The status of the Third Raikage was much like that of Hiruzen Sarutobi in Konohagakure; he was a figure who symbolized Kumogakure. His strength was also exceptionally powerful. When the Eight-Tails went on a rampage, he suppressed it multiple times. During the Third Ninja World War, he even delayed the advance of ten thousand Iwagakure Ninja single-handedly, only dying of exhaustion after three days and nights.
The current Third Raikage was not yet as powerful as the legends of later generations described, but his future brilliance was already evident. Fūmori Masaki's strike had only managed to draw a single drop of blood from that body known as the strongest shield.
Fūmori Masaki hadn't expected to encounter this legendary Raikage here. He felt an immense pressure emanating from this man; if he wasn't careful, he might actually fall in this place.
But miraculously, Fūmori Masaki felt no fear. Instead, a surge of excitement welled up from the bottom of his heart. It had been a long time since he felt his blood boiling like this; it was the first time since he began practicing Sage Arts.
The opponent was covered in flickering lightning and was about to charge when he suddenly saw Fūmori Masaki raise his hands to form a seal. Simultaneously, he felt a burning sensation coming from his own body.
Moving his gaze downward, he saw several talismans with the character for "Explosion" attached to his body. He was slightly stunned, immediately realizing that the Konoha Ninja had slapped them onto him while evading; the technique was incredibly fast.
At that moment, the talismans detonated. Blinding flames instantly surrounded him as he bore the full force of the explosion.
These tools, which used Sealing Techniques to seal Ninjutsu into talismans, were indeed very useful and quite powerful. An ordinary person would have been heavily injured if not killed on the spot, but the person before him was the Third Raikage. Fūmori Masaki didn't think the man would fall from such an explosion.
As the smoke slowly cleared, the opponent stood there unscathed. Lightning tightly entwined his body, providing unparalleled defense. The explosion of several exploding tags hadn't even damaged the armor. This was to be expected; after all, it was a Lightning Release Armor capable of withstanding a Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
At the same time, the Third Raikage immediately lunged forward, raising his fist to smash Fūmori Masaki's head. While other Kumogakure Ninja carried long swords, he didn't need to carry anything; this body was his most powerful weapon.
The Third Raikage didn't possess the god-like speed second only to the yellow flash like his son did, but stimulated by the Lightning Release Armor, his speed was still very fast. He arrived in front of Fūmori Masaki almost in the blink of an eye.
This was the most powerful opponent Fūmori Masaki had ever faced. Unlike practice with his fellow disciples, this was a true life-and-death battle. Perhaps because his concentration was so intense, the opponent's speed seemed to slow down. Everything around him felt like it was in water, and the trajectory of the opponent's attack created ripples that were clearly visible.
Not only that, Fūmori Masaki seemed to be able to sense even finer details. He didn't know how this was happening—was it the perception brought by Sage Arts, or a sensory illusion brought by a mental mutation? Whichever it was, Fūmori Masaki could confirm that this state was excellent.
While evading the Third Raikage earlier, Fūmori Masaki had quickly absorbed Natural Energy to condense Senjutsu Chakra. His physical attributes subsequently rose to an extremely high level, enough to react to the Third Raikage's attack. His figure then flickered, vanishing from the Third Raikage's line of sight.
The young Third Raikage knew this Konoha Ninja hadn't disappeared using some kind of Ninjutsu. His intuition told him the man had simply utilized his visual blind spot to get close to him.
Without even looking, the Third Raikage swung his arm toward his blind spot. However, he didn't hit the target; instead, a faint sting of pain came from his body.
The Third Raikage stopped and reached out to lightly wipe his body. There was a shallow wound there. It didn't bleed much and had already stopped under the influence of the active Lightning Release Chakra.
Waves of shock rose in his heart. Even within Kumogakure, the number of people who could fight him in close quarters was few and far between, let alone those who could injure him. This Konoha Ninja had already harmed his body twice. Although one time was because he was protecting a comrade, that last time was the real deal.
—This Konoha Ninja, his Wind Release level is extraordinary!
After moving away from the Third Raikage, Fūmori Masaki inwardly sighed with regret. The'Strongest Shield' lived up to its name. He had enhanced his Wind Release Chakra as much as possible, but against the Third Raikage, he could only leave such a small wound.
Fūmori Masaki really wondered if this Third Raikage was a descendant of the Six Paths Sage. This kind of body was simply incredible, not something a normal person could be born with.
The blonde woman had already recovered from the effects of the exploding tag's blast. She picked up her long sword, preparing to join the fray, while the Third Raikage also prepared to coordinate a pincer attack.
Fūmori Masaki gripped his sword hilt tightly, ready to have a proper exchange with these two.
At that moment, a pillar of lightning suddenly rose nearby and then exploded. A large amount of lightning light shot out indiscriminately. In Fūmori Masaki's current state of perception, the ripples driven by each bolt of lightning were very clear, allowing him to easily judge which positions were safe and which were not.
At the same time, he received a signal from Senju Touka. It was a signal to retreat. From the very beginning, Senju Touka had said that if they could kill everyone, they should fight with all their might, but if not, they should prepare to retreat. After all, their mission wasn't to annihilate the enemy.
Presumably, Senju Touka felt that this Kumogakure Ninja squad couldn't be easily taken down, so she decided to retreat directly. After seeing the Third Raikage appear, Fūmori Masaki felt that continuing the fight was not a wise move. Now that he had the order, he naturally retreated immediately.
When the Third Raikage and the blonde woman saw Fūmori Masaki dash away, they didn't choose to pursue. Instead, they went to regroup with Hahn. The previous ambush had cost them, and it wasn't wise to pursue far from the main force; any pursuit would have to wait for Hahn's orders.
At the place where the lightning pillar had appeared, Hahn panted, watching his team members arrive at his side. However, several people didn't return. There was no need to ask; he knew they had died under the Konoha Ninja's attacks.
Hahn smashed the ground in frustration. In the sudden Ninjutsu raid, he and his team members had been separated. Then a woman skilled in Genjutsu had come up to fight him. Worried about the other members, he used a wide-range Lightning Release to create an opportunity for them. Now the members were back, but those Konoha Ninja had fled, with no intention of staying to continue the fight.
"Lord Hahn, should we pursue those Konoha Ninja?" a Kumogakure Ninja asked.
"No." Although Hahn was angry, he didn't lose his reason. "These people are quite strong. If they keep fighting and running like this, it will take a lot of effort to deal with them. By then, the Land of Fire's army will have assembled."
"Lord Hahn, what should we do next?" the young Third Raikage asked. He hadn't inherited the title of 'A' yet; his current name was Kazu.
"Return and regroup with the main force. Now that the Konoha Ninja have arrived, if we let them continue to delay us, the surprise attack will lose its meaning," Hahn said decisively. "There's no need to be stealthy. Gather the main force and launch a direct assault on the target. Perhaps we can still break through the Konoha Ninja's defensive line."
"I understand," Kazu nodded and said.
Afterward, Hahn and the others took the bodies of their fallen comrades and hurried back, sending signals to gather the Kumogakure Ninja who were being delayed by other Konoha Ninja. Once everyone regrouped, they would launch a powerful offensive.
On the way back, Kazu glanced at the blonde woman. Her name was Sora, and like Kazu, she was a disciple under Da. She had always been proud and arrogant, and now that she had been knocked down in one blow by that Konoha Ninja, she was likely very unwilling to accept it.
"Sora, are you okay?" Kazu asked. He looked rough on the outside, but he was actually gentle-natured and cared deeply for his junior sister.
"I'm fine." Sora shook her head. Thinking of that Konoha Ninja, she gritted her teeth. "If I run into that guy again, I won't lose as miserably as I did this time!"
Kazu frowned slightly. He didn't want to discourage his junior sister, but in his heart, he didn't feel that Sora could defeat that Konoha Ninja.