A massive water curtain, dozens of meters in diameter, exploded open deep within the canyon.
At its center stood Senju Tobirama, silver hair flying.
On the opposite cliff wall, the Second Raikage's body was covered in wounds of varying depth, blood staining his clothes crimson.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
The high-pressure water blade sliced through the air, but the Second Raikage sidestepped at an even faster speed.
Behind him, the rock was neatly severed and slowly tilted before crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom, sending up several meters of dust.
...
Renya only needed a glance at their battle to judge that the Kumogakure ninja leader wasn't Senju Tobirama's match.
Since the old man wasn't in danger, he could safely go support his comrades.
Elsewhere, Mitokado Homura's monocle had shattered halfway, and he was being completely suppressed by the Kumogakure jōnin's attacks, unable to counter.
"Konoha's ninja, nothing special!"
The Kumogakure jōnin swung his kunai straight for Homura's heart.
Seeing this, Homura could only raise his arm to block.
Squelch!
The sharp kunai sank deep into his right arm, blood flowing freely.
"Stop struggling pointlessly and die obediently!"
The Kumogakure jōnin yanked the kunai out, blood dripping from it as he thrust toward Homura's heart again.
If the strike landed, death was certain.
Homura no longer had the strength to dodge—he had already accepted death.
But the expected pain never came. Instead, a black-haired youth with a katana appeared before him.
Clang!
Renya's blade cleaved through the incoming kunai, and his left hand formed seals at the same time.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
The Kumogakure jōnin never even saw when the boy appeared. Caught completely off guard, he was struck by the fireballs, and the scorching flames instantly engulfed his clothes.
"Aaaahhh—!"
A heart-wrenching scream rang out.
Renya didn't let it continue—his blade flashed, and the jōnin collapsed lifeless to the ground.
Only then did he turn to the injured Homura.
"Homura, are you alright?"
Clutching his wounded right arm, Homura smiled and shook his head.
"Nothing serious, just a scratch."
The distant rumble interrupted their conversation. Far away, Senju Tobirama was locked in fierce battle with the Second Raikage.
"Renya, don't worry about me—go help Sensei!" Homura urged.
Renya nodded and vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Though he doubted the old man was in any danger, it didn't hurt to be sure.
...
Senju Tobirama formed seals in front of his chest. The moment the final "Tiger" seal was complete, the water vapor throughout the canyon condensed all at once.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The ground shook as a massive water dragon, more than ten meters in diameter, shot skyward. Its head was fierce, scales distinct, and every droplet of water refracted dazzling light under the sun.
The water dragon let out a silent roar and crashed down toward the Raikage with mountain-crushing force.
The Raikage's fist crackled with blinding lightning as he roared and swung forward.
"Lightning Release: Heavy Current Burst!"
At the moment fist and dragon's head collided, the impact exploded outward in a circular shockwave, blasting nearby rock into the air.
Water and lightning intertwined in a blue-and-white storm.
The Raikage's muscle fibers twisted under the high-pressure torrent, his feet gouging deep trenches into the ground—yet he still couldn't stop being pushed back.
Crack!
The Lightning Release armor coating his fist fractured.
The water dragon seized that fleeting opening, rearing its head and flinging the Raikage high into the air!
He tumbled, trying to adjust his stance, but in the next instant—
Boom!
The dragon's head smashed him hard into the cliffside with the force of ten thousand tons.
The rocky peak collapsed, boulders raining down as the Raikage's body blasted through three layers of rock before finally stopping.
Countless falling stones buried his figure.
The canyon fell silent, save for the distant sounds of Sarutobi Hiruzen's battle and the drip of water from shattered rocks.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Senju Tobirama stepped through the shallow water, red eyes fixed on the ruins.
Suddenly, he turned, sensing something—Renya's figure was reflected in his pupils.
"Old man, fight's over?"
Having just arrived, Renya could clearly tell the old man had won.
Tobirama gave a slight nod.
"It's over."
The words had barely left his mouth when—
Rumble!
A bloody arm suddenly burst out from the rubble.
Renya's gaze snapped toward the sound, his hand gripping his sword, ready to strike at the slightest wrong move.
The Raikage crawled out of the debris, staggering to his feet. Blood trickled from his brow and dripped to the ground.
His breathing was ragged, his whole body drenched in blood.
Tobirama stayed Renya's attack with a hand, speaking quietly.
"He's lost the ability to fight."
Hearing this, Renya released his grip, though his eyes remained watchful.
Wounded and swaying, the Raikage stumbled forward.
"Second Hokage… I lost. Kill me or torture me as you wish."
He closed his eyes, ready to accept death.
Truthfully, he was unwilling—just two days after becoming Raikage, he was about to die. Anyone would be bitter.
But he had no choice—his skill simply wasn't enough.
Since the assassination failed, he had to be ready for a counterattack.
If not for the daimyo's stupidity, things wouldn't have come to this…
As he was inwardly cursing the daimyo's ancestors eighteen generations back, Tobirama suddenly spoke.
"You're Kumogakure's Second Raikage, aren't you?"
He made no move to attack, merely regarding the burly man before him as if seeing straight through him.
The Raikage's eyes flew open, surprise flashing before giving way to bitterness. He hadn't expected his identity to be so easily exposed.
Though he didn't know how the Hokage knew, he answered honestly.
"…Yes."
Renya raised an eyebrow, giving the man a once-over. So this was Kumogakure's newly appointed Second Raikage?
Well, he was built like a tank.
But what was this guy thinking—just crowned Raikage, and he personally leads a team to ambush Konoha's diplomatic mission?
Was the war ending too quickly for his taste?!
Tobirama didn't rush to act, instead asking,
"The Land of Lightning's daimyo sent you?"
The Raikage was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Your presence angered the daimyo. He didn't want you to set foot in the Land of Lightning alive…" he said in a low voice. "He threatened Kumogakure—if I didn't kill you, he'd cut thirty percent of our military budget."
Renya: "???"
The daimyo of the Land of Lightning was the real idiot here!
Clearly, he'd grown far too comfortable over the years to dare use something like this to threaten Kumogakure.
If it were up to Renya, the daimyo would've been dead already.
A daimyo was just a rich ordinary man—if a hidden village was truly provoked, they could send shinobi to wipe out his mansion overnight.
In the shinobi world, the daimyo used money to build the nation, and the ninja used strength to protect it.
The daimyo provided funds, the ninja did the work. A silent balance was maintained.
After all, ninja rarely engaged in production—that was the work of civilians.
Killing the daimyo would only dry up the source; a steady trickle was better in the long run.
But that didn't mean the daimyo could ride on the ninja's neck!
Push them too far, and who could say what they'd do?
Clearly, the Land of Lightning's daimyo hadn't realized how serious this was…
Tobirama closed his eyes slightly, as if deep in thought.
A moment later, he opened them again, sharp light flashing within.
"So, you agreed?"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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