"It seems I have no choice but to kill you now!"
The masked man's voice was deathly still, a sharp murderous intent leaking from his crimson Sharingan. Originally, Naruto only intended to come to the Hidden Cloud Village to "deliver warmth," get a little revenge for the past, and showcase the existence of Obito Uchiha while letting the village experience some pain.
But the Raikage, Ay, had challenged him: "You think you can leave without killing me?"
Well, then...
He had no choice but to make him die!
Raikage, no, Ay, be a good person in your next life!
With this thought, his entire demeanor changed drastically. The playful, taunting attitude vanished, replaced by a chilling, abyssal coldness that was all-consuming.
His Sharingan swept the area. There were too many people around. He would clear the field first.
The masked man's hands moved through a series of hand signs, then slammed down hard on the ground!
"Wood Style: Dance of the Thorns!"
Beneath the earth, a surge of Wood Style chakra erupted.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh~
The violent Wood Style chakra tore through the ground, and countless sharp, spear-like wooden spikes burst from the earth. They shrieked as they shot toward every single Cloud shinobi present, threatening to impale them all and pin them to the ground!
In that critical moment, a burst of lightning chakra erupted from the Raikage, Ay. The chakra he squeezed from his body became a tearing, blue bolt of lightning.
"Lightning Release: Lariat!"
The Raikage, like a bolt of blue lightning, struck. The speed was so fast that the masked man could only give up his Wood Style attack and turn intangible to avoid it.
After the attack, whoosh... Even the Raikage was breathing heavily after the continuous bursts of power. In the intense battle, his speed had finally slowed down by a fraction of a second!
Thud! Thud!
A few sickening sounds of flesh being pierced echoed. Although Ay had delayed the masked man for an instant, several wooden spikes still impaled the sealing team ninjas who were unable to dodge. Their screams and blood instantly stained the ground!
"Ahhh—"
Raikage Ay's teeth ground together as he witnessed the scene! But he knew the direness of the situation. "Everyone!!!" he roared, his voice shaking the air itself. "Fall back immediately! That's an order!!!"
"Fall back! All of you! Hurry!" Darui's heart stopped, and he shouted in agreement, his voice hoarse.
After directing the others to leave, Darui turned to stare at the masked man.
The night had already become a thick ink, completely covering the shattered Hidden Cloud Village. The fires burning in the ruins were the only source of light. Yet, the lone, black figure standing in the center seemed to devour all the dim light. He was dressed in black, almost merging with the background of the night. Only his orange, tiger-striped mask glowed in the firelight.
The flickering flames made the strange black markings on the mask look especially vivid, like the runes of some ancient beast writhing. He simply stood there, but an invisible pressure, like the stillness before a mountain collapses, enveloped the entire battlefield.
Everything that had just happened replayed in Darui's mind: The ghost-like ability to phase and warp space, untouchable; the sharp, ominous wooden spikes summoned from nowhere, and the sickening thud as they pierced his comrades' bodies; the Raikage's desperate lightning assault, which only tore a ripple of nothingness at the last moment.
Darui's gaze was fixed on the patterned mask, and a chill crawled up his spine.
One person.
Just one person.
He has the terrifying strength to take on an entire great shinobi village, forcing them into a desperate retreat, even making a Kage threaten a suicidal attack?
Is this... Obito Uchiha?
"Obito Uchiha," Darui's voice was incredibly dry, repeating the name almost like a sigh.
The Nine-Tails attack on Konoha, the Uchiha clan massacre, the manipulation of the Fourth Mizukage, the annihilation of the Hidden Grass Village. Each of these events was a bloody testament to his terrifying power and evil deeds!
The masked man's singular crimson eye scanned the retreating Cloud shinobi, his gaze resting on Darui for just an instant.
In that fleeting moment, Darui felt as if he had been dragged into a soul-freezing abyss. The hairs on his body stood on end, and an intense premonition of danger made his muscles tense instantly! He instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword!
Is this... a legendary S-rank rogue ninja?
No!
Darui felt as though he was facing a living calamity wearing human skin!
After a light sweep of the area, the masked man's gaze returned to the muscular man in front of him. Naruto, who was impersonating the masked man, already had a plan to deal with Raikage Ay.
The Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode was incredibly fast and gave him quick reflexes, making him the perfect counter to Obito. If it were the real Obito, he would have a hard time killing him. After all, the real Obito's strength was... pathetic!
So, the masked man that Naruto was impersonating had to "cheat!"
"Paralysis Jutsu!"
The three tomoe in the masked man's single Sharingan silently grew and spun in Raikage Ay's vision!
Ommm—
A powerful, vast mental energy, like the deepest part of the ocean, ignored the rampaging Lightning Release chakra barrier and his resilient will. It brutally pierced his soul, binding every muscle fiber and every single thought that directed the flow of his chakra!
"Ugh?" Ay's pupils dilated to their limit!
Sleep paralysis?
No! This is far more terrifying!
He could clearly "feel" the ferocious Lightning Release chakra still roaring inside him! His heart was still beating wildly! His blood was still rushing through his veins!
However, every nerve signal trying to move his body, every thought trying to guide his chakra, was completely frozen and blocked by this power!
This... is a genjutsu?
Are you kidding me?
Ay's heart was filled with monumental terror! He! The Fourth Raikage! He had chakra comparable to a Tailed Beast and the violent, unpredictable burst of Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
How could he possibly fall for a genjutsu?
"Break it—NOW!!!" Ay's will screamed wildly inside the prison!
Terrifying chakra, like a maddened beast, thrashed through his pathways, trying to break the invisible shackles! But no matter how hard he thrashed, his body remained completely still!
Powerless!
An unprecedented, absolute, soul-shaking sense of helplessness, mixed with humiliated rage, fiercely seized the Fourth Raikage's heart.
Raikage Ay, horrified, looked up in his cold bonds. The single, eerie eye beneath the mask, its three crimson tomoe reflecting the firelight, emitted a heart-stopping red glow! The single eye suddenly locked onto the immobile Ay.
Next, a swirling vortex of space covered and consumed Raikage Ay.
"Lord Raikage!!" Darui's roar was filled with a throat-shredding terror! He had seen this technique from a distance before; those who were consumed by it never reappeared. So, seeing the Raikage standing motionless, about to be swallowed by the vortex, he transformed into a bolt of lightning and lunged forward. His arms, like iron bands, tried to grab Ay's upper body and pull him away from the strange vortex!
But it was too late!
The swirling space instantly covered and enveloped Ay's entire body!
Tear—
With a sickening, muffled sound, as if space itself was being forcibly ripped apart, the void vortex suddenly contracted and vanished!
Darui's arms were left with a suffocating emptiness!
The immense momentum and impact sent him crashing to the ground, holding something heavy and severed!
As the dust settled, Darui found himself clutching the lower half of the Raikage's torso, which had been cleanly severed at the waist!
The Fourth Raikage, dead!