The moment Kaze unleashed his lightning, it tore through Torune's flesh like paper—
The nano-sized venomous insects residing in his body were burned to nothing in an instant.
A thick scent of scorched flesh filled the air.
And then—
BOOM!
With a final surge of electricity, Torune's body burst apart, reduced to nothing but charred ash scattering onto the cold floor.
One-shot kill!
A Jōnin-level shinobi, one of Danzo's most trusted enforcers, erased from existence right in front of everyone!
Kaze calmly pulled back his elementalized fingers, his expression as casual as if he had simply swatted a fly.
Silence.
The entire meeting room was gripped by an eerie stillness.
Seconds ago, every person here had believed Kaze would meet his end at Ryouma's hands.
Yet now, the only thing left of Ryouma—
Was dust.
"So… strong…"
Uchiha Fugaku's eyes widened like saucers, his black pupils trembling.
"Aburame Torune, as Danzo-sama's right-hand man, is one of the strongest among the Jōnin ranks."
"If I didn't use my Mangekyō Sharingan, even I would struggle to win against him..."
(T/N: That's because you are a weakling.)
Fugaku murmured to himself.
The Aburame Clan's darkest secret was something only a few knew.
They raised chakra-devouring insects inside their own bodies, a power that came at a terrifying cost.
The first thing those insects consumed…
Were their host's own eyes.
That was why the Aburame always wore sunglasses.
(T/N: Well, you believe what you believe. Personally, I think they wear sunglasses because they spend most of their time in low-light environments while training their insects, making their eyes less adapted to bright light. What do you guys think? Why do you think the Aburame wear sunglasses?)
And because of this, they were immune to the Uchiha Clan's genjutsu.
(T/N: Definitely not the reason, but hey, you do you. I personally think it's more about how the insects in their bodies function like a jinchūriki. They probably mess with the chakra flow and end up breaking them out of the genjutsu. But yeah, feel free to believe whatever.)
On top of that, Torune was no ordinary Aburame—he was their strongest genius.
Even Fugaku himself, as the Uchiha Clan Head, would struggle to deal with him in a normal fight.
Yet…
A shinobi of such caliber—
Hadn't even lasted half a minute against Kaze.
Instant kill.
Kaze dusted off his hands as if getting rid of an inconvenience, then turned his gaze toward Danzo.
His Sharingan glowed ominously, the deep red hue reflecting in Danzo's narrowed eye.
"If you want to make a move against me," Kaze said, his tone as lighthearted as ever, "you should be prepared to die as well."
The air in the room turned suffocating.
Danzo's expression darkened. For the first time, he truly felt it—
The killing intent of a predator.
At this moment, everyone had a single thought—just how strong was Kaze?
And more importantly…
"Is that the new Lightning Release jutsu Kaze developed?"
Uchiha Fugaku stared at Kaze in stunned silence.
In all his years, he had never seen a Lightning Release technique like this.
And it wasn't just him—
Even Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, two of the most talented Uchiha, couldn't tear their eyes away from the scene.
"Is that… a Lightning Release Chakra Mode?" Shisui blinked in disbelief.
He had heard of the Raikage's legendary technique—a body-enhancing jutsu using Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
A technique that granted such immense speed that it could even rival the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato.
It was far superior to his own Body Flicker Technique.
Although he had never seen it in person, Kaze's current form bore an uncanny resemblance to that technique.
"Could it be…"
"Kaze developed a technique similar to the Lightning Release Chakra Mode purely through his own talent with Lightning Release?"
A sharp breath escaped Shisui's lips.
He had always assumed Kaze was just another ordinary Uchiha. Someone who couldn't even awaken the Sharingan—a mediocre clansman with no real potential. At least, that was the belief until recently, when Kaze had awakened his Sharingan and everyone learned the truth.
Yet, to his shock, in the field of Lightning Release, Kaze was the most extraordinary genius the Uchiha Clan had ever seen!
"Kaze-nii…" Itachi was similarly mesmerized.
(T/N: What happened here? There is a conspiracy here guys.)
But—
If the Uchiha were stunned by Kaze's abilities, the elders of the Hyuga Clan were even more shaken.
Even more so…
They weren't simply shocked anymore—they couldn't comprehend it.
"What's up with that brat?"
The elders of the Hyuga Clan, including Hizashi, rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
With their Byakugan, they possessed a unique ability to see through a person's skin, muscles, and even observe the condition of their internal organs.
But when they turned their Byakugan on Kaze…
They were horrified to discover…
Every trace of muscle, every vein, every internal organ had completely vanished from Kaze's body!
At first glance, Kaze looked like nothing more than pure lightning itself.
The center of the meeting room had transformed into an electrified spectacle, with Kaze standing there as if he had become a living embodiment of thunder!
This bizarre, yet undeniable reality shattered their understanding of the world.
No one had ever heard of a technique where, while using Lightning Release, one could make their veins and organs disappear completely.
The aged elder of the Hyuga Clan couldn't help but question his own perceptions.
"Could it be that my Byakugan is malfunctioning from overuse? Is this some kind of illusion?"
(T/N: What did you overuse it on?)
It would be one thing if just one person had seen something different, but…
Every single member of the Hyuga Clan in the room saw the exact same thing!
When Kaze unleashed his "Lightning Release Chakra Mode," his veins and organs disappeared entirely.
And when Torune's nano-level poisonous insects made contact with him, they disintegrated in an instant, turning to ash.
"What kind of jutsu is this…?"
Hizashi stood frozen in place.
He could hardly fathom what he had just witnessed. Kaze's technique was so utterly impossible, so unfathomable.
In truth, the move Kaze used wasn't even a jutsu.
It was the elementalization of the Thunder Fruit's powers.
He was not just wielding lightning—he was the lightning.
Of course, Kaze didn't maintain this elemental form for long.
After dealing with Torune, he immediately reverted to his normal state.
His clothes were untouched, as pristine as before.
As the members of the Konoha's Four Fossils watched in stunned silence, their hearts were tossed like a storm-tossed sea, waves of shock and disbelief crashing relentlessly within them.
They couldn't settle their minds.
As the mastermind behind the orders, Danzo's jaw dropped in shock.
He never, in his wildest dreams, had imagined that one of his most capable ROOT operatives would be dealt with so easily.
The opponent wasn't Uchiha Shisui, the super genius.
Nor was it Uchiha Fugaku, the old fox.
It was a mere fifteen-year-old newcomer!
Uchiha Kaze!
Danzo had made sure that ROOT kept a close watch on the Uchiha clan ever since the Third Great Ninja War.
He had ROOT members stationed near the Uchiha compound, ready to report anything of interest.
But no one, not a single person, had reported anything about Kaze.
Had he not shown his Lightning Release here today...
Danzo realized with a shiver, he might have gone his entire life without knowing that the Uchiha clan had such a monster with Lightning Release!
His heart pounded in surprise, his mind racing.
"Kaze!"
Danzo slammed his fist on the table, a surge of unease crashing over him.
It wasn't just the shock of Kaze's terrifying mastery over Lightning Release. It was the fact that he had grown this powerful under ROOT's radar—completely undetected.
That alone spoke volumes. Kaze wasn't just talented—he was cautious, calculating. Dangerous.
An Uchiha like him, left unchecked, could become more than just a clan problem. He could one day grow into the greatest threat to Konoha itself.
Danzo's mind raced. Then, a chilling memory surfaced—Kaze's words from earlier:
'If you're planning to move against me, be prepared to die too.'
A shiver ran down his spine. He could still feel that moment—the cold, merciless killing intent in Kaze's gaze. There had been no hesitation. Just certainty.
Those eyes... that Sharingan… they weren't bluffing.
For the first time in years, Danzo felt real pressure, like a storm cloud settling over him.
This couldn't be allowed to continue.
And in that instant, his own killing intent flared to life in response.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop as the two men's murderous wills collided, creating an invisible battlefield.
Feeling the weight of Danzo's bloodlust, Kaze's expression hardened as well.
While fighting Danzo hadn't been part of his plans, if it came to that… he would be ready.
Kaze silently vowed to himself that he wouldn't lose to Danzo.
However...
Just as the tension between the two reached its boiling point, a voice rang out, cutting through the air and echoing through the entire meeting room.
"Enough, Danzo."
The sharp reprimand snapped Danzo back to reality, pulling him out of his dark thoughts.
Danzo turned his head to see Sarutobi Hiruzen's profile, his voice tinged with a deep, measured tone. "Hiruzen."
"I said enough, Danzo. Know your place," Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice remained firm and unwavering.
(T/N: I guess Hiruzen is the dominant one in their relationship.)
He paused for a moment, then continued with weight in his words. "Today's meeting is to discuss how to handle the pressure from the Land of Lightning, not to escalate internal conflicts."
Hiruzen's gaze sharpened as he spoke the next words, emphasizing the personal nature of the dispute. "Whatever personal grievances you have with Uchiha Kaze are irrelevant here and should not be brought up."
When Hiruzen emphasized "personal," it felt like a reminder to everyone in the room, underlining that Danzo's actions were solely his own and not reflective of the higher-ups in Konoha.
(T/N: Classic Hiruzen.)
With just a few simple words, Hiruzen not only subdued Danzo but also quickly clarified his own stance in the matter, solidifying his position as the leader.
"Truly the Third Hokage," Kaze thought to himself, his eyes narrowing slightly as he admired the maneuver.
(T/N: Since we are here, what do you think of this chapter. I had to rework this chapter a bit and add some extras to make it more enjoyable. Anyway hope you all enjoyed it.)