Beep! Beep! Beep!
Inside the Raikage's office, the Fourth Raikage abruptly lifted his head, his sharp gaze snapping toward the window. That alarm signal only sounded when the village was under attack. Other than routine drills, it hadn't truly gone off in decades.
What the hell is going on today? Could the alarm system be malfunctioning?
"Raikage-sama! We have an intruder!" An Anbu member rushed in, reporting urgently.
"An intruder? Who is it?!" The Raikage shot up from his seat, his presence like an immovable mountain, his overwhelming aura pressing down on everyone in the room, making it hard to breathe.
"It's Akatsuki! Darui-sama is leading a team to—"
Crash!
Before the Anbu could finish, the Raikage had already smashed through the rear window of his office, launching himself into the air with brute force.
"Seriously?" The curvaceous secretary, Mabui, let out a helpless sigh. That was the fifth window this month.
But now wasn't the time to worry about that. She immediately turned to the nearby Anbu and issued an order.
"Summon all Anbu and the Raikage's personal guard. Protect Raikage-sama at all costs."
"The enemy is from Akatsuki. We cannot let our guard down."
"Understood!" The Anbu disappeared in an instant. Though Mabui was officially the Raikage's secretary, she was also a key figure within Kumogakure, holding authority to give orders in times of crisis.
She then pointed to another shinobi. "Gather all the jōnin in the village. Now!"
As soon as the orders were given, Mabui put down the documents she had been holding and sprinted toward another location.
She knew how powerful Akatsuki was. If they dared to attack, they had to be fully prepared. There was only one person she could think of who might help: that mysterious man claiming to be Uchiha Madara.
By the time the Fourth Raikage arrived at the battlefield, chaos had already erupted. Though Kumogakure's shinobi were brave and strong, their strength depended on their opponent.
Against Sasori, Kakuzu, and Hidan, their resistance was little more than a nuisance.
"Die, you bastards!" The Raikage's fury boiled over as he took in the sight of his village in ruins.
Lightning chakra surged across his entire body, forming an armor of crackling energy. His speed instantly skyrocketed, turning him into a living bolt of lightning. In a flash, he drove his elbow into Hidan, sending him flying. The force of the blow sent Hidan crashing through several buildings before he finally came to a stop.
"Damn it! That hurt, you bastard!" Hidan roared, climbing to his feet. His skin darkened into an earthy hue, and a pair of wings sprouted from his back.
He let out a wild laugh. "You bastard! I'm way stronger now! You're dead!"
Hidan gripped his scythe and charged forward before taking flight, using his wings to glide toward the Raikage with deadly intent.
Clang!
His scythe clashed against the metal bands on the Raikage's lightning-infused arm, the impact ringing through the air. The Raikage's arm dipped slightly under the blow before he surged with power, flinging Hidan away like a ragdoll.
His strength had clearly increased, along with his speed. Was it the effect of that strange transformation?
The Raikage barely had time to consider the thought before three massive fireballs roared toward him. Following closely behind, a Wind Release: Vacuum Wave cut through the air, merging with the fire, creating a devastating storm of flames.
"Raikage-sama!" The Kumogakure shinobi watching from behind cried out in concern as the attacks engulfed their leader.
But their worry was unnecessary. The Raikage strode out from the explosion, completely unscathed. His Lightning Release armor was not something that could be broken so easily.
"Sasori, you handle the small fry," Kakuzu said indifferently.
He had been the one to launch the attack. Today, his primary goal was to reclaim his lost pride—the humiliation he had suffered at the Raikage's hands before. Now that his target was here, he couldn't hold back.
All five of Kakuzu's hearts entered their battle mode. He locked eyes with the Raikage.
"Your head must be worth a fortune. I think I'll take it."
The Raikage sneered. "Kakuzu, Hidan, my assessment of you remains the same—defeating you is child's play."
"Tch!"
The Raikage's body suddenly swelled, his muscles surging with power under the stimulation of his Lightning Release chakra. His hair stood on end, as sharp as blades, as if capable of slicing through anything.
"In this form, the only one who could keep up with my speed was Namikaze Minato."
"You two may have gotten a little stronger, but you're still nothing."
"Liger Bomb!"
A bolt of lightning streaked across the battlefield. In an instant, the Raikage was gone. No one present could track his movement with their eyes.
A thunderous roar filled the air as his hand became a blade, cleaving through one of Kakuzu's Fire Release hearts.
"Kakuzu, that's one heart down!"
Boom!
"What?!" The Raikage was taken aback as the Fire Release heart monster was sent flying—but not destroyed. He had expected his attack to be fatal, yet it had failed to finish the job.
Bam!
Kakuzu was just as shocked, but he quickly recovered, activating his Cursed Seal state. His five hearts gained an additional layer of defense and took to the sky.
"Raikage, your attacks are still lacking. Now it's my turn." Kakuzu smirked.
With the Cursed Seal enhancing his hearts, his durability and mobility had skyrocketed. He was confident he wouldn't lose to the Raikage.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Three massive ninjutsu techniques burst forth simultaneously. If they couldn't match the Raikage's speed, they would simply blanket the battlefield in destruction.
Using the rooftops as a springboard, he had executed an incredibly high jump, aiming a devastating punch at Kakuzu's Wind Release heart.
"Die!" Hidan, who had fought alongside Kakuzu for years, had been watching for this exact moment. The instant the Raikage leaped, he swung his scythe at the Raikage's neck.
Kakuzu had intentionally kept his heart floating at a mid-range height to bait the Raikage into jumping. The plan was simple: once in the air, the Raikage would be vulnerable, unable to change direction or evade.
As expected, with gravity working against him, his speed began to slow, allowing Hidan to close in.
And in midair, with no foothold, the Raikage couldn't dodge.
But the Raikage didn't even flinch. He glanced at Hidan's scythe without a hint of panic.
"That feeble attack of yours will never break through my Lightning Release armor."
"Oh, we know. That's why this isn't the real attack."
"Sage Art: Water Severing Wave!"
A Water Release heart had been preparing its attack for a long time. Now, it unleashed a high-pressure water jet enhanced with Senjutsu chakra—an attack with enough force to cut through steel.
And at this moment, with Hidan restraining him in midair, the Raikage had nowhere to run.
"Raikage-sama!" The Kumogakure shinobi below truly panicked this time.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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