The Third Raikage was ambushed.
To buy time for his troops to retreat, he chose to face the entire Rock army alone.
Kitsuchi immediately gave the order. "Don't let those Cloud-nin escape! Stop them!"
Hundreds of Rock shinobi surged forward to intercept.
Thunder Axe Stomp!
The Third Raikage vanished. He reappeared right in the heart of the charging Rock formation. Lightning chakra concentrated at his feet.
BOOM!
The ground cratered under the devastating impact. Twenty Rock-nin died instantly. Dozens more were blasted away like leaves in a storm.
One man. Holding back an army.
A barrage of shuriken and kunai rained down on him.
The lightning aura around his body intensified, sharpened. The metal projectiles struck his skin—and shattered. Useless.
The Raikage tore into the Rock-nin like a wolf among sheep.
Watching his men get slaughtered, Kitsuchi formed hand seals. Earth Style: Mountain Earth Technique!
The ground erupted. Two colossal hemispheres of rock shot up from the earth, slamming together to crush the Raikage between them.
The Raikage braced. Muscles bulged. His hands pressed against the inward-crushing stone, holding it at bay.
Seeing their chance, the Rock-nin swarmed in for the kill.
The Raikage's eyes narrowed. Lightning gathered at the tips of four fingers.
Hell Stab: Four-Finger Thrust!
He shot forward. Pierced through the rocky prison like it was paper. His body became a blur of blue lightning, a spear of pure destruction.
He ran through the crowd. Literally.
Bodies fell. A bloody path opened behind him. They weren't even in the same league.
From his vantage point, Qianyu watched. His body trembled slightly. Adrenaline pumping. This… a one-against-many battle like this… it was the kind of fight that made his blood sing.
The Raikage's men had already escaped. The old man could leave now if he wanted.
But if he left, the weakened Cloud Village would be defenseless against the main Rock force.
He was buying time. Stalling so the Cloud troops from the Land of Hot Water could fall back and defend the village.
Hell Stab: Three-Finger Thrust!
His speed increased. The death toll climbed.
Kitsuchi roared. "Use the Great Wall of Earth! Stop him!"
Dozens of shinobi formed seals in unison, slamming their palms to the ground.
Earth Style: Great Wall of Earth!
A massive rampart, like a section of the Great Wall itself, erupted from the earth, blocking the Raikage's path.
The Raikage didn't even blink. He charged.
Every Rock-nin tensed, ready to attack the moment the wall stopped him.
It didn't.
CRACK—SHATTER!
The Three-Finger Thrust punched through the colossal wall as if it were dry parchment. The Raikage emerged on the other side, his slaughter unabated.
With the speed and piercing power of the Hell Stab, and the nigh-impenetrable defense of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode… the Rock-nin had no answer.
Not a scratch on the Raikage. Nearly a hundred Rock-nin dead.
"The ultimate spear and the ultimate shield," Qianyu muttered, impressed. "Damn."
Especially when the Raikage switched to the Two-Finger Thrust. That speed… it was almost on par with his own Thunderclap and Flash: God Speed.
That meant the One-Finger Thrust would be even faster. Surpass him.
Qianyu's eyes shifted. Crimson and black. The Mangekyō Sharingan activated, observing every minute detail of the Raikage's chakra flow.
He was fascinated by the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
His own Thunder Breathing generated lightning to stimulate his muscles, pure offense. No defensive boost.
But this… this technique activated the body's cells and created a tangible lightning armor. Defense skyrocketed. The internal lightning enhanced neural transmission. More chakra, more speed, more defense.
Something he lacked.
Every technique Qianyu had, aside from Dōjutsu: Ten Thousand Rejections, was purely for attack. An all-purpose buff like this… he wanted it.
Kitsuchi finally realized it. His army of thousands couldn't handle one man.
His original plan was to leave a rearguard to pin the Raikage down while the main force pushed on to the Cloud Village.
That plan was ash. One man was the rearguard.
He was trapped.
Even if they broke through, it was days to the Cloud Village. The Raikage would slaughter them from behind the entire way. No force could sustain those losses.
But if they focused on the Raikage, the surprise attack on the village would fail. The Raikage's men had already gone to warn them. If Cloud reinforcements returned from the front… his entire army would be in a vise.
Kitsuchi had inherited his father's caution. This risk was too great.
The surprise attack was already ruined.
New objective: Kill the Raikage here and now.
But letting his men be butchered wasn't an option either.
He made his decision. "All units! Use earth techniques to alter the terrain! Slow him down! Then, form defensive squads! Wear him down!"
Qianyu heard the command. So that's their play. Draining him. Exhausting him to death.
He felt a spike of disgust. An army, resorting to pure defense against one man. No shame at all. Typical Rock Village.
Not that he liked the Raikage or Cloud. They'd kidnapped Kushina Uzumaki, after all.
He stood up. Hefted his ninjato onto his shoulder. Started walking toward the battlefield.
Kitsuchi spotted the approaching figure. His eyes narrowed to slits. "Blood-Eyed Asura Qianyu?! Is Konoha here too?!"
Qianyu tapped the flat of his blade against his shoulder. "Just me. But watching this got my blood pumping. I'd hate to see it end with such a boring, cowardly strategy. An army, turtling up against one man. Pathetic."
Kitsuchi's gaze was sharp. "So you're here to aid the Raikage?"
Qianyu snorted. "Help him? Cloud and I have unfinished business. No… I'm just here because I'm in the mood for a fight…"
He raised his blade, pointing it straight at Kitsuchi.
"So let's make this a proper melee."
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