Chapter 342: Eight Winds Accordance
The Desert.
"Oh? Are you finally stepping in personally?"
The Third Raikage spoke as he watched Tonbo Tobitake descend from the heavens.
"I have long heard of the Third Raikage's reputation. It is a pity that I am only a shadow clone; otherwise, I would truly wish to test my skills against yours in a proper bout," Tonbo replied with a smile. He extended his neural threads through the majority of the Allied ninjas.
Without utilizing his "Forced Execution" protocols, a shadow clone truly risked being popped by the Third Raikage's sheer aggression. Clones were not the same as the original body, after all; tactical adjustments were required.
"Come then. You are clearly a powerful ninja of this era. I hope you are the one to seal me," the Third Raikage stated firmly.
Whoosh!
Boom!
A massive amount of chakra erupted from his body, shattering the lingering Genjutsu from before. He charged toward the Alliance with the same unstoppable momentum that had once allowed him to face ten thousand men alone.
"Well timed! I rarely use ninjutsu for direct combat, so this is a perfect trial run."
"Wind Style: Atmospheric Pressure."
"Wind Style: Eight Winds Accordance."
Under the combined chakra supply of Tonbo and the vast reserves of the Alliance, the wind became visible to the naked eye, appearing almost liquefied in the air. It compressed the space around the Third Raikage to the extreme, forcing his movements into a crawling slow motion.
The Melting Wind: A scorching heat, as if the sun itself had descended, began to melt the surface of the Raikage's reanimated form.
The Leading Wind: A chakra distribution map appeared over the Raikage, exposing the weaker points of his physical vessel; the scar on his chest became glaringly obvious.
The Spring Wind: Arriving with a drunken rhythm, it made the Raikage appear slightly dazed, causing his Lightning Style Armor to flicker and destabilize.
The Hammer Wind: The original atmospheric pressure was pierced by this new current—a direct, hammering gale that slammed like a heavy mallet into the weak point exposed by the Meishu Wind.
The Cool Wind: Working in tandem with the Melting Wind and the other three, it caused the Raikage's body to fracture heavily. The Alliance ninjas watched, mouths agape. This Wind Style...
The Impervious Wind: Pervasive and inescapable, it whistled into the gaps of the shattered body. From the inside out, the Third Raikage's form completely disintegrated.
"You are the first ninja to use Wind Style to break my Lightning Armor," the Third Raikage remarked. He watched as his crumbling body tried to regenerate, only to be torn apart again by the lingering wind. He looked at Tonbo with genuine admiration.
Thinking back to Tonbo's comment about his main body not being here, the Raikage realized that if this man's taijutsu matched his ninjutsu, he was undoubtedly one of the strongest people in the Allied Shinobi Forces.
"I hope you can bring an end to this war, so the days of endless fighting do not return."
"It's 'everyone,' not just me," Tonbo replied with a smile.
With the chakra supply of the entire unit, the power of his jutsu was immense—almost comparable to when he used natural energy. Normally, his Wind Style wouldn't be this potent; a shadow clone would likely have needed to reach the "Eighth Wind" to settle this. But today, the sixth was enough.
As expected, a ninja's battle is a battle of intelligence and chakra. The same technique, backed by more chakra, yields exponentially greater power.
"Sealing Team, move in!"
"Yes, sir!"
The sealing team behind him immediately deployed, binding the fragmented, non-regenerating Third Raikage.
"Senior Temari, your Wind Style doesn't seem that strong anymore... Captain Tonbo is the real deal! And he's so handsome, just like Lord Kazekage," Matsuri said, her eyes sparkling as she watched Tonbo's back.
Temari watched the composed Tonbo and huffed at Matsuri's comment. "Tsk, the guy's just a poser. He only did that because of his Chakra Conversion technique that lets him use the Alliance's power. If I knew how to do that, I could do it too!"
Despite her words, she was internally impressed. A mere shadow clone possessed this much combat power.
"Nice! The Third Raikage is sealed!" The sealing team cheered, relieved to have dealt with such a troublesome character.
Whoosh!
Bang!
A shadow clone of Naruto, having just dealt with a Magnet Style user, arrived at the front lines. He had heard the Alliance needed a stronger Wind Style user and intended to help, but Tonbo had already stepped up and finished the job. Naruto stopped in his tracks.
Uncle Tonbo's Wind Style is incredible! He took down that beastly ninja so fast! Naruto thought. He had felt Tonbo was amazing since he was a kid, but seeing it was something else. Since he wasn't needed here, he decided to head elsewhere.
Swoosh!
Transformed into a "Yellow Flash," he sped toward another chakra signature in his perception.
The Dark Cavern.
Kabuto felt another piece vanish and removed it from the board.
"Tonbo Tobitake... it seems I can't hold back anymore..."
Having witnessed Tonbo's methods again, Kabuto decided it was time to bring out the trump card. He hadn't expected the Third Raikage to stall him for so little time, especially since it was only a clone.
"I wonder if Tonbo will have any tricks left when this person appears. I'm quite looking forward to it."
Kabuto didn't care about the outcome; it was just a dead man, after all. He still had more cards to play. The snake head on his tail hissed menacingly.
Allied HQ.
"Good news! The Third Raikage has been sealed." Ao sensed the Raikage's signature vanish from the sensing bubble.
Shikaku asked, "Is that so? Give us the details."
Tsunade and Raikage Ay both turned their attention toward him. Sealing the Third Raikage could provide a vital blueprint for the other units.
"It was Tonbo. He used Wind Style to break the Third Raikage's defense, allowing the sealing team to finish it. As expected of Tonbo; I didn't realize his attainment in Wind Style was so high," Inoichi Yamanaka reported after receiving word from the front.
To Inoichi, this was a massive surprise. Beyond Genjutsu and Tonbo's unique secret techniques, his Wind Style was now at this level. The little kid who used to look up to him had surpassed him by so much, becoming a pillar of the village!
He briefly wondered if he should have another daughter to marry into Tonbo's family. He heard Tonbo's young son, Keigo, was already very bright at age three. Definitely worth a future "son-in-law hunt."
"Oh? Isn't he a Genjutsu specialist?" Raikage Ay was stunned. "That forbidden jutsu he used against the Gedo Mazo... with my father's speed, he shouldn't have been given the chance to cast it."
It seemed he had grossly underestimated Tonbo Tobitake.
Tsunade wore a proud smile. "That kid hides things deep. Even I haven't seen through him completely. He's a man you can trust... he's just a bit lazy normally."
It was the smile of a proud mentor. In every aspect, Tonbo was suited to be Hokage—his only flaw was his laziness and total lack of interest in the position.
And the fact that he seemed to love having children. Every time she saw Tonbo appearing before her holding yet another baby, she felt a weird sense of annoyance. It wasn't that she was unhappy—she was glad the village was thriving—but it just... irked her. She almost felt like giving him some "special chores" as a reprimand.
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