Chapter 111: Taking the Hits
Outside the stomach.
In the forest outside, the leader of the Cloud Anbu unit watched as a figure suddenly appeared before him.
Seeing the newcomer, several Cloud Anbu immediately called out, "Fourth Raikage-sama!"
Indeed, the figure was none other than the Fourth Raikage—A—who had arrived using the Cloud Village's Heavenly Transfer Technique.
The Raikage stood bare-chested, his skin enveloped in a layer of crackling lightning, exuding an aura of violent power. This was the signature Cloud Village technique, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
In this state, A's strength, speed, defense, and reflexes were greatly enhanced.
A nodded at his subordinates, directing his gaze toward the enormous stomach lining in the distance and asked, "The target is in there?"
"Yes, sir!" replied the leader of the Cloud Anbu.
Without hesitation, A advanced toward the stomach lining but suddenly stopped mid-step.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
Elsewhere in the forest.
Four Konoha Anbu, hidden in the trees, suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. They tried to react, but it was too late.
With a sickening "crack," A twisted the neck of the lead Konoha Anbu. The others attempted to retaliate, but their strength was no match for A. Within moments, they were all dispatched.
At last, four Cloud Anbu arrived at the scene.
Seeing the corpses on the ground, the expressions beneath their masks were grim. They hadn't anticipated being followed.
"Raikage-sama, should we abandon this mission? Your safety—"
Before the Cloud Anbu leader could finish, A cut him off with a wave of his hand.
Bending down, A picked up a three-pronged kunai from the ground. Staring at its familiar markings, he asked, "Is this... the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God mark?"
"Yes," confirmed the Anbu leader.
A nodded and examined the kunai. "If he hasn't arrived yet, it means the information hasn't leaked... yet."
"Continue the mission!" A commanded firmly.
With that, he turned and approached the massive stomach lining in the distance.
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Inside the stomach.
In the depths of the forest encased by stomach walls, Baishi climbed out of the earth, supported by several wooden tendrils.
The acidic stench in the air made Baishi wrinkle his nose. Leaping upward, he perched on a tree canopy for a better view.
"What... is this? A lake of stomach acid?" he muttered, astonished by the sheer size of the biological structure.
Before Baishi could ponder further, a figure emerged from a fleshy wall in the distance.
"The Fourth Raikage!"
With just one glance, Baishi recognized the muscular figure. At the same time, he realized what had trapped him—a giant tortoise island.
The so-called Tortoise Island wasn't an actual island but a colossal turtle, nurtured by the Cloud Village for generations. Its size rivaled that of some small islands.
"They can summon its stomach?" Baishi wondered before shaking his head. He pushed aside his thoughts, focusing instead on the approaching Raikage.
A wasted no time on words. Without hesitation, he charged toward Baishi with lethal intent.
Seeing this, Baishi grinned despite himself. For some reason, he felt a rush of excitement. Perhaps it was because his meticulously honed body finally had a worthy opponent.
"Liger Bomb!"
A roared as he closed in, raising his leg high before slamming it down toward Baishi's head.
The attack was ferocious, the sheer force of it demanding most people dodge. But Baishi did the unexpected—he chose to meet the attack head-on.
Bending his knees slightly, he raised his left arm to block.
Boom!
A muffled impact echoed as Baishi was driven several meters into the ground.
'What strength... must be at least 120 points,' Baishi thought, impressed.
On the other hand, A was equally astonished. This was the first time someone had blocked one of his attacks with sheer physical strength alone, without even relying on chakra augmentation.
'Impressive, but speed is my forte!' A thought, his resolve sharpening.
However, before he could capitalize on his speed advantage, Baishi retaliated.
Boom!
A powerful punch struck A, forcing him to stumble back several paces. His right leg trembled from the impact.
Baishi wasted no time. Launching himself from the ground like a cannonball, he closed the distance in an instant and unleashed a flurry of punches.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of blows landed in rapid succession, though A managed to block each one.
For Baishi, the exchange felt cathartic—punching someone so durable was oddly satisfying.
A, however, was growing increasingly frustrated. Normally, he was the one dishing out punishment, not the other way around.
'I can't keep letting this happen,' A decided.
With a surge of chakra, the lightning around his body intensified, and his hair spiked upward. This was his ultimate Lightning Release Armor.
In this state, A's speed surpassed even the perception of Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan, allowing him to evade Amaterasu effortlessly.
Naturally, Baishi's reflexes were no match for this level of speed.
In an instant, A delivered a crushing elbow strike to Baishi's chest, nearly stopping his heart.
Before Baishi could recover, A followed up with a Lariat, shattering Baishi's throat.
Fortunately, Baishi's body was exceptionally resilient; otherwise, his neck would have been outright broken.
Noticing that Baishi was still standing, A's eyes narrowed. Seizing Baishi by the shoulder, A lifted him effortlessly.
Though Baishi was tall and muscular for his age, he looked almost childlike in A's enormous grasp.
Without hesitation, A slammed Baishi into the ground with a devastating Thunder Bomb.
Boom!
The ground split, trees toppled, and the entire space seemed to tremble from the impact.
Coughing violently, Baishi reappeared several meters away. His body was battered, his clothes torn to shreds, and his breathing ragged.
A stood tall, gazing into the empty crater. "Flying Thunder God Technique," he muttered.
Indeed, Baishi had used the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape at the last moment, teleporting to a pre-marked location.
Despite his retreat, he was clearly injured.
As Baishi looked at A, his first real encounter with a top-tier taijutsu ninja left a lasting impression. For the first time, he realized the overwhelming power of pure physical combatants.
During the exchange, he hadn't been able to react to most of A's moves, leaving him completely on the defensive.
'If the Fourth Raikage is this strong, how terrifying must Might Guy be?' Baishi wondered, vowing to shore up his shortcomings.
"I can't slack off. If I'm aiming to become a balanced powerhouse, close-quarters combat can't remain my weak point," he resolved, deciding to devote more time and effort to improving his physical attributes.
(End of Chapter)
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