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Chapter 31: Shinobi World's Fastest vs. History's Fastest
At the edge of the charred crater, the Raikage's boot crushed a still-burning wood fragment. His gaze swept across the battlefield, settling on unnaturally placed objects scattered across the ground.
Within the massive pit lay several specially crafted kunai.
Etched into their blade surfaces were similar yet distinct jutsu formula patterns—symbols that enemy shinobi had once feared most on battlefields, the shadow left by that blonde man across the entire shinobi world: the Flying Thunder God technique.
"...Never thought after the Yellow Flash's death, someone else could master such a troublesome jutsu!"
A black silhouette stood silently atop the ruins. Menma balanced on one foot against a broken beam, casually tossing a Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand.
"Despite being the most troublesome space-time ninjutsu around, you actually came charging in alone?" His voice filtered through the mask with lazy mockery. "Should I call you confident or arrogant?"
"Enough talk!!"
The instant the Raikage's roar exploded, his form had already transformed into blinding lightning!
Raiton Taijutsu: Giri Chin Doira Enka!!
His elbow raised high like a battle axe slashing down, the air compressed by brute force and Lightning Release into explosive sounds. This strike could pulverize mountain stone to dust.
But it struck empty air.
Menma's figure dispersed like a phantom the instant before the Raikage made contact. The Raikage's nerves suddenly tensed as his eyes rapidly tracked every kunai's position.
Left side? Right side? Front? Back?
"Over here!"
The Raikage's intuition screamed warnings! He roared explosively, lightning wrapping around his form as he erupted again. "Raigyaku Suihei!!"
His charge direction aimed precisely where Menma had just appeared! But at the moment of his rush, Menma curved his lips upward, suddenly hurling his kunai high into the sky.
The Raikage's muscle memory outpaced thought. Since the kunai was thrown upward, the enemy would inevitably teleport to mid-air! His charge trajectory forcibly twisted, lightning surging skyward like a rising dragon—yet the air above remained empty.
"Damn...!"
Cold sweat stood on his back. Beside the Raikage's ear came a low, hoarse chuckle from behind the mask. "You rely too heavily on 'prediction,' Raikage."
"Rasengan."
A pitch-black chakra orb exploded against the Raikage's back, its space-warping distortion field tearing cracks in his Lightning Release armor. Agonizing pain accompanied explosive winds that sent the Raikage flying, his body crashing into rubble amid billowing dust.
"Cough...!"
The Raikage pushed himself up from the debris, blood trickling from his mouth corner. He wiped away the blood as his Lightning Release armor surged again, yet the battle intent in his eyes grew even more savage.
"Excellent! Flying Thunder God technique!!"
"That battle with Namikaze Minato that was cut short...!" His fists clenched as Lightning Release chakra surged higher. "Right here, answer my questions!!"
"Who truly is the shinobi world's fastest?!"
Whoosh—!
Menma's figure vanished like a specter, appearing the next second at the Raikage's side-rear, the Rasengan in his hand mercilessly striking toward the Raikage's spine.
The Raikage's reaction was terrifying—at the instant the Rasengan made contact, his body transformed into blinding lightning, forcibly shifting several meters sideways and barely avoiding the lethal blow.
BOOM—!
The missed Rasengan smashed into the ground, blasting a crater ten meters in diameter. Pitch-black chakra aftershocks rippled outward like waves, making even the air tremble.
"Tsk, quite nimble." Menma's voice emerged from behind his mask with playful mockery.
The Raikage didn't respond, his gaze locked deadly on Menma as his Lightning Release armor's electric arcs crackled and his muscles heated from high-speed movement.
Black phantoms and lightning continuously wove across the battlefield, Rasengan after Rasengan exploding in craters. After taking damage, the Raikage no longer charged recklessly but began constantly evading Menma's attacks.
After brief combat, the Raikage reached a conclusion: 'This guy... is different from Namikaze Minato!'
Minato's Flying Thunder God was more elegant, like golden flashes weaving deadly trajectories across battlefields. But this Menma before him... his fighting style was more brutal, more cunning!
"Don't get too cocky, brat!"
---
The Raikage suddenly kicked off the ground, the surface cracking under tremendous force as his form shot toward Menma like a cannonball, Lightning Release chakra gathering at his fist.
"Juuryuu Baku!!"
Menma neither dodged nor avoided, merely lightly tossing up a Flying Thunder God kunai—
Whoosh!
The Raikage's fist pierced through an afterimage while Menma's true form appeared in mid-air, another pitch-black Rasengan condensing in his hand.
"Useless. No matter how fast you are... you can't match 'instantaneous movement.'"
The battle gradually evolved into one-sided attrition warfare.
The Raikage's speed truly dominated the shinobi world—his Lightning Release armor brought his explosive power and reaction speed to human limits. But Menma's Flying Thunder God... didn't belong to the category of "speed" at all.
This wasn't about who was faster... but who was closer to the "finish line"!
The Raikage's breathing grew labored, his Lightning Release armor's chakra consumption far exceeding expectations. Every charge, every evasion drastically drained his stamina. While Menma... remained effortlessly composed.
BOOM—!
Another Rasengan exploded beside the Raikage. Though he barely avoided it, the blast's aftershock still tore through his Lightning Release armor's defense, leaving a bloody gash on his shoulder.
Damn it...!
The Raikage gritted his teeth, battle intent still undiminished in his eyes, but his body's fatigue could no longer be ignored. His wounds multiplied while his Lightning Release armor's glow gradually dimmed.
And Menma... remained as elusive as ever.
"Still want to continue, Raikage?"
Menma's voice came from all directions, Flying Thunder God kunai littering the battlefield as his figure seemed omnipresent.
The Raikage panted heavily, his Lightning Release armor's electric arcs flickering weakly. His gaze swept the surroundings before finally settling on Menma's true form.
"Don't... underestimate me...!"
He suddenly struck his own chest, Lightning Release chakra erupting again! "I am... the Raikage!!"
However, an unexpected development occurred.
"No, I don't want to fight anymore."
Menma's voice rang out abruptly, like cold water poured over the blazing battlefield.
The Raikage's muscles even stiffened slightly from this. He stared fixedly at Menma, inner turmoil raging. 'What is this guy saying?'
Despite holding the advantage, despite prolonging the fight would only result in his own side's defeat... why was he stopping?
The Raikage's mouth remained stubborn, forcing out a cold snort. "What, scared?" Yet his nerves grew even tenser—years of combat instinct made him sense something abnormal.
Menma didn't immediately answer. His gaze beneath the fox mask swept over the Raikage, then glanced toward distant Konoha. Silence descended like invisible pressure, slowly enveloping the battlefield.
"You seem to have misunderstood something."
Finally, Menma spoke, his voice carrying barely detectable weariness. He slightly raised his hand. "I don't want to fight—not that I can't fight, but I want to end this battle."
As his words fell, his five fingers suddenly clenched!
BOOM—!!!
Violent Wind Release chakra suddenly erupted, air instantly compressed into visible hurricanes. The ground cracked as debris was swept skyward, forming deadly projectile screens! The Raikage's Lightning Release armor emitted piercing hums under the wind pressure. His feet sank deep into the ground, carving twin furrows, yet unusually he chose not to charge forward but desperately maintained his stance.
'Something's wrong. This Wind Release isn't for attack, but... movement restriction?'
The Raikage's intuition screamed warnings. Looking up, he saw Menma's figure materializing in mid-air, black robes fluttering as his right palm faced upward, pitch-black energy gathering at terrifying speed.
This was no longer a Rasengan.
The chakra density far exceeded anything before, surrounding air distorting from energy overload and even faintly tearing tiny spatial rifts. Merely looking at it caused eye pain.
"Oodama Rasengan. Don't die, Raikage."
***
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