"Chiyo of Sunagakure..."
Tsunade, watching the battle from afar, was stunned for a moment, letting out a sigh with a complicated expression.
Although she and Chiyo were not from the same generation, they had been long-time rivals who had fought each other for years.
Chiyo was the best puppeteer in Sunagakure and also their best toxicologist.
Chiyo had formulated many powerful poisons for Sunagakure, causing Konohagakure a lot of trouble.
And Konohagakure's trump card against Chiyo was Tsunade, the best medical ninja in the village.
The reason Tsunade was stationed in the Land of Rain this time was specifically to counter Chiyo, the toxicologist.
But just now, Chiyo, her old rival whom she had fought for over a decade, was blown away by Yagyu right before her eyes.
"Chiyo..."
The Third Raikage and Õnoki also wore complex expressions.
Losing a Kage-level powerhouse from their enemy, Sunagakure, should have been a cause for celebration.
However, placing Chiyo's death within the context of the current situation, they couldn't feel happy at all.
It was Chiyo now; would it be their turn next?
The Third Raikage's eyes narrowed, erupting with intense killing intent. Only his index finger on his left hand remained extended.
"Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite!"
The Third Raikage roared, unleashing his strongest spear, and rushed towards Yagyu like a flash of lightning.
"Finger Pistol!"
"Sword Thrust!"
The golden light-sword appeared in Yagyu's hand. He went full throttle and clashed with the Third Raikage, unleashing the most terrifying power.
The invisible air blast shattered the surrounding ground into pieces, and huge chunks of earth and rock shot up into the sky.
The powerful shockwave spread in all directions, forcing the ninja with lesser strength to retreat.
"Ah!"
The Third Raikage roared and retreated in humiliation.
The power Yagyu had unleashed had completely surpassed his own.
"Sealing Squad!"
Õnoki gritted his teeth and ordered his Sealing Squad to start moving.
Chiyo had just done the same thing, which had drawn Yagyu's killing intent.
But Õnoki had no other choice now. If he didn't attack Yagyu immediately, his only option would be to beg for Yagyu's generosity.
"Again? It's useless!"
Yagyu spoke casually. His body moved, transforming into light particles to move, and he appeared behind Õnoki in an instant.
"Speed is weight!"
"Have you ever been hit by a Light Speed Kick?"
A lazy voice sounded behind Õnoki, instantly causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
The golden cross of light flashed beneath Yagyu's foot, and a side kick struck Õnoki's body.
Õnoki's body instantly flew sideways, shattering into countless rocks in mid-air.
"Earth Clone? Very skillful!"
Yagyu spoke dismissively, raising his hand and pointing a finger at a rock not far away. A golden laser beam shot out from his fingertip.
Boom!
The ground roared, and a wall formed of rock blocked the golden laser.
Boom!
The laser struck the rock wall, causing a violent explosion. A figure quickly fled from the flames.
"You are very proficient in Earth Release!"
Golden light flashed, and Yagyu appeared behind Õnoki. He brought the sword down without hesitation, cleanly severing one of Õnoki's arms.
Õnoki screamed, and his body tumbled out in a panic.
Having lost an arm, he was now essentially crippled.
After all, his powerful Earth Release Ninjutsu all require hand signs using both hands; Earth Release Ninjutsu released with a single hand or without signs are all garbage.
"Huh?"
After crippling Õnoki with one move, Yagyu suddenly frowned, looking towards the Third Raikage in the distance.
The Third Raikage, surprisingly, chose to flee without any sense of shame, leading the Kumogakure ninja and escaping far away.
"Fleeing?"
Yagyu was somewhat astonished. You're the Third Raikage who once stood alone to cover a retreat!
However, upon careful thought, Yagyu could understand the Third Raikage's mindset.
Based on Yagyu's current performance, it was sheer folly for them to try and kill him.
Since they had no certainty of success, it was more practical to quickly escape.
The reason the Third Raikage stood alone to cover a retreat in the original work was because he was protecting the main force of Kumogakure.
But here, there was no main force from Kumogakure. He had no need to sacrifice himself for the ninja of other villages.
Forget the ninja from other villages, even a few dozen ordinary Kumogakure ninja were not worth him staying behind to cover the retreat.
Although the Third Raikage was reckless, he wasn't truly stupid. He was still capable of discerning what held high value.
Take, for example, the Second Hokage in the original work. If the people who accompanied him to Kumogakure back then had not been Sarutobi Hiruzen and others, but just a few ordinary Anbu ninja, would he still have stayed behind to cover the retreat?
Sacrificing the village's highest leader to protect a few ordinary ninja? No one with a brain would do that.
For the highest leaders of the surrounding villages, weighing value against effort and return was the most important thing they should do.
"You can't run away. Too slow!"
A golden light emanated from Yagyu's body, and his form dissolved into countless light particles, flying towards the Third Raikage and the others.
In the blink of an eye, Yagyu appeared above the Third Raikage and his group. He clasped his hands together and condensed golden light projectiles.
Yasakani Magatama!
An overwhelming rain of light projectiles fell, carrying out indiscriminate area saturation attack on the location of the Third Raikage and his group.
A moment later, only the Third Raikage survived, relying on his powerful defense.
The rest of the Kumogakure ninja were completely wiped out by Yagyu's area saturation attack.
"You bastard!"
The Third Raikage was enraged. He extended a single index finger and charged towards Yagyu; it was his strongest Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite.
"Farewell, Third Raikage!"
Yagyu looked at the Third Raikage with an indifferent expression, watching him approach.
He raised his long leg, and a golden cross of light appeared on his foot.
His body moved as a golden flash, and Yagyu instantly appeared beside the Third Raikage.
He kicked out, hitting the Third Raikage's wrist exactly, forcing his One-Finger Nukite to pierce his own chest.
The One-Finger Nukite, condensed on his left index finger, directly penetrated his right chest, causing a large amount of blood to gush out.
"Left-handed?"
"Or were you prepared, and deliberately used your left hand to avoid piercing your heart?"
Yagyu's body re-formed in front of the Third Raikage, sizing him up with interest.
The Third Raikage pulled out his hand. Powerful lightning surged over his chest, cauterizing the wound and forcibly stopping the bleeding.
"Useless struggle!"
"You are not my opponent!"
Looking at the panting Third Raikage, who was trying to fight again, Yagyu shook his head expressionlessly, clasped his hands together, and condensed the Sword of Kusanagi.
"Come, let me see you off!"
Yagyu roared, and fiercely thrust his sword out.