Naruto: Drop System

Zzzt, zzzt…

"Lightning Release: Black Panther!"

In the rain-soaked Land of Rain, on a battlefield swarming with white figures, black lightning suddenly crackled. It took the form of a black panther, which leaped through water—using its conductive properties—to instantly kill over a dozen White Zetsu clones, continuing to ravage the rest.

"This is boring. Too weak, no challenge at all."

The user of this black-style Lightning Release was Darui, the only one in Kumogakure to have inherited the Third Raikage's black lightning. He stood there looking exasperated. As previously noted, while one hundred thousand White Zetsu might easily overwhelm any genin with just enough chakra for a single C-rank jutsu, or none at all, they were helpless before well-coordinated or powerful chūnin and jōnin. Especially in the eyes of Cloud shinobi, famous for physical prowess and nin-taijutsu combos, these white creatures moved far too slowly. Even tens of thousands of them could be wiped out in short order.

Yet just as Darui finished speaking, he was brutally proven wrong.

"Bastard, why're you attacking your own?!"

"Not me—this guy's stolen my identity!"

"What's going on? Why're there two 'Trutz'?!"

"It's some enemy disguise jutsu. Sensor-nin, hurry up and identify the real one!"

"No luck—their chakra's identical."

"Could it be a Konoha Shadow Clone? Let's attack them both—see which vanishes in a puff?"

"Oww, see, I'm no fake! Kill that one!"

"Ahh, I'm hurt too! I'm the real one! You attacked the wrong guy!"

"You bastard fake, I'll kill you!"

"..."

Quarreling and the clang of weapons rang out behind him. Though it was unclear from the din what they were saying, Darui frowned and turned around:

"What's that racket behind us?"

But upon seeing the chaos behind him, cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He realized the situation was grave indeed. The previously well-coordinated shinobi formations had fallen into disarray. The reason? Perfect duplicates of their allies were scattered among them. Worse still, these doppelgangers possessed matching chakra signatures—undetectable even by sensor abilities.

Under normal circumstances—off a battlefield—they might have interrogated or tested each suspicious ally. But before any squad leader could do so, some White Zetsu would emerge to sow confusion, then a look-alike "ally" would seize the moment to strike—leaving their victims either badly wounded or dead. Smoke and dust swirled in the rain, and more and more "Cloud shinobi" appeared, further tangling the fight. Fearing they might kill the wrong person, the Kumo-nin hesitated to attack; yet every time they tried to regroup, an impostor found opportunities to strike, leading to severe injuries or death. In mere moments, Kumo's casualty rate soared.

"Everyone, scatter and communicate only with our code signals—pull back from the battlefield!"

Though Kumogakure prized taijutsu, not all men there were just muscleheads; some, like Samui, were famously bright. The one who gave that command to maintain composure was indeed Samui. She shouted:

"All squads, spread out—stay several meters apart and use only code signals for communication. Anyone who fails to respond is the enemy. From now on, be on guard against everyone around you, even your teammates. Then we'll retreat back to camp and devise a plan!"

Hearing Samui's orders, the previously panicked Kumo-nin snapped back to reality, quickly flickering away from each other to preserve distance. They employed a variety of hand signs to check in with trusted comrades. Hand signs—like ninjutsu's own—differ from village to village or team to team. To prevent infiltration, many squads scrambled or altered standard signals to create their own. White Zetsu, lacking its victims' memories, had no way to replicate these unique gestures.

The impostors were stumped. Soon enough, some White Zetsu were exposed and dispatched. Even so, the confusion only eased a little. On the battlefield, entire squads were from different teams, many of them using standard signals that Black and White Zetsu—armed with the ninja world's greatest intelligence—had memorized, so it wasn't fully effective.

Realizing their standard signals were insufficient, the Kumo-nin complied with Samui's instructions and retreated from the Land of Rain, still wary of disguised foes.

Boom—

Zzzt, zzzt…

At that moment, a deafening explosion echoed across the field. Simultaneously, the crackling of strong electricity drowned out the rainfall, resounding in the ears of many Kumo-nin. They turned to spot a giant crater blasted into the ground, sending friend and foe flying amid a shockwave. Smoke filled the air, which even heavy rain couldn't wash away quickly.

From the settling dust emerged a large, shadowy figure. One glimpse, and countless Kumo-nin gaped in shock:

"Raikage-sama… No—Lord Third?!"

Indeed, it was the reanimated Third Raikage—though his face was without expression, body marred by cracks—controlled by a Wood Clone.

Thud—

After plunging down and creating that huge crater, the Third Raikage wasted no time. Dark lightning enveloped him as he activated his signature Lightning Armor in its black variant. He hurtled into the Kumo ranks like living lightning, slaughtering indiscriminately.

Slash!

A piercing blade-like sound reverberated. One Kumo-nin, well-versed in nin-taijutsu with lightning-charged cells, suddenly found his body split in half. The culprit? The Third Raikage's chopping hand. More precisely, his "spear."

"Hell Stab…!"

"Ra-Raikage-sama, why would you attack your own—?"

Seeing one of their own split in two—a body that didn't revert to a white creature—nearby Kumo-nin felt horrifying realization. Some recognized the Hell Stab technique of the legendary Third Raikage. Others shouted in disbelief.

"Run! The Third has the strongest spear and shield—he can pierce anything and endure all physical attacks. None of you can harm him, withdraw from the Land of Rain now—return to camp!"

The cry echoed across the battlefield, coming from Darui—the sole inheritor of the black lightning from the Third Raikage, and the one best acquainted with his might. After all, the Third stood at the pinnacle of Kage-level, forging his reputation with pure lightning prowess, no bloodline limit or selection. Even Ōnoki loathed fighting him—he'd rather send ten thousand Iwa-nin to exhaust the Third physically. And now, resurrected with an immortal body and infinite chakra, the Third Raikage could theoretically massacre all of Kumo.

Hearing Darui's frantic warning, many Kumo-nin recalled the Third Raikage's legends in their textbooks. They desperately tried to distance themselves from him while also avoiding White Zetsu impostors. But the instant they turned away, they revealed openings; the reanimated Third Raikage seized every chance to strike.

Boom—

Suddenly, another thunderous blast erupted in another sector of the battlefield. A flash of flame soared, evaporating the downpour into dense steam.

"Ahhhh…!"

Heart-rending screams reverberated.

"It's an Akatsuki member!!!"

Before the haze and embers subsided, someone spotted two black-cloaked figures with crimson clouds. They were reanimated Kakuzu and Hidan.

"That's… Kakuzu of Takigakure and Hidan of Yugakure—also Edo Tensei undead!"

Many Kumo-nin recognized their identities. Controlled by separate Wood Clones, these two shared the same soulless gaze and were just as remorseless, slashing through Cloud shinobi and disguised White Zetsu alike. A spinning scythe in Hidan's grasp, and Kakuzu's unstoppable barrage of five-element ninjutsu—empowered by infinite chakra—erupted like an unceasing machine-gun volley.

Boom, boom, boom…

Deafening blasts rumbled on every side: flames, lightning, and water raged unabated. By the second, both Kumo-nin and the White Zetsu lost their lives. The resurrected Third Raikage, Kakuzu, and Hidan, in their unholy synergy, slaughtered mercilessly, reaping lives as though in a frenzy.

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