A Sage's Pursuit of Power

As the Tailed Beast Bomb approached, Minato reacted the fastest. With a single Flying Thunder God technique, he instantly teleported the Tailed Beast Bomb to the depths of the sea.

Aoba couldn't help but feel a bit envious as he watched. Although he could barely manage to perform this move himself, it usually required deploying over a dozen Flying Thunder God seals simultaneously to ensure success.

However, Minato executed it with just one seal, showcasing his extraordinary confidence. He had clearly mastered the Flying Thunder God technique to perfection.

As the Tailed Beast Bomb vanished into the horizon, Aoba turned his gaze back to the outskirts of Amegakure. The defenders of the village were already starting to falter.

Even with the assistance of top-tier experts like Deidara, Sasori, Itachi, and Kisame, neither Deidara nor Sasori were willing to risk their lives for Amegakure.

Moreover, after Kumogakure's defeat in the war against Konoha and the humiliation of having their village previously attacked by the Akatsuki, they had made several adjustments to their military forces. They developed specialized anti-air tactics to counter Deidara, formed a lightning-style genjutsu unit (Thunder Pillar Division) to counter Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan, and assembled elite taijutsu squads to oppose Sasori's Hundred Puppet Performance.

Additionally, the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, personally engaged Kisame in combat.

Meanwhile, the Raikage did not personally enter the fray but stood nearby, overseeing the battle. Although the Raikage wasn't particularly known for his intelligence, his combat instincts were unparalleled.

The tactics he devised against the Akatsuki members weren't guaranteed to succeed outright, but his presence on the sidelines, closely observing and ready to act, changed the dynamics entirely.

Even Itachi had to admit that facing Kumogakure's elite forces was significantly more stressful with a Raikage-level powerhouse keeping a watchful eye on the battlefield.

Among all the combatants here, although many were of Kage-level strength, they were still confined to the realm of traditional shinobi.

Traditional shinobi combat emphasized intelligence gathering and exploiting weaknesses. Kumogakure's targeted strategies against the Akatsuki members put considerable pressure on them.

With the Raikage standing by, the Akatsuki quartet found themselves struggling to hold their ground.

This showcased the reality of being a shinobi. Unless one's strength reached the level of Hashirama or Madara, dominating a battlefield unchallenged was unrealistic. Of course, someone like Minato with his Flying Thunder God technique could barely manage it.

Even someone as proud as Orochimaru had needed the Four Violet Flames Formation to create a sealed environment to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi. Without a certain level of strength, overwhelming numbers were always the best option.

The Raikage's goal for this mission was to annihilate Amegakure and completely eradicate the Akatsuki members.

"I'm one of the Five Great Villages! If I can't defeat Konoha, don't tell me I can't handle a small group like the Akatsuki!"

If Aoba had known the Raikage's thoughts, he probably would've burst out laughing. Because if it weren't for Madara and Black Zetsu meddling, this expedition of the Raikage would have likely enraged Nagato, leading to an Almighty Push that obliterated the entire Kumogakure army.

At that point, aside from the jinchūriki and the Raikage himself, the entire Kumogakure force would've faced annihilation.

Now, with Nagato out of the picture, Amegakure still had several other extremely dangerous individuals.

Aoba and his group had moved in secrecy. While the Raikage was aware of the battle within Amegakure, he didn't know the exact participants.

And he didn't particularly care. As long as it wasn't Konoha shinobi, he wasn't afraid.

It wasn't until Black Zetsu unleashed an Almighty Push that leveled half of Amegakure that the Raikage realized someone extremely dangerous was present inside.

But the Raikage didn't hesitate for even a moment. He immediately signaled Yugito to fire a Tailed Beast Bomb toward Amegakure.

His objective was to destroy Amegakure entirely. While complete annihilation wouldn't yield any benefits, it would at least allow him to vent his anger.

Ironically, the Tailed Beast Bomb flew directly toward the area where Aoba and his team were located, setting up the scene described at the beginning.

After Minato successfully teleported the bomb away with Flying Thunder God, Aoba immediately led his team toward the battlefield.

At this point, Itachi was already starting to feel fatigued.

Kumogakure's genjutsu unit was unlike traditional genjutsu users. Their techniques were extremely simple and direct: a group of them collectively used Thunder Pillar, turning themselves into oversized flashlights, blinding their opponents.

This technique had no other effects. No mental attacks, no hypnosis, no confronting inner fears. It was purely about overwhelming the enemy with light.

Ironically, this made it the perfect counter to the Sharingan. If they had used conventional genjutsu like hypnosis or fear-induction, Itachi could have easily reflected it back with a single glance.

But how was he supposed to reflect being blasted by a dozen high-powered flashlights?

Of course, Itachi's tactical prowess was still top-notch. In reality, if he went all out, he could annihilate the genjutsu unit in ten seconds.

But what about the Raikage? That bastard just stood there watching. He didn't make a move, but he kept his focus locked onto Itachi.

Itachi had no doubt that if he dared to engage in close combat, the Raikage would immediately rush in without hesitation.

In a one-on-one duel, Itachi was more than 70% confident he could kill the one-armed Raikage.

However, if he had to fight the genjutsu unit, the Raikage's elite guards, and the Raikage himself all at the same time, it would be a desperate, life-threatening gamble.

Right now, Itachi wasn't interested in risking his life against anyone except Sasuke.

Amid the glaring lights, a shadow suddenly flickered. In the next moment, three members of the Kumogakure genjutsu unit collapsed.

The Raikage roared in anger.

"Die!"

Lightning crackled as his arm swept toward the figure that had suddenly entered the battlefield, but it missed its target.

Even with his Lightning Release Chakra Mode active, and at such a short distance of only a dozen meters, the opponent had effortlessly dodged his attack.

Then, screams erupted again from behind him. The Raikage turned around to see four more members of the genjutsu unit had fallen. At this point, nearly half of his specially trained genjutsu unit was incapacitated.

Genjutsu users were already rare in Kumogakure, making these losses even more infuriating for the Raikage.

His rage boiled over, but he also noticed the kunai lying on the ground.

"Flying Thunder God? Are you Aoba Kamikawa? No, that's not right, it's not him."

Although impulsive, the Raikage quickly deduced that the person he had just clashed with wasn't Aoba Kamikawa. This individual had a completely different fighting style. They were faster, more agile, and more precise.

Aoba Kamikawa, on the other hand, fought with overwhelming force and dominance. Their styles were entirely different.

"Fall back!" the Raikage barked, ordering the genjutsu unit to retreat. He then led his elite guards to confront the newly arrived shinobi.

The moment he faced them, the Raikage felt a sinking sensation. Aoba Kamikawa, Kakashi Hatake, and two other unfamiliar ninjas stood before him.

Most concerning of all, one of the two strangers used Flying Thunder God, instantly reminding him of a particularly troublesome figure.

"Aoba Kamikawa, this is a matter between Kumogakure, Amegakure, and the Akatsuki. Are you Konoha shinobi planning to interfere?"

The Raikage held onto a sliver of hope, wishing that Konoha was still the same old Konoha. But Aoba's response shattered all his illusions.

"Yes, I am interfering. Got a problem with that?"

"..."

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Currently on Chapter 271 - Encountering Obito Again