The Third Raikage groggily opened his eyes, his head feeling heavy, as if he had been sleeping for an entire month. Every muscle in his body ached with a deep, bone-penetrating exhaustion that seemed to seep into his very soul.
He took a deep breath in an effort to clear his head, but was immediately met with an intense, stabbing pain in his chest that felt like molten metal had been poured directly into his lungs.
"Cough!" He coughed several times in succession, a metallic taste welling up in his mouth—the unmistakable flavor of his own blood. Each cough sent fresh waves of agony through his battered torso, reminding him that his body had endured tremendous trauma.
After several minutes of intense pain, the worst of it finally started to die down. His head became a little clearer, and his mangled vision somehow managed to regain some focus, though everything still seemed to swim slightly at the edges.
As the darkness slowly started to clear from his vision, he looked around his surroundings with growing confusion. It was a barely adequate room—not very large, but strangely sterile. The entire space was painted completely white without any windows, and only a single door stood as the sole entrance and exit.
The absence of any distinguishing features made the room feel more like a medical facility than a prison cell, though the lack of windows gave it an undeniably claustrophobic atmosphere.
"Hey, did you have a nice sleep?"
A sudden voice finally jolted his body from its relaxed state into extreme alertness. Every instinct he possessed as an elite shinobi screamed danger, and his muscles tensed despite their weakened condition.
He subconsciously looked ahead and saw the same boy sitting casually in front of him—the nightmare hiding beneath an innocent disguise. Incredibly, he had almost failed to notice the child even though he was positioned just a few feet away.
This realization sent chills down his spine. His eyes should have immediately spotted the movement, his nose should have picked up this unfamiliar scent, his ears should have detected even the subtlest sounds. All of his finely honed senses seemed to have betrayed him simultaneously.
His brain acknowledged intellectually that someone was sitting in front of him, but at the same time, some deeper part of his consciousness seemed to refuse to accept this reality. It was as if his mind was protecting itself from acknowledging the presence of something too dangerous to fully comprehend.
His body began to tense up involuntarily as his mind subconsciously accessed some very painful recent memories. The recollections felt simultaneously recent and distant, like half-remembered fragments of a fever dream.
His survival instincts automatically tried to mobilize his chakra, sensing the overwhelming danger ahead, but found absolutely no response from his energy pathways.
Finally, he noticed that his entire body was now covered with intricate kanji characters from head to toe. The symbols were difficult to make out against his dark skin, but he still recognized some of them. It didn't take a genius to deduce that these were the famous sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan, somehow blocking his chakra pathways with surgical precision.
"Don't bother trying," the boy's voice confirmed his growing dread.
The implications were even more terrifying than he had initially imagined.
"This is one of the core sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan," Elric explained with the casual tone of someone discussing the weather. "It creates a complete separation between the soul and the body. No matter how much you struggle, if the sealing technique isn't lifted, you will never be able to use any chakra again for the rest of your life."
The boy paused, as if considering whether to deliver the next piece of information. "Though that life might not be very long. I forgot to mention that if the seal isn't lifted within a week, you will die. And it's already been four days since this technique was placed on your body, so you really don't have much time remaining."
The Third Raikage's heartbeat accelerated dramatically, but drawing upon decades of experience in life-or-death situations, he forced himself to remain calm and spoke with as much dignity as he could muster.
"If you haven't killed me already, then tell me your purpose, brat. And if it's related to Kumogakure's classified information, then forget about it. Don't waste your time and mine."
"Oh, really?" Elric's response carried a tone of exaggerated innocence. "I beg to differ. I'm just a twelve-year-old child—what serious business could I possibly have? And you traveled over a thousand miles of land and water to visit our humble village. Surely you have plenty of time to waste."
"Stop talking nonsense, brat!" The Raikage's patience was wearing thin despite his efforts to remain composed. "This was a war, and we lost. Just kill me if you want to, and if not, tell me your conditions."
"Why are you so impatient?" Elric asked with genuine curiosity. "Do you think I won't attack Kumogakure after killing you here?"
A chill ran through the Third Raikage's heart as the implication hit him. He had been subconsciously trying to avoid thinking about that possibility, but now it was staring him directly in the face.
He let out a laugh that was full of self-mockery and bitter acceptance. "Even if I were there to defend it, it's not like I could beat you anyway. So my presence would make no difference in the outcome."
"How refreshingly self-aware," Elric responded with a small chuckle. "I thought you are a..." He exaggerated his expression and made an overly dramatic thinking gesture. "Oh, yeah—'muscle-head,' right?"
The Third Raikage gritted his teeth, his pride stinging despite the hopelessness of his situation. "I don't know how you became this strong, but you definitely didn't train for it. Because if you had, maybe you would have learned some self-discipline and respect for your elders."
"Haha!" This time Elric let out full-blown laughter that echoed off the white walls. "Yeah, I didn't train for it—not like you did, under the scorching sun or in the bitter cold of winter."
A very warm smile now adorned Elric's face, but there was something unsettling about its innocence. "So what if I didn't?"
His expression shifted slightly, becoming more pointed. "What did all your training lead to? Losing to a child who, just one year ago, couldn't even wield chakra properly."
The boy's voice carried a mocking tone that cut deeper than any physical wound. "And you think this is some kind of achievement worth boasting about in front of me? You might actually kill me with how funny you are. You definitely have the potential to become a stand-up comedian."
The Third Raikage felt a surge of anger—deep, burning rage at the casual cruelty of the boy's words. He didn't fully understand what a "stand-up comedian" was, but he could guess the meaning from context, and it only added insult to injury.