Chapter 106: A Battle with the Raikage Again

In Aoba's memory, after the Konoha Crush Plan, it was Iwagakure (the Hidden Stone) that made the first move. However, this time, Kumogakure (the Hidden Cloud) couldn't wait and showed up on the third day.

And the Hidden Cloud was different from the Hidden Stone. Ōnoki, the leader of Iwagakure, was hot-tempered, but he prioritized caution in foreign policy. He would take advantage if possible, but would never recklessly go all-in.

The Hidden Cloud, however, was different. The Raikage was headstrong and had the soul of a bandit. He wanted everything and would take it all. So, at the first opportunity, he personally came to try and take a big bite out of Konoha.

"Hayate, you're the best at slipping away. You go first; we'll buy you some time. Make sure to warn the village that the Raikage has attacked, so they can prepare."

When a single squad attacks Konoha, it's a matter of raising the alarm, seeking reinforcements, and ambushing them on the way. That's called a skirmish.

But when the Raikage himself steps onto the battlefield, it's a war. War isn't something a few squads can handle. With Konoha's defenses down, a surprise appearance from the Raikage could leave them scrambling to respond.

Hayama Shirakumo, Genma Shiranui, and Raidō Namiashi fought back their fear and charged forward.

Meanwhile, Tekuno Kanden took out his ultimate weapon—a steel wire draped with hundreds of explosive tags, which he surrounded himself with.

"No one will get past here while I'm still standing."

Everyone was prepared to fight to the death. But the Raikage merely sneered before disappearing from sight.

"...Too fast. Hayate, watch out!"

Hayate Gekkō, using his Transparent Escape technique, was running for his life. But in the next instant, the Raikage's towering figure appeared in front of him.

With a loud bang, Hayate's body was like it had run right into the Raikage. The Raikage grabbed him by the neck, lifting him into the air.

The Raikage was in his prime. With his Lightning Release Armor perfected to the limit, he was nearly invulnerable to ordinary attacks, exceptionally fast, and packed a punch. For most shinobi, it was an instant death sentence, similar to facing the Fourth Hokage.

"Konoha must be running out of capable people, sending weaklings like you to guard the borders. Perfect, I've had my eye on your Book of Seals for a long time."

The Raikage spoke, oblivious to the stunned silence among his subordinates.

As he prepared to crush Hayate's throat, he finally sensed something amiss. Turning his head, he saw his most trusted aide, C, being held aloft in a similar manner by a familiar figure.

If it had been any other Konoha ninja, the Raikage would have killed Hayate immediately, then negotiated. He knew Konoha's shinobi typically weren't so ruthless.

But he was facing Aoba Kamikawa, and if he made a move, Aoba would undoubtedly retaliate.

The man in his grasp was just a pawn, but C was his most trusted subordinate, one of the rare talents in Kumogakure skilled in genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, and ninjutsu alike. He couldn't let C die here.

"Aoba Kamikawa, you still dare to show up before me?" The Raikage threw Hayate aside and spoke in a deep voice.

"Why wouldn't I? If I remember correctly, Raikage-sama, you lost our last encounter."

"Hmph, others might not know, but you know full well that you only won by playing tricks."

"Oh? So the Raikage is still holding a grudge?" Aoba casually tossed C to the ground. Though surrounded by over a hundred Cloud ninjas, Aoba paid them no mind and turned to face the Raikage.

"If that's the case, let's go for another round today."

"Just what I wanted."

The moment the words left their mouths, both of them vanished from sight.

"So fast. I can't see their moves at all."

Intense lightning burst in midair, accompanied by the sound of metal clashing violently.

Aoba noticed that the Raikage was wearing a pair of gauntlets. He wasn't sure what material they were made of, but they could withstand his Kusanagi Sword without breaking.

The Raikage's right hand was missing his pinky finger.

It was likely that his pinky was the one Aoba had injured in their last fight, pulverizing it into pieces.

The Raikage's body was different from others; every finger had been honed to perfection. Replacing it with another finger would do more harm than good, even becoming a hindrance.

So, in the end, he only reattached his ring finger, which had been severed in their second clash.

Even with four fingers, the Raikage's combat power hadn't decreased much; he had clearly trained specifically for this.

Aoba wasn't careless facing the Raikage. The moment the battle began, he entered Sage Mode. Armed with the Kusanagi Sword, he fought the Raikage evenly in taijutsu.

The Raikage was the second-best close-combat shinobi of his time. Unless Guy opened at least the Seventh Gate, no one could rival him in taijutsu.

But this time, Aoba managed to fight him to a draw, which gave the Raikage an ominous feeling.

In their last fight, it seemed Aoba had the upper hand. But the Raikage knew that Aoba had only been holding on through sheer willpower. His true strength was nowhere near as impressive as it seemed.

This time was different. Using only taijutsu, Aoba was holding his own against the Raikage's decades of experience with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. The improvement was almost unbelievable.

"Liger Bomb!" The Raikage unleashed his signature move.

"Slicing Gale Chain Flash!" Aoba countered with a series of wind-based slashes imbued with Sage Chakra. With the boost from the Hashirama cells, Aoba's chakra was now plentiful, allowing him to turn techniques into basic attacks.

Countless wind blades struck the Raikage. His body charged forward like a tank, but soon he was forced to stop.

He could endure regular wind blades, but those enhanced with Sage Chakra quickly became too much. He had to move swiftly to avoid them.

Having tired of close combat, Aoba decided to switch tactics. He'd never particularly enjoyed close-quarters fighting. Before, he'd had no choice. But in truth, Aoba preferred fighting as a mage.

"Sage Art: Wind Release—Ultimate Gale Slash!"

A fierce wind swept toward the Raikage, but it didn't seem to have any real effect on him. The Raikage didn't even bother dodging large-scale jutsu like this, able to withstand them directly.

But then, as he charged forward, the Raikage felt the ground suddenly give way beneath him. The ground in front of him had sunk by over a meter.

During his Wind Release technique, Aoba had sneakily added an Earth Release jutsu.

"Damn it!" The Raikage realized he was in trouble. The ground's collapse left him with nothing to attach his chakra to. Without being able to grip the ground, he could only rely on his body weight against the Wind Release.

Though it lasted only an instant, it was enough. In that moment, the Wind Release struck, lifting the Raikage's feet off the ground.

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Currently on Chapter 146 - Dual Mangekyō Sharingan