Danzo is not within the scope of concern for Raiga who has obtained the Lightning Blade.
However, facing such a strong opponent for the first time after obtaining the Lightning Blade, Raiga dared not be careless at all.
Instead of holding back, Raiga chose to go all out from the start.
If possible, Raiga wanted to channel all his Chakra into the Lightning Blade.
Back when facing Might Duy, Raiga's biggest regret was underestimating him initially. He never expected Duy to unleash such formidable strength. By the time he realized, it was too late. Duy had single-handedly killed four of them on the spot. Raiga was lucky to escape with his life.
That experience made Raiga decide on a strategy: when facing a powerful opponent, or one whose capabilities are unknown, or one he cannot easily overwhelm, he would go all out from the beginning. No holding back. Every strike would be at full force. Just like Duy did back then—regardless of the opponent's tactics, he would give it his all.
A formidable aura emanated from Raiga, catching Danzo's attention.
"Looks like he's ready to go all out?"
"One strikes with all his might, showing self-awareness, knowing he is not my match."
"But, Raiga, even if you go all out alone, what extent can you reach?"
"Under my Danzo's Triple Combo, your Lightning Release won't withstand a single blow."
"Even if you endured my initial Attack, can you still unleash a second Lightning Release like that?"
Suddenly, Danzo's expression changed.
Because beyond Raiga's aura, Danzo sensed another presence.
It didn't belong to Raiga, but rather, it was near him.
More precisely, it was in Raiga's hands.
Danzo stared fixedly at the Lightning Blade in Raiga's hands.
"Could it be that this is also a Zanpakuto?"
"Hidden Mist Village has produced another new Zanpakuto?"
"Thunder attribute?"
"Stronger than Thunder Swords?"
"How is this possible?"
"In such a short time... this is too fast!"
The power of the Lightning Blade surged, blending with Raiga's own strength.
A beam of light emerged from the tip of the Lightning Blade, completely formed by condensed lightning.
Danzo sensed a strong sense of imminent danger.
"Oh no!"
However, it was already too late for Danzo to dodge now.
The speed of lightning was much faster than that of any other ninjutsu.
"Danzo-sama!"
Just then, two Root ninjas suddenly appeared and stood in front of Danzo.
Upon realizing the danger Danzo faced, they shielded him with their own bodies. Despite knowing the immense strength of Raiga's attack, they were willing to sacrifice their lives for Danzo.
"Boom!"
Under the onslaught of such powerful Lightning Release, the two Root ninjas lost their lives instantly, without even a hint of struggle, collapsing stiffly to the ground.
Their skin had turned charcoal black.
Even though the two Root ninjas had helped absorb most of the damage from the Lightning Blade, Raiga's strike was too powerful. It could be said that it had reached the level of a Kage in its entirety.
Not only did Raiga expend most of his chakra,
Even the power of "Demon Core" within the Lightning Blade was significantly depleted.
Danzo suddenly felt intense pain throughout his body,
As the paralysis effect wore off.
Every part of him ached,
Even his internal organs suffered severe damage.
A trickle of blood seeped from Danzo's mouth.
"Raiga!"
Danzo stared fixedly at Raiga.
"You're still standing?"
Raiga hadn't expected Konoha's ninja to willingly take the brunt of the attack for Danzo.
Seeing Danzo only bleeding slightly from the corner of his mouth surprised him. He quickly began to consider his next move.
If Danzo continued to fight, the previous Raiga might have faced him head-on.
But now, Raiga just wanted to turn and run.
However, Danzo also harbored fears.
Before either could make a decision,
Fuguki and Kisame acted first.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave Jutsu!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Fuguki lifted his hand, summoning the Water Dragon Possession, while glancing at Izumo.
"Hozuki Izumo."
"I know."
At this moment, no matter how dissatisfied Izumo was with Zanpakuto or the Shinigami Squad, he couldn't afford to stay inactive while surrounded.
"Lightning Release: Banquet of Lightning!"
Two lightning bolts shot out at incredible speed.
Alongside Kisame's Water Release and Fuguki's Water Release, they surged towards the Konoha ninjas.
A gap was opened in the encirclement of Konoha ninjas.
"Go!"
Fuguki led the way, and all the Hidden Mist ninjas followed suit.
"Wait for me!"
Izumo, lagging behind, panicked and hurried to catch up.
Soon, the Hidden Mist ninjas completely broke through the encirclement of Konoha ninjas.
Danzo heard the commotion and looked over. In an instant, his face darkened to the extreme.
"Raiga!"
Fuguki arrived first at Raiga's side.
"We're leaving!"
Danzo's eyes flickered uncertainly as he observed the situation. However, in the end, he did not give the order to pursue.
Now that Fuguki and the others had broken through the encirclement, continuing the pursuit would require more time, manpower, and inevitably result in more casualties. There was no guarantee they would successfully capture anyone.
If Yagura's reinforcements arrived while they were still in pursuit, their mission would be even more likely to fail. There was also the risk of counterattacks from Yagura and the Hidden Mist ninjas.
What was originally a failed ambush could turn into a disastrous defeat. This was unacceptable to Danzo.
"Return!"
Danzo turned around and headed towards the Konoha ninja's base. For the Konoha ninjas who had participated in the ambush, their mood was somewhat subdued.
They had been well-prepared, yet they still failed. More importantly, the emergence of Raiga, a member of the supposedly "fallen" Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, had stood up once again, this time as a member of the Shinigami Squad.
An elite jonin gained a Zanpakuto. Moreover, he's among the cream of the crop among elite jonin.
The attack just used by Raiga is one that few in Konoha can match. In Danzo's mind, he recalled the scene just now and instinctively compared the Thunder Swords to the Lightning Blade.
"A lightning attribute Ninjato stronger than the Thunder Swords."
"Compared to it, Thunder Swords are simply inadequate."
"It can even suppress my Wind Release."
"Another stronn Zanpakuto has appeared."
"Zanpakuto has already produced three outstanding jonin, including Kisame. With Kisame's age, in another year or two, he will also step into the ranks of elite jonin."
"His current age range is the fastest time for ninja strength improvement."
"Kisame's talent surpasses Juzo, Fuguki, and Raiga."
Within Konoha, Kakashi is viewed as having the potential to grow into a figure like Konoha's White Fang in his prime, a true Kage. An individual capable of obtaining the title of Hokage's right hand.
Kisame's superiority over Kakashi proves that his potential is at least on par with Kakashi.
"It's fortunate that Kaguya Neko stole a Zanpakuto and defected from Hidden Mist Village."
"Otherwise, with one more Kaguya Neko, the current Hidden Mist Village would be even more difficult to deal with."
"The annihilation of the Kaguya clan is definitely not a simple matter."
"Is this Kaguya Neko taking the blame for Hidden Mist Village, or did he discover a conspiracy and escape, being wrongly accused by Hidden Mist Village?"
"It would be better if it's the latter."
Danzo frowned deeply.
"Damn it... After this plan failed, it won't be easy to find such an opportunity again."
"Hidden Mist Village will certainly be on high alert."
...
"Raiga, thank you. If you hadn't arrived in time, we would have been in trouble this time. Danzo is extremely cunning, and the abilities of those Konoha ninjas are also quite disgusting."
Regardless of the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan or the Mind Body Switch Jutsu of the Yamanaka clan, Fuguki is wary of them. The Nara clan's Shadow Binding Jutsu is somewhat better; it can be dodged and escaped from.
"What's the name of this Ninjato?"
"Lightning Blade," Raiga said. "Chief Uehara just finished forging it recently. It's a lightning-attributed Ninjato, superior to Thunder Swords."
"However, I exerted all my strength in that attack on Danzo just now. My Chakra is almost depleted. If Danzo continues to chase, I won't have the strength to fight again."
The rumors from Hidden Mist Village prompted Raiga to want to demonstrate his strength after obtaining the Lightning Blade, to counter those spreading rumors and prove them wrong.
However, Raiga doesn't want to showcase his strength too much. Being too strong means taking on more responsibility. Raiga's ideal state is to display his strength enough to silence those who mock him, yet avoid taking on too much responsibility for the village.
But living more for oneself.
"Lightning Blade, huh?" Izumo scrutinized Raiga, his gaze falling on the Lightning Blade. Then he withdrew his gaze and looked at his own Thunder Swords.
"Stronger than Thunder Swords?" Izumo felt somewhat unconvinced.
But thinking back to Raiga's attack on Danzo earlier, Izumo had to admit that such an attack was something he couldn't possibly do. This made Izumo feel very bad.
Upon receiving the Thunder Swords, Izumo's task was to showcase the strength of Thunder Swords on the battlefield, thereby gaining fame for the Hozuki Seven Ninja Swords.
Initially, he did well, defeating many Konoha ninjas. This time was no exception. With one move, he knocked down dozens of Konoha ninjas. If nothing else had happened afterwards, he would surely have become famous.
But Danzo's sudden appearance caught Izumo off guard. That alone was enough.
However, Raiga appeared and defeated Danzo again. 'In the end, I became a stepping stone. When people discuss, they will say that Raiga is greater than Danzo, and Danzo is greater than Hozuki Izumo. The purpose of bringing Thunder Swords to the battlefield has not only failed, but also had a counterproductive effect.'
'I have disappointed the Clan Head and our clan members' Hozuki Izumo tightened his grip on Thunder Swords' hilt. Raiga glanced at Izumo, his gaze falling on Thunder Swords.
Raiga snorted coldly in his heart. 'The Kaguya Clan snatched my Thunder Swords, and now the Hozuki Clan also snatches Thunder Swords...'
'But now, Kaguya Hikari is dead, and Hozuki Izumo is not on my level. I defeated Shimura Danzo. But Hozuki Izumo was easily defeated by Shimura Danzo. When the Hozuki Clan gets this news, can they still be happy?'
Raiga felt a wave of pleasure, anticipating seeing the expressions of the Hozuki Clan members when they learned this news, almost wishing to see it right away.
"Indeed, accepting the Lightning Blade was the right decision. I am doing well. Those who mocked me will regret it. I owe Chief Uehara a lot. As for the village, I no longer need to care too much."
...
Things turned out as Hozuki Izumo expected.
Whether it was the Konoha camp or the Hidden Mist Village camp, they are all discussing this battle.
Raiga has received high praise.
And the Lightning Blade as well.
Danzo has become the object of ridicule among the Mist Ninja.
Many in the Konoha camp also harbor dissatisfaction towards Danzo.
But it wasn't as intense as during the Orochimaru incident last time.
After all, this time Danzo's ambush plan failed, but the losses were not as severe.
As for Hozuki Izumo, there is only one statement:
Easily defeated by Danzo.
Even the Hozuki Seven Ninja Swords were hardly mentioned.
Hozuki Izumo's accomplishment of defeating dozens of Konoha Ninja did not attract much discussion either.
In the Hidden Mist Village,
Within the Hozuki Clan, everyone's mood plummeted to an extreme low.
"Now it's confirmed, that Blacksmith did it deliberately."
"As soon as he learned about our plan to send Hozuki Izumo with Thunder Swords to the front lines, he immediately forged a similar lightning-attribute Ninjato and deliberately gave it to Raiga."
"It was all to make our plan fail."
"It was to suppress our Hozuki Clan."
"This is too targeted."
"This is too much."
An infuriated middle-aged person said indignantly, suddenly looking at Hozuki Kazuhiko.
"Clan Head, what should we do now?"
Hozuki Kazuhiko fell into silence.
Now, he didn't know what to do either.
Hiramekarei suits Hozuki Mangetsu, but Hozuki Mangetsu is too young.
The abilities of Thunder Swords were suitable for display, but now Soma has created a Lightning Blade.
The Lightning Blade does indeed surpass the Thunder Swords. Raiga wielding the Lightning Blade can demonstrate much greater dominance compared to Hozuki Izumo.
Among the Three Swords, only Samehada remains.
However, no ninja suitable for Samehada has been found up to now.
"Let's stick to our original plan. That's what suits us best and allows us to fully utilize the power of the Ninjato. The Thunder Swords plan was somewhat forced."
"If our future Ninjato follow the Thunder Swords' approach, we won't be able to fully unleash the abilities of the Hozuki Seven Ninja Swords. This plays right into that Blacksmith's scheme."
"Let's set both the potential of the Hozuki Seven Ninja Swords and the Hozuki Seven to their maximum."
"Since he wants to target our Hozuki Clan, let's give him a hard time now."
"But our Hozuki Clan will inevitably rise."
"Leaving aside the rest, as long as Mangetsu can grow and given a bit more time, reaching the level of Gengetsu-sama from back then isn't difficult. Coupled with Hiramekarei, Mangetsu is the only suitable Kage for the village in the future."
"When Mangetsu becomes Mizukage, who will dare to look down on my Hozuki Clan?"
"Who will dare to underestimate the Hozuki Seven?"
"Who will dare to underestimate the Hozuki Seven Ninja Swords?"
"Will that Blacksmith still dare to target my Hozuki Clan?"
With that, Hozuki Kazuhiko paused for a moment.
"Izumo still lacks some proficiency in using the Thunder Swords."
"Later on, intensify the special training for the clan members."
"My Hozuki Clan is not so easily defeated."
"The current endurance of humiliation is for future glory."
"The Ninjato is only a part of a ninja's strength; the user is equally important."
"And our Hozuki Clan, along with the Seven Ninja Swords, are undoubtedly the most compatible."
...
On the other side...
Forging Island.
Just as Soma emerged from the heart of Forging Island, he suddenly saw the numbers in the reputation column on the semi-transparent screen in front of him increase by several hundred, causing his eyebrows to raise.
"Who did Raiga defeat? Not impressive at all. He appears much worse than Orochimaru."
---
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