The Third Raikage suppressed the churning in his abdomen. After hearing the words "Tai Chi," he looked incredulous.
"You must be joking. I've seen Tai Chi before, but the Hyūga clan's Tai Chi Sixty-Four Palms, while unique, is nowhere near this level!" The Third Raikage refused to believe it.
"This isn't the Hyūga clan's Tai Chi. If you haven't seen it before, that just means your knowledge is lacking. Haven't you already experienced its power?" Uchiha Ryun said confidently.
The Third Raikage fell silent, gathering his strength. This time, he used Two-Finger Nukite with both hands. He wanted to see how Uchiha Ryun would defend against this.
Suppressing the discomfort in his abdomen, he shouted, "Two-Finger Nukite!" Lightning crackled around his hands as he charged at Uchiha Ryun.
His left hand thrust forward, and Uchiha Ryun blocked it with his right hand, deflecting the force in a circular motion. Immediately after, the Third Raikage's right hand stabbed forward. Uchiha Ryun blocked again with his left hand, redirecting the force.
The Third Raikage's pupils contracted, his expression turning fierce. He continued thrusting with both hands, but Uchiha Ryun kept deflecting and redirecting the attacks. Eventually, the Two-Finger Nukite's momentum was completely neutralized. The Third Raikage froze, staring blankly at Uchiha Ryun.
Seizing the opportunity, Uchiha Ryun stepped forward, raising both palms and striking upward, hitting the Third Raikage's chin.
Old Ape Hangs Seal!
The Third Raikage staggered backward, only stopping when his son, A, caught him.
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed. He immediately ordered Tōshi to record these movements, but Tōshi scratched his head. "Lord Tsuchikage, do we even have anyone with Uchiha Ryun's physique who can meet the minimum requirements for this kind of counterattacking technique?"
Ōnoki was stunned. He sighed and waved his hand. "Forget it."
The Third Raikage was in disbelief. Though Uchiha Ryun's pure taijutsu hadn't dealt much damage, he had genuinely redirected and neutralized his signature technique, Two-Finger Nukite.
As for One-Finger Nukite, it wasn't the right time yet. The Third Raikage prepared to attack again.
He thrust with his left hand. Uchiha Ryun sidestepped, raising his arm, gripping his wrist, and pressing downward—Hand Sweeps the Lute!
Then, he twisted the Raikage's now-disarmed left arm, making him cry out in pain—Reverse Coiling Arm!
Uchiha Ryun raised the Raikage's left hand with his right while lifting his left elbow, pressing down with his right hand—Zhou Carries the Blade!
"Ahhh!" The Third Raikage felt as if his arm had been crippled. Where did this strength come from?
Uchiha Ryun's right arm hooked inward while his left palm struck the Raikage's abdomen with tremendous force, sending him flying back—Brush Knee and Twist Step!
The Third Raikage stumbled several steps before steadying himself. He looked up at Uchiha Ryun, who stood firm, his stance low, eyes gleaming with excitement.
The Raikage flexed his left hand, only regaining sensation after a while.
Activating his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to boost his speed, he lunged at Uchiha Ryun with Two-Finger Nukite again.
Uchiha Ryun straightened, gripping his wrist with his right hand and shifting left, using Tai Chi's pushing hands to alter the attack's direction before flinging him away.
The Third Raikage shot toward Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki. Han was stunned, quickly entering partial Tailed Beast Mode. A cloak of chakra formed around him as a sturdy shield.
A piercing sound rang out as Two-Finger Nukite drilled through Han's Tailed Beast cloak, stopping just 0.00001 centimeters from his nose after three minutes.
Han gritted his teeth, grunting before retreating. As he left, he shot Uchiha Ryun a look that seemed to ask, Was that on purpose or an accident?
Uchiha Ryun smiled helplessly. "An intentional accident."
Han sighed and crouched beside Ōnoki. That had been terrifying! He had initially thought the Raikage's attacks were ineffective because of Uchiha Ryun's techniques, but when that strike landed on him…
His Tailed Beast cloak had been pierced. He had been a hair's breadth from death!
This move proved the Third Raikage's strength—it wasn't that A was weak, but that Uchiha Ryun's techniques were too advanced!
Still, Han hesitated over whether to use One-Finger Nukite, Hell Stab.
At that moment, A spoke up, shaking his head at his father and signaling him to hold back. He pointed at Ōnoki and the Iwa-nin.
They were recording Uchiha Ryun and the Third Raikage's battle techniques. If Uchiha Ryun could neutralize the Raikage's Nukite, what if Iwagakure later produced a taijutsu master who could counter him?
The Third Raikage fell silent before sighing. He clasped his hands. "Thank you for the lesson, Ryun. The Cloud forces will withdraw immediately!"
Without responding, Uchiha Ryun knew the Raikage still held back his One-Finger Nukite—the true killing move.
In the original story, the Third Raikage had held off tens of thousands of Iwa-nin with Four-Finger Nukite, buying time for his allies before dying of exhaustion after three days and nights of battle.
One-Finger Nukite was his real trump card. Known as Hell Stab, how could it be simple?
Uchiha Ryun also noticed some Iwa-nin recording his movements but didn't stop them. Without a complete system, these techniques could only counter specific moves.
Moreover, the amount of force and how to apply it couldn't be perfectly learned just by recording one fight. Iwagakure was just wasting its time.
"Ryun, thank you for helping Iwagakure through this crisis!" Ōnoki greeted him warmly.
Who would've thought that the two had been mortal enemies just moments ago?
Uchiha Ryun smiled. "It's only right. After all, you paid 300 million ryō. That money wasn't for nothing, was it?"
Ōnoki's eye twitched. Though it was the truth, he really wanted to punch him.
"Alright, my work here is done. I'm heading back." Uchiha Ryun waved.
"Wait, Ryun. There's something I must say." Ōnoki suddenly looked pained, clutching his chest.
"Oh? What words could pain the Tsuchikage so much?" Uchiha Ryun raised an eyebrow, amused. After all, this was a big client—one who had already paid.
"Ryun, with your strength, have you ever wondered where your talent comes from? Or, to put it another way, do you know whose descendant you are?" Ōnoki smirked. He was trying to sow discord.
Uchiha Ryun understood—this was a provocation. Still, he played along, shaking his head. "I don't know, but that doesn't stop me from protecting Konoha."
Ōnoki scoffed.
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