A soft pfft echoed through the trees.
The Cloud-ninja who had just lifted his head widened his eyes, mouth hanging open as a blood-soaked blade tip burst out through his throat. The metallic tang of blood spread instantly through the air.
"Careful—! Damn it, there's an invisible enemy—!"
He smelled the blood before he saw the horror. The moment he turned, he caught sight of his teammate being run through from behind, and instinctively shouted. But before the last syllable left his lips, a thin red line had already appeared across his neck.
As his voice trailed off, the line split open. Blood erupted like a fountain, and his head toppled sideways onto the dirt.
The world spun. As his vision dimmed, he saw his last two comrades staring around in terror—only for matching crimson lines to bloom across their throats as well.
None of them even managed to resist.
Only after all four bodies collapsed did Uchiha Feiyu's silhouette gradually fade into view. Standing atop a corpse, he casually wiped the blood from the Kusanagi Blade, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
"Much easier than before. This one should've been a Special Jōnin… and he still didn't even have time to react."
"Even without Sakumo's soul assisting me, I really am stronger than I was half a year ago. Especially after my bloodline evolved."
Over the past six months, Feiyu had shored up his fundamentals and chakra capacity, finally gaining the solid foundation expected of a Kage-level. On top of that, the Blood Pool baptism had awakened his bloodline, dramatically enhancing his innate potential.
With both talent and physique upgraded, even if his White Fang swordsmanship hadn't advanced much, the power he could draw out of it had surged far beyond what he once achieved. Without Sakumo's possession, he was still stronger than before.
He summoned several giant snakes to collect the corpses and send them to Ryūchi Cave. Their souls, meanwhile, were neatly claimed and sealed away.
Nothing was wasted.
"Maybe I should really develop something like a Nether Bone Banner… Ordinary souls aren't doing much for me anymore, and my current Requiem Chains can't control a large enough number."
While Feiyu pondered necromantic logistics, his subordinates back in camp were collectively losing their minds.
Time slipped into night.
In just a few hours, relying on his sensory ability, invisibility, and overwhelming individual strength, Feiyu had already taken more than forty heads—wiping out over a dozen Cloud-ninja squads.
The remaining cloud units patrolling the area finally sensed something was wrong. Their squads were supposed to stay in contact, but one entire sector had gone silent in a very short span of time.
Even an idiot could guess a monster had arrived to farm them.
Pfft!
Feiyu slowly withdrew his sword from the back of another Cloud-ninja. The man turned his head stiffly, shock filling his dying eyes. Across from him stood a mud clone Feiyu had just shattered.
"Looks like you've got a reputation among Cloud, huh? Being able to force out my clone and substitution jutsu earns you the title of an Elite Jōnin at least."
Feiyu spoke lightly. The man had managed to force several exchanges—already rare compared to the others who died instantly.
"Don't… get cocky. Lord Raikage… will avenge me…"
"Sure, sure. Your Raikage is very impressive, so I'll hide properly and make sure he can't find me."
With a flick of his blade, the ninja's head rolled away.
Feiyu claimed the soul, summoned a snake to drag the body off, and—
A blinding streak of light split the night.
BOOM!
Something slammed into the ground dozens of meters away with the force of a meteor. The earth trembled violently, debris flying, and Feiyu instinctively raised an arm to shield his face.
"Wait—this is… the Heavenly Transmission?! The hell?! Is the Third Raikage possessed by Cao Cao? Speak of the devil and he appears!?"
His mouth spat sarcasm, but his body reacted instantly.
Before the dust even settled, Feiyu had already layered Camouflage Concealment and Light-Weight Rock Technique on himself, vanishing like a ghost.
"Burei! Where are you?!"
A thunderous roar tore through the clearing.
Standing amidst the crater was a muscle-bound titan, lightning crackling around him like living armor—the Third Raikage himself.
He scanned the battlefield. Aside from blood splatters, he found nothing.
His expression twisted with fury.
He must have used a special method to locate his subordinate and confirm whether he was alive. Rushing here via Heaven Transfer, only to find a bloodstain…
It didn't take a genius to understand what had happened.
"Lightning Release: Surge Flow!"
Lightning gushed from his arms like liquid, flooding into the ground. Countless arcs erupted outward like silver serpents, illuminating the entire forest within a hundred meters.
When the light faded, the woods were charred and smoking—but no hidden enemy emerged.
"Coward! Just wait—don't let me catch you!"
A hundred meters away, Feiyu shrank his neck instinctively and sped up.
"As expected of the Raikage. Not only the strongest taijutsu in the world, but his lightning release is terrifying too. His combat power really is leagues above normal Elite Jōnin."
He continued fleeing for several hundred meters before finally daring to mutter aloud.
With Uchiha Madara aged, and Nagato not yet matured, the Third Raikage could practically compete for the title of strongest in the ninja world.
Feiyu knew very well—
If he stayed to "test himself," he'd end up testing death.
With the Third Raikage now patrolling the area, further hunting was far too risky. Feiyu immediately retreated toward the Konoha camp.
When he returned, he found his three subordinates had already made it back, looking distinctly worse for wear.
"Kakashi, you ran into enemies too? Didn't I tell you to stay near the camp?"
Kakashi, looking a bit dazed, snapped back to awareness at Feiyu's voice.
"Sorry… we got a little too excited and went farther than we should have."
At that, Obito flushed bright red, wearing a thoroughly embarrassed expression.
Feiyu immediately understood.
Obviously, someone hadn't listened.
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