Darui had already retreated to the side when the Mafūba (Demon Sealing Wave) was activated, afraid of being caught in it.
But even now he found it hard to believe—those troublesome Edo Tensei bodies had been sealed so easily. It was simply unbelievable.
Konoha's Magic Blade… this guy really was heaven-defying.
Even a ridiculous technique like this, he could develop it.
And on top of that, this guy even seemed to use Ranton (Storm Release) like it was eating and drinking, casually combining bloodline limits as if it was nothing—utterly outrageous!
On the other side, after kicking Yakushi Kabuto away, Natsuki didn't hold back, immediately beginning a barrage of laser blasts.
"Ranton: Yasakani no Magatama!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Boom! Boom!
Countless laser orbs rained down like a storm, blasting the ground into a wasteland. But Kabuto's figure was nowhere to be seen.
That made Natsuki raise a brow.
"This guy sure knows how to run!"
But there was no helping it. In Sage Mode, Kabuto was indeed formidable. Even killing him wouldn't be easy, and if he wanted to run, it wasn't simple to stop him—unless Natsuki used even deeper trump cards.
But right now, it was pointless to dwell on it. Kabuto had escaped too decisively; Natsuki didn't even get the chance to strike again.
He'd just have to wait until next time.
Returning, Natsuki glanced at the three coffins and smiled.
"Kakashi-senpai, Sasuke, you did it."
Sasuke's face was full of pride.
"Of course! The Sharingan's copying ability is unrivaled!"
Why are you getting cocky again?
Kakashi, however, was modest.
"Well, I managed to learn it, but it's far from proficient. The chakra and mental strain are enormous. It'll take a long time to reach Natsuki's level."
Neji asked instead:
"What about Kabuto?"
Natsuki shrugged.
"He ran. That guy is a clever rat… no, now he's a sly venomous snake, and he's trained in Ryūchidō's Sage Mode. His strength isn't to be underestimated. Add Edo Tensei on top of that—who knows whose corpses he's dug up? He'll definitely be a major problem in the future."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Kabuto was indeed a headache.
Darui was just about to express his gratitude when suddenly someone came charging in from afar.
It was a burly, muscular man—the Fourth Raikage, A!
He rushed in urgently, seeing his village's ninja lying on the ground, with only Darui standing battered, while four Konoha shinobi stood beside him.
Immediately, without thinking, the Raikage erupted in fury:
"Darui! The enemy is Konoha ninja? Take this—Liger Bomb!"
Before Darui could even explain, A had already rushed at Kakashi.
But in the next second, a figure stepped in front of Kakashi, lightning crackling over his body—it was the Lightning Release Chakra Mode! His arm clashed head-on with the Raikage's!
"Liger Bomb!"
Boom!
The Raikage A was sent crashing into the ground, stunned.
What the hell?!
He was huge, built like a mountain, muscles bulging, yet he couldn't overpower some brat in a Liger Bomb clash?!
Quickly he roared:
"Who are you?! Why do you know the Liger Bomb?!"
Natsuki chuckled.
"Is this move so hard to learn? I just saw the Third Raikage use it and then learned it. You must be the Fourth Raikage, right? Pretty rude of you to attack us when we came as reinforcements. Is this how Kumogakure treats its guests?"
"Reinforcements?"
A was momentarily confused.
Luckily, Darui quickly explained everything.
Realizing his mistake, A was a bit embarrassed.
But he still muttered stubbornly:
"Hmph! Wasn't Edo Tensei created by your Konoha's Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama? In the end, this is Konoha's fault!"
Natsuki wasn't having it.
"Raikage, I respect you as a senior, so I've been polite. But don't twist things around! If someone gets killed by a kitchen knife, are you going to blame the inventor of the knife? Why not admit it's your lack of strength—you couldn't even deal with a little Edo Tensei!"
"You brat! Don't get too arrogant! Don't think I fear you!"
"If a young man isn't cocky, is he still young? Besides, didn't I already knock you down with one move? Want to go another round?"
"Come on then! You little brat, still wet behind the ears, daring to challenge me?!"
"And you're just an old man about to lose all his teeth, yet you're still yelling at me? Fine—arm wrestling, here and now! Loser apologizes! If you don't, you're a turtle idiot!"
"Fine! Let's do it!"
Then—BAM!
The Raikage's eyes went wide in disbelief as his hand was slammed onto the stone table.
His hand was nearly twice Natsuki's size.
His body was covered in muscle.
He was the strongest Raikage of Kumogakure.
Even in arm-wrestling, he never lost—not even against that monster woman Tsunade.
And yet, against a teenager, he had lost cleanly, utterly.
His strength couldn't match a kid?!
Impossible!
Natsuki straightened his collar, then raised his fingers a centimeter apart.
"Looks like I'm just a tiny bit stronger than you… Weak. Train harder."
That little punk!
What A hated most was people showing off in front of him—but he had indeed lost. No matter how proud he was, he couldn't deny it.
Still, his chest felt stifled, and he wasn't satisfied.
So he pointed at Sasuke and Neji.
"I don't believe all of Konoha's younger generation are that strong! You two—test yourselves against me!"
Sasuke and Neji exchanged glances, but neither refused.
Soon, however, both were defeated.
The two weren't weak, but in raw strength, the Raikage still had the upper hand.
Yet instead of joy, A only felt gloom. He looked at his large hand, wondering if he was getting old.
"Konoha's young generation really is extraordinary. Forget that freak Natsuki—just this Uchiha and Hyūga, with pure strength alone, could sweep Kumogakure's younger shinobi. If they used their kekkei genkai and clan techniques, they'd already be jōnin or even elite jōnin level!"
The thought alone made him sour.
Why did Konoha have such endless talent? Must be because they occupied such prime land. He even fantasized about seizing the Land of Fire's territory!
But he quickly cast that thought aside. For now, they were allies, and as Raikage, he couldn't be rude to reinforcements.
Though, come to think of it… wasn't Konoha's support arriving a little too quickly?
Then it struck him.
"Oh, I remember now! Word is you brat can use the Yellow Flash's Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique)! No wonder I can't stand you!"
The Raikage recalled the days of the Shinobi World War.
Back then, he and his brother Bee formed the invincible A-B combo, sweeping the battlefield—yet the one opponent who humiliated them was none other than the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato, with his Flying Thunder God.
The memory still made his teeth grind in anger.
(End of Chapter)
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