"Earth Style: Mountain Crusher Technique!"
Following the enemy's jutsu, two massive semicircular boulders rose from the ground, closing in on Raiden's position. The sudden terrain shift threw him off balance, making immediate escape nearly impossible.
Reacting quickly, Raiden reached into his ninja pouch, pulling out a shuriken. He infused it with lightning chakra, the energy crackling across the weapon.
"Lightning Shuriken!" he yelled, hurling the charged projectile at the boulder to his right.
Boom!
The shuriken struck with explosive force, sending a cloud of dust and debris into the air. The thick cloud obscured the enemy's vision completely.
"Die!" Raiden's young, determined voice rang out through the smoke as two shadow clones leapt from the dust, charging toward the enemy. The clones detonated their attached explosive tags upon impact.
Boom! Boom!
Another explosion rocked the area, creating a second wave of dust and debris that enveloped everything nearby.
Raiden emerged from the dissipating dust cloud, his clothes torn and covered in grime. The open wounds on his body stung from the embedded dirt, but he couldn't afford to focus on the pain. He could sense through Kagura's Mind Eye that the enemy was still alive.
Clap, clap, clap!
A slow, mocking applause echoed through the settling haze.
"Impressive combat instincts," the enemy sneered, his voice laced with derision. "You managed to pierce through solid rock. That's no small feat."
As the dust cleared, Raiden saw the blond-haired youth standing unharmed, only slightly dusted from the explosion. The stranger's confident demeanor sent a chill down Raiden's spine. His clothes marked him unmistakably as a ninja from Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village).
"This just got a lot more troublesome," Raiden muttered, his expression serious.
The blond ninja's calm expression remained unchanged, his lips curled into a mocking smile. "You can call me Lord Houto. I'm here to kill you."
Raiden's mind raced. He quickly checked his remaining supplies: three explosive tags, a few shuriken, and a handful of kunai. "Not enough," he thought grimly. His frustration mounted. "How could this happen during a simple academy exam? Are Konoha's ninjas asleep at the wheel?"
Despite his irritation, Raiden knew he had to think fast. His sharp senses picked up faint movements on the ground—small, insect-like creatures inching toward him. The enemy had laid a trap.
"Crafty bastard," Raiden muttered, crouching slightly in preparation to evade. His sharp instincts didn't go unnoticed by the blond ninja.
"Art is an explosion!" the enemy bellowed, detonating the tiny clay insects prematurely.
Boom!
Raiden barely escaped as the ground where he'd been standing erupted into a crater. The force of the blast sent him hurtling into the air.
"Clay bombs… just like Deidara?" Raiden thought, recognizing the familiar technique.
As he landed on a branch, he heard the ominous sound of wings flapping. Looking up, he spotted three white clay birds diving toward him.
"Clay Bombs!" the enemy shouted.
"Dammit!" Raiden cursed, throwing a kunai with an explosive tag attached. He jumped from the branch just as the birds reached it.
Boom!
The kunai detonated mid-air, neutralizing the clay birds. But Raiden had no time to celebrate.
"Oh?" The enemy's mocking voice came from behind him. Raiden barely turned his head before a powerful knee struck his stomach.
"Ugh!" The force of the blow bent Raiden's body like a shrimp and sent him crashing to the ground. He spat out water, the pain leaving him momentarily paralyzed.
The blond ninja landed effortlessly, standing over Raiden with a victorious smirk. "You've got talent, kid. For a child, you're exceptional. But a child is still a child. You're no match for an adult."
Raiden gritted his teeth, blood dripping from his lips as he struggled to move. His mind raced for a solution.
"Is this it?" he thought bitterly. "Are the past two years of effort going to be wasted?"
With chakra reserves dangerously low, Raiden weighed his options. The Yin Seal, his trump card, remained unbroken. However, releasing it prematurely would deplete his future reserves and require months of rebuilding. It was a decision he dreaded.
The blond ninja crouched over Raiden, clay dripping from his sleeve. The clay expanded into a bomb and adhered to Raiden's chest, pinning him to the ground.
"Say goodbye, kid," the ninja sneered, stepping back and forming a hand seal.
"Yin Seal: Release!" Raiden roared, his body erupting in dark blue chakra laced with lightning. The raw energy crackled around him, seeping into the clay bomb on his chest.
The blond ninja smirked, confident in his victory. "Farewell, boy!"
"Detonate!"
The expected explosion never came. Instead, the blond ninja's expression shifted to one of shock and confusion as the clay bomb remained inert, refusing to ignite.
"What… what's happening?!" he stammered.
To Be Continued…
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