The Most Important Person

The twin-tailed blonde girl struggled to prop herself up with dusty arms, wavering as she stood. She was breathing heavily, and sweat rolled down her forehead and cheeks.

She was in a disheveled state, entirely lacking her previous cute and beautiful appearance. The pink ribbon holding her ponytails had snapped, and her golden hair hung loosely over her shoulders. The green flowers in her hair had wilted. Her once flawless face was now covered in dust, with traces of blood at the corner of her mouth. Her clothes were tattered, with the long sleeves ripped and a tear in her pleated skirt. Her white stockings had several large holes.

The three Kage who had just arrived were stunned at the scene, not expecting Black Zetsu Loli to appear in such a condition, which took them by surprise.

Raikage, who arrived shortly after, glared fiercely, clenching his teeth. He hadn't anticipated the little girl would use the recoil from his attack to accelerate her movement and reach this location faster.

However, his attacks were not so easy to withstand, Raikage thought with a cold snort.

In truth, Black Zetsu had no choice. Raikage's speed was incredible, sometimes rivaling space-time jutsu. If he engaged her, escaping would be nearly impossible, and she couldn't be sure of defeating him quickly.

Thus, this became her only option, even though it left her injured.

"Stand aside, you are no match for us," Tsunade said seriously. "We don't want to harm you. You must understand we're also trying to help Kaguya."

"Give up," Gaara said, folding his arms as he approached. "This is meaningless."

Black Zetsu Loli still said nothing, simply pursing her lips and shaking her head.

"Stubborn fool."

Raikage's eyebrows shot up as he shouted, his fist charged with lightning chakra and punching toward Black Zetsu Loli, reaching her in an instant.

"Hmph."

Black Zetsu Loli snorted coldly, a flash of icy determination in her beautiful eyes, as a strange purple flame suddenly enveloped her. It swirled around her, and a powerful aura burst forth with a surge of wind. Instantly, rocks shattered and flew as her golden twin-tails danced in the fierce wind.

She stepped forward, her eyes filled with resolve, and charged like lightning toward Raikage. Her small hand swung out to meet his massive fist.

"Boom!" With a muffled roar, a shockwave of air pressure surged out, blowing everyone's clothing and forcing them to shield their eyes.

"What?"

When the gusts subsided and everyone opened their eyes, they were astonished to see that it was Raikage who had been knocked back.

Raikage flew back like a cannonball, crashing into a distant boulder and shattering it into pieces, scattering debris and dust into the air.

When did this little girl gain such power, able to repel Raikage, known for his taijutsu prowess? Was it due to that strange purple light?

While everyone speculated, Raikage stood up from the rubble, unharmed. He had taken the blow without injury, showcasing his incredible resilience, proving his reputation as a taijutsu expert in the shinobi world.

"You're an interesting little girl," he said, brushing the stones and dust from his body, staring coldly at Black Zetsu Loli. "But you've angered me."

With those words, Raikage released a powerful surge of chakra. Lightning danced across his body with a crackling sound, his aura growing stronger as the chakra density around him almost became tangible, enveloping him completely. Compared to before, Raikage's strength had multiplied several times.

This was the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

"That's enough!" Tsunade shouted, her brows furrowed in anger. "Attacking a little girl—don't you feel ashamed?"

"Hmph, in my eyes, there are only enemies, no regard for age or condition," Raikage replied coldly, turning back to Black Zetsu Loli on the ground. "I'm asking you one last time—do you still want to protect that person?"

Just then, Black Zetsu Loli suddenly fell to her knees, a look of pain crossing her face, as sweat beaded on her forehead. She coughed a few times, and a trickle of blood ran down her mouth.

Although Black Zetsu Loli used the Dragons Veins chakra earlier to dramatically increase her strength, the side effects of the Dragons Veins chakra were also very severe. Her fragile body suffered significant damage as a result. Unlike Kaguya, who had a powerful and resilient body, and possessed the genes of the God Tree to filter out impurities from the Dragons Veins chakra, Black Zetsu Loli did not have these advantages.

But Black Zetsu Loli did not care about these consequences; even if it meant dying, she would protect the person most important to her.

Black Zetsu Loli struggled to prop herself up with her arms and shakily stood up, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. Her clear eyes stared coldly at the Raikage. She said nothing, but her answer was clear.

"You're seeking death!"

The Raikage shouted in anger, lightning flashing around him, as he stomped the ground and charged at Black Zetsu with incredible speed, swinging his massive fist toward her.

"Stop!" Tsunade cried out in alarm, trying to stop the Raikage, but he was too fast for anyone to intervene.

Black Zetsu , in her current state, couldn't form the cherry blossom shield. Without its protection, the next attack would be more than just a rush of wind.

She could have used mental fusion to control the opponent's will, as she wasn't suited for direct combat. Mental control was her forte, but she knew her mother didn't like her doing that. Her mother had said that those people were filthy, and using mental fusion on them would taint herself. Thus, she had never used that technique.

Black Zetsu Loli bit her lip, raising her arms to cross protectively over her chest, a flash of determination in her clear eyes.

The punch hadn't yet landed, but the fierce wind had already blown her long hair into the air. She silently closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain she expected to feel.

But after waiting for a while, the pain she anticipated didn't come. She opened her eyes slightly, peeking through the gap between her arms, and saw a familiar figure. Her eyes widened in surprise and joy.

"Mother!"

Standing before them was a beautiful silver-haired girl, with rosy lips, perfect features, and skin like porcelain. Although her clothes were torn, it didn't diminish her ethereal and otherworldly presence. Her expression was cold as ice, her clear eyes filled with a chilling intensity, and a strange purple glow flashed across her body.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the Raikage was struck hard, his chest caving in as he flew backward like a cannonball, crashing into a distant boulder with a thunderous impact.

"What?"

He coughed up blood, kneeling on the ground and clutching his chest, his face full of shock. His powerful punch had been effortlessly blocked, and she had even struck him with enough force to seriously wound him.

A few years ago, being defeated by her was a deep humiliation for the Raikage. He had trained intensely to regain his honor, but now, the silver-haired girl's strength had reached a terrifying level.

Kaguya's eyes narrowed as she raised her left arm, and Raikage felt himself being pulled toward her against his will.

Raikage was shocked. His body felt paralyzed, his chakra frozen and unresponsive. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move a single finger, helplessly watching himself being pulled toward Kaguya.

Kaguya's face remained expressionless, her clear eyes coldly staring at Raikage. A fear he hadn't felt in years rose within him.

As everyone watched in confusion, wondering what she would do, a crude outburst left everyone stunned.

"You bastard!"

Kaguya swung her pale fist, punching Raikage hard in the stomach. He doubled over as if struck by lightning, spewing a mixture of blood and saliva from his mouth.

She followed up with another punch to his chest, and there was a sharp cracking sound as several ribs broke. Raikage's eyes bulged, and the intense pain nearly knocked the wind out of him.