Before Jiraiya could finish speaking, the Fourth Raikage transformed into a bolt of lightning and charged forward.
"Big Brother—!"
Killer Bee tried to grab the Fourth Raikage, but the Fourth Raikage was impatient and didn't want to keep watching Ryou show off his power.
The Fourth Raikage charged across the water.
Ryou was somewhat inclined to avoid the fight.
Because this was just a clone, not the main body.
Its endurance, chakra reserves, Ninjutsu, and Kekkei Genkai were all inferior to the main body.
If it could even exert half the power of the original, it would be considered impressive.
However, he couldn't retreat now; he had to suppress the Fourth Raikage with absolute dominance to prevent the Shinobi Allied Forces from realizing he was a clone.
Ryou looked at the large river before him and devised a plan.
He practiced his Water Release frequently—don't ask who he practiced with—but in any case, Ryou was already very proficient with Water Release hand seals.
Many complex seals had been simplified.
Fighting on a large river was Ryou's home turf.
Furthermore, a physical tank like the Fourth Raikage feared Genjutsu control the most. In the original work, when he fought Sasuke, he relied on high-speed movement to evade the Sharingan's line of sight.
He could withstand a Jonin's Genjutsu, but the advanced Genjutsu of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan was not so easy to resist.
Ryou prepared to use Genjutsu to control his opponent.
"Nekomata, later you and I will cast a Genjutsu together to deal with this big idiot!"
Nekomata nodded.
Immediately, Nekomata carried Ryou and charged forward, condensing chakra under its paws to walk on the water.
"Come, come, come! Let's have a satisfying battle! Those who don't dare to come are cowards!"
Ryou used Magnet Release to condense a halberd, charging at the Fourth Raikage like a general on a battlefield.
The Fourth Raikage's speed was incredible. After activating his Lightning Release chakra Mode, lightning wreathed his body, and his physical form, stimulated by the Lightning Release, turned the Lightning Body Flicker into a permanent buff.
His speed was like a bolt of blue lightning.
If he hadn't inherited the name of the Fourth Raikage, he would have surely earned a nickname like 'The Blue Flash of Kumogakure'.
A counterpart to Minato's Yellow Flash.
Moreover, the Lightning Release also stimulated the Fourth Raikage's body, greatly increasing his defensive power and enhancing his nerve conduction speed through the Lightning Release.
His reaction time was significantly boosted.
The Fourth Raikage was fast, but Ryou's Sharingan could still clearly see his movement trajectory.
However, the Fourth Raikage's Nintaijutsu was too strong; Ryou couldn't engage him in close-quarters combat.
In the original work, the Fourth Raikage's Lateral Bolt of Pain—a hand-blade strike—had directly chopped off the Eight-Tails' left horn.
Engaging the Fourth Raikage in melee was truly unwise.
But the Fourth Raikage's shortcoming was also obvious: he couldn't use sensory Ninjutsu.
Ryou formed hand seals. Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique!
Instantly, Ryou exhaled a thick mist, creating a large area of fog over the river.
This obstructed the Fourth Raikage's vision, but it also prevented Ryou's Sharingan from making eye contact with him.
However, as a speed-type Shinobi, the Fourth Raikage's high-speed movement already made it impossible for Ryou to successfully cast Sharingan Genjutsu.
The Fourth Raikage himself also avoided making eye contact with Ryou.
Inside the thick mist, the Fourth Raikage lost all vision.
Because the Fourth Raikage didn't have any sensory Ninjutsu.
He was a pure close-combat brute who relied on speed and power to crush opponents, completely lacking sensory Ninjutsu.
In the battles of the original work, he relied entirely on sensory subordinates like C to provide intelligence and positioning.
This was the Fourth Raikage's limitation; he was different from Minato.
Minato was well-rounded, proficient in Ninjutsu, sensory abilities, speed, and sealing techniques.
The Fourth Raikage was very specialized, focusing on Nintaijutsu. It wasn't an issue when he had companions by his side.
But once he was fighting alone, his disadvantages would be magnified by his enemies.
Relying on White Zetsu cells and the Sharingan's ability to observe chakra flow, Ryou could clearly sense the Fourth Raikage's position.
He laughed heartily: "Raikage boy, do you really think you're worthy of fighting me?"
The Fourth Raikage shouted angrily: "Uchiha Ryou, you despicable coward! Didn't you say you'd fight a satisfying battle like a samurai? Why are you resorting to underhanded tricks now?"
Ryou mocked the Fourth Raikage: "Raikage, you actually believe whatever I say? If I told you to go back to your country and send me a hundred tall Western women, would you go and do it?"
"Argh—!"
The Fourth Raikage screamed in rage: "Uchiha Ryou, come out! I'm going to tear you into pieces!"
Ryou continued to provoke the Fourth Raikage: "Raikage, you're just like that brute father of yours. Ōnoki managed to drag him to his death using just a bunch of insignificant soldiers."
"Ōnoki is also an idiot. How could he face brutes like you head-on?"
Ōnoki using his own subordinates to drag the Third Raikage to his death was a complete disregard for their lives. What the Third Raikage loved most was head-on combat.
The more people there were, the happier he was.
To deal with this kind of close-range piercing enemy, one should attack his weakest points: Genjutsu, mental manipulation, long-range attacks, and verbal attacks on his family...
Combat is an act of competing over the margin for error. Both sides should seize the opponent's weaknesses and attack them relentlessly.
Whoever makes fewer mistakes will emerge victorious.
How could they just hack at each other with blades like samurai?
The Fourth Raikage wouldn't get anxious if Ryou attacked him personally, but he reacted violently when Ryou attacked his most respected father.
"Aaaaaagh—!"
The Fourth Raikage screamed in fury, mobilizing all his chakra. Lightning flowed violently over his body, making a crackling sound.
"Uchiha Ryou, do not insult my father!"
The Fourth Raikage swung his fists, hoping to use the high-speed wind from his punches to blow away the surrounding mist.
Because the Fourth Raikage's Nintaijutsu was entirely focused on close-range attacks, he basically had no long-range techniques.
For example, he couldn't release a Wind Release technique to blow away the surrounding mist.
No, the Fourth Raikage's chakra natures were Lightning and Earth, and he specialized entirely in Lightning for his Ninjutsu cultivation.
And Lightning-attribute Ninjutsu were all offensive techniques; there were no auxiliary defensive or reflective Ninjutsu.
The Fourth Raikage's punch-wind was intense, and his fists even produced sparks as they struck.
The surrounding mist was affected by his punch-wind, and a large portion of it was blown away by the impact.
But Ryou was constantly controlling the surrounding mist. Seeing it being impacted, he released chakra to create more mist, continuously enveloping the Fourth Raikage's location.
"Dammit!"
The Fourth Raikage's expression darkened. He hadn't expected that before even engaging Ryou, his weaknesses would be seen through.
Who on earth had sold out the intelligence on his Ninjutsu?
The Fourth Raikage wanted to charge out of the thick mist and return to the Shinobi Allied Forces's position.
Being unable to see his surroundings in the mist was a disadvantage for the Fourth Raikage.
The Fourth Raikage wanted to retreat, but Ryou provoked him: "Raikage boy, so many people from the Shinobi Allied Forces are watching. As the first person to step out, if you retreat, what will the Shinobi from other Villages think?"
"What will your subordinates think? You came to fight me first, carrying the honor of the Shinobi Allied Forces. If you retreat now, you'll be damaging Kumogakure's image."
The Fourth Raikage didn't dare to retreat. He hadn't thought much when he charged out; he just wanted to teach Ryou a lesson for his arrogance.
But now he was in a difficult position. If he lost to Ryou, who knew how many people would look down on Kumogakure.
They would say they were just a bunch of brainless brutes.
"Dammit, Uchiha Ryou, if you have the guts, duel me head-on!"
"Idiot, am I stupid? Why would I go head-on against a big black bull like you?"
Ryou stopped wasting words with the Fourth Raikage and began casting Water Release.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"