"You're scared."
The Fourth Raikage's tone was low and heavy, refusing to be dragged into Uchiha Gen's rhythm.
"Heh… me, scared?"
Gen chuckled, then smiled with calm confidence. "Tell me, who would I be scared of?"
"Since Lord Raikage is so eager to spar," Gen continued, "then I'll accept."
His eyes shifted. "Shisui, you can step back now."
"Alright."
Shisui nodded, flashed to retrieve Shizukamaru, and returned to Kyouki's back.
If the duel dragged on, Shisui had a high chance of victory, but there was risk. Darui wasn't weak — he had the will to fight even at the cost of his life. And even if Shisui defeated him, there would be no chance to absorb his soul here. A Jonin-level soul was valuable, but Darui's potential as a future Kage made his soul even more nourishing. That chance would come later.
Darui himself let out a discreet sigh of relief and pulled back.
Gen lifted a hand to take Shizukamaru. Shisui and Itachi dismounted from Kyouki, and the white cloud sank closer to the ground. Its surface darkened, flickers of white lightning running across it.
Above, Shuryu's serpentine dragon body coiled protectively around Gen, each breath releasing flames from its mouth and nostrils.
"Step back," Raikage A ordered his men. His eyes gleamed with excitement as Lightning Release Chakra surged across his body, cloaking him in blue-white arcs. He strode forward, shoulders squared, lightning dancing over his skin.
When the two men stood about twenty-five meters apart, they stopped as if by unspoken agreement.
"Impatient already?" the Raikage rumbled. "Then let's begin."
"Yes," Gen replied simply.
The instant his voice fell, Shuryu shot skyward. Kyouki retreated. The Raikage blurred forward in a flash of light.
Ay closed the distance in an eye-blink, his hand forming a blade wreathed in lightning, thrusting straight for Gen's heart.
The speed was terrifying.
Itachi's two-tomoe Sharingan couldn't track the motion at all, and even Shisui's three-tomoe could barely catch a blur.
At the last moment, Gen vanished from the Raikage's path, reappearing atop Shuryu's head. He swung Shizukamaru in a wide arc. A net of golden-white fire unfurled from the heavens, crackling as it fell like a blazing web.
Shuryu roared, unleashing dragon breath. Golden-white flames poured downward, transforming into a rushing river of fire.
At the same time, Kyouki charged a brilliant pillar of white lightning and hurled it at the Raikage's chest.
Ay didn't flinch. He vaulted into the air, narrowly dodging the lightning bolt, and plowed headlong into the descending fire net and roaring river of flame.
Relying on raw durability and overwhelming force, the Raikage ripped straight through the burning barrage, carving a path as he charged the master and his Homies.
Sizzle—
The shredded net crashed to earth, searing the frozen ground into a lattice of blackened scars. The golden-white river boiled snow and ice into steam, burning the soil and stone beneath.
Gen flickered out of sight. Shuryu couldn't move as fast — its colossal head was cleaved clean through. No blood spilled, only molten crimson flames, magma-like, gushing from the wound.
"Ohhh! Lord Raikage, well done!"
The Cloud shinobi erupted in cheers. Shisui and Itachi, however, stiffened in alarm.
Then Shuryu's flames stretched like tendrils, reconnecting head to body. In a heartbeat the dragon was whole again. Its tail whipped out with explosive force, smashing Ay aside and sending him flying.
Gen reappeared atop Kyouki. Shizukamaru plunged into the creature's body, drawing torrents of lightning into its blade. Fire Release and Wind Release Chakra followed, braided together with precise control.
He swung.
A streak of purple sword aura burst forth, moving as fast as lightning. It carved through the air toward the falling Raikage.
"Strongest Lightning Release Armor!"
A crossed his arms as his chakra flared, Lightning Release surging to its maximum.
Boom!
The purple blade crashed into him, detonating with a thunderous crack that rolled through the canyon, shaking snow loose from the cliffsides.
Ay, airborne with no footing to brace against, was blasted back. He hit the ground hard, skidding dozens of meters, snow hissing in his wake. A thin line of blood marked his arm where the aura had cut.
He ignored it. With a roar, he rocketed forward again, speed so blinding that even Gen's dojutsu, sharper than any ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan — could only follow a faint smear of motion.
Gen didn't flinch. While his Homies pressed forward to slow Ay, Gen weaved hand seals.
Fire Release: Hiding in Ash and Dust Technique!
Ash and embers poured from his mouth, scattering into a dense gray-black haze. In his hands, the jutsu expanded far beyond its usual scale, veiling the battlefield.
The Raikage's armor shrugged off the heat, but that wasn't the point. Gen wanted cover.
Ay snarled into the smoke, muscles twitching with barely-contained power. "What kind of world-renowned powerhouse hides and sneaks? If you've got guts, face me head-on!"
Cee could sense both combatants, but he held his tongue. Unless Ay was truly cornered, he wouldn't interfere.
Gen ignored the taunt. Hidden in the dust, he pressed his palms to the earth.
Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!
The frozen ground liquefied into a reddish-brown mire, bubbling under his chakra.
A's boots sank as muddy hands clawed at his legs, dragging him down.
A snarl tore from his throat. Lightning exploded from his body, shattering the grasping arms. He sprinted across the muck, skimming the swamp's surface like a speedboat across a river, leaving churning waves of mud in his wake.
Even so, swamp techniques rarely hindered him for long. His speed and Lightning Release resilience rivaled Might Guy's taijutsu ferocity.
But Gen was ready.
Kyouki swooped in with Shuryu clinging to its back. The dragon bit down on Shizukamaru, channeling golden-white flames into the blade while lightning crackled and danced along its edge. Together, beast and weapon became a storming comet aimed squarely at the Raikage.
Concealed by the dust, the strike landed point-blank. Even A's reflexes couldn't save him. Instinctively, he shielded his vital organs with his arms.
BOOM!
The impact was like two racing war chariots colliding head-on. Shockwaves burst outward, scattering snow and rock in an expanding wave.
Both sides were hurled back. Shizukamaru slammed against Shuryu's body, while the dragon's head crumpled into a burning mass. Kyouki wavered, but held its footing above the swamp.
A wasn't as fortunate. He crashed into the mire with a splash and began sinking fast.
"Lord Raikage's fallen into the swamp! Attack immediately!" C's face went pale as he shouted.
Rules forgotten, the Cloud shinobi unleashed jutsu in a storm. Wind scattered the dust, Earth raised the terrain, Lightning and Fire lashed out. Under C's direction, earth walls pushed A free from the bog's grip.
Watching them drag their leader out of the mire, Gen smiled thinly.