"So fast…"
Faced with the Fourth Raikage's lightning-fast chop, Kaede muttered quietly in his heart. He suddenly leaned back, narrowly avoiding the strike. At the same time, he clenched his right fist and launched it toward the Raikage's face.
The Raikage's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.
Kaede's speed was clearly a notch slower, but his reflexes were incredibly sharp, and his dynamic vision astonishingly keen, sharp enough to evade an attack even at a speed disadvantage.
Boom!!!
The Fourth Raikage raised his arm to block the blow.
When the fist collided with his arm, arcs of lightning exploded outward.
"Damn it…"
Tsunade watched the fierce exchange between Kaede and A, grinding her teeth. She hadn't wanted Kaede to use any forbidden techniques, but from the looks of it, he might not stand a chance against the son of the Third Raikage without doing so.
Whoosh!
Tsunade moved to assist Kaede, but Killer Bee quickly stepped in, intercepting her path.
"My big bro's in a fight, no interfering now! If you're itching for battle, come at me instead, yo!"
"Out of my way!"
Tsunade growled in irritation at Killer Bee's bizarre rhymes. With a shout, she launched a powerful punch forward.
Killer Bee met it with a punch of his own.
BOOM!!
Their fists collided midair, unleashing a deafening shockwave.
While Killer Bee's strength and speed were greatly enhanced by the Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak, the result of the clash was surprising, he staggered backward several meters.
"What crazy strength! She's gotta be single, whoa! Lightning Release: Thunder Plow Heat Blade!"
!!"
Killer Bee skidded to a halt, sounding more amused than angry, before charging right back in.
Though he wasn't fully transformed, even in his cloaked state, Killer Bee had more than enough power to keep Tsunade occupied, preventing her from joining the other battle. The two quickly became locked in a fierce struggle.
Meanwhile,
After exchanging blows with the Fourth Raikage, Kaede's expression remained calm. Despite being at a speed disadvantage, he showed no signs of panic. Chakra surged through his body, and the Fourth Gate of the Eight Gates Thunder Style opened with a burst.
Sparks of lightning danced between strands of his silver hair.
With the Fourth Gate open, Kaede's aura took on a silvery-white hue, distinct from the blue-tinged chakra shroud that coated the Raikage.
BOOM!!!
Kaede launched another punch, colliding head-on with the Raikage again. Then, with a smooth motion, he drew the Kusanagi Sword and swept it horizontally.
A flaming arc slashed through the air toward the Raikage.
"…His speed increased?!"
The Raikage's expression shifted slightly as he noticed the change in Kaede. He brought his hand down in a chopping motion, smashing the arc of fire apart in midair.
Though he was faster than Kaede, his defense wasn't as unbreakable as the Third Raikage's. Even so, the Lightning Chakra Mode granted him formidable resistance, and ordinary attacks couldn't break through.
Whoosh!!
The Fourth Raikage charged at Kaede once again.
Now that Kaede had opened the Fourth Gate, he could keep up with the Raikage's movements. No longer on the defensive, he surged forward as well, bathed in silver lightning.
Crackle!!
Sparks erupted endlessly between them.
To observers like Yūhi Kurenai and the others, all they could make out were two flickering light clusters, one sky-blue, the other silvery-white, constantly clashing and flashing in the distance. Wherever they collided, streaks of lightning etched glowing scars into the air.
For the moment, it was impossible to tell who held the upper hand.
Kurenai quickly realized there was no way for them to interfere in this level of battle. Without hesitation, she gave the order, leading her team to engage nearby Cloud ninja. The two sides soon clashed and descended into a chaotic melee.
Still, none of them could fully focus on their fights.
Everyone knew the real outcome hinged on Kaede and Tsunade's confrontation with the son of the Third Raikage and Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki.
And right now, no one could clearly discern the tide of that battle.
Even Killer Bee, locked in combat with Tsunade, couldn't tell if his brother was overpowering Kaede or if the fight had reached a stalemate.
"He's just a little slower than me… but his reflexes and dynamic vision are better… this brat…"
The Fourth Raikage's expression darkened.
Now that Kaede had opened the Fourth Gate, the Raikage's speed advantage had mostly vanished. Worse still, Kaede wielded the Kusanagi Sword, whose cutting edge he couldn't ignore.
Even with specially made metal gauntlets, which allowed him to parry the sword a few times, cracks had already formed from repeated clashes. They wouldn't last much longer.
If the gauntlets broke, he'd be forced to face the Kusanagi barehanded, an unacceptable risk.
"Bee!!!"
Realizing that continuing the stalemate would only put him at a disadvantage, the Raikage suddenly roared.
He had a hot temper, but he wasn't a fool. The moment he recognized the shifting tides, he decided to change tactics, he wasn't fighting alone, after all!
Killer Bee, still locked in battle with Tsunade, immediately picked up on the signal. The bond between brothers needed no words.
"Even big bro's having trouble with that silver flash, huh."
Though surprised, Killer Bee wasted no time. He dropped the Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak and unleashed his full power. Massive octopus-like tentacles burst forth, slamming toward Tsunade with overwhelming force.
Tsunade kicked one of the enormous tentacles skyward with a flying heel strike, but more followed in an unstoppable wave.
"Full transformation?! So the intel was right, he really is a perfect jinchūriki capable of using the full power of his tailed beast."
Her expression turned grim.
She could contend with Killer Bee in his cloaked state, but full transformation into the Eight-Tails was an entirely different beast!
Without hesitation, she bit her finger and slammed her palm against the ground.
POOF!!
A puff of smoke erupted, and a giant white slug appeared before her.
"Lady Tsunade."
"Help me, Katsuyu!"
Standing atop Katsuyu's head, Tsunade stared down the fully transformed Killer Bee with deep focus.
She knew full well the destructive power a tailed beast possessed. Even with Katsuyu, holding back the Eight-Tails would be incredibly difficult.
"So you had a summoning beast up your sleeve too. But all that'll do is delay the inevitable!"
Now in full tailed beast form, Killer Bee had lost all restraint. He could tell A was in trouble and knew he had to finish Tsunade quickly and move to assist.
The massive body of the Eight-Tails let out a deafening roar. Its eight giant tentacles reared up and then spun like a hurricane, tearing toward Katsuyu with explosive force.
CRASH!!
Katsuyu was shredded under the assault, her gelatinous body twisted apart segment by segment from the head down.
Chunks of her body scattered in all directions.
"Damn it!"
Tsunade grit her teeth and retreated under the overwhelming onslaught. There was no way she could withstand a frontal clash in this state.
Nearby, Kurenai and the others looked on in horror. The raw power unleashed by the Eight-Tails was enough to make them feel like fragile pieces of paper, one wrong move and they'd be torn to shreds!
This… wasn't power a human could hope to resist.
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