Seeing so many Iwa ninja lying in ambush, even the Raikage—normally so stubborn—immediately realized he'd walked straight into a trap. His heart sank. No wonder the rescue had been so easy—they'd been waiting for him right here the whole time.
The rescued Cloud ninja were stunned by the overwhelming enemy force. One of them quickly understood the truth—it was definitely an ambush. He shouted anxiously, "Raikage-sama, get on the ship now! We'll hold them back!"
"Haha, what are you saying? Don't stop—keep boarding!" The Raikage's gaze remained firm. Facing the ever-increasing numbers of Iwa ninja, he stood unflinchingly and declared, "They're nothing but a bunch of ragtags. Don't forget—I am the Raikage! How could I possibly abandon you and escape alone?"
"I understand," said the Cloud ninja as he held back tears and roared, "Everyone, hurry onto the ship! Don't let the Raikage-sama risk himself in vain!"
"Hmph, not one of you will escape." High above, Anya soared on a clay bird shaped like a bomb and launched it toward the vessel.
The Raikage's eyes burned with determination. With a casual flick of his hand, a surge of lightning shot forth and intercepted the explosive midair. His aura flared intensely as he singlehandedly resisted ten thousand Iwa ninja without showing any sign of defeat. Anyone witnessing this scene would undoubtedly cheer for him.
Like a one-man wall blocking the pass, the Raikage stood firm at the forefront, clearly resolved to cover the retreat.
Anya dived down from the sky, coldly stating, "Raikage-sama, you're all alone here. How long do you think you can hold out? Once you fall, we can immediately eliminate those captives."
This was a psychological attack!
Anya truly had no concern for the captives' lives; his sole focus was on the Raikage's survival. His only real worry now was that if the captives successfully escaped aboard the ship, the Raikage might break through. Hence, he provoked him verbally.
The Raikage burst into a bold, arrogant laugh. "If you want to kill me, you'd better ask me first. Come on—let's see who falls first!"
Perfect, Anya's eyes flashed with murder. After raising his right hand high, he suddenly swung it downward toward the Raikage.
"Charge!"
"Aaaaah!"
With these deafening battle cries, over ten thousand battle-ready ninja surged forward toward the lone figure of the Raikage.
"Earth Flow River!"
"Earth Spear!"
"Landslide!"
What a spectacular sight it was when thousands upon thousands of Iwa ninja unleashed their techniques simultaneously. From afar to close range, the battlefield was completely overwhelmed by earth-based jutsu, leaving no corner untouched and utterly crushing the Raikage under their collective might.
[Lightning Release Suit]
Exerting his utmost strength, the Third Raikage activated his ultimate defense. His hair stood completely upright as brilliant blue light radiated from him, indicating he had maximized the power of his lightning chakra. In his lightning-armor state, he chose to ignore all the incoming attacks and instead charged forward first.
While controlling Lie Kai from within Zetsu, Anya felt a sudden sense of danger. Although still separated by countless warriors, he was certain—the Raikage was coming straight for him.
What courage. It seems he's identified me as the commander and dares to attempt a decapitation-style strike through ten thousand troops.
Anya shouted loudly, "Deploy group defense!"
"Earth Release: Great Earthen Rampart!"
Anya
A countless number of Iwa ninja stood before Anya, forming hand seals simultaneously to activate a defensive ninjutsu. Suddenly, a massive earthen wall appeared, towering like the Great Wall of China—majestic and imposing. It loomed like a mighty dragon, capable of crossing endless plains, surging through vast deserts, and plunging into the boundless sea—still standing unshaken, evoking an overwhelming sense of despair.
Raikage didn't slow down, unleashing devastating power with his absolute defense active: [Hell Stab – Four-Finger Penetration Strike].
A surge of lightning surged into Raikage's four fingers, unleashing an incredibly piercing lightning release. In that instant, Kumo's ultimate spear radiated its brilliance.
Blinding flashes of lightning surged forward, and the colossal earth wall shattered like paper, collapsing into broken ruins. The battlefield was now filled with wreckage and devastation.
"How is this possible?"
The Iwa ninja stared in disbelief at the scene before them, their morale plummeting to rock bottom.
"Lightning release boosts his body beyond physical limits, granting him extreme speed and defense. Earth techniques won't stop him," Anya stated calmly, issuing orders. "First squad, keep defending. Second squad, harass him. Third squad, attack from a distance. Fourth squad, activate your Stone Armor and engage him up close to wear him down. The rest, stand by and be ready to relieve the fourth squad at any moment."
Fighting ten thousand against one—he hadn't had such an overwhelming advantage since the war began. If Raikage couldn't be killed outright, then they would simply wear him down. As early as their first encounter, Anya had already analyzed Raikage's weakness: his ultimate defense came at the cost of pushing his physical strength to the brink. Sustained combat would eventually exhaust his body, and once it gave out, Raikage's death would follow.
It didn't matter how many lives were lost—it wasn't his subordinates dying. At this moment, Anya remained abnormally calm, his expression icy cold. Even Shou Kari beside him felt like he was seeing Anya anew, as if for the first time.
The fierce battle raged on, continuing through days and nights without pause. In the end, it became a contest of willpower. By now, more than two thousand bodies lay scattered across the ground.
No one had expected the fight to last three full days and nights. All the Iwa ninja gazed at Raikage—who still refused to fall—as if he were a god. Was he even human anymore? Having survived so long against ten thousand shinobi, could they actually defeat him?
Even Anya, hidden in the shadows, was stunned. Though he had known killing Raikage would be difficult, he hadn't expected it to be this extreme. Raikage's physical strength must rival that of a tailed beast. Had it not been for this scheme that placed Raikage in a desperate situation, killing him would have been nearly impossible.
What a pity, though—that such an extraordinary legend had chosen to abandon his chance to break free just for the sake of letting some worthless people escape. Foolish, yet admirable. No wonder Mabui had joined the Organization but still held feelings for Kumogakure. That village truly possessed an inexplicable charm. But now—they were enemies. And enemies deserved no mercy.
Anya's Sharingan clearly revealed the truth: Raikage's body had reached its limit, standing on the very brink of death. The only thing keeping him upright was the unyielding will within him.
Such a powerful individual deserved respect. The identity of Lie Kai was now meant to fade away.
Facing the Iwa ninja still attacking Raikage, Anya bellowed: "Get out of the way. Let me deliver the final blow."
[Ninjutsu - Dragon] Using Explosive Clay, he created a massive flying dragon and launched it toward the Raikage. With a thunderous boom, no sound in this place could rival its magnitude. The intense explosion surged like violent waves in an ocean, obliterating everything. All surrounding noises fell silent.
As the Raikage sensed the danger, a flicker of crimson flashed in his eyes. So this is the leader attacking me? The one who's been pulling the strings from the shadows all along. Since you've dared to come forward and strike, then let's die together.
[Hell Stab - Ippon Gogotsu] With a fierce expression, Raikage unleashed his final attack. The mighty lightning force pierced Lie Kai's body without exception. However, within the violent explosion, a cold flash of sword light emerged from nowhere.
"Break."
With a sharp cry, the sword light slashed across Raikage's neck as gently as a breeze through willows, stealing his very last breath.
That awe-inspiring strike... so it was you all along, thought Raikage in his final fleeting moment.
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