"You've wasted enough time—go to hell already!"
The burly, dark-skinned First Raikage, A, stamped down heavily on the ground.
In an instant, immense Lightning Release chakra surged across his entire body, wrapping him like a raging blue thunderbolt. With ear-splitting sonic booms bursting one after another, he was the first to appear right beside Yui Xuanyue.
Lightning Release: Heavy Bomb Stream!
Gathering an enormous amount of chakra into his thick elbow, the First Raikage twisted his waist and lunged forward, driving a brutal strike straight for Xuanyue's forehead.
Accompanying it was his furious roar:
"Die!!"
The gale howled, and the thunder roared.
Xuanyue's long black hair whipped wildly in the storm, but his expression remained calm as he looked on.
"You're in too much of a hurry."
With those quiet words—
Clap!
A slender hand pressed effortlessly against A's charging elbow.
And then—
The wind died. The thunder fell silent.
All at once, everything returned to calm.
So close he could see every detail, A raised his eyes toward the motionless Xuanyue standing before him—and that single iron-hued palm that had casually stopped his blow. His pupils contracted.
"Kekkei Genkai—Steel Release!"
Not far away, the First Kazekage Retsuto narrowed his eyes, his tone heavy as he called it out.
Chakra nature transformations fell into seven types: Fire, Wind, Lightning, Water, Earth, Yin, and Yang.
When two chakra natures fused, they created a new element—a Kekkei Genkai.
Only a rare few shinobi could develop one themselves. Once awakened, the new release was recorded into their bloodline and passed down to their descendants.
Entire ninja clans stood tall in the shinobi world solely because of their Kekkei Genkai.
As a village leader, Retsuto wouldn't be so wary of them.
But what if the enemy didn't just possess one Kekkei Genkai?
As he was thinking this—
A's agonized roar rang out.
Looking up, Retsuto saw A's huge body flung back like a rocket.
"The Raikage… truly an heir to that same reckless impatience."
Xuanyue, one hand still gripping A's elbow, spoke calmly. Without giving A the chance to retaliate, his figure flickered, unleashing speed even greater than A's earlier burst. Before A could react, Xuanyue's fist crashed into him and sent him flying.
And he didn't stop there.
Before the other four Kage, Xuanyue's figure blurred again, vanishing and reappearing in a blink beside the airborne A.
He raised his elbow, ready to slam it into A's skull in return—
When a voice filled with authority cut in:
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
From Retsuto's hands erupted a gale, compressed to a crushing density—an overwhelming wind jutsu that blotted out the sky and came crashing down like the end of days.
No wonder he was called "the one who, with overwhelming force, led shinobi to survive in the desert—the founder of Sunagakure."
This single technique outclassed the pitiful attempts of the unlucky Kazekage who would come generations later.
Xuanyue looked up at the looming storm. With a shift of his grip, he swung the thick-skinned A into position as a human shield.
"Don't underestimate the Raikage, bastard!"
A, humiliated, roared in fury. Pouring out even more chakra—enough to rival a Tailed Beast—he forced his way free of Xuanyue's grasp.
The Strongest Lightning Release Armor!
His short black hair bristled upward like a Saiyan transformation. In that instant, A unleashed his full might, heedless of the wind jutsu about to crash down, lashing out with wild, frenzied strikes at Xuanyue.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions of impact shook the battlefield again and again.
"So fast!"
From farther away, beyond the battlefield itself—
The five shinobi who had accompanied their respective Kage to the summit, both as guards and as heirs apparent to become the Second Kage of their villages, stared wide-eyed. Their gazes locked on Xuanyue and the First Raikage's duel, their movements already too fast to follow.
Had it been the five of them facing that battle, they knew they'd be wiped out almost instantly.
Well, perhaps with one exception.
The future Second Tsuchikage, Mu, his body wrapped in bandages, clad in a gray vest, and carrying two swords across his back, glanced at the silver-haired Senju Tobirama beside him. He thought: If the fastest shinobi in the world joined this fight, he wouldn't lose to either of them. He might even surpass them.
Konoha truly overflowed with talent.
But Tobirama ignored his temporary companion's glance.
Arms crossed, he watched Xuanyue with eyes gleaming as though staring at a treasure trove. Inside, anticipation burned:
"Steel Release, Swift Release, and, according to reports, other Kekkei Genkai. As expected of the man considered equal to the gods, he has developed so many Kekkei Genkai with his power."
"I really want… to study him in depth!"
Boom!
A massive shockwave erupted, surging outward in all directions.
Xuanyue staggered back a few steps, his palm burning from the impact. He had already managed to keep pace with his speed.
This First Raikage was no ordinary opponent.
Even with Steel Release reinforcing his body, Xuanyue felt genuine pain.
Then, as the next wave of Wind Release: Pressure Damage came crashing down, Xuanyue's eyes flicked toward a gaze from afar that annoyed him. Slapping his hands together, ignoring the mad-dog Raikage still snapping at his heels, he spoke flatly:
"Lava Release: Dissolving Monster Technique!"
Viscous, corrosive acid burst into existence around him.
It formed a protective membrane at his side, while at the same time erupting outward like a volcanic explosion, surging in all directions.
At the forefront, A's face darkened.
A moment ago, he had feared nothing thanks to his powerful body—but this, he dared not take head-on. Quickly retreating, he avoided the dangerous Lava Release.
His figure vanished.
An instant later, Retsuto's wind jutsu slammed into the torrent.
The air shrieked.
Hisssss—
As if molten rain were pouring from the sky.
The violent clash of the two releases devastated everything within a hundred meters.
No ordinary shinobi could have survived there.
Fortunately, those present were all apex predators at the top of the shinobi world.
A reappeared beside the other Kage.
Ignoring the residual waves of destruction, he tore off his shredded Raikage robes, waiting in silence for the jutsu storm to subside.
He knew well—this alone would never be enough to bring down Yui Xuanyue.
Nor did any of the other Kage believe it.
Aside from Hashirama, the four Kage exchanged glances.
It was time to go all out—end this battle as quickly as possible.
(End of Chapter)