Ōnoki was dumbfounded.
Staring at Namikaze Minato's sincere face, he had a bellyful of curses but no way to spit them out.
Damn it.
All he'd wanted was to cause trouble for Sarutobi Hiruzen, maybe push Konoha into some internal strife—not to praise them!
For crying out loud…
How could someone who was the direct heir of the Hokage faction be this dense? Couldn't even read between the lines?
Ōnoki's mouth twitched. He opened his mouth several times, but in the end, he didn't know what to say.
Minato, however, remained as calm as ever.
Indeed—he hadn't heard a single hint in Ōnoki's words.
So, after a few polite exchanges, Minato's focus was right back on the battlefield.
His nerves taut, eyes sharp, fingers gripping his marked kunai—ready to unleash the Flying Thunder God at any second.
Seeing this, Ōnoki lost all interest.
Bah, idiot.
With a silent curse, he turned his attention elsewhere.
Meanwhile—
The fight between Uchiha Kai and the Third Raikage had reached a fever pitch.
Raikage's eyes lit up.
Spotting an opening in Kai's defense, he didn't hesitate.
"Hell Stab—One Finger!"
BOOM!
His right hand extended, one finger thrust forward, speed reaching its absolute peak.
In a flash, he was behind Kai, his strike almost piercing through Kai's side.
But then—
"Paper Drawing: Sludge Softening!"
Kai's body loosened like paper, weightless and flexible.
The deadly spear strike skimmed past, missing by a hair's breadth.
"What—?!" Raikage gasped.
Impossible!
How could a human body bend in such a way?
Even Minato and Ōnoki, watching from afar, were shaken.
This kind of taijutsu—too bizarre.
But Kai had no interest in explaining.
Seeing Raikage momentarily stunned, he immediately countered.
"Iron Body—Heavy Step Wolf!"
His fist darkened to pitch black, slamming hard into Raikage's chest.
BOOM!
Raikage was blasted back.
Kai didn't give him a chance to breathe—charging in with a relentless barrage.
Blood dripped from the corner of Raikage's mouth, but instead of faltering, he grinned ferociously.
Behind his back, black lightning crackled, gathering into an ominous orb.
"Lightning Style—Black Lightning!"
Even while taking hits, Raikage kept his cool.
Seizing a gap between Kai's combos, the black thunder exploded like a hunting beast, slamming directly into Kai's chest.
CRACKLE!
The searing darkness engulfed Kai's entire figure.
Minato tensed, ready to intervene.
"Don't rush," Ōnoki stopped him.
"Look closely—he's fine."
Indeed—
The next moment, Kai stepped out of the black lightning unharmed, the arcs still dancing across his body.
Raikage's face darkened.
He hadn't expected Kai to shrug it off.
Yes—
This technique was his personal trump card.
Even the Eight-Tails couldn't withstand it.
And yet, this boy had walked straight through.
With a helpless sigh, Raikage finally spoke.
"Konoha is truly enviable.
No matter the era, strong men always appear.
This fight… there's no need to continue.
Even if we keep going, it will only end in a draw."
But Kai's expression remained utterly calm.
He gave Raikage a cold glance and replied evenly:
"You're right, Raikage-dono—there's no need to drag this out.
I should even thank you. You've shown me clearly the level of my taijutsu.
But there's one mistake in your words."
He paused, his tone turning razor sharp.
"This isn't a draw.
I, Uchiha Kai—won.
The reason is simple.
You've already used your full strength… but I have not.
Don't forget—
I'm an Uchiha."
Arrogance radiated from him.
Indeed—
The battle so far had been nothing but taijutsu, with a touch of his Haki.
But even Kai had to admit, his strongest trump card was still his Sharingan.
So now—
his three tomoe spun wildly, twisting together, evolving into the radiant, yin-yang patterned Mangekyō.
Beautiful patterns…
but to any enemy, they were nothing but terror.
The Uchiha's ultimate power!
And as expected—
The moment Raikage saw Mangekyō, his composure cracked.
It was only natural.
Prideful as he was, Raikage always saw himself as the strongest.
Even when fighting the other Kage, he never truly acknowledged them.
He was the peak.
Even against Kai, he still thought at worst it was a stalemate.
If he died, it would be to numbers—not to one man.
But now…
Faced with the Mangekyō, he was reminded of the truth.
Yes. He had forgotten.
This wasn't just some taijutsu master—it was an Uchiha, heir to the cursed bloodline!
And the Uchiha's true terror lay not in fists, but in the Mangekyō Sharingan.
If Kai's body techniques were this overwhelming, then what of his clan's greatest weapon?
Raikage let out a bitter laugh.
And yet—he still didn't back down.
"Kai-kun, you're right.
My son has told me of Mangekyō's fearsome power.
But your taijutsu was so formidable, I forgot that truth.
Very well—let me experience it myself.
I want to see…
just how powerful this strength my son spoke of truly is!"
Lightning roared around him, forming a blazing armor that wrapped his entire body.
With a defiant roar, he charged.
"Hell Stab—One Finger!"
His speed was still monstrous, a living thunderbolt.
But Kai didn't move to clash head-on.
Instead, the spinning Mangekyō whirled faster, like a black vortex swallowing everything.
"Mangekyō—Void!"
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