Contradiction

"This is the first time I've seen Chen like this... it's really terrifying!" Inoichi shivered, staying behind.

"We all have two sides... some even more than two," Shikaku said quietly. "Depending on who we're with, we show a different side. This is the side of Chen that none of us ever wanted to see."

"CHEN HYUGA! YOU KILLED SO MANY PEOPLE! Do you really not feel even a trace of guilt?!" roared the Raikage, anger burning in his eyes as he looked at the cold smile on Chen's face.

"Guilt?"

Chen smiled arrogantly. "Why should I feel guilty? Am I supposed to feel bad for crushing a group of ants?" he asked, bewildered, making the smile on his face widen even more.

The remaining Cloud ninjas were immediately enraged, their eyes turning a deep, blood-red color.

They had been compared to mere insects, denied any value as human beings.

"Are you angry?" Chen let out a cruel laugh. "To be honest, in my eyes, you're no different from flowers on the roadside or beasts in the jungle. I've never considered you human beings," he said with absolute indifference.

The ninjas' eyes were bloodshot. Their anger and hatred toward Chen had reached its peak. If not for the reasoning that still held them back, they would have already charged at him.

"Instead of glaring at me with so much hatred, you should think about your current situation," he added with a sinister smile. "If I decide to kill you, it's only a matter of a snap of my fingers," he said, raising his hand and making a slight motion with his fingers.

The Raikage felt his heart tighten upon hearing this. He looked at Chen intently, his eyes wide open, as if he feared an attack at any moment.

But he was overthinking it; Chen dissolved the rock giant with a simple gesture, then took Konan's hand, beginning to walk away indifferently.

"Be thankful for my mercy! Today I will let you live, but there won't be a second chance."

The remaining ninjas were so furious that the sight of their enemy, the killer of their comrades, asking them to be grateful felt like rubbing salt into their open wounds.

"White Fang, do you still think...?" Yi gestured to Sakumo, pointing at the Raikage, knowing that the opportunity to attack was still present.

"Now is the best time. We might not have him next time. This is our best chance to defeat Kumogakure completely," Sakumo said, his expression turning icy as he charged at the Raikage with his sword without hesitation.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Sakumo launched several rapid strikes, each accompanied by a white gleam that flew toward the Raikage. But each blow was repelled as if it had struck steel, without causing even a scratch. The Raikage's skin was too tough.

"Who the hell do you think you are?! Chen Hyuga?!" roared the Raikage, his voice resonating with colossal fury. All the pent-up anger erupted and was directed at Sakumo.

The Raikage's eyes were bloodshot, and although he was badly injured from the battle against the rock giant, his will remained intact, fiercer than ever due to the consuming hatred.

Crackle!

The sound of lightning enveloped his fists as he charged forward, his movements filled with unbridled rage.

Ignoring Sakumo's attacks entirely, he charged at him with punches that felt like divine judgment. At first, Sakumo could barely hold his own, relying on his sharp perception and combat skills.

But after a few moments, the pace began to overwhelm him. The Raikage's attacks were incredibly fast, and while Sakumo could sense where the blows were coming from, his body simply couldn't keep up.

Gradually, he began to take the brunt of the punches.

The Raikage took advantage of the opportunity and struck Sakumo several times.

Crack!

The sound of ribs breaking echoed like thunder on the battlefield. Sakumo was thrown back, spitting blood, his vision blurring for a moment, his face turning pale.

Fortunately for him, the Raikage was also seriously wounded, and Sakumo's only advantage was his speed. Otherwise, the furious Raikage could have beaten him to death with a single punch.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Sakumo struggled to stand up. The pain spread through his entire body like searing fire. In the past, he had always relied on his speed to get close to the enemy and use his sword to finish the fight quickly.

But now he was facing a seemingly invincible Raikage. His speed wasn't enough, and the only option he had was to endure. But against the Raikage, whose attack strength was as devastating as a full Susanoo, his attempts at attacking seemed to have no effect.

The Raikage, with his immense body and the fury fueling every movement, was like an unstoppable colossus, and Sakumo couldn't help but feel small in the face of such power.

While he was at a disadvantage here, the battle between Konoha and Kumogakure on the other front was also turning against them. The Kumogakure soldiers were fighting as if they had nothing left to lose, and the hatred and fury gave them inhuman strength. They had gone mad, fighting as if their lives depended on tearing a piece out of Konoha before falling.

The Cloud ninjas were completely out of control, fearing neither pain nor death. They wanted to leave a mark; they wanted to inflict as much damage as possible before falling. All the rage they felt toward Chen Hyuga was being unleashed on the other Konoha ninjas.

Their ferocity had turned into something that the Konoha ninjas could not withstand. Fear began to take root in their hearts, and they were being crushed, their lines starting to break under pressure.

"I handed everything to them on a silver platter, and still they're losing..." Chen murmured silently as he observed the scene in front of him.

Incredibly, he had already eliminated half of the enemy's combat power, but Konoha was still being crushed and defeated.

'Should I intervene again?' he thought, stroking his chin. He knew that if he made another move, he would contradict himself. He had said before that he would show mercy.

"Wouldn't I make myself a laughingstock if I contradict myself now?" he murmured to himself.

"CHEN, what are you doing standing there stunned?! Our situation is desperate now! Hurry up!" Inoichi shouted as he saw him standing still.

"I just said I would let them go! Wouldn't I be contradicting myself if I acted now? Even though I have thick skin, I still have some dignity," Chen replied, shaking his head.

"Huh? Since when do you care about that?" Inoichi retorted, looking at him incredulously.

"How could I not care?" Chen responded. "If they can't rise to the occasion, it's their problem. If they want to get beaten, then let them."

"Hey! Even if you destroyed half of Kumogakure's power, we're still not much stronger than them. Even with half their strength, they're still a formidable challenge," Inoichi complained.

"It's true that the number of people is similar," Chen replied. "But in terms of strength, Konoha has the advantage. Don't forget that the ninjas here are almost all from clans, each with Kekkei Genkai and secret abilities."

"The reason Konoha is at a disadvantage now is because they lack momentum; they lack the will to win," Shikaku interjected with a wry smile.

"Konoha is supposed to be the stronger side," he continued. "But the Cloud ninjas have taken all the hatred in their hearts and turned it into a will that fears neither life nor death. And Konoha, without that same fervor, is being defeated, forced to retreat continuously."

Observing the battlefield, his eyes glistened. "In fact, as long as you control that momentum, as long as you curb the Cloud ninjas' will, they will lose."

"Chen, it all depends on you. You don't need to fight; you just need to deter them," Shikaku said, his eyes fixed on Chen.

The eyes of Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chōza were filled with expectation. Chen sighed as he looked at them, then nodded.

"Alright, I'll do it," he replied with a small smile. He considered these men his friends. Although he didn't treat strangers well, he valued his friends, and as long as it wasn't an excessive request, he wouldn't refuse.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu: Five-Tails!"

With a thunderous howl, the massive Five-Tails appeared on the battlefield. Although its chakra hadn't fully recovered since the last battle, its form was terrifying enough to stop anyone in their tracks.

The roar echoed throughout the battlefield, and immediately, the chaos and frenzy of the battle began to halt. Everyone, both allies and enemies, looked toward the gigantic Tailed Beast that stood behind the Konoha troops.

________

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