Kaede was faster than him. Killing Kaede would be extremely difficult, and the Third Raikage had no intention of doing so.
All he needed to do was cover A and Killer Bee's retreat.
Besides, Kaede was a Lightning Release user, not a Wind Release user. Even if he was faster, it would still be extremely difficult to take him down. As long as he could stall him for a bit and exhaust his chakra, he could safely disengage.
…
Bathed in silver light, Kaede stood at a distance, gazing at the Third Raikage. In his hand, the Kusanagi Sword crackled with the piercing screech of Chidori. The chirping energy gathered and condensed at the blade's edge, becoming more focused and compressed under his control.
On the other side, the Third Raikage raised his right arm across his chest. Slowly curling his pinky and pressing it down with his thumb, the lightning at his fingertip flared even sharper.
Hell Stab – Three-Fingered Thrust!
Facing Kaede, who was even faster than his own son and had suppressed the Eight-Tails, he dared not show the slightest bit of carelessness. He treated Kaede as a true equal, a shinobi of the same level.
The surging chakra within the Third Raikage was so overwhelming that even Yūhi Kurenai and the others, watching from afar, could faintly feel the oppressive pressure. Cold sweat began to bead on their foreheads.
The Third Raikage!
Renowned among the Cloud ninja as the strongest Raikage in history!
The First Raikage ended the Warring States Era alongside the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, ushering in the era of the one-country-one-village system. The Second Raikage devoted his life to researching Lightning Release techniques, creating the Lightning Chakra Mode and various other secret arts.
The Third Raikage inherited these secrets and perfected them. Not only did he master them completely, but he also surpassed the Second Raikage, the very one who invented them!
…
Meanwhile, Kaede, bathed in a silver glow, possessed chakra no less terrifying than the Third Raikage's. The sheer intensity of it was enough to send chills down one's spine.
Neither Orochimaru nor Jiraiya had ever radiated chakra like this. Only the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had ever given off such an overwhelming presence.
Chakra on par with the Third Hokage!
Add to that Kaede's swordsmanship, his speed, and the fact that he had suppressed the Eight-Tails, Yūhi Kurenai and the others all shared one thought:
Kaede's strength was already on par with the Third Hokage!
This clash between Kaede and the Third Raikage was surely the greatest battle between top-tier shinobi in the entire ninja world!
…
"Kaede…"
Tsunade clenched her fists tightly.
It had been a long time since she had felt this powerless.
She could still force her way into Kaede's fight against the Eight-Tails, but now that he was facing the Third Raikage, a fellow speed-type shinobi, there was almost nothing she could do.
The most she could manage was to send a slug to crawl onto Kaede's body, hiding within his clothes. Through it, she could channel chakra and heal his injuries at any time.
Kaede glanced down at the slug crawling onto his chest.
It wasn't exactly pleasant having a sticky slug on him, but after spending time with Orochimaru, he had grown used to oddities like this.
Still… was this like Yasuo having a cat on his shoulder?
Or was it more like having a support healer on his team?
With those amusing thoughts flashing through his mind, Kaede's mood lightened, and his gaze toward the Third Raikage grew calmer.
Perfect.
He could use the Third Raikage to test the results of his training.
..
Under the watchful eyes of Tsunade, Yūhi Kurenai, and the others, Kaede moved. Bathed in silver light, he vanished in an instant.
The next moment, he appeared behind the Third Raikage, his Kusanagi Sword wrapped in lightning as he slashed down without hesitation.
A white streak lingered in the air.
It wasn't a trail left by Kaede's movement, it was an afterimage left behind because his speed had outpaced the limits of visual perception.
The Third Raikage spun around abruptly, meeting Kaede's slash head-on with three fingers. The concentrated Lightning Chakra on his fingertips formed blades sharper than steel.
CRACKLE, !!
The Kusanagi Sword clashed with the lightning-forged fingertips, creating a violent burst of visible lightning arcs.
A glint flashed in Kaede's eyes. His sword blurred into a flurry of afterimages.
"Atomic Slash!"
Something had changed.
The Third Raikage froze for a brief moment, then was sent flying backward. His body, cloaked in lightning, was now crisscrossed with countless fine white lines, like a fish caught in a net.
The ground beneath his feet shattered into fragments, as if it had been struck by countless blades in an instant, like a weakened version of Dust Release.
"So fast…"
The Third Raikage skidded back several meters before stabilizing himself. A flicker of light passed through his eyes.
Even he had struggled to parry Kaede's lightning-fast strike, only managing to block a small portion of it. Fortunately, his speed was just enough, and the attack's power wasn't strong enough to pierce his defenses.
"Even the Kusanagi Sword can't cut through, huh? No wonder you're the Third Raikage."
Kaede's expression was calm.
So relying on speed and the Kusanagi's sharpness allowed him to strike the Third Raikage directly, avoiding a head-on clash with the Hell Stab. But it still couldn't pierce his Lightning Chakra Armor.
Even using 'Getsuga Tenshō', the Raikage could counter with a Hell Stab, neutralizing much of its power. It still wouldn't break through.
Which meant,
He needed a stronger technique.
"In that case…"
Kaede slowly spoke, raising the Kusanagi Sword horizontally in front of him. The chakra within his body surged wildly, flooding into the blade like a river breaking its banks.
This wasn't chakra flow.
Nor was it chakra hardening.
It was something far more brute-force, he was pouring his violent chakra into the sword with reckless abandon!
CRACKLE!!
The arcs of Chidori shattered and dispersed, replaced by an uncontrolled torrent of Lightning Chakra, forcibly compressed into the Kusanagi's blade.
Any lesser blade, like the White Fang dagger, would have long since cracked under the strain. But as a legendary weapon, the Kusanagi Sword could withstand it!
Kaede's sword erupted with blinding lightning.
The surrounding air warped from the intensity of the chakra. Bolts of lightning streaked through the air, drawn to the blade.
Kaede continued to pour chakra into it. Bolts crackled out from the sword, striking the ground and blasting craters into the earth.
"Not good…"
The Third Raikage's expression changed.
He could sense the terrifying amount of chakra condensed into the blade. Even he instinctively felt danger.
Without hesitation, he curled a second finger and charged forward, Two-Fingered Hell Stab, aimed straight at Kaede's chest, trying to interrupt him.
Whoosh!
Kaede flickered in a flash of silver, dodging the Raikage's thrust. Without stopping, he continued flooding chakra into the Kusanagi Sword.
At last,
He felt the blade reach its limit.
The Kusanagi Sword had transformed into a radiant beam of white light, drawing lightning from the sky itself to merge with its energy.
"This... is the true way to wield the Kusanagi Sword."
Kaede raised his left hand, gripping the dazzling, thunder-forged blade with both hands, and looked toward the Third Raikage.
Then he stepped forward, and swung.
Brilliant white light burst from the sword's edge, instantly illuminating the sky and the earth.
Tsunade, Yūhi Kurenai, and the others couldn't help but shut their eyes, unable to stare directly at that sun-like explosion of light.
In that moment, the world was swallowed in blinding white.
This was the most powerful attack Kaede could currently use. He had never tested it fully before, knowing it would cause a massive disturbance, but he had confirmed it was possible.
He had given this technique a name:
Heaven Flash.
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