Channeling lightning chakra into his hand, A struck at Takeshi with a hand chop.
Takeshi's head snapped from his shoulders, but instead of blood spurting from the wound, the head rolled through the air—and the entire body exploded with it.
"An ice clone? When did he—just now?"
Leaping out of the blast radius, A swept his sleeve to disperse the air currents and began searching for Takeshi again.
The smoke and dust kicked up by the explosion gradually dispersed, but his vision didn't improve.
At some point, a bone-chilling white mist had begun to spread all around him.
"Hmph, this trick again?!"
Having once suffered from Ice Release, A wasn't about to fall for it a second time. Covering his nose and mouth, he gathered every bit of chakra in his body.
His slicked-back hair flared into a wild afro, each strand standing straight toward the sky.
Lightning Release Armor: Maximum Output.
This was A's full-power state—in this mode, the power of his lightning release would be maximized, and his speed would surpass even what it had been before.
Even a Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't track him now.
The mist would also be instantly evaporated as it came near him, unable to harm his internal organs.
However, the brilliant blue glow flickering over his body gave Takeshi a perfect beacon to aim at.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"
Bursting up from underground, Takeshi finally had the chance to weave hand seals and attacked from behind A.
But the razor-sharp wind release—normally impossible to dodge—moved like a sluggish snail in front of A.
Sensing the killing intent behind him, he leapt high to avoid the wind blades, then, relying purely on instinct, slammed a fist toward the spot where Takeshi had launched the sneak attack.
What power!
Teleporting away with Flying Thunder God, Takeshi was grateful for his sharp reflexes.
A second later, and A would've crushed him.
"I don't know if a Tailed Beast Bomb could tear through Lightning Release Armor… but Kakashi and the others are still nearby…"
This wasn't like a few years ago—back then, A wasn't this fast, and Takeshi had enjoyed a greater intel advantage.
Rubbing his still aching neck, Takeshi took a deep breath, planning to use the cover of the ice mist to retreat with Kakashi and the others.
Having made up his mind, Takeshi was about to teleport to Kakashi, who had one of his marked kunai, when two crisp sounds caught his attention.
"Ice Release: Kyoka Suigetsu!"
Changing his seals immediately, Takeshi's jutsu took hold just as the mist began to clear—and A's attack came right on cue.
"Lightning Style: Lariat!"
But in the reflection of the ice, A's strike veered off target.
"Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
Dozens of ice mirrors formed in every direction, enclosing A like the walls of a massive bell.
There was no time to run—he'd have to face him head-on.
Because he had pushed deep into enemy territory, Takeshi hadn't left any Flying Thunder God kunai close enough to use for a quick escape.
His retreat speed would be no match for A's pursuit.
"That teleporting jutsu again? I'll smash them all in an instant!"
Seeing Takeshi's reflection in every mirror, A made no attempt to find the real one.
Gathering chakra into his fists, he planned to use his speed to shatter every ice mirror at once.
"If you can, then try!"
Condensing chakra into his right hand, Takeshi formed an Eightfold Light Wheel.
The moment A moved, Takeshi launched his attack as well.
"Eightfold Light Wheel!"
The hand chop that could cleave through an initial-form Susanoo collided with the spinning chakra blade, producing the screech of grinding metal.
Wind trumps lightning.
And Takeshi's chakra reserves far exceeded those of a Raikage who wasn't a jinchūriki.
In moments, A's Lightning Release Armor at his hand was torn apart by Takeshi's Eightfold Light Wheel.
"Damn it!"
Knowing he'd lost the elemental advantage, A roared and pushed forward, ignoring the pain of his armor being ripped away, determined to seize Takeshi's arm.
"Super Eightfold Light Wheel!"
But the Takeshi he was grappling with was only an ice clone.
The real Takeshi had already forged a Super Eightfold Light Wheel, many times larger than the normal one, and swung it straight at A's waist.
The massive spinning blade carried A through the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, sending him hurtling far into the distance.
"Go!"
Seeing his foe sent flying, Takeshi wasted no time—he dashed to Kakashi's side and led the still-alert group along what he judged to be a safe route.
They ran and ran before finally stopping, thinking they'd gotten far enough.
"Cough, cough…"
Takeshi hacked up clots of dark blood.
Though Isobu's chakra had mended his injuries, his voice was still hoarse.
"Did that last attack work?"
Yūhi Shinku was still shaken. He'd thought himself among the elite even within the jōnin ranks, but against the Fourth Raikage, he hadn't even gotten the chance to cast a genjutsu.
As for Umino Ikkaku, there was no need to mention it—reliant on ninja tools, he hadn't even had time to unroll a scroll.
Only Kakashi, while worrying over Takeshi's injuries, was already replaying A's movements in his mind.
Watching how A used lightning release had given Kakashi some inspiration.
"Who knows… with a body that tough."
Takeshi himself wasn't sure how much damage he'd done. But given the silence since they'd stopped to rest, A probably wasn't in great shape.
And indeed—
A now clutched his waist, straining to keep his internal organs from spilling out.
The Super Eightfold Light Wheel had not only shredded his Lightning Release Armor but cut into his flesh.
If he hadn't altered the strike's path at the last moment with sheer physical strength and powerful lightning release, he'd be dead now—not A, but a corpse.
"Takeshi!"
With a roar of frustration, the Fourth Raikage raged. He hadn't expected that after years of grueling training, he still couldn't kill that damn brat—and the star-shaped wound in his abdomen throbbed all the worse for it.
"Raikage-sama!"
Some time later, the reinforcements Dodai had sent, following the trail of destruction A had left, finally arrived.
When they saw their supposedly indestructible Raikage gravely wounded, the Kumogakure shinobi were stunned.
Had Konoha sent the Fourth Hokage himself?
Otherwise, how could their Raikage be hurt like this?
"Patch me up and get me back to the village!"
Ignoring his men's confused looks, A ordered them to return him to Kumogakure.
He didn't even bother telling them to pursue—if he couldn't capture Takeshi himself, sending others would just be sending them to their deaths.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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