Raika looked at me dead in the eyes and said, “No more games.” Then, without any warning, she moved, her speed surging to the point where it was almost a flicker. Her sword cut through space with hunger, electricity erupting in erratic arcs as it searched for a victim.

  My instincts screamed before my mind could catch up, my legs moving on their own as I flickered to the side at the last possible moment. Her blade caught my shirt, slicing it open slightly and grazing past my skin before I stopped a few meters away from where she had struck.

  I immediately started forming hand signs, but she almost bounced toward me, moving with even more speed. The air screamed along the edge of her trail just as I thought I was starting to grasp her rhythm, only for her to accelerate again and ruin it, tearing through the space between us before I could fully adjust. This time I was too slow, a thin cut opening across my shoulder as fabric and skin parted. Pain flared instantly, sharp and burning, and it fed straight into my rising anger.

  I flickered a huge distance away, burning a significant amount of chakra in exchange for space and forcing extra pressure into my legs just to reach the edge of the arena. I stood behind a piece of cover that reached my waist, weaving through hand seals to use ninjutsu, buy myself time, and force her back.

  She moved again, flickering forward with lightning trailing beneath her legs. Her flicker was less refined than mine as she stopped a decent distance from me. A grin tugged at my face as I realized I was almost finished with my hand signs, relief flickering through me for just a moment.

  That relief died instantly when she swung. For a heartbeat, my body froze as my mind stumbled, trying to understand her plan from that distance. Then I saw it. Chakra flowed through her blade, honed by discipline and absolute control, as a crescent-shaped slash tore free and screamed through the air, cutting even the space it passed through. I rolled hard to the side as it reached me, and the attack split the wooden cover cleanly in half.

  I looked at the sliced remains for a brief moment before turning my gaze back to her proud smile. I slowly unsheathed my tanto, studying the small damage along its edge from the previous exchange. I could still fight her with it for a while, but it would not last, and if it failed mid-clash it could shatter and injure me just as easily as her blade. More importantly, it was clear she was not going to allow me the space to use ninjutsu freely. Relentless pressure and speed defined her style.

  I cracked my neck and stepped forward just as she swung her sword again, sending a powerful crescent-shaped slash toward me. I coated my blade in lightning and ducked beneath the attack, slashing upward from a low angle toward her legs. She reacted instantly, snapping a kick into my tanto and knocking it aside. My eyes widened as my blade failed to bite, thin metal plating hidden beneath her shoes protecting her legs.

  She followed immediately, slashing down at my exposed form. I barely managed to slash back in time, blocking the strike as I was driven into the ground. Her blade pressed closer to my face, lightning crackling along its edge and casting sharp shadows over me. Hunger burned in her eyes as she leaned into the pressure, confident and relentless.

  I did not hesitate. Releasing two fingers from my grip, I forced them to aim at her legs while we were locked together. She tilted her head slightly, confusion flickering across her face just before I released a current shot. A weak but precise lightning burst shot from my fingers and struck her leg directly, pain flashing across her expression as she leapt backward to break the lock while sending another flying slash toward me.

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  I flipped back as the attack carved into the ground, leaving a deep mark between us. She stared at me in amazement and asked, “You can cast without hand signs?” I did not answer. This was the simplest jutsu I knew, one I had trained thousands of times. I used to need at least one hand sign for it, but this time I gambled everything on control alone. The shot was weaker than any I had ever produced, and I was honestly not sure if I could do it again.

  Pain was visible in her eyes as she rubbed her leg, her gaze never leaving me. She clearly believed I could do it at any time, and that belief alone was playing in my favor. After a moment, she nodded and said, “Your chakra control is incredible for someone your age.”

  I did not want to waste the opening on a monologue, or on questioning why she was talking in the middle of a fight. I flicked my tanto into the ground and immediately formed a hand sign, sending a current shot soaring toward her, faster and far more powerful than before. She reacted instantly, coating her sword in lightning and slashing the attack out of the air, something I did not even know was possible. Worse, she followed through with the same swing, sending a flying slash that forced me to flicker to the side as I wove through another hand seal and fired again.

  Slashes filled the arena as covers were carved to pieces and the earth was scarred. She moved with impeccable timing, striking from angles that were terrible for me, forcing me into disadvantageous positions where every attack gave her an opening to counter. She was not just skilled with a sword, she was controlling the battlefield itself, forcing me to match her pace and fight by her rules.

  After several attacks struck the barrier, the arena floor looked like a destroyed battlefield. I stood there in the middle of the devastated arena, anger simmering beneath the surface as I faced Raika.

  She studied me with a strange expression and said, “You used more chakra than I did. You flickered repeatedly, putting far more strain on your body and muscles than I did, yet you’re still standing.” She paused before adding, “I thought you’d be a ninjutsu specialist who relied on flashy techniques while holding a blade just to look cool, not someone who trained their body and technique this thoroughly.”

  Her lips curved into a grin as she nodded, clearly satisfied. “Let’s even the playing field.” In one incredibly smooth motion, and one of the coolest things I had ever seen, she flicked her hand and the sword went flying straight into its scabbard as her hands were already weaving through seals.

  My mouth fell open as I mirrored her actions, lightning gathering rapidly between us.

  “Lightning Release: Severing Bolt.” A compressed spear of lightning tore through the air toward me at extreme speed, dense, lethal, and terrifying in its penetration. It was costly and chakra intensive, meant to kill if it landed, and I refused to let it reach me. My own hand seals finished as lightning condensed along my arm, coating it completely, a lance of pure energy forming in my grasp as I hurled it forward, using the chakra along my arm like a rail to amplify its speed and force.

  The two attacks collided mid-air, lightning exploding outward and branching violently in every direction. For a brief moment neither gave way, before my lance shattered hers and continued forward, striking Raika square in the chest and sending her flying. I flickered to where she hit the ground and slashed down with my tanto, but she was already moving, using the momentum to roll and snap her leg upward with brutal strength, kicking my hand aside and forcing my arm high.

  She completed the roll and slashed upward in one fluid motion. I jumped back just in time, a long but shallow cut opening from my chin up into my messy hair. I stared at her, stunned by her recovery speed and terrifying counterattack, while she stared back at me, stunned by something else entirely.