When he realized the attacker was none other than Takeshi, a sharp pain throbbed in young A's abdomen, right where the cross-shaped scar lay. It was the wound Takeshi had left him in their last battle—the greatest humiliation of his life.
"Go after him!"
Young A, fully aware that if Takeshi were allowed to grow any further he would become a major threat to Kumogakure, made a swift decision. Without hesitation, he gathered an elite team and charged off in pursuit of Takeshi, determined to bury him on this battlefield.
Just as he leapt across the bloodstained ground and prepared to give chase, his foot happened to land squarely on an Explosive Tag trap Takeshi had left behind.
With a thunderous blast, young A was launched into the air.
"Aaaaaaah! Shimura Takeshi, I'm going to kill you!"
Thanks to his Lightning Armor, young A was not killed by the explosion. But the way he'd been blasted sky-high was humiliating in the extreme. Covered in dirt and soot, he climbed to his feet, his whole demeanor taking a turn toward the "super macho."
Ignoring the protests of those around him, he prepared to take off once again—only to be stopped by a recently arrived Kumo-nin.
"What is it!"
Young A turned his head, his glare like that of a savage beast. The Kumo-nin, visibly shaken, still forced himself to hand over the scroll in his grasp.
"This is a message from the village..."
Young A snatched the scroll from him roughly. He had only read a few lines before an even more terrifying aura erupted from his body. Under the stimulation of lightning, his golden hair stood on end.
"Father!"
With a heart-wrenching cry, he wasted no time. Abandoning the Kumo-nin he had brought with him, he turned and sprinted toward Kumogakure.
The Third Raikage was dead.
...
Takeshi's team had returned to camp far more smoothly than expected. Contrary to their fears, they had not encountered any pursuit. From Jiraiya, they learned the reason why.
"So that's what happened. No wonder no one came after us."
Orochimaru's eyes flickered after reading the detailed intel. He lapsed into thought.
"Yeah. Still, that man's strength was insane. He held out against tens of thousands of Iwa-nin for three days and three nights. He finally died of exhaustion."
Jiraiya marveled at the Raikage's tenacity, though in the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder how their old man would've fared in such a situation.
"As a ninja, the Third Raikage's strength was truly admirable."
Minato spoke with sincere respect.
For someone like him, who relied on speed and agility, such a tough and durable opponent was practically a natural enemy. He had no techniques that could even break through such defenses.
"Tsk, flesh and blood are just too frail... Mechanical ascension is the way to go..."
Only Takeshi muttered to himself.
"Mechanical ascension?"
The whisper didn't escape Orochimaru's ears. He instantly shifted his gaze back to Takeshi, who was still immersed in his own thoughts.
"Interesting idea..."
Like a venomous snake tasting the air, Orochimaru stared deeply at the unaware Takeshi, then turned his attention back to the map.
"Since the Third Raikage is dead, and we've already destroyed their supply depot, now is the perfect time to launch an offensive."
After assessing the current situation, Orochimaru concluded that the time was ripe for a counterattack.
"Minato, I need an elite jōnin to lead the squad and break through enemy lines. For now, stay by my side and carry out missions under my orders. As for those kids you brought..."
He glanced briefly at Jiraiya, then ignored him and turned his eyes back to Takeshi.
Noticing the sudden silence around him, Takeshi looked up in confusion—only to meet Orochimaru's narrow, piercing gaze.
"Uh... me?"
...
"Obito, if you throw another one of your worthless Fireballs, I swear I'll rip out your Sharingan and stick it in Kakashi's eye socket!"
Dodging a massive square shuriken by a hair's breadth, Takeshi shouted irritably at Obito beside him.
Such savage words made Kakashi break out in a cold sweat.
What the hell would I want that for?
"I don't know why things turned out like this either, Takeshi! Just give me one more chance!"
Also looking disheveled, Obito was nearly in tears. He hadn't expected that random Fireball to backfire so spectacularly—colliding with a Water Release and generating dense mist that nearly got Takeshi skewered by a swarm of Kumo-nin.
"Chance, my ass! Worry about surviving first!"
Entrusted with the squad by Minato, Takeshi glanced at Rin, who was silently staring at the ground. Then at Kakashi, who clearly didn't want to confront Toroi but had to grit his teeth and hold the line. And then behind Toroi—a horde of Kumo-nin, fierce as wolves.
He began considering whether to replicate the ambush tactics he'd used with Orochimaru during the camp raid.
"Fine. I'll give you one more shot. Go help Kakashi hold them off. Buy me some time. Rin, stay behind me!"
Leaping into the air to dodge another barrage of square shuriken, Takeshi glared at Toroi in irritation. Why the hell was this old man so obsessed with throwing shuriken at him?
If you love throwing them so much, I'll show you what real shuriken look like!
"Got it!"
At Takeshi's command, Obito turned around and began forming hand signs. He was just about to use his Fireball Jutsu again, but suddenly remembered Takeshi's earlier threat and changed the sequence:
"Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Technique!"
Small fireballs scattered like seeds of a phoenix flower, bombarding the pursuing Kumo-nin.
Sensing the heat behind him, Kakashi quickly leapt aside—exposing Toroi to the flames.
Toroi didn't panic. He enlarged his square shuriken into a massive shield and raised it in front of himself.
Meanwhile, seeing that Obito had successfully pinned down their opponent, Takeshi summoned a giant shuriken. After etching a Flying Thunder God seal onto it, he hurled it with all his might.
Toroi calmly analyzed its flight path, preparing to dodge at the perfect moment.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
As Takeshi finished the hand seals, the single shuriken suddenly split into several just before reaching Toroi. With a metallic clatter, they smashed his oversized shuriken out of his hands.
"Not good."
Toroi activated his magnetic field to forcibly alter the trajectories of the incoming weapons. His full attention was locked onto the shuriken—so much so that he failed to notice one of them bore a Flying Thunder God seal.
"Flying Thunder God!"
In the blink of an eye, Takeshi appeared right in front of Toroi and drove a poisoned senbon into his other kidney.
Before Toroi could react, Takeshi teleported back to his original position.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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