Gusion's thinking was simple—if there were no benefits for him in Kumogakure, he'd just leave.
In this world, everything is ultimately determined by strength. No matter how noble your ideals are, you can't achieve them without power; but if you're strong enough, even the most naïve management strategies can be put into practice.
The Fourth Raikage, A, believed that Gusion's strength wasn't worth a higher offer. He just wanted to try recruiting him—if successful, Gusion would be sent as cannon fodder to Akatsuki. Any talk of a new identity or ANBU treatment was just a lie.
If Gusion wanted to claim those so-called benefits, he'd at least have to complete the Akatsuki infiltration mission and return alive, right?
In reality, the Raikage hadn't offered him anything at all—he wanted something for nothing, expecting Gusion to work for him with empty promises. That was impossible.
If the Fourth Raikage thought Gusion wasn't worth more, then Gusion would use his fists to show him just how laughable that idea was.
Boom—
As Gusion exerted his strength, the sealing bandages wrapped around him exploded apart. Under the confused stares of Raikage and Samui, the Mazuko blade appeared in his hand.
Samui tensed instantly, holding her shinobi blade in a ready stance. She knew not to underestimate this calamity of the Third Great Ninja War, even though he'd been imprisoned for eight years—he was still a formidable foe.
A glanced at Samui in confusion. If he didn't trust his subordinate so much, he might have suspected she'd secretly returned Gusion's sword.
But seeing Gusion break free, there was no time to dwell on doubts. A immediately entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode and charged at Gusion at top speed.
The so-called fastest in the world—that was what this looked like. Even Gusion's reflexes could only catch a blur of lightning as the Raikage accelerated to his limit and appeared before him.
With a heavy, armored arm, A swung down on Gusion, planning to eliminate this dangerous war criminal in one blow.
A moment later, with a thunderous roar, the entire Raikage Building exploded. Violent lightning blasted the structure apart, debris flying in all directions, shocking everyone in Kumogakure.
Everyone's eyes were drawn to the explosion. All the elite jonin in the village rushed to the Raikage Building, and the ANBU surrounded it in an instant.
No one worried for the Raikage's safety—he was one of the most powerful Raikage in Kumogakure's history, and among the Five Kage, ranked near the top in strength.
Who would be foolish enough to attempt an assassination here?
Falling debris rained from the sky. From the dust, a figure leapt out, looking battered.
Her once-neat clothing was full of holes, her fair skin covered in dust, and her chest was scorched—a clear sign of lightning damage.
If she wasn't a skilled Lightning Release user and hadn't been ignored by the initial attackers, she'd probably be buried under the rubble by now.
Boom—
Another blast erupted from the ruins, crimson lightning shooting into the sky, forcing the ANBU to keep their distance.
Standing atop the debris, Gusion looked at his opponent with a smile. "Raikage, is this really all you've got?"
A's face darkened. His Raikage cloak was destroyed, leaving him nearly bare-chested, and he stared grimly at Gusion standing above him. "After eight years in prison, how did you do it?"
He had personally captured Gusion back then, so he knew his strength best. Gusion was a dangerous kekkei genkai ninja, but back then, his power was only about the level of a typical Kage—about the same as A himself eight years ago.
To be honest, A had absolute confidence in beating Gusion one-on-one, and only teamed up with Killer Bee to ensure capturing him alive. But now, not only had Gusion not weakened after eight years in prison—he was even stronger than A had been back then.
"You did plenty of experiments on me, but I never stopped training my chakra," Gusion replied vaguely, leaving Kumogakure's people to fill in the blanks.
In their brief skirmish, it was clear the Raikage had suffered. He hadn't expected Gusion to unleash such powerful lightning so suddenly, destroying the entire Raikage Building in one blow.
If it weren't for his Lightning Armor—both offensive and defensive, forming a closed circuit—Gusion's attack could have stopped his heart.
And A's attack on Gusion hadn't succeeded either: Gusion blocked it with the Mazuko blade, both pushing each other back. Gusion even looked more relaxed after dissipating the force.
This exchange gave Gusion a sense of his standing in this world. The Fourth Raikage was definitely a strong Kage, not quite Super Kage level, but among the current Five Kage, he was one of the best.
At the very least, A was no glass cannon. The Raikage line was famous for being all-around powerhouses.
Gusion couldn't see A's stats directly, as his mental attributes were much higher, but from experience, A's physical stats were probably around 70 points.
With Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his stats would jump even higher, and combined with lightning speed, he was like a phantom in battle.
There were still eight or nine years until Shippuden, so A should be at or near his peak.
Remember, in Shippuden, when Sasuke fought the Raikage, A's lightning mode was so fast even Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't keep up—that shows how much it boosts speed.
In fact, Gusion hadn't really seen A's moves during that last instant—he'd blocked purely by prediction and battle instinct.
If he'd been even a little slower, with A's speed, he might not have survived, even with his Armament Haki.
"I should have executed you earlier," A said grimly, realizing how serious the situation was. Gusion had escaped, and with his kekkei genkai, he could slaughter the entire village from within!
Even if A could defeat Gusion, Kumogakure would suffer heavy casualties.
"Don't look so serious. This is war—I have no interest in killing civilians," Gusion grinned. "Now, let's see how much you've grown in eight years."
The ANBU and elite jonin surrounding Gusion looked furious—how dare a notorious criminal, once locked up in Kumogakure's dungeons, talk to the Raikage like that?!
Didn't he realize his situation? Even if he was challenging the Raikage, he shouldn't be acting as if he were the superior one.
"I'll make you understand—you're still my defeated opponent, just like eight years ago."
The Raikage took a stance, lightning crackling around him as he powered up to his maximum.
Eight years ago, his speed rivaled Konoha's Yellow Flash, despite the latter using space-time ninjutsu. That showed his mastery of Lightning Release.
Gusion's natural lightning kekkei genkai was powerful and mysterious to others, but to the Raikage, it wasn't a fatal threat.
If the Raikage feared lightning, that would be laughable—he himself was the strongest lightning shield.
Back then, their battle wasn't decided by lightning attacks, but by taijutsu, where A suppressed Gusion.
"Raikage-sama, we've completed the encirclement! Please give the order!" the ANBU captain called from outside, mask on, kunai and blades at the ready, various ninjutsu prepared.
"You're in the way."
Gusion's voice was flat. A wave of invisible pressure spread out—dark red Conqueror's Haki radiating, striking the ANBU and jonin.
This power swept out for hundreds of meters. Chunin on the outskirts collapsed like wheat, and even the ANBU in front broke into cold sweat, frozen in place.
Only the elite jonin fared slightly better, but even they felt Gusion's presence grow more terrifying, not daring to make a move.
After subduing the area with his Haki, Gusion launched the first attack. Mazuko's full power—entering shikai form, he looked like a demon god emerging from crimson fog.
A ground-splitting slash descended from above. The Raikage didn't dodge, but braced himself, using his heavy gauntlet to clash with Mazuko.
Boom—
A massive shockwave, mixed with lightning, swept out. An ANBU too close was sent flying, slamming into a wall with unknown fate.
"It's too dangerous here—everyone but us should fall back and help evacuate civilians!" Samui shouted, knowing the Raikage couldn't be distracted.
She thought, thankfully Mabui (the Raikage's secretary) had the day off—otherwise, she'd likely have died in the first clash.
"What the hell happened?" A white-haired man arrived late—it was Darui, the Raikage's right-hand man. He'd just finished a mission and rushed over, stunned to see the Raikage Building in ruins.
He gaped at the two fighting, "Raikage-sama?!"
He couldn't believe anyone could keep up with the Raikage's speed in close combat.
"It's the Calamity!" Samui explained. "Get ready—use that jutsu!"
"That criminal? Wasn't he locked up?" Darui was puzzled, but now wasn't the time for questions. He teamed up with Samui, ready to join the fight.
This was Kumogakure's stronghold—no one cared about fairness in a two-on-one. Every second the Raikage and Calamity fought, the village suffered more damage.
Darui quickly formed hand seals, "Lightning Release: Black Panther!"
A black, panther-shaped bolt of lightning pounced at Gusion's back.
This was a technique created by the Third Raikage, now only used by Darui.
Gusion sensed the black lightning at his back but didn't dodge; instead, he slashed at the Raikage's neck.
Bang—
Black lightning struck the shield behind Gusion, shattering without harming him.
"So you can't fight without ganging up?" Gusion laughed. He knew the Raikage didn't want to, but he was ready to leave—provoking them would make his escape easier.