Qianyu's ninjato pointed at Ōtsuchi, declaring his entry into the melee.
Joining this fight meant more Witness Points.
But what Qianyu wanted even more was to fight the Third Raikage.
So after his declaration to Ōtsuchi, Qianyu didn't attack the Iwa ninja commander. He turned instead to face the rampaging Third Raikage.
"Thunder Breathing: Fourth Form: Distant Thunder!"
Lightning erupted from Qianyu's body. He shot forward like a live wire.
Every Iwa ninja in his path was severed.
The Third Raikage noticed the streak of lightning heading straight for him.
"Liger Bomb!"
The Raikage focused Lightning Release into his hand, slashing downward with a chop.
Steel met flesh.
Qianyu was thrown back several steps by the sheer force.
The Raikage's hand? Not a scratch.
Qianyu steadied himself, a grin spreading across his face. "Damn, you're tough. Took my blade head-on with your bare hand."
The Third Raikage's eyes narrowed, fixed on Qianyu's forehead protector.
Qianyu noticed the look. He untied the Leaf symbol and shoved it into his pouch. "I'm not fighting you as a Konoha shinobi today. I'm fighting you as myself. Here to send you off personally."
A fierce smile cracked the Raikage's stern face. His aura exploded. "Brat! Don't get cocky! Try not to get stabbed in the back by these Iwa scum. Would be a pathetic way to die."
Lightning crackled wildly around Qianyu. "You're the one who should be careful, old man. Don't throw your back out mid-fight and get finished off by a rock. I want to take your head myself."
"Dōjutsu: Unseen Summit!"
Qianyu activated the Mangekyō Sharingan in his right eye. Recording began.
His hands flew through seals. "Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
He gathered chakra in his throat and expelled a tidal wave of flame.
The Iwa forces were packed too tightly. Dozens were consumed.
The inferno cleared a massive circle on the battlefield.
Iwa ninja retaliated. The ground beneath Qianyu and the Raikage trembled with earth techniques.
Both moved before the attack landed.
Whether by instinct or silent agreement, they didn't charge straight at each other. They veered—just slightly—through the Iwa ranks.
A blur of motion. More Iwa shinobi fell.
Then they were face to face.
"Guillotine Drop!"
The Raikage channeled lightning to his elbow, driving it forward like a spear.
"Thunder Breathing: Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!"
Qianyu became the epicenter. Jagged arcs of lightning shot out in every direction.
The slashing energy washed over the Raikage's chest. It didn't even slow him down. The elbow strike kept coming.
Qianyu jerked his head back. The blow grazed his chin, the air pressure stinging his skin.
He used Body Flicker to retreat, putting distance between them.
He touched his jaw. No hit, but a dull ache throbbed beneath the skin. A direct strike would have shattered it.
The Raikage's Lightning Release Armor was tougher than he'd imagined.
And this wasn't even his full power. The strongest Lightning Release Chakra Mode was still to come.
Right now, aside from a fully-charged 'Unseen Summit,' none of his attacks seemed capable of piercing that defense.
The Third Raikage's fighting spirit burned brighter. "Good speed, kid. But your strikes are weak. Like this, you'll never take my head."
Qianyu leveled his blade. "The fight's just starting. We'll see about that."
"Thunder Breathing: Fifth Form: Heat Lightning!"
A searing, jagged bolt of lightning shot toward the Raikage.
The Raikage's hands moved just as fast.
"Lightning Style: Black Panther!"
A panther-shaped mass of black lightning erupted from his body, crashing into Qianyu's blue-white bolt.
Black and blue thunderclaps roared.
The dark lightning bled outward in tendrils. Another cluster of Iwa ninja screamed, muscles locked, paralyzed in agony.
This time, the Raikage took the initiative.
"Lightning Style: Lariat!"
He raised his arm and shot forward, a human bullet train.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
Qianyu slammed his hands on the ground. Multiple earthen walls erupted before him.
THUD. CRACK. THUD. CRACK.
The Raikage plowed through them like paper.
On the final wall's backside, Qianyu had plastered a dozen explosive tags.
BOOM!
The tags detonated as the wall shattered. In the same instant, Qianyu finished his next set of seals.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song!"
Four fiery dragons erupted from his mouth, diving into the smoke and dust.
Another series of explosions. The cloud of debris billowed outward.
"Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite!"
The Raikage tore through the smoke. Four fingers extended, aimed straight for Qianyu's heart.
Qianyu had been ready. He never thought a little fire and paper would stop this monster.
He saw the charge. He reacted.
"Thunder Breathing: First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."
Qianyu was faster. He closed the distance in a blur, twisting his body sideways. The four-fingered spear thrust passed by his ribs.
His blade flashed upward, aiming for the Raikage's neck.
The Raikage didn't dodge.
Qianyu's full-powered slash connected.
Clang.
Qianyu's brow furrowed. His blade, swung with all his strength, hadn't even broken the skin.
This wasn't just strong defense. This was monstrous.
No wonder this man could wrestle the Eight-Tails.
A sudden, sharp pain lanced through his side.
The Raikage's hand-chop was already there.
Body Flicker. Retreat.
Qianyu assessed the damage. Ribs not broken, but definitely cracked.
Impenetrable defense. Blinding speed. Crushing power. It seemed there was no way to fight this man.
The Third Raikage raised his hand. Three fingers now.
Qianyu bit his thumb. Blood welled. His hands flew through a different set of seals, then slammed onto the ground.
"Hell Stab: Three-Finger Nukite!"
The Raikage's speed jumped another level. He was a black-and-blue thunderbolt.
"Summoning Jutsu! Double Rashōmon!"
Two massive, demonic doors erupted from the earth before Qianyu.
A technique learned from Orochimaru, who inherited it from the First Hokage's Five Gates.
The gates' gaping maws yawned open—defensive barriers summoned to devour any attack.
Called forth from the underworld, these Asura gates stood like mocking sentinels, laughing in the face of the oncoming storm.
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