The smoke hung heavy, but it barely slowed the Fourth Raikage. Even hindered, his speed outmatched Lock's by far. In a single blur, he was upon him.
"Liger Bomb!"
Blue lightning armor crackled around Ai as he came crashing down from above, his heel slicing through the air like a thunder axe.
Lock's eyes widened. Too fast… I can't dodge this!
Even though Ai was still meters away, Lock knew the blow would reach him in an instant. To block it head-on meant certain injury—if not death. He had no choice.
His form shimmered—then vanished.
Ai's kick slammed into the ground instead, blasting open a crater with a deafening boom.
"What—he disappeared again?!"
The Cloud shinobi froze. Their sensor-nin flared with chakra, eyes wide. "No… his chakra signature is gone! Completely gone!"
"That's impossible!" another snapped. "Even with teleportation, chakra always leaves a trace!"
But before they could understand, Ai staggered forward. Something struck his face from behind—sharp, precise. Though his Lightning Armor blocked the fatal blow, his body jolted from the impact.
"He hit me?!" Ai roared, scanning wildly. "But he's still here!"
"I still can't sense him!" the sensor cried out, panic breaking his voice. "It's like he's slipped into another space!"
So this is the secret technique… Lock thought, even as his body flickered in and out of sight, striking again and again. He slashed with a kunai—only for the blade to snap uselessly against Ai's hardened armor.
"Tch… tougher than stone," he muttered, frustration flaring.
Inside this strange state, Lock felt like he existed half in another dimension. He could see everything, move freely, but normal perception couldn't touch him. Attacks slipped out like shadows, but he couldn't fully control where they landed. Against ordinary shinobi, it was devastating.
Against the Raikage's defense, it was barely a scratch.
Again and again, his strikes landed, and again they broke harmlessly against the shell of lightning. The Raikage gritted his teeth, enduring without faltering.
Lock realized the truth. This won't work. My technique is powerful, but against absolute defense, I'm lacking. I can hit him—but I can't hurt him.
Worse, his technique wouldn't last long. The Raikage's raw speed was already overwhelming, and the sensor-nin nearby were guarded tightly. Even if Lock slipped behind them, he'd be trapped in an instant.
His breathing grew heavy. His options were narrowing. Survival was all that mattered now.
The Raikage straightened, lightning blazing across his body like an untamed beast. "You can't hide forever, boy! When your trick ends—I'll crush you!"
Lock's grip tightened around his last kunai, his eyes burning with focus. Then I just need to vanish before that happens.
The dance of shadows was far from over.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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