Chapter 30: Higurashi's Lament
An unending torrent of sword energy surged like a roaring dragon, grinding the lava orbs into nothing.
The flood carved a deep trench into the earth as it advanced, trapping the crimson figure at its core.
Within a radius of hundreds of meters, the ground was pulverized into dust, and towering trees disintegrated into ash.
---
"What... what is this?"
Even experienced shinobi like Aburame Shibi couldn't contain their shock.
"Wind Release? No, it doesn't have the feel of Wind Chakra!"
"This technique... it must be a forbidden jutsu! How many trump cards does he have?!"
"He's a monster!"
Fugaku stared intently, straining to discern the mechanics of the technique.
"Cutting Release... it's one of Kagami's unique secret arts, but it doesn't seem like a kekkei genkai."
Minato's voice carried through the tumultuous winds, his words audible to the keen-eared jonin.
"This is a pure mental-energy-based high-frequency cutting attack. As far as mental energy goes..."
"There may only be one creature that can rival Kagami."
The creature he referred to wasn't human.
"Pure mental slashes!" Nara Suzaku exclaimed. A user of Yin Release himself, he found the concept almost incomprehensible.
"Is it some variant of Spirit Transformation? Should we guard his physical body?"
"Although... I doubt he'd need it."
Minato pressed his fingers to the ground, his senses sharpening.
"Another presence... It's the Five-Tails, approaching with a squad of Iwagakure shinobi."
"Shibi, Genka, stay here and assist Kagami. The rest of you, follow me to intercept them!"
"Understood!"
---
Within the sword tempest, Roshi found himself in dire straits.
His current form was far removed from a human appearance—his skin molten rock, a fiery tail swaying behind him, resembling a demonic figure of lava.
This was the Lava Release Chakra Mode, a state achieved through years of training with Son Gokū's power.
Roshi's mastery over Lava Release, the Four-Tails' signature kekkei genkai, made him more formidable than Han, the Five-Tails' jinchūriki.
Among the Konoha shinobi Kagami had killed earlier, one of them had been Roshi's nephew—a posthumous child of Roshi's brother, dearer to him than his own son.
When the team failed to report back, Roshi, consumed by rage, disregarded his comrades' warnings and charged straight into battle.
He had expected his new form to incinerate any Konoha scum daring to trespass on Iwagakure's borders.
Instead, he found himself ensnared in a storm of razor-sharp blades.
The storm's countless edges failed to deal a killing blow but inflicted relentless, harrowing damage.
---
Guttural bubbling noises escaped Roshi's throat as more of Son Gokū's chakra seeped into him, responding to his rage.
ROAR!!!
His deafening bellow shook the heavens as blazing, violent chakra erupted from his body, forcibly tearing a hole in the blade storm.
"Already entering tailed beast mode?" Kagami observed, his Sharingan capturing every detail of Roshi's transformation.
The three tails swaying behind Roshi exuded raw power. Kagami dismissed his Thousand Blade Flow, summoning his massive eagle.
---
Uchiha clansmen often favored summoning contracts with ninja cats or crows due to their synergy with genjutsu.
However, Kagami had subdued this eagle himself, specifically to enhance his combat versatility.
Flight offered a tremendous advantage, particularly against ground-bound opponents.
Yet Kagami's current companions—Genka and Shibi—couldn't exploit this.
Jonin though they were, they lacked means to counter a tailed beast.
Aburame Shibi, whose parasitic insects specialized in consuming chakra, quickly caught on to Kagami's irritation.
"Don't worry! I've already planted my insects underground. The moment Roshi exits tailed beast form, I'll drain his chakra!"
"Have you ever used them to drain tailed beast chakra?"
"...No."
"I'll attempt to destabilize his chakra. If you succeed, assist me. If not, prioritize survival. Don't drag me down."
I'm still a jonin... Shibi thought, feeling both humiliated and motivated by Kagami's bluntness.
---
In the moments they conversed, Roshi stabilized his tailed beast chakra, his now pitch-black eyes locking onto Kagami's eagle.
Malicious chakra condensed before Roshi, its particles visible to the naked eye as they coalesced into a dense, black sphere.
Tailed Beast Bomb.
The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily. For Genka, witnessing a Tailed Beast Bomb for the first time, his hands trembled uncontrollably.
This was a catastrophe—beyond human power to resist.
---
"What are you afraid of?"
Kagami's calm voice cut through the tension, snapping Genka back to reality.
He turned to see Kagami's cold, confident expression.
"A mere beast. We Uchiha tame these things. How could you fear livestock?"
Kagami's absolute confidence was contagious, even warming Shibi's blood.
---
"Pour all your chakra into a Great Fire Annihilation. Leave the rest to me."
"Understood!"
Genka formed rapid seals, expelling a ferocious wave of fire from his mouth. The flames surged forward like a tidal wave, their searing heat threatening to engulf everything.
To Roshi, however, it was a mere nuisance—a warm breeze against his molten skin.
With a gulp, he swallowed the black energy sphere, preparing to release a catastrophic Tailed Beast Bomb.
---
But Kagami's flames were far from ordinary.
Using Yin Release, he manipulated the fire into a colossal dragon.
The essence of Yin Release lies in creating form from nothing.
While he couldn't create entities outright, Kagami could imbue existing elements with life-like qualities.
The crimson dragon, tinged with purple and blue, coiled tightly around Roshi.
---
Composite Ninjutsu: Yin Dragon Inferno Prison!
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BOOM!
The explosion illuminated the battlefield, a blazing sun seemingly rising from the earth.
Kagami, astride his eagle, ascended higher, his gaze fixed on Roshi's condition through the blinding light.
As the flames dissipated, they revealed a massive crater, reshaping the landscape.
At its center, Roshi's partially transformed form remained unscathed.
Another Tailed Beast Bomb began to condense in front of him.
---
"Tailed beasts... such peculiar creatures. Little brat, you're in trouble now."
Sukuna's mocking voice echoed in Kagami's mind.
Since their last exchange, Sukuna's disdain for Kagami had only grown.
"Trouble?"
Kagami's lips curled into a smirk.
When facing other shinobi of his level, Kagami might still fall short.
But against a tailed beast?
For the Uchiha, they were nothing more than oversized pets.
This was no battle. It was a game of rock-paper-scissors.
---
Kagami's eagle dissolved into smoke, and his figure faded into thin air, like a wisp of smoke.
A faint sound, like the chirping of cicadas, filled the air.
Below, Roshi froze mid-action, his Tailed Beast Bomb unraveling into harmless chakra particles.
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Cutting Release—Single Blade: Higurashi's Lament.
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In Roshi's mental plane, Kagami appeared before Son Gokū, the towering crimson-furred ape bound in chains.
ROAR!!!
The Four-Tails bellowed in fury, hurricane-force winds whipping through the space.
Kagami's black hair billowed, his crimson Sharingan locking onto the beast.
"For a creature named Son Gokū, you're remarkably unimpressive."
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