A Sage's Pursuit of Power

The battle had begun. No matter how much the Raikage hesitated, it was impossible for him to publicly hand over a jinchūriki in front of so many people.

The Raikage pushed his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to the limit and charged directly at Aoba. He was well aware that Aoba Kamikawa had a Lightning Release jutsu capable of shooting steel projectiles. Once that technique was used, even the Raikage himself wasn't confident he could dodge it.

Thus, he had to engage in close combat to prevent Aoba from using that technique.

Minato instinctively moved to assist, but Kakashi stopped him.

"It's unnecessary. Let's go capture the jinchūriki."

Capturing a jinchūriki required advanced sealing techniques. Kakashi wasn't particularly skilled in this area, but Minato was a top-tier sealing expert.

The two of them working together was the most effective approach.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, took on the Cloud Shinobi army.

It had been a long time since he had experienced the chaos of a battlefield. Previously, his frail and aging body had led to his humiliating death at Orochimaru's hands, a regret that weighed heavily on him.

But now, he was back with a youthful body, and his chakra reserves were even greater than before. He couldn't wait to put his renewed strength to the test.

"Ninja Art: Great Five Elements Bullet!"

The Third Hokage unleashed his signature technique, the Great Five Elements Bullet. While its effectiveness against top-tier shinobi was limited, it was devastating against anyone below Kage-level.

Few below Kage-level could simultaneously counter attacks of all five elemental types.

With a single strike, dozens of Cloud Shinobi from the vanguard were wiped out.

Hearing the screams of his subordinates, the Raikage grew increasingly agitated and confused.

The two unfamiliar Konoha shinobi gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

Flying Thunder God and the Great Five Elements Bullet, these signature abilities reminded him of two old rivals. But how could that be possible? Those two had long been dead.

The most likely explanation was that Konoha had secretly trained successors. Even so, the realization was disheartening.

When Konoha was at its weakest, Aoba Kamikawa, this monstrous talent, had emerged, depriving the Raikage of his best opportunity to defeat Konoha.

In just a few short years, Konoha had risen again. Not only was there Aoba Kamikawa, but even these two secret successors seemed out of his league.

For the first time, even the Raikage, who prided himself on never admitting defeat, felt a sense of despair.

But his hands didn't falter. If he could kill Aoba or die taking him down here, Konoha would be significantly weakened, giving the Cloud Village a fighting chance.

He had cultivated several talented young shinobi in the Cloud Village. Once they matured, it might still be possible to surpass Konoha.

Aoba noticed the shift in the Raikage's movements. His opponent had adopted a death-or-glory stance, seemingly intent on taking Aoba down with him.

The Raikage believed he now had an opportunity. Although he didn't know what had happened to Kamikawa Aoba's eyes, their apparent impairment could be his best chance.

With this in mind, the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode surged to an even higher level. In close-quarters combat, even Aoba, with his Sage Mode activated, began to feel the pressure.

The Raikage refrained from using techniques like Lariat or Lightning Oppression Chop. They were pointless against someone who could use the Flying Thunder God Technique and evade effortlessly.

Instead, the Raikage pushed his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to its absolute peak. Every move he made carried at least the destructive power of a B-rank jutsu.

Even if he couldn't kill Kamikawa Aoba outright, he would at least leave him severely injured.

Trading big techniques with someone who could teleport was reckless. The Raikage, with his wealth of experience, chose to rely on physical strikes to wear Aoba down in a battle of attrition.

With a clang, sparks flew as Aoba's sword clashed with the Raikage's metal gauntlet.

Lightning erupted, and the Raikage's chakra surged, engulfing Aoba in a storm of electricity.

The Raikage had trained specifically for moments like this, developing new techniques that combined pure lightning attacks with taijutsu. This sudden strike caught Aoba off guard.

Seeing Aoba hit by his meticulously prepared lightning attack, the Raikage accelerated again, his right hand aimed directly at Aoba's chest.

He knew a single B-rank lightning attack wouldn't kill Kamikawa Aoba in Sage Mode.

He had to land a decisive blow in the moment Aoba was paralyzed, and he wanted nothing more than to personally tear out Aoba's heart.

The Raikage's Four-Fingered Assault struck Aoba square in the chest.

Something was wrong.

Why did it feel… off? It was as though he hadn't hit anything.

In an instant, countless thoughts raced through the Raikage's mind.

Genjutsu? Impossible, Aoba's eyes were covered. How could he cast a genjutsu?

Some kind of defensive jutsu?

No, there was no resistance at all.

From a visual perspective, the Raikage felt as though his fingers had touched Aoba's chest, but the actual sensation was that he hadn't hit anything solid.

What on earth was going on?

The Raikage didn't dare overthink it. He quickly withdrew his hand and retreated. At that moment, Aoba's sword swung upward, slicing toward him.

The Raikage moved faster, and the blade only left a shallow cut on his chest.

He glanced down. There were no signs of poisoning, as Aoba wasn't known to use poisons.

The Raikage braced himself, gathering his strength and remaining on high alert, ready to continue the fight.

But then, to his surprise, Aoba suddenly stopped. He even sheathed his sword.

"What's the meaning of this?" The Raikage immediately felt insulted. He hadn't been defeated, yet this man was acting as if he weren't worth the effort.

"No, it's already over," Aoba said in an inexplicably calm tone.

The Raikage couldn't shake a growing sense of unease. He didn't believe Aoba would joke about something like this. While Aoba was forceful and domineering, he wasn't the type to make light of serious matters. Yet the Raikage hadn't lost.

Since the battle began, the only wound he had sustained was the small cut on his chest, which was barely an injury to him.

Wait a minute. The Raikage suddenly felt something. He glanced down at the cut on his chest. Was it just his imagination, or did the wound seem to have grown larger?

A faint stinging sensation made it clear that he was, indeed, injured.

"I held back my strength. As you are the leader of a village, I'll give you ten minutes to settle your last words."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm clearly…" The Raikage, enraged, prepared to charge forward again.

But the sharp, tearing pain in his chest doused his fury like a bucket of cold water, forcing him to calm down instantly.

He looked down at his chest again. As expected, the wound had grown larger.

With an incredulous expression, the Raikage raised his head to look at Aoba.

"What… what kind of technique is this?"

Aoba didn't answer but instead reminded him again.

"Raikage-sama, you have nine minutes left."

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Currently on Chapter 272 - Failure