Righteous Thunder — Sinking Wrath Thunder Axe!
Following his Lightning I: Explosive Bomb, the Fourth Raikage once again leapt high into the air, unleashing that same devastating killing technique.
Uchiha Yuan raised his head, watching as the Raikage's tremendous leg came crashing down with unstoppable force.
A faint golden light shimmered at En's brow, radiance flowing faintly beneath his skin as wounds from earlier in the battle rapidly knit themselves closed.
With a deep, draconic roar echoing from within his body, Uchiha Yuan thrust his fist straight upward to meet the Raikage's descending Righteous Thunder — Sinking Wrath Thunder Axe.
Boom!
The explosion shook the earth itself. The ground shattered as fierce arcs of lightning tore through the rolling smoke and dust.
A powerful shockwave burst outward from the epicenter, sending the Raikage hurtling back like a fired cannonball.
As the storm of dust was swept away by the wind, Uchiha Yuan's figure came into view.
He still held his fist extended upward. Around him, the ground was riven with jagged fissures — cracks like those carved by axe and chisel. The earth for a hundred meters in every direction had caved and splintered apart.
His chest rose and fell slightly; snapping sounds like exploding beans crackled across his body as a fierce wind of residual chakra coiled around him before slowly dissipating.
Exhaling a long breath, Uchiha Yuan lowered his fist and turned his gaze toward the Raikage.
At that moment, the Fourth Raikage had been blasted back nearly two hundred meters. He flipped in midair and landed heavily on both feet.
"Lord Raikage! You're injured!"
Several Cloud shinobi rushed to his side, faces filled with concern.
The Raikage looked rather disheveled — his right pant leg was half torn away, revealing a bloodied shin.
Multiple gashes split open across the muscle, fresh blood flowing freely down his leg.
The Raikage glanced at the wounds and growled, "It's fine. This kind of scratch won't slow me down."
Then his eyes hardened, locking on Uchiha Yuan in the distance.
What a troublesome brat.
The Fourth Raikage pointed toward En and roared, "Go! Kill that brat! He may have blocked my Righteous Thunder — Sinking Wrath Thunder Axe, but he won't be unscathed!"
"Yes, sir!"
Several Cloud shinobi vanished with flickers of motion, using Body Flicker to rush at Uchiha Yuan.
En glanced at his right arm — a deep, axe-like gash stretched from the back of his hand up to his forearm.
The wound was deep enough to expose bone, blood pouring out in a steady stream.
He raised his left hand, and his index finger flared with chakra light. With a quick flick, several fine chakra needles shot into acupoints around the wound.
A second later, the bleeding stopped completely.
Just then, he twisted his body sharply, evading a slash of steel that whistled past his cheek.
A Cloud shinobi flickered by him in a blur.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
More Cloud shinobi appeared all around, blades flashing in a dazzling blur of steel as they sealed off every path of escape.
In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Yuan's figure seemed to blur and distort, his body weaving through impossibly narrow gaps with inhuman agility.
To the attacking Cloud shinobi, it looked as though their blades had cut straight into his body — yet there was no sensation of hitting flesh.
Boom!
A thunderous roar erupted from within Uchiha Yuan. A surge of raw force exploded outward from his body, forming a visible shockwave that blasted in all directions.
The Cloud shinobi surrounding him spat blood as they were hurled away, crashing to the ground like ragdolls.
Uchiha Yuan drew a heavy breath and looked around, his brow furrowing.
The situation had turned grim — the Konoha forces were steadily being pushed back, their lines shrinking under the relentless Cloud offensive.
Where is Captain Sarutobi's reinforcement squad? he thought, a trace of worry flickering in his eyes. If they don't arrive soon, this entire line will collapse.
His face hardened. In the next instant, his figure flashed forward, darting straight into a cluster of Cloud shinobi.
Elsewhere, Yamanaka Mokuno was leading a team of Leaf shinobi in a desperate melee. His face was streaked with blood, and his green flak jacket was slashed in three places.
With several screams, three Konoha shinobi fell — cut down by Cloud blades and kunai.
Their defense faltered immediately; a few Cloud nin leapt at the opportunity, charging in and splitting their formation into two.
Damn it, we're surrounded!
Yamanaka Mokuno narrowly dodged a Lightning Release technique, glancing around to see his team completely encircled.
"Haha! Die, Konoha trash!"
A Cloud shinobi's mocking laughter rang in his ear.
The man flickered behind Mokuno, his blade flashing downward in a killing strike.
It's over!
Terror flashed in Mokuno's eyes — there was no way to dodge in time.
But in the next instant, Uchiha Yuan's figure appeared like a phantom. He lashed out with a fierce kick that sent the attacking Cloud shinobi flying.
Bang!
The enemy hit the ground like a cannonball, blood pouring from his mouth and nose, eyes wide in disbelief — dead before he stopped rolling.
Uchiha Yuan turned to Mokuno. "Advisor Yamanaka, are you alright?"
"Squad Leader!" Mokuno gasped, relief flooding his face. "Thanks to you — I would've been finished— Ah! Watch out!"
Two Cloud shinobi appeared on either side, blades swinging toward En's neck.
Bang! Bang!
En blurred aside, dodging one strike and countering with two lightning-fast whip kicks.
Both attackers were sent flying and slammed heavily into the ground.
Uchiha Yuan said grimly, "Advisor Yamanaka, the situation is worsening. Captain Sarutobi's reinforcements still haven't arrived — I'm afraid something may have happened in the rear."
Yamanaka Mokuno's expression darkened. "Squad Leader, even if we wanted to retreat, we couldn't. We'll have to fight to the end."
En opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden wave of murderous intent surged above him.
He looked up sharply — the Fourth Raikage was descending from above, his leg arcing down like a hammer.
Boom!
The ground quaked, a crater opening beneath the impact.
Standing at the bottom, the Raikage roared, "Uchiha brat! Our fight isn't over yet!"
His earlier wounds had been bandaged, and now lightning cracked furiously around him. His Lightning Release Armor was pushed to maximum output.
As he landed like a meteor, Uchiha Yuan grabbed Yamanaka Mokuno and leapt back several dozen meters.
Staring down into the crater, En said quietly, "Advisor Yamanaka, I'll hold off the Cloud shinobi. You must get in touch with Captain Sarutobi — no matter what."
Seeing the raging Raikage below, Yamanaka Mokuno nodded firmly. "Understood, Lord En. I'll contact Captain Sarutobi as quickly as possible!"
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