Naruto - Azure Awakening

As the Kiri shinobi dispersed and launched attacks on her group, Mei's gaze locked onto her opponent.

The man stood calmly amidst the chaos, draped in a black cloak with two swords strapped to his back. Unlike the other attackers, he wasn't bothering to hide his face. He didn't need to. Those swords alone made him unmistakable.

One of the Seven Swordsmen of the Kiri—Raiga Korusuki himself.

Raiga's expression twisted into a grin as he stepped forward. He moved with the ease of someone who thrived on battle, his eyes gleaming with sadistic excitement.

Even though Raiga wasn't considered the strongest of the Seven Swordsmen, he was still a Jonin-level shinobi. What made him a dangerous opponent wasn't his strength—it was his weapons.

The Kiba Blades.

Twin swords, imbued with lightning chakra. Their cutting power was legendary, said to be the sharpest swords ever forged. They could slice through almost anything and conduct lightning with deadly precision.

Despite that, Mei didn't flinch. She wasn't going to run.

She'd known that one day she would have to face the Seven Swordsmen. If Raiga was the first, so be it. He was the weakest of the seven, and that made him the perfect start.

"Mei Terumi! I finally found you." Raiga's voice was loud and mocking, his grin stretching wider as he slowly unsheathed one of his swords. The blade crackled with lightning, sparks dancing across the edge.

Mei's expression remained calm. Her sharp eyes narrowed slightly as she sized him up.

"You're late," she said coolly. "I expected one of you to come for me sooner."

Raiga chuckled, pulling out the second sword and twirling it lazily. "Ah, but I wanted to be the first. I couldn't let the others have all the fun." He tilted his head, his eyes gleaming with sadistic amusement. "You know, I'm a little disappointed. I was hoping you'd look more scared."

Mei didn't respond. Her stance shifted slightly, her hands moving toward her sides, ready to react.

Raiga grinned wider. "Playing it cool, huh? We'll see how long that lasts."

Raiga moved first.

With a burst of speed, he closed the distance between them, his swords sparking with lightning as he slashed at Mei. She twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike, the blade cutting through the air with a crackling hiss.

She retaliated immediately, her leg lashing out in a swift kick aimed at his ribs.

Raiga blocked with his forearm, the impact forcing him back a step. He chuckled.

"Not bad. But I wonder…" He darted forward again, his blades moving in a deadly arc. "Do you really think you can stand up to one of the Seven Swordsmen?"

Mei ducked under the swing, her hands weaving a quick sign.

"Lava Release: Lava Stream!"

A stream of molten lava shot from her mouth, the searing liquid burning through the ground as it surged toward Raiga.

Raiga leapt into the air, flipping gracefully to avoid the attack. The moment his feet touched the ground, he charged again, lightning crackling around his swords.

"Lightning Release: Thunder Fang!"

The twin swords glowed with electricity as Raiga swung them toward Mei. Lightning bolts shot out from the blades, arcing through the air.

Mei jumped back, forming another sign.

"Water Release: Water Wall!"

A towering wall of water erupted in front of her, absorbing the lightning bolts with a loud crackling sound. Steam hissed as the water and electricity collided, filling the air with a thick mist.

Raiga's laughter echoed through the fog.

"Smart move. But you're still just a kid trying to play grown-up."

Mei's voice cut through the mist, calm and steady. "And you're still just a coward hiding behind your swords."

The mist began to clear, revealing Raiga standing in the middle of the battlefield, his swords sparking with residual lightning.

"Ouch. That hurts." Raiga grinned, stepping forward again. "But you'll have to do better than that."

Mei narrowed her eyes, her hands already moving into another seal.

<<<>>>

Sugeru realized, with growing dread, that there was nothing he could do.

The stone columns kept rising higher and higher, surrounding him and his friends, closing off every possible escape route. Each pillar cracked and groaned as they twisted and shifted, forming a prison of earth that threatened to crush them all.

His mind raced, searching for a solution—but there was nothing. No plan. No jutsu. Just the grim reality that they were about to die.

Rei and Akito stood frozen beside him, their faces pale, fear etched into their wide eyes.

Sugeru clenched his fists. "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, frustration boiling inside him. He hated feeling helpless. He hated not being able to protect the people he cared about.

The Terumi Chunin, who had come to their rescue, stood about 10 meters away, staring at the advancing pillars of stone. His expression was tense, conflicted. His mind was already calculating the odds, weighing his options. And none of them looked good.

He felt guilt first. He had promised to protect these kids, and he was about to fail. He could save himself—there was still time. All he had to do was use his Earth Release to form a protective dome around himself. He was confident if he infused all his chakra into a barrier it would withstand even this suicidal attack.

But there was a problem.

The kids were too many.

Even if he poured all of his remaining chakra into the jutsu, he couldn't create a dome large enough to protect them as well. It would only save him.

The second emotion that gnawed at him was regret. He knew what the right thing to do was. He knew that if he saved the kids, it would strengthen this new alliance between Terumi and Takime clans. More importantly, his conscience wouldn't haunt him. He could still hear his mentor's words echoing in his mind: "A shinobi's duty is to protect the next generation. No matter what."

He sighed heavily, feeling the weight of that responsibility press down on him.

[Why do I always have to be the hero?]

A bitter smile crept onto his face as he looked at the terrified Genin.

"Why can't I ever just be selfish?" he muttered to himself. "Why do I always have to act like a hero?"

He gave a soft chuckle at the irony.

The kids noticed the shift in his expression. His tense, conflicted look melted away, replaced by a calm, almost serene smile. He stepped toward them, his posture steady, his gaze unwavering.

"Don't worry, kids." His voice was gentle but firm. "You'll live to tell the tale of my heroic sacrifice."

Sugeru's eyes widened. "What—?"

The Chunin flared his chakra, pushing it to the limit, the ground trembling beneath his feet. He began forming hand signs, faster than the kids had ever seen.

"Earth Release: Guardian Dome!"

The earth around the Genins responded instantly, surging upward and forming a protective dome. Thick slabs of rock locked into place, creating a sturdy barrier—barely large enough to encase all three of them.

The sound of crashing stone and roaring chakra filled the air as the enemy Chunin's Sacrificial Tomb closed in. The ground trembled under the weight of the deadly jutsu, but the Guardian Dome held firm.

Inside the dome, Sugeru stood in stunned silence. His heart pounded in his chest, disbelief and admiration written all over his face.

"You… You didn't have to do that," he murmured, his voice barely audible.

Rei and Akito remained silent, their expressions a mix of awe and sorrow. 

Outside the dome, the Terumi Chunin chuckled weakly as he saw his technique lock into place, shielding the kids from harm. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his body trembling with exhaustion.

"A real shinobi doesn't abandon the next generation," he whispered, his voice carrying a quiet resolve. Maybe he said it to justify his sacrifice. Maybe he truly believed it.

What mattered was that his actions saved three lives.

Three lives who would one day follow in his footsteps.

Three lives that would strengthen the alliance between Takime and Terumi, ensuring it endured for generations to come.

The ground shook violently. The air was filled with the deafening roar of the Sacrificial Tomb collapsing in on itself. Stone and debris crashed down, crushing everything outside the dome.

But the kids inside were safe.

And the story of their savior would live on.

<<<>>>

Kaoru stared at the massive wave rushing toward him, the roar of water drowning out every other sound. His brain raced, searching desperately for a way to survive.

His chakra reserves were down to 10%. There was no way he could create a technique powerful enough to counter the wave. Even if he tried, he'd collapse from exhaustion—and with the enemy standing just a few steps away, that would be the same as death.

Kaoru clenched his fists, his heart pounding in his chest. [Is this it?] He nearly gave up, flaring his chakra for one final jutsu, when a thought struck him.

His Kekkei Genkai.

I can manipulate any water particle… as long as it's not inside a living being.

That wave—it was water. Even though it was created using chakra, the water itself had already been released. The Chunin had given the wave its instructions and released it into the environment. In most cases, jutsu like that couldn't be controlled once they were fully formed—unless the shinobi casting them was extremely skilled, or the technique itself allowed for continuous control.

Kaoru's eyes narrowed.

The Chunin isn't high-ranking. He doesn't have that level of control.

The wave wasn't directly connected to the Chunin's chakra anymore. It was just water, infused with lingering chakra energy. And that meant Kaoru's Kekkei Genkai could influence it.

Kaoru took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus despite the pounding in his head.

"Come on…" he whispered to himself, activating his Kekkei Genkai. His cyan eyes glowed faintly, locking onto the incoming wave. He extended his senses toward the water particles, feeling the flow and direction of the rushing water.

It was like tugging on a string connected to a massive boulder. The wave was too large to control entirely. Kaoru knew he couldn't take full command of it—not with his chakra reserves and control over Suijingan. But he didn't need to.

All I need is to change its course. Just a little.

He concentrated, sending out a pulse of his chakra. The water resisted at first, the lingering chakra within it pushing back. But Kaoru persisted, nudging the flow ever so slightly. Slowly, the wave began to shift. It veered off its original path, curving away from him.

The wave missed Kaoru by inches, crashing into the ground with a deafening roar. Water sprayed in all directions, drenching the trees and leaving a deep gouge in the earth where it had struck.

Kaoru's chest heaved, his breath ragged.

The Chunin stood frozen, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"What…?" the man muttered, staring at the ruined ground where the wave had landed. "How…?"

Kaoru knew he had only one chance to counterattack. The Chunin was stunned, and Kaoru had to capitalize on that moment of shock.

Without hesitation, Kaoru flickered.

He appeared behind the Chunin in an instant. Water gathered in his mouth, swirling with intense pressure.

This wasn't an ordinary Water Bullet.

Kaoru compressed the water as much as he could, increasing its density to the absolute limit. He added rotation, forcing the water to spin rapidly, making it more destructive. His chakra reserves were nearly depleted, but he poured everything he had left into this one, final attack.

The Chunin turned, his instincts kicking in. He saw Kaoru out of the corner of his eye and understood immediately—this was the boy's last move.

The Chunin's hands flew up, forming a quick seal.

"Earth Release: Stone Dome!"

A thick dome of rock erupted from the ground, encasing the Chunin completely. The barrier was solid, reinforced with chakra. The Chunin smirked from inside the dome, confident it would protect him.

Kaoru's eyes hardened.

[Not this time.]

He released the Water Bullet.

The high-density, rotating projectile shot forward with immense speed. The spinning water drilled into the Stone Dome, tearing through the rock like it was made of paper. The bullet smashed through the barrier and struck the Chunin in the head.

There was a sickening crack.

Blood sprayed from the back of the Chunin's skull as the force of the attack sent him crashing to the ground. His body convulsed briefly, limbs twitching, before going completely still. A pool of blood slowly spread beneath him, mixing with the muddy earth.

Kaoru stood… dizzy, panting heavily. His legs trembled, barely holding him up. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, feeling the lingering sting of chakra exhaustion.

Kaoru's Kekkei Genkai came with a cost. The more he used it, the more strain it placed on his body. His blood vessels trembled from overexertion, and his head felt close to bursting. 

Kaoru's legs could no longer support him. His knees buckled as he slumped to the ground. His vision blurred, and his breathing slowed.

"As long as no Kiri shinobi noticed I'm still alive… I'm golden."

He closed his eyes, letting the tension leave his body.

[Shit… I almost died, Maki is gonna kill me if I survive] He chuckled internally, unable to curve his mouth. Then he passed out.

**

A/N - If you are enjoying the novel please comment and give it a review, it will help me a lot.

I hope you enjoyed the fights! Soooo Suijingan's yet another perk has been revealed—Kaoru's ability to manipulate water-based jutsu. Kaoru can be an absolute menace against shinobi who rely heavily on Water Release. Of course, it'll take him a lot of time to master it to that extent... 

The biggest fight of the day is still ahead—Raiga vs. Mei! I'll be covering it in the next chapter, and I'm going to do my best to make it epic.

If you have any thoughts or recommendations about the fight scenes I've written so far, please let me know! Your feedback means a lot. Otherwise, I'll just assume I'm doing great! 😅

Character Notes:

Sugeru – Grateful But Sad – "I survived… but at what cost."

Kaoru – Terified – "Don't tell Maki, Please."

Mei – Focused – "The first of the Seven Swordsmen? I'll take him down—and the rest will follow."

Raiga – Cocky – "Finally, a good toy…"

**