Chapter 390: The Enraged Fourth Raikage
The explosion tore through the atmosphere with a deafening roar.
A massive Tailed Beast Ball detonated directly in the center of Unraikyō, the Valley of Clouds and Lightning. A terrifying storm of pure, destructive energy instantly swallowed the surrounding mountainsides, vaporizing rock and water alike.
Gyūki, the Eight-Tails, was shoved backward by the sheer recoil of his own attack. His massive, ox-like hooves dragged across the shattered earth while his thick octopus tentacles plunged deep into the bedrock, tearing up massive trenches just to anchor his colossal frame.
"Did... did we get him?" Killer Bee gasped, his chest heaving violently.
"Watch out! Bee!" Gyūki's deep voice boomed.
The thick curtain of smoke and pulverized dust began to part.
A solitary figure wrapped in a dense shroud of dark blue lightning slowly walked out from the epicenter of the blast. The terrifying electrical currents of the Lightning Release Chakra Armor crackled with a deafening intensity around the Third Raikage. Not a single scratch marred his reanimated flesh.
"Taking a Tailed Beast Ball head-on..." Killer Bee swallowed hard, his throat completely dry.
'Is this the power of my old man in his prime?''That is completely unfair.'
The Third Raikage raised his head. The dark blue lightning flared, illuminating his dead, emotionless eyes.
He bent his knees slightly.
The bedrock beneath his feet instantly collapsed, caving inward to form a massive crater dozens of meters wide. In the very next fraction of a second, the Third Raikage vanished.
"He is above us!" Gyūki roared, throwing his massive head upward.
High in the sky, the Third Raikage eclipsed the sun. His right hand was drawn back, his fingers clenched into a tight fist. He concentrated his Lightning Release Chakra to its absolute limit, fusing it with the monstrous physical strength that had once allowed him to wrestle the Eight-Tails to a standstill in close combat.
He plummeted.
Gyūki whipped his massive tentacles upward to intercept the strike, but the moment flesh met lightning, the appendages were violently shredded. Blood and ink sprayed into the air as the violent electrical currents tore through the beast's defenses.
Descending like a dark meteor, the Third Raikage slammed his fist directly into the top of Gyūki's head.
A sickeningly dull impact echoed across the wasteland.
The mountain-sized beast was driven straight down into the earth by the sheer kinetic force of that single punch. The entire expanse of Unraikyō trembled violently, the ground splitting into deep ravines.
Gyūki let out an agonizing bellow, his consciousness blurring as the shockwave rattled his massive skull.
Standing atop a jagged spire of rock in the distance, Hōzuki Gengetsu crossed his arms and shook his head, his face a mask of utter boredom.
"I say, old man Raikage," Gengetsu drawled, his voice carrying effortlessly over the destruction. "You really are not showing any mercy to your son. What if that punch knocks him senseless?"
Even as he spoke, the Second Mizukage wasted no time. His figure blurred, instantly reappearing near Gyūki's exposed abdomen.
"Jōki Bōi!"
A clone resembling a miniature version of Gengetsu materialized in mid-air. It expanded at a terrifying rate. The water and oil trapped inside its body reacted violently to the rapidly rising internal temperature.
"Oh no!" Gyūki roared, thrashing wildly.
But the beast was pinned. The Third Raikage stood atop his head, his grip like a vice of pure lightning, holding the colossal monster firmly against the crushed earth.
A catastrophic steam explosion erupted directly against Gyūki's abdomen.
The blinding, scalding heat instantly vaporized one of the Eight-Tails' remaining tentacles, turning flesh and blood into a massive cloud of white vapor.
"Aaaahhh!!"
Killer Bee screamed in agony. The sheer trauma forced him to violently dispel his Complete Tailed Beast Form. He plummeted out of the dissipating chakra, crashing heavily onto the scorched ground. His skin was blackened, his breathing shallow. His consciousness hung by a thread.
'Too strong.''Is this the true power of the previous Kage generations?''Facing two of them at once... there was simply no chance of winning.'
"It is over."
The Third Raikage walked slowly through the dissipating steam, stopping right beside Killer Bee. He looked down at his unconscious son, the dark blue lightning slowly fading from his body.
He crouched down. His body moved entirely against his will, dictated by the control tag in his head, but a deep, deep sadness flickered in his dark eyes.
"Forgive me, Bee." The Third Raikage murmured, his voice rough. "What exactly has the Ninja World become now?"
He reached out, his large hand grabbing Killer Bee by the collar of his scorched jacket.
"Let us go." The Third Raikage stood, throwing his son over his shoulder before glancing at Gengetsu. "The mission is complete."
Gengetsu shrugged, stretching his neck. "What a boring fight. I hope that caster does not make us do such awful things again."
The two reanimated Kage blurred. They vanished into the heavy curtain of rain that had begun to fall, leaving behind nothing but the completely ravaged, cratered ruins of Unraikyō.
Hidden Cloud Village. The Raikage Building.
The air inside the highest-level conference room was suffocatingly heavy. Kumogakure's elite officials, elders, and commanders sat rigidly around the enormous circular table.
"News has just arrived from Iwagakure."
A's voice was a low, dangerous rumble, barely suppressing the volcanic fury boiling just beneath his skin. "Their Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, is suspected to have been captured by Konoha."
An elder from the Peace Faction swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he spoke. "Wood Release traces were left at the scene of the battle, along with standard-issue Konoha kunai."
"Lord Raikage, this is clearly a setup!" another elder interjected, his hands shaking as he gripped the edge of the table. "Although Konoha is currently at the height of their power, having annexed both Sunagakure and Kirigakure, this is a crucial period of assimilation for them. They have absolutely no need to actively provoke us and Iwagakure with such petty tricks at this critical juncture."
The elder looked around the room, pleading for reason. "I believe this looks more like someone trying to sow discord! It is highly likely some third-party faction is trying to use us to weaken Konoha."
Immediately, the conference room erupted into a low buzz of heated discussion. Many of the officials nodded in agreement, feeling this was far too clumsy to be a genuine Konoha operation. Leaving behind Wood Release traces and a village-specific kunai was the equivalent of writing a confession in blood; it completely defied the basic logic of covert assassinations.
"A setup?"
A voice dripping with raw killing intent sliced through the arguments.
A burly, heavily scarred official from the War Faction sneered. He slammed his fist onto the table and rose to his feet, glaring at the Peace Faction elders.
"In the entire Ninja World, besides the current Konoha, who else can possibly use Wood Release? That is the legendary power of the First Hokage! It is Konoha's absolute symbol!"
He leaned forward, his eyes wild. "As for a setup? If this is truly a setup, just how strong must the person carrying it out be? Strong enough to secretly take down the Five-Tails Jinchuriki in a matter of minutes without alerting the rest of Iwagakure?"
Silence fell over the room.
Strength.
In this brutal Ninja World, absolute strength was the only logic that mattered. The number of powerhouses capable of subduing a fully realized Jinchuriki was vanishingly small. And the only village that possessed such god-like powerhouses while also wielding Wood Release... was Konoha.
"But... why would they leave such obvious, damning evidence?" the Peace Faction elder continued to argue, though his voice lacked its previous conviction.
"Because of arrogance." The War Faction official spat. "He is forcing Iwagakure to take a side. He is making them submit through sheer terror!"
Only the sound of heavy, anxious breathing remained in the conference room.
The words were harsh, grating against their pride, but they cut like a sharpened blade, peeling back the layers of denial to reveal a cruel truth.
This was an open conspiracy.
A blatant, unapologetic show of dominance. Whether it was a genuine setup or a direct attack, Konoha had already pressed a cold blade against their collective necks.
"Enough!"
A furious roar shattered the tension.
A abruptly stood up, his massive chair scraping violently against the floorboards.
"Whether it is a setup or a provocation!" The Fourth Raikage slammed both hands onto the table, the thick wood groaning under his immense strength. "It no longer matters! Even if it truly was a setup, it was carried out by a powerhouse wielding Wood Release! And Wood Release is Konoha's original sin!"
A turned his head sharply, his fierce gaze sweeping over every single person present. The sheer, suffocating pressure radiating from his eyes made the elders and commanders instinctively lower their heads, unable to meet his glare.
Just then.
The heavy oak doors of the conference room were violently burst open.
An Anbu operative stumbled inside, his breathing ragged, his uniform soaked in rain and sweat.
"Lord... Lord Raikage!" The Anbu gasped, his voice cracking. "Something terrible has happened!"
A's heart leaped into his throat. A cold, suffocating sense of foreboding instantly enveloped him. He took a massive step forward, crossing the room in a blur, and grabbed the Anbu by the collar, lifting him off his feet.
"Speak!" A commanded, his voice shaking the walls.
"Unraikyō... the Valley of Clouds and Lightning..." The Anbu gasped heavily, extreme, unadulterated terror lingering in his wide eyes. "It is completely destroyed."
A's grip tightened.
"We sensed incredibly terrifying chakra spikes from the periphery," the Anbu stammered, his body trembling violently. "By the time our squads rushed over... the entire valley had been leveled. Reduced to craters."
"And Bee?" A demanded, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper.
The Anbu swallowed hard, tears of pure panic welling in his eyes.
"Lord Killer Bee..." The operative's voice broke. "He is gone."
An extremely violent, blinding surge of blue Lightning Release Chakra instantly erupted from A's body, shattering the floor tiles beneath his feet and blowing the conference table to splinters.
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