NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17: Thunder Flash
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After Kitaro had decided, he took a deep breath.
His presence suddenly radiated an overwhelming power, his body enveloped by blue lightning that crackled around him like a storm ready to burst.
The ground at his feet exploded under the sheer force of his Chakra, sending rocks scattering as arcs of electricity shot out. The Amazon Lily's fierce warriors in their own right, watched in disbelief.
"Thunder and lightning? From his body?!"
Even the Uchiha clan, familiar with their own powerful techniques, stared in awe. They had heard the stories, but seeing it firsthand was something else. Kitaro's 'Thunder Sword' was one of his five major sword skills, representing the element of lightning.
Its speed was legendary, so fast that it was said he once wiped out twenty Jōnin and hundreds of Chūnin from the Hidden Cloud Village in the blink of an eye. The Hidden Cloud Village had been so terrified they immediately withdrew from the battlefield.
The Sharingan in the eyes of the Uchiha clan members flared as they watched intently, eager to witness the full extent of Kitaro's prowess.
"Slave Arrow!" Hancock shouted, firing a barrage of love-laced arrows in an attempt to overwhelm him.
"Thunder Breathing - First Form: Thunderclap and Flash!" Kitaro's voice was barely a whisper.
Before anyone could react, Kitaro disappeared. The next moment, he was behind Hancock, his blade having already sliced through the air with unimaginable speed. The sound of a 'click' echoed across the battlefield as one of Hancock's snake-shaped earrings fell to the ground, severed cleanly.
Hancock's eyes widened in shock "When?!".
She hadn't even seen him draw his blade.
The Uchiha clan was just as stunned. Even with their Sharingan active, they hadn't been able to keep up with Kitaro's movement.
"That speed...," one of them whispered in disbelief. "Is this the power of Sword God—Uchiha Kitaro?"
Young Sasuke, watching from the ring, jumped with excitement. "Brother Kitaro is incredible! He's so fast!"
Itachi, standing beside him, smiled gently, ruffling his younger brother's hair. "This isn't even his full speed, Sasuke."
Uchiha Fugaku, their father, narrowed his eyes. "Not even his limit? No wonder the other Great Shinobi Countries were so afraid of him, even his own village."
Hancock, shaken by the close call, stared at Kitaro. She had been caught completely off guard. That earring could have been her neck. The realization that she had been spared sent a shiver down her spine.
"Who... are you?" Hancock asked, her voice tense.
Kitaro's voice was calm and measured. "We are a group of people forced far from our home."
"Forced? By who?" Hancock's disbelief was clear. She was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Who could be strong enough to force them away?
Kitaro's voice was calm but carried a heavy weight. "The higher-ups in our village feared our clan's power, and for years, they've oppressed us. Outside the village, enemies hunt us for our abilities, using our captured kin in cruel experiments. Once, we numbered 30,000. Now, only 300 remain."
The Uchiha clan exchanged glances, knowing Kitaro was stretching the truth. Their clan had never reached 30,000—3,000 was closer to their peak. Yet, the weight of his words still settled over them, a stark reminder of the oppression they had endured.
Shisui and Itachi exchanged a look, the corners of their mouths twitching in restrained amusement.
But they stood silently, couldn't help but feel a mixture of awe and amusement. Kitaro's talent for exaggeration was well-known, but even they couldn't deny the impact his words had.
The Amazon Lily warriors, usually hardened and known for their disdain of men, found themselves sympathetic to the plight of the Uchiha clan. The thought of a once-mighty clan reduced to a mere fraction of its former strength, hunted and oppressed, stirred something deep within them.
The mood in the air shifted. Sadness spread like a ripple, from one person to another, until it engulfed the entire group. What had begun as a simple explanation had turned into a shared moment of collective empathy.
Kitaro used the skill that had been used against him countless times before his time travel—he had mastered the art of speaking words so convincingly that people believed him, almost as if he was weaving emotions into the very air. His voice carried a gravity that made everything he said feel real and dramatic.
"The mood is right, I can keep going," Kitaro thought, sensing the shift.
"We couldn't stand by and watch our family be destroyed," he continued, his voice tinged with sorrow and determination. "But if we had launched a coup, rivers of blood would have flowed, both inside and outside the village. That wasn't the answer. So we left, not in defeat, but in hope—hoping to find a new home."
Kitaro paused, scanning the faces of both the Uchiha and the Kuja warriors. "Although it was an accident that brought us here, I believe Fate had a hand in it. We were meant to come here. I believe we can become the strongest and most reliable allies."
His words hung in the air, carried by the deep emotion he projected. The weight of history, of the Uchiha's plight and their search for a future, was felt by everyone listening. Both the Uchiha and the Kuja warriors stood silent, hearts stirred, as if they too could sense the hand of destiny guiding them.
The future seemed to hinge on this very moment, with Kitaro's vision pulling them all into the same fate.
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