A and Killer Bee immediately retreated, though Killer Bee was slightly slower.
Had A not pulled him back, he might have been struck.
While the two dodged, the third Kumo Ninja involved in the assault wasn't so lucky.
The tail slammed into him with a boom, sending him flying.
A stood his ground and stared ahead, his eyes widening in shock.
A black cat.
Raj highlighted in the intelligence reports from Kirigakure, marked as a high-priority threat.
S-rank danger!
"You two, fall back," A ordered, his expression grim.
Lightning crackled around his body as he activated his Lightning Release Armor.
"Hrr..."
Raj let out a low growl.
Though small in stature, no one dared underestimate it, especially after its devastating attack had crippled one of their comrades.
The fate of their companion remained unknown.
Tetsuo Uchiha was rapidly losing consciousness.
His Chakra was completely depleted, unable to even maintain his Sharingan.
His body was covered in wounds, and one hand had been slashed to the bone.
As Raj retreated toward Tetsuo, A launched another attack.
Enhanced by Lightning Release Armor, the Fourth Raikage moved with lightning speed, closing the distance to Tetsuo in the blink of an eye.
Yet even as fast as he was, Raj was far faster.
The moment A charged forward, Raj struck with a claw...
Boom!
A deafening roar erupted as the Fourth Raikage was sent flying, crashing through two or three trees before finally stopping.
Raj hadn't had time to gather enough Sage Chakra.
Had he been in Sage Mode, that single claw strike would have cost the Fourth Raikage half his life.
Just then, an intense burst of lightning blazed in the distance.
Raj's eyes narrowed slightly.
'The Third Raikage?'
The Third Raikage, the Fourth Raikage, and seven or eight Kumo Ninja.
'If it were just me, I could run if things got too tough. But Tetsuo's lying here, critically injured...'
After a moment's thought, Raj abandoned the close-quarters combat.
Instead, he curled his tail around the unconscious Tetsuo Uchiha, created a Shadow Clone, and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape.
The original body had escaped, but the Shadow Clone remained.
In the next instant, a water dragon erupted from its body, roaring as it crashed into the group supporting A.
The Kumo Ninja scattered to evade, but as the water dragon struck the ground, the splashing droplets transformed into razor-sharp ice needles.
Simultaneously, Raj's Shadow Clone accelerated to its maximum speed, streaking across the battlefield like a black lightning bolt.
In the blink of an eye, its razor-sharp claws slashed through the throats of two Kumo Ninja.
"Gah...!"
They clutched their throats in agony.
Though not immediately fatal, the unstoppable bleeding meant death was imminent.
Just then, a piercing sound rang out.
Raj's Shadow Clone ceased its pursuit, instead focusing its Chakra toward its core.
Then...
A flash of lightning.
The Third Raikage, wielding his Four-Finger Spear Hand, pierced through the clone with lightning speed, sending it flying dozens of meters away.
He sensed a powerful surge of Chakra emanating from the clone.
But...
'Hmm? What is this?'
He frowned in confusion.
A normal Shadow Clone would have vanished upon being struck, but this one, impaled by the Four-Finger Spear Hand, seemed to be generating some strange substance.
It was similar to Earth Release, but the state was bizarre.
The Third Raikage shook his hand, then frowned as he surveyed the surroundings.
"Take the wounded away. Bee, carry A."
"Yes, sir," Killer Bee replied, lowering his head.
As "Bee," his duty was to protect his partner "A."
But in reality, he was powerless to protect A, forced to watch helplessly as Raj sent him flying.
If the Third Raikage hadn't intervened, Bee himself might already be dead.
The hasty operation to crush Konoha had been unrealistic from the start.
If Konoha's expanded reconnaissance team hadn't discovered their joint operation with the Kirigakure, he wouldn't have launched the attack prematurely.
Now that their vanguard had suffered losses and the Kirigakure couldn't act immediately, retreat was the best option.
Of course.
The primary reason for this initial strike was to send a signal to the Iwa Ninja and Suna Ninja: We've made our move. What about you?
No one wanted to lose to Konoha.
Even if it meant overwhelming them with numbers, they were determined to knock Konoha off its pedestal.
Otherwise, their Ninja Villages would remain mere figureheads among the Five Great Nations, forever dependent on Konoha's whims.
Given the vast distance between the
Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, even if Kumogakure launched the first attack, with Kirigakure's forces tying down Konoha, the latter would likely be unable to mount an offensive.
At least, that's what the Third Raikage initially believed.
But...
After witnessing Raj's power and realizing it had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Third Raikage understood one crucial truth: the Intelligence Division's report on Raj was woefully incomplete.
While Kirigakure was marked as extremely dangerous, the report failed to mention its mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique - a forbidden Space-Time Ninjutsu - or its absurd combat prowess.
Even a mere clone had instantly overwhelmed two Jonin, leaving them on the brink of death.
This combat power was simply ludicrous.
'Lightning Release countered me? Too bad, meow~.'
'Lightning Release countered me? Too bad, meow~.'
Meanwhile, Raj used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport Tetsuo Uchiha to Rin's location and gently laid him down.
"Raj, what exactly happened?" Minato asked, his expression darkening as he took in Tetsuo's battered state.
Tetsuo was a descendant of Uchiha Kagami, renowned for his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique and taijutsu throughout the Uchiha clan and Konoha.
Seeing him on the brink of death made it clear that if Raj hadn't intervened, Tetsuo would already be in the afterlife.
"Meow~ Two or three small Kumogakure teams attacked. Tetsuo-senpai's squad was wiped out except for him. I don't know all the details, but when the Third Raikage showed up, I made a quick getaway."
The Third Raikage?
Minato's breath caught in his throat for a moment.
Though he knew little about Kumogakure, he was well aware of the Third Raikage's formidable power.
Raj's survival and Tetsuo's rescue were nothing short of miraculous.
The immediate question was: What should they do now?
Should he go alone, or bring Kakashi and the others?
Even with Kakashi's team, they would be no match for the Third Raikage.
His Lightning Release Armor rendered him impervious to ordinary ninja attacks, and his lightning-fast speed made slaughtering young shinobi like Obito and Guy child's play.
"Well, I killed three or four people and severely injured the Third Raikage's son. He might have already retreated, meow."
Raj set Tetsuo Uchiha down and then leaped onto Minato's shoulder.
"Let's go check it out together," Minato said, immediately dashing off.