Kazama blinked and realized he was suddenly standing behind the Sandaime Raikage. In his original spot, Kazama's figure now appeared.
Seeing Kazama save him yet again, the Yondaime Raikage was moved to tears. But his relief quickly turned to worry.
The Sandaime Raikage's Jigoku Tsuki: Yonhon Nukite (Hell Stab: Four-Finger Spear Hand) had just struck Kazama's body. Though the Yondaime Raikage knew Kazama's defenses were formidable, he also knew his father's Hell Stab was even more devastating.
"Haha! Kazama, you brought this on yourself!"
Yakushi Kabuto had originally targeted the Yondaime Raikage. He hadn't expected Kazama to switch places with him. Though Kabuto didn't know how Kazama pulled it off, he didn't care. He'd long despised Kazama and was eager to kill him to vent his hatred.
"What?!"
But just as Kabuto thought Kazama was done for under the Sandaime Raikage's attack, he saw Kazama absorb the entire assault into his body.
Ding! Successfully absorbed Jigoku Tsuki: Yonhon Nukite. Congratulations, Host, for acquiring Jigoku Tsuki: Sanbon Nukite (Three-Finger Spear Hand)!
"Try this one for size—Jigoku Tsuki: Sanbon Nukite!"
Hearing Kazama's words and seeing him unleash the technique, the Sandaime Raikage, the Yondaime Raikage, and Kabuto, lurking in the shadows, were all floored.
Kazama, shrouded in crackling lightning, sent the Sandaime Raikage flying hundreds of meters with a single strike.
"Holy crap!"
The Yondaime Raikage's jaw dropped as he watched his father get launched backward. The Sandaime Raikage was renowned for his unparalleled physical strength, once holding off an army of ten thousand single-handedly. Yet Kazama had taken him down with one move—how could the Yondaime not be stunned?
"A Konoha ninja using my signature technique? That's beyond unexpected!"
Though the Sandaime Raikage had been knocked back, Kabuto's Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) forced him to rise again and face Kazama. While his body was under Kabuto's control, his mind remained his own. Seeing Kazama wield a Sanbon Nukite even stronger than his own Yonhon Nukite left him in awe.
"This isn't the time for chit-chat!"
Furious that the Sandaime Raikage failed to kill Kazama, Kabuto seethed. He commanded the Sandaime to unleash an even more powerful attack—Jigoku Tsuki: Nihon Nukite (Two-Finger Spear Hand).
"Watch out!"
The Sandaime Raikage tried to warn Kazama, but his attack was already hurtling toward him.
"Haha, you little punk! Don't think blocking the Yonhon Nukite makes you hot stuff. The Sandaime Raikage's Hell Stab gets stronger as the finger count drops!"
Kabuto was about to cackle triumphantly when he froze.
The Sandaime Raikage's Nihon Nukite hadn't done a scratch to Kazama.
"What the hell?! What's going on? Is this Kazama punk even human? How can he absorb something as powerful as the Nihon Nukite?!"
Kabuto was practically tearing his hair out in frustration.
Ding! Successfully absorbed Jigoku Tsuki: Nihon Nukite. Congratulations, Host, for acquiring Jigoku Tsuki: Ippon Nukite (One-Finger Spear Hand)!