Across the distance woven by words, the two greatest Lightning Release users in the ninja world had now closed the gap between them to the closest it had ever been.
Both wielded lightning, yet their auras were vastly different. The Third Raikage's lightning was a deep, intense blue, darker than the usual glow of chakra, while Ye Zi's lightning was pitch-black, like the eternal night. These two distinct hues carried different impressions.
The Third Raikage's lightning was wild and unrestrained, radiating an overwhelming sense of oppressive force, as if merely standing before him meant being torn apart in the next second.
Ye Zi's black lightning, on the other hand, was suffocating and ominous, exuding an air of mystery and indescribable danger. It felt like a black blade hidden within the night, its edge concealed in darkness, yet ever-present and lethally sharp.
Two opposing styles of lightning were about to collide as the Third Raikage took action.
He came in fiercely, moving at an astonishing speed, completely disregarding Yugito's safety as he hurled a punch straight at Ye Zi's head.
This reckless charge seemed to ignore Yugito's well-being entirely. However, in truth, the Third Raikage knew very well that Ye Zi wouldn't harm her. That was the only reason he dared to engage so boldly in close combat, even without worrying that Ye Zi might use Yugito as a human shield.
From what he had observed upon arrival, his subordinates retreating, Yugito being restrained, and with Ye Zi's presence it was clear that Ye Zi was targeting the Tailed Beast. There was no way he would let Yugito die.
This showed that, despite the Third Raikage's rugged appearance and burly build, his mind was surprisingly sharp. He was adept at assessing situations and making calculated decisions.
The thunderous punch, carrying a storm-like force, bore down on Ye Zi with blinding speed. However, Ye Zi's response was eerily calm. He showed no trace of surprise as if the overwhelming pressure, the kind that could even crush the surrounding air, meant nothing to him.
Holding onto Yugito's collar, Ye Zi twisted his body and flung her toward the ruins of a collapsed building. This movement turned his back toward the Third Raikage.
Perhaps, from the moment he reached Yugito, he had already planned to throw her away immediately. His determination was as stubborn as a bull charging into a dead end, unchanging regardless of any circumstances, not even when the Third Raikage's terrifying punch was bearing down on him.
"You dare to look down on me like this!?" The Third Raikage's eyes flared like a raging thunderstorm.
Many of the surrounding Cloud ninjas couldn't even keep up with the Third Raikage's movements. Only a select few, including A, managed to witness this exchange clearly. Though they didn't understand why Ye Zi threw Yugito away, exposing his back to the Third Raikage seemed like pure recklessness, was he tired of living?
A reacted quickly. The moment Ye Zi flung Yugito, he sprang into action.
Meanwhile, at the ruins of Yugito's destroyed residence, a black-and-white figure swiftly emerged, White Zetsu.
Ye Zi's reason for tossing Yugito there was obvious: he was handing her over to White Zetsu for extraction.
The atmosphere turned heavy.
The Third Raikage's massive, rock-like fist had already made contact with the black lightning surging across Ye Zi's body.
Clang!
A piercing sound exploded through the air, reverberating through the mountains. The sharpness of the noise was unbearable to the ears.
But the expected scene didn't occur.
The Cloud ninjas, as well as the newly arriving reinforcements, including the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, watched in stunned silence. Their movements halting as they took in the sight.
Why wasn't Ye Zi pulverized into pieces by the Third Raikage's punch?
Even if he hadn't been blasted apart, why hadn't he even taken a step back? And he didn't appear injured at all, how was that possible?
As the spectators grappled with these questions, a violent gust of wind swept across the battlefield.
When the Third Raikage's fist collided with Ye Zi's back, the impact generated an explosive shockwave that rippled outward.
The remnants of the battlefield, small fragments of rock and debris, were caught in the storm and scattered like bullets in all directions.
Thunk!
A particularly sharp stone even pierced through the arm of a Cloud ninja who had been watching in shock, leaving a bleeding hole. The sheer force of the wind spoke volumes about the impact's terrifying strength.
For a moment, no one had the time to ponder why Ye Zi was unharmed. Instead, the Cloud ninjas scrambled to steady themselves, dodging the deadly rain of flying debris.
That initial sound, so shrill and so loud, had been like the clang of metal striking steel.
"Nice sword."
The Third Raikage's gaze locked onto the blade now positioned in front of his fist. His expression was like that of an enraged war god.
It was this half-drawn sword that had blocked his full-force punch at the last moment. Because Ye Zi had turned his body and intercepted the strike with the flat of the blade, the impact had been distributed across a large surface area. Yet, the sword had not broken. Thus, the Third Raikage offered his evaluation.
It was a fine blade. The fact that it hadn't shattered under his power was proof enough.
However, even though the sword was exceptional, the real reason Ye Zi hadn't budged an inch was not because of the blade itself, it was because of his own monstrous strength.
"You're not bad yourself."
The Third Raikage stared at Ye Zi, who remained with his back to him. With just one hand, Ye Zi had drawn his waist-hung blade halfway from its sheath and used its broadside to block the incoming punch.
The Raikage wasn't the type to praise an opponent's strength during battle, but at this moment, even though Ye Zi was his enemy, he couldn't hold back a genuine acknowledgment.
Even with all his battle experience, the Third Raikage had to admit, Ye Zi's defensive stance in this exchange was nothing short of astonishing.
Why had Ye Zi stubbornly thrown Yugito away, even when he had closed in on his target, placing himself in a highly vulnerable position?
Now it was clear, he had absolute confidence in his ability to withstand the Third Raikage's punch.
And an enemy's confidence was nothing more than an insult to his strength.
To a warrior who had never lost a battle, this feeling was deeply infuriating.
At this moment, the Third Raikage's mood was absolutely terrible.
Ye Zi didn't care about the Third Raikage's mood. His body leaned slightly forward, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword, pulling out most of the blade, while his left hand remained in the posture of having just thrown something.
Previously, to use Wood Release, he had sealed Chijin back into its scabbard. Now, that decision was proving to be quite useful.
His cold, eerie eyes flickered as they rapidly scanned the battlefield. He saw that White Zetsu had successfully caught Yugito, while A, the other master of Lightning Release, was charging straight toward White Zetsu. Ye Zi made his move, shattering the deadlock in an instant.
His free left hand pressed against the ground, searching for leverage. The force transferred through his body into his palm, and he suddenly pushed off with immense strength.
Crack!
The hard ground beneath his palm fractured like a spiderweb.
Ye Zi's body shifted slightly forward, dissipating some of the force from the Third Raikage's punch.
Because of this forward movement, the Third Raikage's upper body also leaned forward slightly. In the brief opening this created, Ye Zi used his left hand as a pivot, flipping forward. His legs swung from behind and struck the Third Raikage's outstretched right elbow from below with a powerful kick.
"Hm?"
Ye Zi's unexpected maneuver caught the Third Raikage off guard. By the time he registered what had happened, his right elbow had already taken the hit. His brow furrowed as he felt the force, strong enough to push him back against his will.
With the short-lived deadlock broken, Ye Zi completed his forward flip, landing lightly on the ground. His upper body tilted slightly forward, and a faint smirk appeared at the corner of his lips.
Then, with a sudden stomp, he propelled himself forward like a bullet, leaving a trail of dust and small rocks scattering in his wake.
In the blink of an eye, Ye Zi appeared beside A, intercepting him mid-charge like an immovable barrier.
"What?"
A, who was rushing to reclaim Yugito, suddenly felt an intense pressure from his side. He instinctively glanced in that direction, only to see Ye Zi, cloaked in black lightning, appearing at his flank. His pupils shrank sharply in shock.
How had he escaped from his father?!
The question barely had time to form in his mind before Ye Zi's foot slammed into him. With a whoosh, A's powerful body was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into a rocky mountainside. A burst of shattered stone and a thick cloud of dust erupted upon impact.
Ye Zi had simultaneously evaded the Third Raikage and kicked A away, all to create an opportunity for White Zetsu to escape.
"Go."
After sending A flying, Ye Zi fully unsheathed Chijin, gripping the blade firmly in his hand as he coldly locked eyes with the slightly startled Third Raikage.
That single word,"Go." was, of course, directed at White Zetsu.
"How impressive…"
White Zetsu had been observing the entire exchange. With a note of admiration in his voice, he promptly absorbed Yugito into his body and melded into the ground, vanishing without a trace.
The battlefield, which had been filled with the thunderous echoes of combat moments ago, now fell into an eerie silence.
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Currently on Chapter 553 - The Pendulum of Fate