"Tatsuma!"
Seeing Tatsuma flying backward, Sakumo didn't care about the mission's requirement to use Tatsuma's codename. As he was about to head towards Tatsuma, a powerful and swift kick came at him.
"Whoa~"
Barely dodging the kick, he could still hear the sound of the wind being ripped apart.
"I'll go check on Yaksha."
After Minato said this, he used Flying Thunder God to appear behind Tatsuma and catch him as he was still flying backward. However, the two of them had already flown out of the mountain range and were falling towards the water below.
Seeing Minato go over, and knowing he likely has some Medical Ninjutsu skills, Sakumo refrained from checking on Tatsuma and turned his attention to the newcomer.
At this moment, the lightning faded, revealing a tall and imposing figure. Sakumo blurted out a name: "A?!"
Seeing the newcomer, Sakumo immediately understood how A had appeared so suddenly—through the Hidden Cloud Village's Heavenly Transfer Jutsu. Third Raikage A is the only person capable of using Heavenly Transfer Jutsu for Space Transfer.
Due to the nature of the technique, few can withstand the damage caused by Space Transfer. This technique is typically used for transferring goods rather than people.
But the only one capable of enduring the damage and using Heavenly Transfer Jutsu as a Space-Time type Body Flicker Jutsu is the A in front of him.
A's appearance was so sudden that Sakumo didn't even have time to react. Reflecting on it now, if Tatsuma hadn't moved him aside in time, he might have been unable to withstand A's elbow strike.
It was precisely for this reason that Sakumo felt an endless sense of guilt. As a Squad Captain, he should not have to rely on his team members to ensure his own safety. This was supposed to be his responsibility.
"Tatsuma?"
A murmured the name, revealing a flamboyant smile as he said, "Sakamoto Tatsuma? I was wondering how to deal with him if he grew stronger in the future. I didn't expect him to come knocking on my door himself, taking my hit head-on. Not to mention a child, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen had arrived, he would have been severely injured. Hahaha~"
Seeing A's smugness, Sakumo's face turned completely dark, his stern aura reemerging as it clashed with A's arrogance. At the same time, his left hand formed the Seal of Confrontation, and his right hand drew out his short sword, White Fang, ready to strike.
"Zheng~"
With the sword emitting a sharp cry, a flash of white light appeared as the razor-sharp blade aimed straight at A's throat. A stopped laughing, gathering lightning attribute Chakra in his right hand to meet the blade.
"Hell Stab! Four-Finger Nukite!"
"Clang~"
The clash between the blade and flesh produced a sound like metal striking stone, causing a whirlwind that blew some gravel far away and shattered some weaker rocks with the shockwave.
The collision between the two was like a signal. In an instant, Sakumo withdrew his short sword and followed up with successive slashes. A grinned, and his entire body was enveloped in Lightning Release Chakra, using his physical form to counter Sakumo's blade.
In just a moment, the surrounding land was devastated beyond recognition, with the destruction rivaling the damage done by the Eight-Tails on a distant mountaintop.
Meanwhile, at the shallow riverbank down the mountain, Minato anxiously used Medical Ninjutsu to treat Tatsuma. He was so rushed that he didn't even have time to thoroughly examine Tatsuma's injuries.
After all, it was hard to imagine that someone could be unharmed after a full-force strike from the Third Raikage.
Just as Minato placed his hands on Tatsuma's left shoulder wound, Tatsuma's right hand grasped his, shaking his head before grabbing his severely deformed left hand and pulling it.
"Crack, crack~"
Tatsuma's left hand, which had been hanging in an unusual position, was now being used normally. Minato watched in astonishment as Tatsuma began to make a fist with his left hand, as if assessing its recovery.
Perhaps noticing Minato's surprise, Tatsuma said, "You know, I developed a Medical Ninjutsu."
"But that was the Third Raikage."
Minato swallowed hard. Even though he knew his friend was exceptionally talented in Ninjutsu development, it was still hard to comprehend a technique capable of withstanding a full-force attack from the Raikage.
Tatsuma looked at himself, drenched and with his lower body still submerged in water, unsure of how to explain.
When A's blow came down, Tatsuma had really seen Uzumaki Mito smiling at him, and he could even feel himself falling, accompanied by a sensation of life slipping away.
But at the moment he hit the water, he felt as if he was revived. The improved Yin Healing Wound Destruction, which had been too weak to be effective, seemed to have been enhanced.
His improved Yin Healing Wound Destruction didn't store Chakra within the body's cells but left behind Cursed Seals in various parts of the body. With just a small amount of Chakra guidance, these Cursed Seals would activate, beginning to draw physical energy and convert it into Chakra. In theory, this is an incomplete technique.
The Cursed Seals have only two outcomes: either the wound heals, or there is no more Chakra left in the body.
In this instance, it was the latter. Almost all of his Chakra was exhausted. Although Tatsuma survived, he still had a minor dislocation.
He was thankful he fell into the water; if Chakra had been drained under normal circumstances, he would have likely been "drained to death" long ago.
Looking at the river, he thought this might be the [Death Resistance] from the Shiro Yaksha physique he had never activated before. According to the system description, falling into water while on the brink of death greatly increases the chance of survival.
He didn't expect the increase to be so significant.
Tatsuma took out two Military Rations Pills, shoved them into his mouth, and swallowed. Although his injuries were mostly healed, he was still in no condition to contribute effectively to the battle.
He looked at the explosions coming from above and glanced at the chaos where the Eight-Tails was located. He said to Minato, "Minato, you need to run alone."
"But…"
"I can't move vigorously right now, and Sakumo-sama is fighting A. The only chance for escape is with you. Only if you get away will we have a chance at survival. Once I recover some Chakra, I'll catch up with Sakumo-sama and find you."
Tatsuma spoke decisively, not giving Minato any room for negotiation. His serious demeanor made Minato instinctively nod, but he still expressed concern, saying, "You haven't really used Super Wind Multiple Flash Teleport Zero Style. Isn't it too risky?"
Seeing Minato mention the embarrassing tactical name at this critical moment, Tatsuma gritted his teeth and said, "Minato, your natural cluelessness is a bit excessive. Hurry up and go. This time, trust me."
"Okay."
Minato nodded, then carried the exhausted Tatsuma to a blind spot on the riverbank. From Tatsuma's ninja tool pouch, he took two Flying Thunder God Kunai and then headed towards the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
As Minato left, Tatsuma closed his eyes to rest. [Endless] not only allowed his cells to store more energy but also enabled him to absorb nutrients more quickly and thoroughly—commonly known as fast digestion.
The Military Rations Pills he had just swallowed quickly converted into energy for his body, replenishing the nearly depleted energy in his cells.
However, fast digestion also brought some side effects, such as the body redirecting more blood and oxygen to the digestive system, leaving other parts of the body in a state of ischemia and hypoxia. The most noticeable effect was drowsiness.
But Tatsuma couldn't afford to fall asleep. He only half-lay there, propped up on his right elbow, and closed his eyes to rest. Even if he felt sleepy, the sensation of falling due to his body's imbalance would wake him up.
It was like when feeling drowsy in class, where the natural tendency to lower your head can unexpectedly wake you up.
Fortunately, long-term training, the sound of rushing river waves, the noise from disturbed birds, and occasional ground vibrations all kept him in a state of minimal alertness.
After about ten minutes, the energy from his Chakra completed a simple distribution within his body, and his body no longer focused on supplying blood to the digestive system. This improved his mental state significantly.
He formed a few seals to refine some Chakra, and with his fingers touching the ground, Tatsuma sensed the situation inside the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
On the Eight-Tails' side, the number of Cloud Ninjas had decreased further. Meanwhile, the battle between Sakumo and A looked grim.
Sakumo's Chakra was also starting to deplete, and based on Chakra levels, he was currently in a passive position. This was understandable, given that Sakumo had first fought with the Eight-Tails. His fighting style and abilities required more Chakra to contend with the Eight-Tails.
Later, facing the Third Raikage who arrived using Heavenly Transfer Jutsu for Space Transfer, it wasn't an exaggeration to call him a humanoid tailed beast. Both opponents had styles that were quite oppressive to Sakumo.
For him to have held out until now with Chakra depletion was quite remarkable.
Within the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, there was no sign of Minato. Tatsuma expanded his sensing range slightly and oriented towards Minato's direction. Soon, he detected Minato.
On the path, he also found a Flying Thunder God Kunai left by Minato. Tatsuma immediately understood Minato's intention: it was a "waypoint" left in case his sensing range was insufficient.
There were no other enemies around Minato, which relieved Tatsuma. This was the only good news in an otherwise eventful day.
Next, he just needed to use Super Wind Multiple Flash Teleport Zero Style! to bring himself and Sakumo to Minato.
He stood up and moved his limbs to ensure his condition was sufficient, then used Flying Thunder God to instantly appear beside Sakumo. At the same time, his right hand was already holding a Rasengan.
"Boom!"
Having sensed their positions earlier, Tatsuma knew he was very close to A. Therefore, the moment he transported himself, he directed the Rasengan towards A.
Only when the Rasengan collided with A did Tatsuma see the situation clearly. A was executing a high kick aimed at Sakumo's head, while Sakumo was using White Fang to slash and block the kick.
Suddenly appearing, Tatsuma pressed the Rasengan against A's jewels.
"Ah!!"
A let out a harsh, piercing sound. He was unable to maintain his strength, flew backward, and crashed to the ground. After rolling, he extended one hand forward for defense while using the other to protect his groin.
Seeing that A only looked pained but did not exhibit the ultimate agony typically experienced when struck in the groin, Tatsuma was momentarily stunned and wondered if his technique had declined.
But seeing A's body wrapped in Lightning Release Chakra, Tatsuma realized that his Rasengan couldn't penetrate this Lightning Release Chakra armor; it only caused some deformation.
Fortunately, he hit A's groin; otherwise, the slight deformation and compression would not have made A look so disheveled.
"Tatsuma? Are you okay?"
Sakumo's surprised voice came through. Tatsuma nodded and said, "The Third Raikage A's attacks are nothing much."
A furrowed his brow, looking at Tatsuma in disbelief. But seeing that Tatsuma wasn't injured, he began to question if he was losing his edge since becoming Raikage. It seemed he needed to accelerate training that little brat!
Noticing A was momentarily stunned, Tatsuma didn't dare delay. He grabbed Sakumo with one hand and used the other to sense the surroundings.
A quickly regained his composure and charged angrily at the two. His fingers curled up, with only two fingers pointing forward.
"Hells Stab! Two-Finger Nukite!"
The powerful Lightning Release Chakra made Tatsuma feel as though his body was being pierced before the attack even reached him, but he sensed it.
"Sayonara~ Oh damn it!"
At the moment of Flying Thunder God transfer, Tatsuma's body was engulfed by lightning.
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