Chapter 143: Earth and Lightning 10
Death is not terrifying; what is terrifying is the moment one faces death. Death is also not difficult;
the difficult part is surviving.
Conventionally, when a person is about to die, their entire life flashes rapidly before their eyes; people call this phenomenon a 'life review'.
And in Naruto, this is called a 'flashback kill'.
If the Third Raikage's life were to be described with one word, it would be 'reckless'.
From Genin, he charged his way to Chunin; from Chunin, he charged his way to Jonin; then he was appreciated by the Second Raikage and charged his way to Kage.
His decades in office can be described as the golden age of Kumogakure's development.
Neither the First Raikage nor the Second Raikage performed as well during their tenures as he did. Calling him the Strongest Raikage is not an exaggeration, but a fact. Strength is secondary; what a Kage needs to do is comprehensively enhance the overall power of their ninja village.
The only mistake he made in his life was attempting to single-handedly reduce Kumogakure's losses by confronting Iwagakure. If even a single hundred-man squad had been there to support him, he would not have died.
But if he were to choose again, he would certainly still charge forward just as he did before.
This is the Raikage's Ninja Way.
After the Fourth Raikage A assumed power, he would have to overcome countless detours to achieve what his predecessor had.
When the Iwagakure shinobi witnessed the powerful Third Raikage atomized by Dust Release, a sense of desolation washed over them.
Even one as strong as him could not escape the fate of being meticulously ambushed and eliminated.
Even the Iwagakure shinobi, who had lost many comrades, held profound respect for this powerful ninja.
The Raikage's death signified Kumogakure's defeat. Without their leader, their power entered a vacuum period. Only when the Fourth Raikage ascended would they potentially get a moment to breathe.
This holds true for any ninja village; the precedent being Sunagakure.
"Huff, huff, huff."
The Third Tsuchikage, Ohnoki, floated in the air, panting heavily. The Raikage's strike had nearly broken his spine. Just as most people's brains protectively block some pain when severely injured, it was only now that his waist became excruciatingly painful.
"Medical ninja! Get a medical ninja for Lord Tsuchikage!"
"Coming immediately."
The artificial thunderclouds in the sky had not yet dissipated. If not for this silver-haired brat from Amegakure, how much longer could the Third Raikage have struggled and how much more damage could he have caused?
That decisive Lightning Release had even the Tsuchikage trembling.
A medical ninja arrived, but the Tsuchikage did not immediately descend. The person opposite him, who had fought the Raikage alongside him, was staring intently at him.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on his face.
[Defeated Third Raikage, Third Tsuchikage, Completion Progress 50%]
When Kakashi saw the Raikage turn to ash from Dust Release, he thought his mission would fail. After all, this 'credit' couldn't possibly be attributed to him. But without doing so, it would be even harder to find an opportunity to kill the Third Raikage, so he took a gamble.
Fortunately, the system acknowledged his contribution as an assist.
The other 50 percent was the half-crippled Tsuchikage floating in the air before him, whose chakra was more than half depleted, barely enough to maintain flight, and whose combat power was less than a tenth of his peak.
There couldn't be a better opportunity. As long as he found a way to get into the sky, he could render the Third Tsuchikage unconscious in an instant.
This guy was really cautious; even with medical ninja arriving, he wouldn't descend from the sky.
"Ninja of Amegakure, your mission is complete. I will reward you, and when you return to Amegakure, Iwagakure will be your ally."
"Lord Tsuchikage, the medical ninja are here. Aren't you coming down to treat your injuries?"
"This old man doesn't need young people to worry about him."
The Iwagakure shinobi present clearly felt the atmosphere grow tense again. The elites, who had gained a few minutes of rest, began to approach Kakashi, forming an encirclement.
His expression unchanged, Kakashi showed no signs of leaving. He sensed Uchiha Shisui's location, and after confirming he was close enough to provide assistance at any moment, he took out the teleportation tag.
Coordinate Teleportation could transport him to any location; if he wasn't afraid of death, he could even go underground. Teleporting into the sky was even simpler.
With an inaudible crunch, the silver-haired young man instantly vanished from before the Iwagakure shinobi and Ohnoki.
Ohnoki had seen this ninjutsu before; Uchiha Shisui had also used it to escape when caught by the Raikage. So, this must be an escape method.
"Gone? Good that he's gone."
There was no time to hold Kakashi accountable; pain had already consumed Ohnoki's mind. Every nerve told him that he should receive treatment immediately.
Slowly lowering his altitude, just as he was about five or six meters from the ground, the Iwagakure shinobi below suddenly widened their eyes, looking at him.
"Has my injury really become this severe?"
Looking again closely, the Iwagakure shinobi below weren't focused on him, but on the sky even higher above.
Ohnoki immediately became alert. Without time to turn his head, he controlled his body to shift left.
"Too late."
The silver-haired young man, whom he thought had vanished, grasped his body with a right hand flickering with a trace of electricity, injecting his powerful Lightning Release chakra into Ohnoki's body, paralyzing his control over it.
His left hand pressed against the weak spot on Ohnoki's waist, and he unleashed a punch. Ohnoki and Kakashi fell to the ground together from the sky, with the former even serving as a cushion for the latter's landing.
Everyone heard the crisp sound of bones cracking from the Tsuchikage's waist.
"This guy might have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair."
The old man, who had fainted from the dual assault of lightning and pain, was lifted by Kakashi by the nape of his neck.
In an instant, dozens of Iwagakure ninja stepped forward, intending to use taijutsu to reclaim their leader.
"Don't be reckless."
The silver-haired young man exerted slight pressure, threatening the remaining Iwagakure shinobi.
[Defeated Third Tsuchikage, Third Raikage, Completed, Rewards Issued]
30 large units of Ryūmyaku chakra instantly surged into Kakashi's body. Even though his chakra had been nearly depleted before, it was now several times stronger than his previous full power.
His total chakra volume had increased to 58 large units.
His endurance capacity was unprecedentedly strong. Ninjutsu like Lightning Blade could now be unleashed without restraint, with no need to worry about chakra depletion.
"Let go of Lord Tsuchikage!!!"
The Iwagakure shinobi spoke with increasing ferocity. They pressured Kakashi with a unity even greater than when they faced the Raikage, but the latter completely ignored them.
"I won't let go. What can you do to me?"
As he said, the young man holding the Tsuchikage by the nape of his neck could kill him at any moment. Wherever he passed, the Iwagakure shinobi consciously cleared a path.
Fearing accidental injury to the Tsuchikage, they didn't even dare to use ninjutsu.
"Shisui, let's go."
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