Kannabi Bridge, Land of Fire Border
A single Tailed Beast Ball, fired from several kilometers away, completely shattered the Uchiha's defenses.
The air was searing hot and smelled strongly of burning. The rocks, melted by the intense heat, had turned into glass-like crystals. The area where the Tailed Beast Ball had hit was now a massive gully, like the East African Rift Valley.
Suddenly, amid the rumbling thunder, several figures appeared.
The leader was a tall, muscular man with skin as white as copper. His short, light blond hair stood up like steel needles, and he exuded an air of authority without showing any anger.
His eyes were fierce, like copper bells, and it seemed as if thunder and lightning were swirling around him, making the air crackle.
"Lord Raikage, should we continue pursuing them?" asked a nearby man, swallowing nervously. He was clearly intimidated by the new Raikage's power and added cautiously, "We're very close to Konoha. If we keep chasing, we might run into an ambush..."
Though he didn't say it outright, the Raikage understood the concern.
"Yeah, big brother, we can't keep chasing," Killer B said, wiping sweat from his face. He was barely able to stand.
In just a few hours since last night, he had transformed into a half-tailed beast twice, which was extremely draining. If he had to transform again, his chakra and spirit were at their limit, and he couldn't guarantee the beast inside him wouldn't go out of control.
But the Raikage, Ai, was unmoved, as if he hadn't heard anything. He stared blankly toward Konoha. After a moment of silence, his deep voice thundered, shaking the air with low pressure: "No, keep speeding up!"
Crazy. This is insane!
Hearing this, everyone else looked completely baffled.
What is the Raikage thinking? This is Konoha's territory, not their own!
If they pushed further and faced an ambush from Konoha, who would save them?
Rely on the large Cloud Ninja force behind them?
Forget it!
By the time the main force arrives, it will be too late!
"Keep going!"
The Raikage's eyes were cold and his presence so overwhelming that everyone was stunned into silence and dared not argue.
After a brief pause, with no one daring to object, he continued, "Killer B, I order you to return to the rear troops to rest for half a day. Then, lead my direct Anbu to rush to the rescue as quickly as possible according to the signal I left. Do you understand?"
"Brother, do you really want to…"
Killer B's eyes widened in shock as he realized his elder brother was determined to chase after them until the end.
"Go ahead."
Raikage Ai didn't say another word and rushed out first.
The remaining five, feeling defeated, placed their hopes on Killer B and then followed out with expressions of helplessness.
No one knew what the Raikage was thinking.
Did he really intend to follow in the footsteps of that troublesome Uchiha and venture deep into enemy territory alone? Was he really going to try to turn the tide of the war by himself?
The people accompanying the Raikage were carefully selected, the elite among the elite, responsible for protecting him.
Yet, even they found the Raikage's decision absurd!
Soon, with Raikage Ai's incredible speed, they began to close the gap, and even the sensory ninjas in the team could detect the chakra ahead.
"Lord Raikage, there are two chakras ahead. They should be the escaping Uchiha based on their speed," reported the sensory ninja.
"Hmm?"
Raikage Ai's eyes darkened slightly, and a cold smile formed on his lips. "Then, let's chase them down and kill them!"
With that, he bent his knees slightly. As he leaped and landed on the ground, his feet struck with tremendous force.
Boom!!!
Instantly, a massive cloud of smoke and dust erupted, stirring up the air.
The ground seemed to be crushed by an ancient beast. The immense force shattered the rocks instantly, creating visible cracks like a spider's web.
Using the reverse impact, Raikage Ai broke through the sound barrier in a flash, creating layers of air waves, like a roaring wind dragon. The bright lightning, combined with a loud roar, sliced through the forest!
"No, this is bad!"
Uchiha Fugaku, who was fleeing ahead, suddenly felt a chill on his back. His extensive combat experience made him instinctively try to avoid the danger.
Boom!
As he dodged to the side, a powerful hurricane with strong air waves slammed into him, sending him flying.
With his eyes half-closed, he barely saw the figure clearly. A blinding flash of lightning cut through his vision, and then a fist filled with killing intent struck the air in front of him, causing it to explode!
"Lightning Fist!"
The lightning-charged fist hit like a cannon.
The overwhelming power even pierced through the air, making Fugaku struggle to breathe for a moment.
Lightning... Raikage?
It's impossible. How could the Raikage be here?
Isn't he worried about an ambush?
Before Fugaku could fully process this thought, he barely had time to raise his arms in defense.
Bang!!!
One hit.
The fist connected with his body, breaking through Fugaku's defense effortlessly.
The moment they collided, the bones in Fugaku's arms shattered. The immense force broke through his defense and struck his chest directly.
Snap!
His sternum cracked, and Fugaku coughed up blood.
Raikage Ai wasn't finished. He took another step forward.
Boom!
The ground shook violently! With a single stomp, the earth within a ten-meter radius seemed to collapse.
Rubble flew everywhere, and deep cracks spread quickly. The dust and smoke clouds amazed the onlookers; it was as if the very earth was being overturned! The intense lightning surged through Raikage Ai's body, causing his already muscular form to swell up like a balloon.
After a moment of gathering strength, he shifted his punch into an elbow strike.
"Elbow!"
The lightning energy concentrated in his elbow exploded with tremendous force in the confined space.
Unlike his previous punch, this time Fugaku took a direct, concentrated attack at close range, with no defense.
The overwhelming chakra transformed into a fierce, unstoppable force, charging forward with brutal power.
Boom!!!
Fugaku was thrown away like a rag doll.
In a daze, Fugaku saw swirling lights, but the suffocating, violent lightning felt like a ferocious dragon crashing towards him.
Then, everything went dark as he was engulfed completely.
Large chunks of flesh and blood scattered everywhere. Uchiha Fugaku was thrown backward and caught by Aburame Ryoma, who didn't even look at him. Ryoma ran away quickly, releasing a swarm of parasitic insects to try and slow down Raikage Ai.
Run!
At that moment, Aburame Ryoma had only one thought in his mind.
The Raikage Ai was far more terrifying than he had imagined. He had seriously injured Uchiha Fugaku in just one encounter! Was Fugaku too weak, or was the Raikage too strong?
Aburame Ryoma didn't have time to think too much. He knew he had to run after deploying his insects; he couldn't hold the Raikage off for long!
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