Now, the Cloud Ninjas were burning with rage.
Their pride as warriors had been shattered—their Raikage, the embodiment of strength and honor in Kumogakure, had knelt before Byakuya. To every Cloud Ninja, this act was an unforgivable disgrace. Their fury surged like lightning on a stormy battlefield.
"CHARGE!"
Dodai's shout rang out, and dozens of elite Cloud Jonin roared forward, brandishing swords and channeling Raiton chakra into their blades. They were going to take back their Raikage—or die trying.
Byakuya, standing calmly in the center of the chaos, didn't flinch.
"Haha… what are you doing?" he sneered. "Coming for your Kage? Fine… I'll give him back to you!"
With casual contempt, Byakuya seized the heavily injured Raikage by the collar and hurled him.
"Boom!"
The massive form of the Third Raikage flew through the air like a cannonball, crashing directly into the wave of charging Cloud shinobi.
"BOOM!"
The impact detonated a shockwave that blasted the front line of Cloud Ninjas off their feet. Several were knocked unconscious from the collision. However, Raikage's body was finally recovered.
"L-Lord Raikage!"
"Medic! Get the med-nin here, now!"
"He's bleeding! That punch—his finger's twisted!"
One of the medics ran up, glowing green chakra enveloping their hands. They began mending the Raikage's broken fingers, but even then, the grim expression on the Kage's face did not fade.
"Damn… this man… when did Konoha breed such a monster…"
The Third Raikage—once known for surviving ten thousand enemy strikes—was shaken. He had never faced an opponent like this.
From afar, Byakuya called out coldly.
"What's wrong? Is that all? You came at me full of fury… now you're just crowding around like scared children."
He vanished—his figure flickering through the battlefield like a phantom.
In the next instant, he appeared right in front of the Raikage, fist already cocked.
"Die."
The Raikage's instincts flared. He crossed his arms, surging his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to the maximum. Blue lightning arced across his forearms as his famed "Strongest Shield" engaged.
"BOOM!"
Byakuya's fist collided with the Raikage's arms, unleashing a concussive shockwave. Dust and debris exploded outward, kicking up into a veil of smoke.
A moment passed.
Then another.
When the dust settled, the Raikage stood—arms trembling, feet buried into the earth—but still upright.
"He blocked it!?"
Byakuya's eyes narrowed slightly. "Interesting… Not many can take a punch from me."
Dodai shouted from the back, his voice filled with relief and pride, "That's the Strongest Shield! Even the Eight-Tails couldn't pierce Lord Raikage's defense!"
The surrounding Cloud Ninjas began to cheer, confidence returning to their battered morale.
But Byakuya only smirked.
"Then let me test that shield properly."
His eyes narrowed—Mangekyō Sharingan spinning.
"Zōka Myōzō."
A pulse of chakra surged through his arm. Byakuya's next punch looked deceptively identical—but the truth was different. The eye technique amplified its force, collapsing the air around it into violent vacuum pressure.
The Raikage didn't know.
He planted his feet and raised his arms again.
"BOOM—RIP—AAAGH!!"
Lightning shattered. The Raikage's defense buckled.
A crack echoed across the battlefield as his armor split and blood sprayed from his mouth. His body flew back like a ragdoll, crashing into the dirt dozens of meters away.
Byakuya's voice rang out, laced with disdain.
"Tch… Strongest Shield? That was it? Pathetic."
Dead silence.
Shock and fear spread across the ranks of Kumogakure.
"H-He… he broke Lord Raikage's defense…"
"No way… No one's ever done that…"
Dodai's face turned pale.
"Lord Raikage, are you alright?!"
Dodai rushed over, eyes wide with disbelief as he helped the wounded Third Raikage sit up.
Behind him, several medical-nin immediately began applying emergency treatment, channeling medical chakra into the Raikage's torn musculature.
"Agh... I'll live...!"
The Third Raikage coughed harshly, blood flecking his lips. He clenched his fists, both in frustration and pain.
"That damn Uchiha... he actually broke through my Lightning Release Armor…"
For the first time in years, the Raikage—known for his unmatched durability, the strongest shield, and devastating offense, the strongest spear—was shaken.
Even in his battle against the Eight-Tails, he had never been brought so low.
But now, before Uchiha Byakuya, both spear and shield had crumbled.
Byakuya stepped forward, the Mangekyō Sharingan glowing ominously in his eyes.
Dark chakra flickered like black fire around him, his expression unreadable.
"Raikage of Kumogakure," Byakuya's voice was cold and thunderous, "you dared to invade the Land of Fire and threaten Konoha. For that crime—today, you die."
The words hit harder than any jutsu. The Third Raikage's expression twisted, not in fear—but fury.
Yet before he could react, Byakuya had already blurred forward, vanishing with a flicker of his high-speed body technique.
"Protect Lord Raikage!"
Dodai shouted as the surrounding Cloud-nin surged forward, forming a protective wall in front of their Kage.
But the difference in power was insurmountable.
"Bang! Boom! Crash!"
With each flick of his wrist, Byakuya sent seasoned jōnin flying like ragdolls. His strikes were precise, brutal, and merciless.
No one could stop him—neither with swords nor jutsu.
"This is madness...!"
The Third Raikage snarled as he forced himself to his feet, chakra surging wildly. His body was already battered, but he wouldn't let his men be slaughtered while he stood idle.
"Lightning Release: Chakra Mode!"
Electricity erupted around his body, forming a blazing aura. His speed soared, and in an instant, he launched himself at Byakuya like a lightning bolt.
"You rabid beast actually dare to stand again?"
Byakuya smirked and met him head-on. With a single twist of his body, he raised his arm—and struck.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two earth-shattering blows echoed across the battlefield.
The Raikage's body hurtled backward, slamming into a cliffside. Dust and rubble exploded outward.
When it cleared, the Raikage slumped forward, face bruised and armor cracked.
He couldn't win.
Not against this man.
Not against Uchiha Byakuya.
And the entire Cloud Army?
They had no chance.
Anyone who dared to stand against Byakuya faced only one fate—death.
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