The Third Raikage had only come along to "show support," more or less tagging along with the allied forces.
But if he could seize the scroll for himself, there was no way he would generously share it with the other nations' ninja.
After all, this was the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques. Once mastered, they would allow complete control over tailed beasts, offering immense advantages in both offense and defense.
If he could get his hands on it, the secret weapon the Land of Lightning had been researching for years might finally see a breakthrough.
With that in mind, there was no reason for him to hold back now.
Relying on his reputation as the former fastest shinobi in the world, before the other Kage-level fighters could even react, the Third Raikage had already arrived right in front of Uzumaki Suigetsu.
Only then did the other Kage realize what he was doing.
They immediately understood his intention—he planned to monopolize the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques rather than share them.
The four remaining Kage exchanged glances, then simultaneously moved in from four directions, closing in on the Raikage.
No matter how fast he was, even the fastest man alive would be slowed under a coordinated encirclement.
Once the main army surrounded him, the Third Raikage—who could not fly—would face the grim prospect of being overwhelmed by twenty thousand enemies.
After all, this time he had brought only two elite jōnin with him. The bulk of the Land of Lightning's forces were still more than ten kilometers away.
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Suigetsu had already closed her eyes, waiting for death. She had no idea what was happening.
The only thing she could sense was a terrifying, Kage-peak chakra rushing toward her at an unbelievable speed.
Seeing that Suigetsu made no move to resist, the Third Raikage sneered and shouted,
"Hell Stab: Four-Finger Spear Hand!"
He opened with his ultimate killing move, showing no restraint whatsoever. If Suigetsu didn't dodge, this strike would unquestionably take her head.
Watching this, the remaining Uzumaki clansmen couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow.
Once, the Uzumaki had been a great clan that shook the shinobi world. They had even formed alliances with the Senju—a clan that, during the Warring States Period, truly stood at the pinnacle of the shinobi world, suppressing even Uchiha Madara under Senju Hashirama's leadership.
And yet now, such a glorious lineage was about to be wiped out so easily.
Their emotions were indescribably complex.
Just as the Third Raikage believed his strike had succeeded, a flash of blue light cut through the battlefield.
In the eyes of tens of thousands of onlookers, the once-dominant figure of the Third Raikage was suddenly blasted backward at terrifying speed, blood spraying continuously along the way.
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, his body slammed into a nearby hill, embedding itself deeply into the rock face.
The Third Raikage was a Kage at the very peak—who could possibly send him flying with a single exchange?
From a distance, his condition looked utterly horrific. His chest had been completely caved in, ribs exposed and bent outward.
Had it not been for his terrifying physical strength and mastery of taijutsu, that blow would have scattered his internal organs outright.
Even so, such grievous injuries would be fatal without immediate treatment by the best medics.
An ordinary man would have lost consciousness instantly, but the Third Raikage's will was ironclad—otherwise, he would never have honed his body to this level.
Lifting his head with great effort, he saw a figure that had long haunted his nightmares.
The last time he'd fallen unconscious had been because of this very man.
Clad in black combat gear, wearing a Konoha forehead protector, with short black hair and a towering build—
the short blade at his waist and the arcs of lightning dancing around him announced his identity unmistakably.
Arata Itsuki.
During their last encounter, the Third Raikage had barely been able to match Arata in taijutsu, and even then, he'd been slightly slower.
But just now, all he could vaguely perceive was that Arata had kicked him—nothing more. The rest was a complete blur.
In other words, after only a few months, Arata's speed had increased yet again.
And not by a small margin, but by an entire realm.
Otherwise, there was no way the Third Raikage would have been struck without even a chance to react.
Arata had already possessed Super Kage-level strength. Now that he'd broken through another major boundary…
Did that mean Arata had reached the peak of Super-Kage?
The Third Raikage's mind immediately turned to a figure he had once feared above all others—
Uchiha Madara.
With his vision already beginning to blur, the silhouette of Arata overlapped with Madara's in his mind.
Nearly identical height. The same pale complexion. Chakra that felt bottomless and unfathomable.
And now, with Madara's bloodline merged into him, even the texture of Arata's chakra felt eerily similar.
At that moment, two elite Kumogakure jōnin rushed to the Third Raikage's side. Seeing his injuries, panic flashed across their faces.
They wanted to flee immediately—but the Uzumaki clan's sealing scroll was right there.
Should they abandon it?
In the end, the decision was made for them.
"Quick… run!"
Those two words, forced out with all the strength he had left, made the two jōnin shudder.
When had the Third Raikage—known for his iron will—ever looked so desperate, calling for retreat before the battle had even begun?
But the moment they noticed Arata, hesitation vanished.
In the Land of Lightning, Arata had already been designated an SSS-level threat.
Without another thought, they hoisted the Third Raikage up and began their retreat.
After all, the Raikage himself had once declared that if anyone encountered Arata during a mission, they were authorized to abandon it immediately—no punishment, no questions asked.
In truth, the Third Raikage should have been grateful to Arata.
His reckless charge earlier had already drawn the attention of four Kage-level opponents. Even without Arata's intervention, escaping unscathed from that encirclement would have been nearly impossible.
Four Kage, plus twenty thousand troops—facing that head-on would have meant certain death. Even at his peak during the Third Great Ninja War, he had died after fighting ten thousand enemies alone.
At this point, no one present cared about the Third Raikage's retreat anymore.
Tens of thousands of eyes turned simultaneously toward the center of the battlefield—
toward the man standing before Uzumaki Suigetsu.
Konoha's Blue Lightning.
Arata Itsuki.
The one man who gave every shinobi a perfectly valid reason to abandon their mission.
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