229

Chapter 28: Thunder and Fire

After about thirty minutes of moving through the dense forest, Haruto's chakra sensitivity flared sharply. He felt three distinct chakra signatures approaching fast from the north—too fast for wildlife. His instincts screamed danger.

Haruto bird-whistled softly, the sound cutting through the air and catching Shisui and Daichi's attention without alerting their incoming enemies. As the two teammates halted and looked to him, Haruto signed quickly, "Three incoming, from the north."

Shisui, already activating his Sharingan, nodded. His eyes scanned the tree line, and he raised his hand to signal them to prepare. "Get ready," he said quietly, his voice calm but laced with urgency.

It didn't take long before their enemies appeared—three Wind Country genin from the Village Hidden in the Sand. Two wielded large fans, while the third lagged slightly behind, controlling a sinister-looking puppet. Their movements were coordinated, tactical—just like the sand ninjas Haruto remembered from the anime.

Shisui stepped forward, his Sharingan glowing with intensity. "Daichi, engage the fan users head-on. Haruto, the puppet's yours."

Haruto's heart pounded as he nodded, his mind already racing through his options. The puppet master's weapon was clearly the biggest threat. But Haruto had upgraded his Thunder Scalpel—thanks to his recently enhanced lightning affinity—and now it was more lethal than ever. He wasn't just wielding chakra anymore; the lightning was integrated directly into the technique, buzzing in controlled arcs around his fingers like crackling electricity.

The puppet master sent the grotesque puppet charging forward, its joints clicking as blades extended from its arms. Haruto sidestepped the initial strike, his eyes narrowing as the puppet's claws whizzed past his face. The puppet spun back quickly, launching a volley of poisoned needles from its mouth.

Haruto's hand flashed, and his newly refined Thunder Scalpel—now embedded with lightning—crackled as he cut through the air. He dodged the needles effortlessly and slashed at the puppet's arm, the blade of his scalpel severing it cleanly. The arm fell to the forest floor with a dull thud, sparking briefly as the electrical surge coursed through the puppet's mechanics.

The puppet master scowled, pulling the puppet back for another attack, but Haruto was already moving. His feet hit the ground in a burst of speed, the air humming as lightning trailed from his fingertips. The puppet lunged again, its claws swiping viciously toward Haruto's chest, but this time Haruto ducked low, his hand a blur as he thrust forward.

With a burst of chakra and lightning, Haruto's Thunder Scalpel pierced straight through the puppet's midsection, splitting it clean in half. The electrical surge from the lightning-enhanced chakra fried its internal mechanisms, sending sparks flying as the puppet collapsed into useless, twitching parts.

The puppet master barely had time to react before Haruto closed the gap between them. With a quick series of hand seals, Haruto activated his Lightning Ball Jutsu, a sphere of concentrated lightning forming in his hands. He launched the attack, and the ball slammed into the puppet master's chest, sending him flying backward. The ninja hit the ground hard, his body spasming from the shock of the lightning coursing through him.

Meanwhile, Daichi was taking on the two fan-wielding ninjas. The larger fan user unleashed powerful gusts of wind, slicing through the trees, but Daichi used his shadow clones to create chaos, moving swiftly through the gaps in the wind attacks. The clones darted forward in waves, distracting the sand genin long enough for Daichi to launch his Water Style techniques. Streams of water disrupted their formations, forcing them to split their attention.

The fan users struggled to keep track of Daichi, but with each attack, they left themselves vulnerable. Shisui, watching carefully from the shadows, waited for the perfect moment. His Sharingan predicted their next movements, and with a series of quick hand signs, he unleashed a fierce Fireball Jutsu. The large ball of flame streaked across the clearing, slamming into one of the fan users before he had a chance to react.

The smaller fan-wielder cried out as the fireball singed him, sending him tumbling to the ground. The flames left him moderately burned and struggling to stand. The second fan user turned his attention to Shisui, raising his fan to launch another gust of wind, but Daichi was already in motion.

Daichi closed the distance between them with his clones, overwhelming the second sand ninja in a flurry of punches and kicks. With his attention divided between fending off Daichi's clones and avoiding the fire, the second fan user was quickly incapacitated.

Haruto, having neutralized the puppet master, approached him cautiously, his eyes narrowing as the sand genin tried to sit up, his body still shaking from the lightning ball. Haruto formed another series of hand seals and sent a smaller jolt of electricity through his fingers, ready to strike again.

The puppet master winced, raising his hand in surrender. "We give up! Take the scroll!" he shouted, coughing weakly as he clutched his chest.

Shisui rummaged through their belongings, quickly finding a scroll. He opened it briefly before showing it to Haruto and Daichi—it was another Earth scroll.

Haruto exhaled sharply, disappointed. "Another Earth scroll," he muttered, glancing at the injured sand ninjas. There was a brief moment where his eyes flickered with indecision. Killing was frowned upon, not forbidden outright—and it wasn't worth it for an unnecessary kill. Still, he felt no pity for the Sand Village ninja; they were far less deserving of the restraint he'd shown earlier with the Land of Tea.

Shisui said, reading Haruto's thoughts as his eyes lingered on the defeated enemies."We are not obligated to help them."

Daichi shrugged, stepping back. "They're lucky. Could've been worse."

Haruto remained silent, casting one last glance at the sand ninjas before turning away. "Let's keep moving," he said quietly.

The team collected themselves, leaving the injured Sand genin behind without their scroll as they continued deeper into the forest. The wind had shifted, and Haruto knew the danger was far from over