"I told you—" Naraku's voice cut through the chaos.
"You've become far too slow!"
To Naraku's enhanced perception, the Fourth Raikage's desperate all-out assault appeared to move in slow motion, riddled with openings and flaws.
Had his opponent been in peak condition, Naraku would have needed to rely on his Observation Haki to dodge or his elemental transformation to neutralize the attack. But now, neither was necessary.
Rather than retreating, Naraku surged forward, closing the distance in an instant. His hands clamped down on the Fourth Raikage's attacking wrist, and with a fluid motion, he executed a perfect over-the-shoulder throw.
"BOOM!"
"CRACK!"
"Gah!"
The impact created a massive spider-web of cracks across the ground. Ai crashed into the newly formed crater, his body wracked with agony. The sheer force of Naraku's throw had caused severe internal damage—his organs felt as if they'd been crushed.
This type of internal trauma was beyond what Ai could endure in his weakened state.
The lightning chakra armor surrounding the Fourth Raikage flickered and dimmed, becoming increasingly unstable. The damage from Naraku's technique had proven devastatingly effective.
"Hmph," Naraku waved his hand to clear the dust cloud, killing intent radiating from every pore. He raised his foot, preparing to stomp down on the fallen Raikage.
Driven by survival instinct, Ai managed to roll aside at the last possible moment.
Naraku pursued immediately, his speed easily matching the Raikage's desperate evasion. His fist, coated in the dark sheen of Armament Haki, shot toward Ai with terrifying force.
The Raikage dodged with lightning-quick reflexes while simultaneously bringing his hand down in a knife-edge strike aimed at Naraku's neck. Had this counter connected without any defense, even Naraku would have suffered serious injury.
"Impressive," Naraku acknowledged.
Even ordinary ninja could unleash surprising power in their final moments. For someone of the Fourth Raikage's caliber, such desperation made him truly dangerous.
Mid-air, without any foothold or leverage, Naraku performed an impossible twist. As the Raikage's strike passed harmlessly through empty space, Naraku materialized behind him, driving his fist deep into Ai's back.
The devastating force punched straight through the lightning armor, the impact penetrating deep into the Raikage's body. Ai's vision went dark as waves of dizziness overwhelmed him, his formidable strength rapidly draining away.
Had anyone been able to see his face at that moment, they would have witnessed a truly horrific sight—blood streaming from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears, transforming his features into a grotesque mask.
"Pff—"
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
The Fourth Raikage stumbled forward several steps, fighting to maintain his balance. Despite his efforts, his legs gave out, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.
But Ai refused to accept defeat. He would never surrender!
He struggled desperately, trying to push himself back to his feet, but this simple action had become an insurmountable challenge.
Standing behind his fallen opponent, Shihouin Naraku flexed his fists, feeling the power of Armament Haki flowing through them. That last strike had definitely ruptured multiple internal organs.
Internal injuries were far more serious than external wounds—a fact that Naraku, with his extensive medical ninjutsu knowledge, understood perfectly well. He could read the Fourth Raikage's condition with clinical precision.
From this moment forward, Ai's life had entered its final countdown.
Theoretically, if he could reach one of the ninja world's legendary medical experts—someone like Tsunade, Yakushi Kabuto, or even Naraku himself—there might be hope for recovery. But such a scenario was pure fantasy under these circumstances.
"Lord Naraku!"
"Lord Raikage!"
"AI!"
Though Naraku and Ai had moved their battle to a relatively isolated area, as the supreme commanders of their respective forces, every ninja on the battlefield had been watching their confrontation with bated breath.
The outcome of their duel would determine not just morale, but the entire course of the battle.
Victory for either leader meant triumph for their entire army.
When the Cloud ninja witnessed their Raikage fall, several immediately attempted to rush to his aid.
The Konoha forces moved to intercept, forming an impenetrable barrier. They would never allow the Cloud shinobi to break through and reach Shihouin Naraku.
Besides, the battlefield situation had already tilted decisively in Konoha's favor. Most of the Cloud forces had been either killed or captured, with less than a third of their original number still offering resistance.
They teetered on the brink of complete defeat. If the Fourth Raikage fell here, the war would effectively be over.
"Heh... cough, cough..."
Against all odds, Ai slowly pushed himself up from the ground. Using every ounce of his remaining strength, he forced his body upright and turned to face Shihouin Naraku with eyes burning with fierce determination.
"Your resilience is genuinely surprising," Naraku admitted, studying the wavering figure before him. "To stand after taking such devastating damage to your internal organs... Most Kage-level shinobi would have died the moment they hit the ground."
The Fourth Raikage stood before him, blood streaming from every orifice, his body trembling with the effort of remaining upright. Yet still, he prepared to attack once more. The Cloud Village's reputation for producing warriors with incredible physical endurance was clearly well-earned.
"The Raikage of the Hidden Cloud will never surrender!" Ai declared, his voice raw but unwavering.
"I will have revenge for everyone! I'll kill you!"
"You bastard! You damned BASTARD!"
Ai clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked. His face contorted with rage and pain, the blood streaming down his features making his expression even more terrifying.
Lightning chakra surged around his body one final time. Ai gathered every last spark of his strength, transformed himself into living lightning, and launched himself at Naraku in one last, desperate charge.
Naraku understood immediately—this was Ai's final gambit, his last attack.
But he would show no mercy, offer no quarter. Since the Fourth Raikage had chosen this path, Naraku would honor that choice by meeting him with his full strength.
"BOOM!"
The collision generated a massive shockwave that forced observers to shield their eyes. A blinding white ring of pure concussive force expanded outward from the point of impact.
Everything in its path was obliterated!
The overwhelming pressure knocked countless ninja to the ground. Dust and debris filled the air, obscuring the entire battlefield.
Even at a considerable distance from the epicenter, shinobi from both villages felt the devastating effects of this final clash.
"CRACK!"
Naraku materialized at Ai's side, his kick connecting solidly with the Raikage's leg. The sharp snap of breaking bone echoed across the battlefield.
"Ngh—"
Ai grunted in pain but ignored his shattered right leg entirely. Instead, he used the momentum to spin around, channeling all his remaining strength and lightning chakra into his elbow, driving it toward Naraku's head.
With a casual tilt of his head, Naraku evaded the elbow strike. In the same motion, he brought his knee up viciously into Ai's ribs. Another sickening crack announced more broken bones as the terrible force launched Ai into the air.
Naraku pushed off with explosive force, pursuing his airborne opponent instantly. As they soared through the air together, Naraku raised his right leg high, coating it with both Armament Haki and his monstrous strength. Then he brought it down like a divine executioner's axe, the air itself screaming from the force of the blow.
This strike carried the weight of finality—an attack meant to end everything.
"BOOM!"
The thunderous impact was accompanied by a symphony of cracking sounds. Every bone in the Fourth Raikage's body shattered simultaneously under the devastating force.
Even with his remarkable recovery abilities, such catastrophic damage sealed Ai's fate.
The Raikage plummeted toward the ground, but Naraku caught up once more, his hand closing around Ai's throat.
"Since your Cloud Village seems so fond of targeting the neck," Naraku said coldly, "allow me to return the favor."
"SNAP!"
The Fourth Raikage's eyes widened in his final moment, the light of life fading from them as his body went limp.
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