Wherever the fire waves passed, only charred earth and the scattered, broken forehead protectors of fallen shinobi remained. They lay silent, a quiet testament to the battle's brutal, tragic conclusion.
Kagami's figure stood looming in the heart of the raging fire, an avatar of destruction like a demon walking out of hell, striking a primal fear into the hearts of all who witnessed him, making it impossible for them to even meet his gaze.
With just one Fire Style jutsu, Kagami's clone had destroyed one-fifth of the invading army.
"This fire escape is truly worthy of the Uchiha name," the clone chuckled to itself after releasing the jutsu. With its unrestrained chakra, the power of the technique was on par with the legendary display of Uchiha Madara during the great ninja wars. Although it could have been made even more powerful, the clone had already consumed most of its chakra; to push it further would have caused it to dissipate. To maintain its presence, it had held back, intentionally sparing some of the enemy forces at the last moment. Otherwise, the inferno would have easily claimed half their lives.
"Uchiha brat, you're looking for death!"
The Raikage, A, crawled from the rubble, his eyes burning with fury. Seeing the devastating losses his village had suffered, he immediately activated his strongest Lightning Release Armor. His muscles bulged, veins standing out like thick ropes, and he resembled an enraged Tyrannosaurus as he leaped from the wreckage, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured half the sky.
"Lightning Release: Liger Bomb!" he roared, his voice like a crack of thunder that seemed to shake the very heavens.
His figure transformed into a blur of blue lightning, his speed so immense it was nearly impossible for the naked eye to follow. He left a trail of afterimages as he drew a perfect, deadly arc through the air, aimed directly at Kagami's shadow clone. In his fully-powered Lightning Chakra mode, A's speed was absolute, and he closed the distance in less than an instant.
His fist, wreathed in lightning powerful enough to tear through steel, slashed toward the clone's neck.
For a breathtaking moment, the two figures crossed, like leaves in a hurricane, before coming to a sudden, still stop, standing back-to-back as if time itself had frozen.
Every eye on the battlefield was fixed on A's right arm. Where a strong, powerful limb had been moments before, there was now only an empty sleeve, swaying gently in the wind, blood pouring from the stump to stain his battle robes a deep crimson.
"Brother!" Killer B cried out, his pupils shrinking in disbelief. He could never have imagined that his powerful older brother could have his arm severed in a single, head-on exchange.
A turned his head stiffly, his gaze sweeping over the surviving shinobi of the Hidden Cloud. He saw his comrades, his home, and the ideals he had sworn his life to protect. His lips moved, and he uttered a single, final word: "Run."
Though spoken softly, the command echoed over the battlefield like thunder, filled with a deep, desperate love for his people.
Immediately after, as the remaining shinobi stared in shock, A's head slowly separated from his body and fell on the ground while his body was still standing on the battlefield. Blood gushed from his neck like an uncontrolled flood, dyeing the earth and sky a horrifying shade of red.
The Fourth Raikage, A, had fallen.
Even in his final moments, he had foreseen the battle's outcome, and his only thought had been to save his comrades.
Time seemed to stand still. The sounds of battle vanished, leaving only the sickening splatter of blood and the sight of A's falling body.
"BROTHER—!" Killer B's roar of pure anguish shattered the frozen air. His body trembled with a grief so profound it instantly transformed into a white-hot rage. His fists clenched, veins bulging, as if trying to physically contain the pain.
"Lord Raikage!" The mental defenses of the Hidden Cloud ninja collapsed. They fell to their knees, covering their faces as tears streamed down, a torrent of collective sorrow. Their eyes held a mixture of grief for their fallen leader and a deep, abject terror of the man who had struck him down. The shinobi from the other villages were equally stunned, their mouths agape, as if they had forgotten how to breathe.
"I'm going to kill you, you bastard!" Killer B screamed, his eyes bloodshot as he charged toward Kagami.
"B, don't!" Darui cried out, trying to stop him, but B was already lost to his rage. He didn't hear a word.
In an instant, Killer B transformed into the eight-tailed octopus, his tentacles whipping through the air in a maelstrom of destruction, a web of death that vowed to swallow Kagami whole and avenge his brother.
But facing this overwhelming assault, Kagami's clone simply smiled, a look of utter disdain and contempt on his face. He didn't move, yet the air around him seemed to shimmer, his clothes fluttering as an invisible power gathered around him.
"Hmph. An octopus taking revenge for a dinosaur, isn't that funny?" the clone said coldly. He waved his hands, and the very space in front of him seemed to tear apart. A series of impossibly fine, sharp, grid-like slashes materialized from nothing, a scythe of pure death that shot toward Killer B's massive form. Kagami was not so foolish as to engage in a brawl when he possessed such a devastatingly superior power. This was a real battle, not a performance.
Wherever the slashes passed, the air itself seemed to crackle and split. Though Killer B was powerful in his Tailed Beast form, he was utterly vulnerable to this attack. His massive tentacles were severed one by one, each cut accompanied by his pained roars and a fresh spray of blood that painted the battlefield red.
Finally, his colossal octopus form was sliced into countless pieces, the twitching fragments scattered across the ground in a grim testament to the battle's futility. Amidst the carnage, Killer B's unconscious human form was revealed. The Eight-Tails, Gyuki, had used the last of its power to save its host's life.
Just as the surviving shinobi were reeling from this suffocating display of power, a new, unsettling energy filled the air. Suddenly, the sky darkened as a massive cloud of golden dust surged in from all directions, carrying with it the force to destroy the world, covering half the battlefield. Each grain of sand gleamed with a cold, metallic luster, weaving a web of death in the air as it ruthlessly enveloped Kagami's clone.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!" Rasa's voice was hoarse and resolute. His clothes were burned to shreds, his skin covered in shocking wounds, but his eyes burned with an unusual, desperate light. He knew that if they couldn't defeat Kagami here and now, they would all die. Their only chance for survival was to fight with everything they had left.
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