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Choza swung his massive bo staff, the wind pressure alone shredding the terrain. Dodai formed a thick gum barrier... it held for half a second before shattering. The backlash sent him skidding back.
"Spread out!" he ordered. His unit obeyed immediately, scattering across the ridge.
Choza followed with Human bullet tank which carried him forward, straight into the area Dodai had pre-layered with gum earlier. His giant feet sank into it with a wet, stretching sound. He tried to rotate using Human Bullet Tank... but the rubber gum resisted, stretching endlessly without tearing. His rotation slowed.
Dodai grinned through the smoke. "Got you."
Choza tried again, forcing his chakra output higher. The ground shook, the gum stretched another twenty meters. Still it held.
But Choza didn't hear him... or wouldn't. He bellowed, using the last of his strength to spin. The gum squealed and began to smoke. His Rotation generate huge amounts of friction which heated the rubber gum.
Dodai's eyes widened. "He's actually heating it—!"
Before he could finish, Sango... still in Inoichi's control... activated a controlled blast beneath Choza's feet. The combination of explosion and heat weakened the rubber. Choza's rotation finally tore through it, scattering molten gum across the field.
Meanwhile, Inoichi's spirit form re-entered his body after assisting choza to break free, gasping. "Choza! Don't push too hard... his chakra is acting like a gum. You'll burn too much chakra! Don't get caught into it again. "
Sango got control of himself.
Both sides paused, panting.
Dodai wiped his forehead. "Fire and heat…" he muttered, realizing the weakness.
Across the field, Choza fell to one knee, exhausted. Inoichi staggered beside him, breathing hard. "He's good," Inoichi admitted quietly. "That elasticity… it's adaptive. If he perfects it... it will be dangerous. We will have to kill him before he gets used to it."
Choza chuckled weakly as he touched his red pill. "I still have butterfly form... But I won't for the next few weeks."
Both sides withdrew a few hundred meters, silently agreeing the battle had reached its limit for the day with both the sides tired. But were just as vigilant.
--
"Bee," the Raikage's voice was low. "The 5-Tails jinchuuriki may have fled, but we don't have the luxury of rest and chase after him. The Uchiha are pressing from south-west. Ay has been holding the line for far too long."
Bee wiped his face. "You got me... 'Yo"
The Raikage didn't answer. He just looked toward the smoking ridge where the next base awaited... Hot Water Front, Kumo's last strong position against konoha.
By the time they arrived, the situation was dire.
Kumo's defense line was fracturing under coordinated Uchiha pressure. Black fire and steel filled the air.... shuriken burning with chakra, bursts of Fire Release igniting the mist. Several squads had fallen into confusion after getting caught in genjutsu.
And at the center of it, young Ay stood alone, lightning cloak flickering around his body. He was fighting Fugaku Uchiha.
Every movement of Fugaku's was sharp and deliberate. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun steadily, predicting every counter, every twitch of Young Ay's muscle fibers before they occurred. The young Ay's strikes landed only on afterimages with only predicting his movements from lower body movements lest he get caught in genjutsu again.
When the Raikage and Bee landed beside him, the young Ay was already being forced backward.
"Father—!"
Fugaku's eyes flicked briefly toward the two newcomers. His chakra spiked. "So the Raikage himself… and the Eight-Tails' host," he murmured.
The Raikage barely had time to reply before the world tilted.
For half a heartbeat, he saw double... Bee's form splitting into two, the ground melting into liquid shadow. Then his muscles locked.
Genjutsu.
Young Ay shouted, "Don't look into his eyes! He's—!"
Too late.
Fugaku's gaze tightened; his genjutsu threads sank deeper. The Raikage's chakra pathways twisted. But then... sudden light.
The seal on the Raikage's back ignited in pale gold. It pulsed once, flooding his body with stored chakra. His muscles seized painfully, like being electrocuted from within... but the illusion shattered instantly.
The Raikage exhaled sharply, shaking the dizziness away. "Haha... That seal works better than I expected. I should thank that girl..."
He nodded, flexing his arm. "I owe her for that." Then he looked at his son. "You did well holding the line. Rest now."
As Bee watched from the ridge, he muttered under his breath, "So that's how he broke it… shockin' his own chakra pathways to reset the flow. Painful trick. Nerves tinglin' "
"Pain's temporary," the Raikage said, stepping forward. "Failure isn't. I had prepared myself to fight against genjutsu. Bee don't interfere."
--
The battlefield went quiet. Every nearby shinobi... Kumo and Uchiha alike... paused to watch. The Raikage faced Fugaku directly, closing the distance slowly. Dust swirled in small cyclones around his feet from the raw pressure leaking off him.
Fugaku adjusted his stance, shuriken already between his fingers. His Sharingan glowed. He was sweating bullets. Having to face the Raikage head on is a death sentence... even 3rd Hokage did not stand a chance. I will be dead before I know. I have to use genjutsu.
The Raikage did the unexpected. He closed his eyes.
Fugaku frowned. "Are you mocking me?"
Raikage shook his head. "No. I'm testing something. I want to try fighting based on my instinct alone. What is better than using you to improve my skill... Killing you wouldn't take any more effort than crushing an ant."
"Will see that", but Fugaku was nervous. What the Raikage said was absolutely right.
"Something my wife taught me," he said quietly. "She called it battle instinct. She used to spar with me until I learned to feel the intent..."
He cracked his knuckles, rolled his shoulders, and stretched with deliberate slowness. Every movement was relaxed, almost lazy. With a faint smirk on his face, openly daring Fugaku to strike whenever he pleased. lowering his stance. "She always said, If you rely only on your eyes, you'll die. I never took her seriously. Why should I when I am already strong? Time to change that."
Fugaku's expression darkened. "Then die blind."
Fire roared across the field. Fugaku's Fireball Jutsu scorched the air, scattering sparks. Raikage didn't move until the last second, when the hair on his arm stood up from the approaching heat. He sidestepped just in time, the edge of the flame grazing his shoulder.
He hissed not from pain, but from realization.
"That's close," he muttered.
Fugaku followed with a barrage of shuriken. The air whistled. The Raikage reacted late... the first three sliced across his forearm, one grazed his neck and got stuck unable to tear the neck muscles.
Young Ay shouted, "Father, open your eyes!"
But Raikage ignored him.
--
A/N: From Chapter 42:
Bee nodded, though unease gnawed at him. He asked, "Raikage-sama… what is the seal on your back? I haven't seen it before. What is it?"