Chapter 419 – The One Who Commands Time and Space (Part 2).
Seeing the punch coming toward him, Kei shifted his body slightly and dodged.
He had no intention of making physical contact with the Fourth Raikage, especially when the man's entire body was wrapped in Lightning Release chakra.
Who knew whether that chakra might suddenly explode with terrifying power and deal him serious damage?
Shinobi were never honorable fighters.
At least, Kei himself was certainly not.
The effect of Chrono Drift was still active.
After avoiding the punch, black chakra suddenly surged from Kei's body.
The chakra quickly formed rib bones that wrapped around him, and a thick skeletal arm materialized beside him.
The skeletal fist clenched tightly.
As he passed by the Raikage, the giant bone arm smashed down viciously onto the Raikage's back.
Boom!
The punch landed solidly.
The immense force drove the Raikage straight into the ground.
The earth collapsed instantly.
Kei frowned slightly as he leapt into the air and discreetly glanced at the arm of his Susanoo.
The skeletal arm…
had cracked.
Just how hard is this bastard's body?
A single punch had caused cracks in his Susanoo?
Even if this was only the most basic stage of Susanoo, its durability still far surpassed any armor or steel plating.
As for whether the Raikage had died—
Probably not.
After all, he had endured even the third stage Susanoo before.
"That's interesting," Kei murmured with a faint smile.
He landed lightly and dispelled the effect of Chrono Drift.
As a time-based ability, its dominance had already been fully demonstrated.
But Kei knew he couldn't overuse it.
His goal here was merely to capture the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, not necessarily to kill the Fourth Raikage.
Although there was already a convenient scapegoat—Uchiha Obito—Kei had no intention of squeezing out that man's value all at once.
Of course…
If the Raikage insisted on courting death, Kei wouldn't mind sending him to the Pure Land.
At this stage, the pressure the Fourth Raikage placed on him was honestly quite limited.
Even though the Raikage possessed immense chakra and forced Kei to exert himself when using Chrono Drift, it still wasn't too troublesome.
For example—
After using the ability for a while just now, Kei could feel his eyes starting to ache.
But his ocular power recovered quickly.
If he wanted to, he could have killed the Raikage easily while Chrono Drift was active.
However, if the Raikage died now, Uchiha Obito would likely face serious trouble.
In other words—
The future Akatsuki organization, which would eventually gather the Tailed Beasts, would run into problems.
And Akatsuki still held significant value for Kei.
Whether it was helping him collect the Tailed Beasts, or acting as a terrorist power that forced the Five Great Nations into uneasy peace—
Both possibilities were useful.
It was one of Kei's contingency plans.
Since Akatsuki still had value—and that value had not yet been exhausted—it naturally aligned with Kei's interests.
Letting it continue to grow was the logical choice.
If the Raikage had to die, it should happen like when Sasori killed the Third Kazekage—before joining the organization.
Or like when Obito killed Minato in the original timeline—secretly and without witnesses.
Their objective here was to launch a surprise attack and weaken Kumogakure's forces.
At the same time, they intended to obtain some of the Eight-Tails' chakra.
So killing the Raikage was unnecessary.
"Too bad," Kei sighed.
"I'm actually starting to find him a bit irritating."
He crossed his arms and watched coldly as the Raikage slowly climbed to his feet, coughing blood.
"I'm disappointed."
"Is this really all you've got?"
"Cough… cough…"
The Raikage wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
That last blow had nearly shattered his spine.
Fortunately, his defense was monstrous.
He slowly stood up and stared at Kei with a grim expression.
"Who exactly are you?"
"What organization do you belong to?"
"Is 'Black' your codename?"
"You talk too much," Kei replied calmly.
"I don't want to kill you."
"At least not yet. Killing a Kage would make things troublesome everywhere we go."
"Our previous deal still stands."
"Hand over the Eight-Tails, and I'll let you live."
"What a joke!" the Raikage roared.
Lightning chakra surged through his body once again.
"You are strong—maybe even more terrifying than Uchiha Fugaku."
"But I don't believe your speed can stay that fast forever."
"Let's see how you kill me!"
"Then you truly are courting death."
Kei's voice was cold.
Black chakra erupted around him once more.
A massive skeletal form manifested behind him—
The skull's crimson eyes locked onto the Raikage.
In that instant, the Raikage felt overwhelming pressure descend upon him.
But it didn't stop there.
Black chakra spread across the skeleton like muscles and veins, enveloping the structure completely.
A towering giant over twenty meters tall emerged, radiating suffocating chakra.
"If you want to die…" Kei said indifferently.
His Susanoo slowly drew its massive blade.
"…then I'll grant your wish."
The enormous sword left its sheath.
A terrifying blade aura swept across the land.
The Raikage's expression changed.
He had seen this chakra giant before—
The one with four arms.
But that one hadn't used weapons.
And it hadn't carried this chilling, oppressive aura.
Just what kind of monsters are these Uchiha?
And—
What kind of speed is this?
Those two thoughts flashed through the Raikage's mind.
The moment he moved from his position—
The blade had already carved through the place where he had stood.
The earth trembled violently.
The sword's energy split the ground apart.
Everything in its path was sliced apart like tofu.
Nothing could resist that strike.
Cold sweat dripped down the Raikage's face.
If that blade hit him—
He would die instantly.
There would be no chance of survival.
Then suddenly—
A powerful sense of danger surged through him.
It was as if a giant red "DANGER" symbol had appeared in his mind.
He gathered every ounce of chakra to reinforce his body.
At that exact moment—
The black Susanoo swung its blade again.
The earth shook violently.
Mountains and land trembled.
---
Meanwhile, Imai Kenta stood atop a pile of corpses.
Blood dripped steadily from his sword.
Those bodies—
All of them had been killed by him.
In only a few breaths, the Cloud ninja who had been alive moments ago had become nothing more than lifeless corpses.
The horrifying sight filled the surviving Cloud shinobi with fear.
Such terrifying speed and such brutal killing methods had completely exceeded their imagination.
This man clearly possessed a speed no weaker than the Fourth Raikage's, and he was their enemy.
"Call out your Eight-Tails," Imai Kenta said, lowering his voice so it sounded deep and distorted.
Truthfully, this wasn't the first time he had done something like this.
Back in Kirigakure, he had disguised himself as an attacker and caused chaos together with Uchiha Kei.
But at that time, his strength had been far weaker.
He hadn't possessed Flying Thunder God or Wood Release yet.
All he could do then was provide ninjutsu support, creating openings for Kei.
This time was different.
It wasn't that he had grown arrogant.
He simply knew exactly how strong he was now.
Even if he still couldn't match Kei's monstrous strength, he certainly didn't believe he was weaker than anyone else besides him.
"Eight-Tails?"
A Cloud ninja who seemed to be the commander was filled with fear, but suddenly something occurred to him.
His expression instantly turned ugly.
Black robes.
Spiral masks.
That combination immediately reminded him of the madmen who had attacked Konoha and Kirigakure one or two years ago—the ones who had released the Nine-Tails and the Three-Tails.
Their target… had always been the Tailed Beasts.
Realizing this, cold sweat began pouring down his back.
They had brought the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki to the battlefield to strengthen their chances against Konoha.
But that very decision had attracted these lunatics—
People who targeted Tailed Beasts without hesitation.
Damn it!
The commander cursed internally.
The loud explosion from the forest earlier was probably one of these people already fighting the Fourth Raikage.
How many of these masked attackers existed was unknown.
But they usually operated in three-man teams.
That wasn't the important part.
What mattered was that one of them was an Uchiha.
And just like Uchiha Fugaku, he possessed that terrifying chakra giant technique known as Susanoo.
"Yes. The Eight-Tails." Kenta nodded, his tone sounding almost negotiable.
"I'd rather not fight you."
"But if I have to, I won't hesitate."
"So… how about handing over the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki?"
"In your dreams!" the commander shouted coldly.
After a brief moment of thought, he yelled:
"Kill them!"
As he spoke, he pulled out a weapon and whispered to a ninja beside him.
"Go inform Lord Killer B. Tell him what's happening here and have him retreat immediately."
The ninja nodded and quickly left.
Only then did the commander sigh quietly in relief.
On the surface, he had sent the message so Killer B could escape.
But he knew B far too well.
Killer B would never retreat.
Especially now.
Because of the battle earlier, more than a thousand comrades had died under his command.
B was currently at the lowest point of his life.
He was consumed by guilt.
Once he heard what was happening here—
He would definitely rush here without hesitation.
It was a despicable plan.
But the commander knew something very clearly.
The enemies they were facing were far beyond what they could handle.
In that single instant earlier, more than fifteen Cloud ninja had died.
That reminded him of one person.
Minato Namikaze.
The man who had once slaughtered more than fifty elite Iwagakure shinobi in a single moment.
That single incident had crushed the morale of the entire Iwa army.
They became too afraid to face him.
Thinking of that, the commander sighed.
But the next moment he jumped directly into the battlefield.
---
Kenta watched as Cloud ninja surrounded him from all directions.
Though he felt some tension, he didn't allow it to affect him.
He was a qualified shinobi.
And he had a clear understanding of his own strength.
After all—
He didn't believe that Flying Thunder God combined with Wood Release would lose to these people.
Shinobi battles could sometimes look flashy.
But the simplest and most effective method was still the same:
Strike the vital point with a blade.
Uchiha Kei excelled at this.
And Imai Kenta was no worse.
Forming seals with one hand, his chakra spread outward.
Tiny sprouts appeared from the ground—almost impossible to notice.
These sprouts carried not only his chakra,
but also the Flying Thunder God markings.
The moment everything was prepared—
Kenta vanished.
Like a ghost that didn't exist.
He flickered constantly among the Cloud ninja.
Yet he resembled a Shura of slaughter.
Every time he appeared, a Cloud ninja collapsed lifelessly.
Their lives were harvested mercilessly.
This bizarre and horrifying scene pushed the Cloud ninja's fear to its limits.
What kind of monster was this?
Yet none of them fled.
They were shinobi.
And not just any shinobi—
They were combat troops.
Some Cloud ninja gritted their teeth and began casting jutsu even within their own ranks.
Lightning Release techniques spread across the ground.
But it was useless.
Kenta was simply too fast.
His Wood Release didn't seem to fear ordinary Lightning Release at all.
He continued moving like a phantom through the Cloud ranks.
His flickering silhouette appeared and vanished endlessly.
No one could block his blade.
No one could even track his position.
"Stop!"
Suddenly a voice shouted from the distance.
In the next instant—
Kenta saw a faint red chakra cloak spread over the Cloud ninja around him.
The cloak formed a protective barrier.
His blade could no longer kill them instantly.
Kenta frowned slightly.
But the next moment he smiled.
If he wasn't mistaken—
The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki had arrived.
With that thought, he kicked away the Cloud ninja in front of him who had just narrowly survived.
Then he stood still and looked at the muscular man approaching with sunglasses.
"The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki?"
"That's me."
"Then… would you come with us?"
"No."
Killer B's voice turned cold.
"I'll send you straight to hell."
--