"Darui! C! Lead the team to deal with those two flying Ninja!" Raikage quickly made tactical arrangements.
"Be careful of that scythe-wielding Ninja!" Raikage shared the intel he had gathered from their earlier exchange: "That guy seems to be able to absorb Chakra!"
"B! Come with me and teach this arrogant bastard a lesson!"
As the renowned [AB Combo] of the Ninja World, they had rampaged across the battlefield with unmatched dominance during the Third Great Ninja War. Only the [Yellow Flash], Namikaze Minato, with his superior speed, had managed to suppress them.
But now that Namikaze Minato was dead, the Fourth Raikage had become the fastest man in the Ninja World!
No one doubted the combat prowess of the AB Combo!
Meanwhile, Darui and C each led teams of Kumogakure's Ninjas to encircle and engage the two airborne enemies.
They didn't dare let their guard down… not only because these enemies had the audacity to attack Kumogakure with just three people, but also because the ability to fly was exceptionally rare in the Ninja World!
So far, the only known Ninja capable of flight was the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Onoki!
C, a handsome blond-haired shinobi, led several Kumogakure's Ninjas in the first clash against Tennyo.
Several Kumogakure's Ninjas used Earth Release Ninjutsu, causing countless earthen spears to erupt from the ground, attempting to restrict Tennyo's movements.
C and three other Kumogakure's Jonin used these spears as platforms to leap into the air, their Lightning Release Ninjutsu cutting through the smoke.
However, Tennyo's ribbons were as treacherous as vipers… not only could they extend freely, but they were also sharp enough to slice through steel. Any Ninja struck by them would either be fatally wounded or sent flying, coughing up blood!
Tennyo danced gracefully in the air, her ribbons whirling like a performance, effortlessly piercing through or smashing into the Kumogakure's Ninjas.
For a time, no one could even get close to her.
And on the other side.
On the other side, Shinigami swung his scythe as he clashed with the Kumogakure's forces led by Darui.
"Water Release: Water Bullet!" Several Water Release specialists among the Kumogakure's Ninjas formed hand seals and fired a barrage of high-pressure water bullets at the airborne Shinigami.
These water bullets packed enough force to pierce through steel plates.
Shinigami drifted lightly through the air, evading the attacks before charging straight toward Darui.
"Storm Release: Laser Circus!" Darui formed hand seals with both hands!
A blue orb of light erupted, releasing over a dozen electrified water beams that shot toward Shinigami in the sky.
These 'water columns' homed in like guided lasers, attacking from multiple angles.
In response, Shinigami swung his scythe.
Several wind blades sliced through the smoke, forming a net in midair that shredded the incoming Storm Release Ninjutsu… and absorbed them.
"What?!" Dārui stared in shock as his proud [Storm Release: Laser Circus] was effortlessly dismantled by mere wind blades.
The wind blades continued their trajectory, striking several Kumogakure's Ninjas who failed to dodge in time.
"Aahhh!" The hit Ninjas screamed in agony.
Darui quickly checked on them, only to find that while their bodies showed no physical wounds from the wind blades, they collapsed as if dead, completely immobilized.
"Be careful!" Mabui urgently warned, "That guy's scythe can absorb Chakra! Don't let it hit you!"
Using the intel provided earlier by the Raikage, the sharp-minded Mabui quickly adjusted the team's tactics.
Ninjas relied heavily on Chakra, and once depleted, death was almost certain.
"I'll hold him off! Mabui! Coordinate the long-range attacks!" True to his future role as the Fifth Raikage, Darui immediately took on the role of the decoy.
Using the Raikage Building as footholds, he scaled to higher ground before leaping toward Shinigami!
"Lightning Release: Black Panther!" Though Darui couldn't fly, he had large-scale Ninjutsu at his disposal.
Countless dark lightnings gathered on Darui's body, morphing into the shape of a black panther before pouncing on Shinigami!
In response, Shinigami swung his scythe again.
Darui directly activated the second stage of Black Panther, and the lightning black panther expanded, transforming into a massive electrified net that enveloped the enemy!
Faced with this web of black lightning, Shinigami spun his scythe like a lawnmower, absorbing every strand of Lightning Attribute Chakra it touched!
"How is this possible!" Darui, who is still midair, stared in disbelief.
…
On the main battlefield.
The fierce battle between Kumogakure's AB Combo and Menma in the smoke had reached its climax.
Raikage uses the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, combined with his Nintaijutsu, struck like thunder, launching relentless attacks!
Meanwhile, B effortlessly wielded seven swords, their movements as wild as a swarm of bees, perfectly synchronized with his brother's assault from the other side.
True to his epithet [Killer Bee], his techniques were vicious, and his incessant rapping only added to the annoyance.
However, the mysterious opponent before them deflected B's seamless seven-sword onslaught with nothing but a single kunai… all while effortlessly dodging Raikage's Taijutsu attacks.
Despite this being their first encounter, A and B couldn't shake the feeling that their opponent knew their every move.
"Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop!" Raikage concentrated his Lightning Release Chakra into his hand, leaped into the air, and descended in a devastating chop!
At the same time, B swung his swords, cutting off all escape routes for the mysterious man.
"Spiralling Ring!" With his right hand gripping a kunai, Menma parried B's sword strikes, while his left hand formed a dark purple orb, slamming it directly into Raikage A's [Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop].
Boom!
The violent collision of the two Ninjutsu sent Dark Chakra and Lightning Attribute Chakra clashing in a piercing explosion.
In the end, it was Menma's [Spiralling Ring] proved superior. The violent Dark Chakra, infused with Wind Attribute Chakra, tore through the lightning covering Raikage's arm like countless blades.
The violent Dark Chakra struck Raikage's arm, carving deep gashes into his tempered flesh, blood spraying everywhere!
"Argh! Damn it!" Roaring in pain, Raikage grimaced fiercely as he was sent flying back several meters!
Even his heavy metal armguard, weighing hundreds of pounds, had been 'gnawed' apart by the ferocious Dark Chakra.
Only a body as hardened as Raikage's, which was forged through relentless Lightning Release training, could withstand a direct hit from the [Spiralling Ring]. Any ordinary Jonin would have been killed or crippled on the spot.
"Hey~ Brother, are you okay~?" B also retreated to A's side, his voice laced with concern.
"B! This guy is no ordinary opponent! Use the Tailed Beast Transformation!" Raikage knew their current fighting style wouldn't be enough to defeat this enemy and prepared to unleash their full power.
"But brother~ this is a village~ the Eight-Tails will wreck everything~" B was a little worried.
"Mabui!" Raikage bellowed.
However, when he turned his head, he saw that dozens of Kumogakure's Ninjas in the distance had already fallen dead or wounded!
Darui and C were also locked in desperate struggles.