Two Rashōmon Gates materialized before Qianyu, standing guard.
Summoning even a single Rashōmon required immense chakra. Like Orochimaru, Qianyu could call upon three. But he needed to conserve his strength.
The first gate shattered almost instantly under the Third Raikage's charge, but his speed noticeably dropped.
When he blasted through the second, his momentum hit a clear, jarring wall.
Qianyu seized the opening. His stance shifted. Veins bulged across his body. Lightning crackled to life.
"Thunder Breathing: Seventh Form: Honoikazuchi no Kami!"
He shot forward at blinding speed. A blue dragon of thunder marked his path. His ninjato swung horizontally, aimed straight for the Raikage.
This time, the Third Raikage's eyes narrowed. He didn't take it head-on. Instead, he crossed his arms in a guard.
Steel met reinforced flesh.
This strike broke new ground. The blade bit deep, sinking into the Raikage's skin.
But it went no further.
Both men leaped back, putting distance between them.
The Third Raikage glanced at the bleeding cut on his forearm. His expression was blank. But Qianyu could feel the shift in his aura—a subtle, predatory focus.
"Brat," the Raikage rumbled. "Your name."
Qianyu blinked. Hadn't Kitsuchi announced him? He answered, voice firm. "Qianyu."
The Raikage gave a slow nod. "So. You're the Blood-Eyed Asura. The one who put A and Bee in the hospital. To wound me… I acknowledge you."
"Wounding you is just the start," Qianyu scoffed, a faint, fierce grin touching his lips. "I plan to take your head."
A matching smirk tugged at the Raikage's mouth. "Then try."
"Strongest Lightning Release Chakra Mode!"
Lightning chakra erupted from him, maxing out. His hair stood on end, crackling with raw power.
Qianyu's eyes hardened. Before, the Raikage had been fighting to stall. Now? He was getting serious.
Qianyu moved first.
"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!"
He gathered chakra in his throat, exhaled a torrent of superheated fire that incinerated everything nearby. The explosive blast wave followed, scattering searing ash and dust in every direction. Qianyu vanished into the murk.
The ash cloud spread wide. Several Rock ninja, too slow to dodge, screamed as their skin blistered. Some inhaled the scorching particles and choked, dying in agony.
The Third Raikage retreated from the cloud's edge, eyes scanning. Qianyu would make his move. He just had to find him. Or wait for him to come.
A flicker of movement. Qianyu darted from the ash, seemingly aiming to lose himself among the Rock ninja ranks.
The Raikage moved. A blur—even the Mangekyō Sharingan struggled to track it. He plowed through the intervening Rock ninja; bodies were pulverized on impact. A hand clamped down on Qianyu's shoulder.
"Got you, brat!"
"Liger Bomb!"
He hoisted Qianyu up and slammed him down with earth-shattering force. The ground fractured into a crater. The body within lay twisted.
Then, the Raikage's lightning cloak detonated, engulfing the crater in a violent explosion.
"Strong. But too arrogant. A pity you're not from Kumo."
He turned toward the remaining Rock ninja. He took one step.
Then, hands grabbed his ankles.
He looked down.
Qianyu.
Then… the body in the crater? The Raikage glanced back. The figure had morphed into a dead Rock ninja.
"The Sharingan. A genjutsu…"
Underground, Qianyu yanked hard on the Raikage's ankles, pulling him down into the earth.
A barrage of Rock ninjutsu arrived then, aiming to bury them both. Qianyu had no time to escape. Solid stone closed in, crushing him—and the Raikage—in a vise.
"Dōjutsu: Ten Thousand Rejections."
A streak of blood traced from Qianyu's left Mangekyō Sharingan eye.
The crushing pressure ceased instantly.
Qianyu's lips twisted in a snarl. Damned Rock ninja. His plan—dragging the Raikage underground for a follow-up—was ruined.
He formed a series of hand seals and phased out of the earth.
A fist was already waiting for his face.
"Just as I thought."
"Substitution Technique!"
He'd pre-sealed the jutsu. His body swapped with a log an instant before impact. The Raikage's punch hit empty air.
Kitsuchi felt a cold sweat. He'd always assumed Qianyu, while famous, was similar to Minato Namikaze. The Rock had faced the Yellow Flash many times. Impossible to pin down, too fast. They always retreated.
Minato was agile, but his direct attacks weren't overwhelmingly powerful. He specialized in hit-and-run assassinations with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Qianyu was also famed for speed. Kitsuchi had thought them comparable. He was wrong. They were worlds apart.
Qianyu's combat prowess… Minato couldn't hold a candle to it.
Both Qianyu and the Raikage used speed as their weapon. The Rock ninja? Speed was their weakness. Their attacks kept missing, striking only air or their own allies.
Every clash between the two titans left several more Rock ninja dead. They were becoming mere stage props in this duel.
The Third Raikage scowled at the sea of 'Qianyus' before him. An ocular genjutsu. Only an external disruption of his chakra flow could break it. Alone, he was trapped.
"Then…"
He charged into the crowd.
Whoever the real one was, he'd just attack them all!
As the Raikage, lost in the illusion, began carving through the Rock ninja, Qianyu crouched low.
"Thunder Breathing: First Form: Thunderclap and Flash! God Speed!"
He became a bolt of blue lightning, streaking toward the rampaging Raikage.
An instant before contact—Ten Thousand Rejections triggered.
The Raikage's Strongest Lightning Release Chakra Mode flickered and died.
Danger screamed through his nerves. Every hair on his body stood up. He jerked his head aside on pure instinct.
Qianyu's ninjato pierced through the junction of his neck and shoulder.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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