strong!"

The three Konoha shinobi crouched hidden among the dense forest trees, their eyes wide with shock as they watched the battle unfolding before them. What they witnessed defied everything they thought they knew about power.

The massive fireball that the tailed beast had spat out with devastating force was effortlessly blocked by Lord Naraku using only one hand. Then, as if the attack meant nothing, he had used the very power of the tailed beast against it, sending the creature flying backward through the air.

What kind of overwhelming strength was this?

The three Konoha ninja found themselves speechless, their throats dry as they swallowed nervously. They could only stare at the battlefield, unable to look away from the incredible display of power.

But Shihouin Naraku's assault was far from finished. Lightning-attribute chakra began crackling and spreading across his left palm, while above them, the bright crescent moon that had been hanging peacefully in the clear night sky was slowly being covered by gathering dark clouds.

"Rumble..."

Deep, threatening thunder rolled across the sky, and serpentine bolts of electricity danced through the darkness above.

"Is that thunder?" one of the Konoha trio whispered, looking up at the sky that had suddenly transformed from clear and starry to ominous and storm-laden.

"Sizzle..."

Electric current sparked and flashed across Shihouin Naraku's left hand, lightning spreading outward like living things seeking prey.

"ROAAAAAR!"

The Two-Tails, the massive cat-like beast that had been knocked away by Naraku's earlier attack, let out a wild, furious roar as it prepared for another assault. Its enormous chakra began gathering and condensing, forming into a sphere of pure destructive energy. The beast opened its gigantic maw, aiming directly at Shihouin Naraku with murderous intent.

A Tailed Beast Bomb!

This was no ordinary attack. The sphere was formed by compressing and condensing Yin and Yang chakra in a precise ratio of two parts Yin to eight parts Yang. The resulting technique possessed absolutely terrifying destructive power. Every explosion could level mountains and split the earth apart, creating scenes of devastation that rivaled natural disasters.

This was the most fearsome ability that any tailed beast possessed!

If this Tailed Beast Bomb found its target, not only would Naraku's position be completely destroyed, but the three hidden Konoha shinobi would certainly be caught in the devastating blast as well.

"BOOM!"

In the very next instant, thunder exploded violently through the air above them.

"ROAAAAAR!"

But this roar didn't come from the Two-Tails. Instead, it echoed down from the storm clouds themselves, as lightning snakes weaved and twisted through the darkness, their forms combining and taking shape. The bolts of electricity merged together, creating the outline of an enormous and terrifying beast - a Kirin!

A crushing pressure descended from the heavens above. The thunder that controlled the very power of divine punishment expanded wildly, emitting a blinding light so brilliant that it illuminated the dim battlefield like the break of dawn.

The sky and earth seemed to change color under this awesome display!

The Kirin's majestic head emerged from the storm clouds!

"Lightning Style: Kirin!"

"CRAAACK!"

An aura of complete destruction filled the air. In a single instant, the legendary lightning beast slammed down into the massive body of the Two-Tails at a speed so incredible that the naked eye couldn't even follow its movement. The timing was perfect - the Tailed Beast Bomb was still forming, not yet ready to be fired.

"YOWWWWWL!"

A howl of pure agony tore through the night as the incomplete Tailed Beast Bomb collapsed and scattered harmlessly into the air, its chakra dissipating like smoke.

The ferocious Kirin, formed from thousands of lightning bolts, crushed down upon the body of the Two-Tails. The legendary beast released its terrifying ultimate power without restraint, lightning flashing and thunder roaring with earth-shaking force.

The temperature rose sharply around the battlefield. The air itself filled with the sharp, electric smell of thunder burning through the atmosphere.

The blinding white light forced the three hidden Konoha shinobi to squeeze their eyes shut, while the terrible shock waves from the impact overturned entire sections of the surrounding forest, sending trees flying like twigs.

The earth-shaking thunder continued its relentless assault on the Two-Tails, who could only roar in pain and suffering. The paralyzing power of the lightning made it impossible for the tailed beast to control its own body, let alone attempt to escape from this nightmare.

Shihouin Naraku gripped his sword, Kurikara, firmly in his hand. His figure flickered and vanished, reappearing in the blink of an eye high in the sky near the helpless Two-Tails.

"If you cannot escape," he said with cold determination, "then you will die here!"

His blade flashed like silver lightning. A powerful, crescent-shaped wave of cutting energy slashed downward, biting deep into the body of the Two-Tails and leaving a massive wound that stretched across the creature's enormous form.

"YOWWWWL!"

The Two-Tails howled in agony once again, but the paralyzing power carried by the Lightning Style: Kirin technique made it impossible to break free. The beast could do nothing but endure Naraku's merciless attacks.

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

"Swish!"

One after another, crescent-shaped blade waves slashed down from above like falling stars!

If this brutal assault continued, the Two-Tails would surely be cut to pieces by Shihouin Naraku's relentless blade!

"WHACK!"

At the critical moment, a whistling sound cut through the air. Two long tails whipped upward desperately, trying to block the path of the incoming sword strikes.

"YOWWWWL!"

The two lengthy tails of the Two-Tails were severed cleanly by the razor-sharp blade energy. The cut appendages fell heavily to the ground below with dull thuds.

But this desperate sacrifice had served its purpose. The paralysis that had been gripping the Two-Tails' massive body finally began to weaken. The beast instantly lunged upward, its claws moving with desperate speed as it tried to pierce through the body of Shihouin Naraku in mid-air.

"Oh no!" gasped one of the Konoha trio.

"He's been caught by the Tailed Beast!" cried another.

The three Konoha shinobi screamed in fear and almost rushed out from their hiding place to help, despite knowing they would be completely useless in a battle of this scale.

But then they realized something that made them pause in confusion. The claws of the Two-Tails had struck only an afterimage of Shihouin Naraku, not his real body.

"BOOM!"

The real Shihouin Naraku materialized on the side of the Two-Tails' enormous body. His form was wreathed in dancing flames as he drew back his right leg and delivered a devastating kick to the tailed beast. The violent power of the impact surged through the creature's body, and the Two-Tails howled as it was sent flying once again.

The beast crashed into the ground with tremendous force, causing the earth to shake and crack from the violent impact.

Without giving the Two-Tails any chance to recover, Naraku launched another Getsuga Tensho sword strike, followed immediately by a bone-crushing punch.

Punch! Kick! Slash!

The continuous attacks fell like a torrential rainstorm, bombarding the Two-Tails without pause or mercy. The once-mighty tailed beast now seemed like nothing more than a helpless wild cat, beaten so thoroughly that it had no ability to fight back whatsoever.

"Are the tailed beasts... really this weak?" one of the Konoha trio asked in confusion, his voice barely above a whisper.

The three shinobi stared at the shocking scene playing out on the battlefield before them. What they were witnessing truly defied their understanding of the world.

Weren't tailed beasts supposed to be incredibly powerful creatures? All the major nations in the shinobi world treated their Jinchuriki - the human hosts of the tailed beasts - as ultimate trump cards for military strength. But if this kind of military power was really just like a helpless wild cat that couldn't resist and could be beaten around by anyone, then what purpose did it serve?

"No!" Morino Ibiki said firmly, trying to save his worldview from complete collapse. "It's not that the tailed beasts are weak. It's that Lord Naraku is far too strong!"

"Not just generally strong," he continued with growing conviction. "He's extraordinarily strong!"

"I have never seen such terrifying power in any other person. But I have heard about this kind of strength before, in the stories about Konoha's history that I listened to as a child."

"Wait... you mean..." one of his companions began.

"That's exactly right!" Morino Ibiki's face was filled with absolute seriousness. "The God of the Shinobi World - the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama!"

"Only the First Hokage, who brought peace to the warring era and established Konohagakure, possessed this kind of overwhelming power!"

"Only with strength like this could someone completely ignore the power of the tailed beasts..."

The three Konoha shinobi had never personally witnessed any battle involving the First Hokage Senju Hashirama, but they had all grown up listening to the legendary stories of his incredible feats.

In the past, they had treated those tales as nothing more than exaggerated stories meant to inspire young shinobi. But now, watching this impossible battle unfold before their eyes, all three of them truly believed every word they had ever heard!

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The earth continued to shake violently beneath their feet, the powerful vibrations traveling through the ground and jolting the three Konoha shinobi out of their amazed thoughts.

Meanwhile, in the spiritual space within Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki...

"Yugito! Get ready to run!" the Two-Tails urgently warned its host. "We are no match for this enemy!"

"No, Matatabi!" Yugito shook her head firmly. "We haven't lost yet."

The massive cat-like tailed beast looked at the stubborn young woman it had come to recognize and respect from the bottom of its heart. "This is a loss, Yugito! The Hidden Cloud Village has already lost this war! You need to find a way to survive!"

"Don't say that, Matatabi!" Yugito pleaded. "There must be a way for us to get through this!"

"We..."

The Two-Tails was about to continue trying to persuade its stubborn host, but suddenly it stretched out its enormous paws and covered its head, writhing in obvious pain.

"Matatabi? What's wrong? What's happening to you?"

Back in the outside world...

"Kurikara - Acala!"

Shihouin Naraku's previously calm eyes suddenly flashed with inner fire. A massive divine figure began lifting him upward as the mighty Acala, the Immovable Wisdom King, manifested once again.

Perhaps because Kurikara had recently absorbed the power of the Kusanagi sword, Naraku could clearly sense that Acala had become even more powerful than before.

"Destroy!" he commanded.

Acala drew forth a jet-black sword, infusing the weapon with supreme divine power, and raised it high above like an avenging god preparing to deliver final judgment!

----------------

You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion