Hyuga Hiashi's expression shifted from shock to delight the moment he saw who had appeared before him—it was none other than Uchiha Ryosuke.
Ryosuke's arrival could only mean one thing: the frontal battlefield had been secured. There was hope again.
Hiashi couldn't help but feel a chill of fear. If Ryosuke had been even a second later, he might have been forced to destroy his own Byakugan.
Exhausted and struggling to stand, Hiashi sighed and said, "Ryosuke, I'll leave this one to you. If you can't handle him, fall back."
Ryosuke gave a confident smile. "You should rest. Leave the rest to me."
As for retreating? That had never been on his mind.
Thankfully, he had arrived just in time—any later, and the consequences could've been disastrous.
The Fourth Raikage, who had just been preparing to end the Hyuga clan leader, now halted his advance and smiled.
"Thanks for protecting the Cloud's Byakugan for me."
In his eyes, that Byakugan already belonged to the Hidden Cloud Village.
Ryosuke stared at the man and couldn't help but scoff inwardly. How shameless. Since when did the Byakugan belong to your village?
Without wasting another second, Ryosuke activated the Eight Gates Formation. Instantly, his aura surged, and blue-green steam burst from his body like a geyser.
He had conserved his strength until now—this was the moment to let it all loose.
Hyuga Hiashi watched with wide eyes. Through his Byakugan, he could see the tremendous chakra swirling within Ryosuke's body. The Eight Gates had clearly been cultivated to an advanced level.
Now he understood why Fugaku had placed so much trust in this young Uchiha.
It was clear now—this was the source of the Uchiha clan's confidence in daring to stand against the full might of the Hidden Cloud, with just the Uchiha and Hyuga combined.
A surge of hope bloomed in Hiashi's chest.
The Fourth Raikage, meanwhile, frowned deeply. "Eight Gates Formation…"
He hadn't expected to meet someone who had mastered such a powerful technique. And judging by the steam and the aura… it had been pushed to an advanced state.
How would it compare to his own ultimate move—his perfected Lightning Release Armor?
His expression turned sharp as he asked, "What happened on the frontal battlefield?"
Ryosuke grinned. "Take a guess."
The Raikage's eyes narrowed as rage surged through him. A terrible premonition crept into his heart.
He had to finish this guy now and rush back to confirm the situation. He couldn't imagine that they'd lose even with both their Jinchuriki—Killer Bee and Yugito Nii—on the field, and double the number of shinobi.
"Then let me see whether your Eight Gates is stronger than my ultimate Lightning Armor!"
Ryosuke stepped forward calmly. "As you wish."
He suddenly stomped the ground, sending shockwaves through the earth. Then, like a human cannonball, he launched himself forward with incredible speed.
The Fourth Raikage's pupils shrank—too fast!
He raised both arms to defend, but the moment their fists met, he was sent flying like a rag doll, gouging a long trench into the ground as he crashed and rolled.
Hyuga Hiashi, who had just sat down to catch his breath, was stunned.
So fast!
Earlier, he had at least been able to track the Raikage's movements with his Byakugan. But now, Ryosuke's speed was so intense it blurred completely out of sight.
This… this was the true power of the Eight Gates?
The Fourth Raikage scrambled to his feet, coughing dust and blood.
What a terrifying opponent. Not only was Ryosuke fast beyond imagination, but every punch carried a crushing weight.
Fortunately, his Lightning Release Armor had cushioned the blow. Without it, he would've suffered serious internal damage.
Damn it…
He realized quickly—there was no chance of winning a frontal clash. The difference was too wide.
But he knew one thing: the Eight Gates took a tremendous toll on the body. If he could endure until Ryosuke ran out of stamina, his chance would come.
His Lightning Armor couldn't last forever either, but at least longer than the Eight Gates.
Just as he resolved his strategy, Ryosuke charged again, fists blazing.
He rained down blow after blow like a violent storm. The Fourth Raikage struggled to defend, but his arms could barely block, and he was battered like a training dummy.
Fury burned inside the Raikage. Never in his life had he been humiliated like this.
Not even when facing the Yellow Flash—Minato Namikaze—had he felt so utterly helpless. That battle had ended in a narrow loss, but this… this was one-sided humiliation.
Even with his Lightning Armor, the pain was excruciating.
If this continued, he really would die here.
He had to escape. He had to regroup with Killer Bee. Only together could they hope to turn the tide.
Without a second thought, the Raikage pivoted and dashed toward the main battlefield.
But Ryosuke had no intention of letting him flee.
With a burst of speed, Ryosuke caught up instantly and delivered a devastating punch to the Raikage's back.
The impact sent him crashing into the ground, his body half-buried in shattered earth.
Dust and rubble exploded from the impact site. Even the Lightning Armor around the Raikage flickered and shattered.
He had already spent most of his chakra fighting Hyuga Hiashi. Now, with this final blow, his reserves were gone.
He… had lost.
The Fourth Raikage collapsed into unconsciousness.
Without his chakra shield, he had no defense against Ryosuke's full-force Eight Gates assault. Like most shinobi, he was built for high offense—but low defense.
Ryosuke stared down at his unconscious opponent, then finally disengaged the Eight Gates Formation. His breathing was heavy. His body weak. He had kept the Gates open a bit longer than he should have.
But the battle was over.
The war… was over.
Hiashi, after taking a short rest, finally stood back up. Though still sore and exhausted, his eyes lit up when he saw the Fourth Raikage lying like a broken corpse on the ground.
That felt good.
He turned to Ryosuke. "It's all thanks to you. If you hadn't arrived… I would've been killed."
Ryosuke gave a tired smile. "We're comrades. Helping each other is what comrades do. And I should be the one thanking you. You stalled their strongest fighter. That gave me the chance to end it."
Hiashi nodded—but silently disagreed.
He knew the truth: this victory belonged to Uchiha Ryosuke.
Without him, they wouldn't have stood a chance.
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