"Are you crazy? I'm from the Nara clan. And even if I take ten thousand steps back, have you ever seen a ninja defect to another village and end up well?"
Looking into Locke's mentally deficient eyes, the Third Raikage A wasn't angry. Instead, he slowly looked him up and down, like a cat teasing a mouse with its claws.
"Kid, you're smart, but not smart enough. You clearly want to buy time, so why are you so quiet?"
"Are you angry because you were left behind?"
The Third Raikage's eyes were full of playfulness because he didn't see the slightest fear of death in Locke's eyes—only excitement, as if he was about to move.
That made him wonder: when the time truly came to die, would he be as composed as this kid?
Even though the Third Raikage saw that Locke was stalling for time, Locke said with mock surprise:
"It seems you're not hopelessly stupid—you really can see that I'm stalling."
The Third Raikage, teased by the mockery, was also getting a bit bored. He said to Locke in a threatening tone:
"Boy, I hope that when all your comrades die before your eyes, you'll be as tough as you are now."
"Do you really think that by holding me back, they can escape? If you don't hand over those bottles, none of you will get away."
Facing the elite Kumogakure shinobi with lightning-release taijutsu, even if Choza could break free from pursuit with dozens of chunin, it would be impossible.
And the time Locke himself could buy was also extremely limited. Once they provoked Ai, they would most likely be caught or even hunted down very quickly.
"Yes, I know all that. But do you know? In my opinion, besides the interplay of one's own strength and combat, there's one other important thing for a ninja—something that can even determine the outcome of a battle."
Hearing this from Locke, the Third Raikage A immediately became interested and asked cooperatively:
"Oh?"
"That is... reconnaissance. Raikage, you must have seen the shadow clone I left in the camp, right? You think I'm playing a game of real and fake bodies to confuse you. You guessed right, but you guessed wrong."
"I deliberately made you think that."
Before he finished speaking, the Third Raikage's heart suddenly tightened, and he realized something was wrong.
Almost instinctively, he looked behind Locke and saw that a thin shadow from his body connected to the end of the shadow, hidden in the gaps between fallen leaves and grass shadows, winding deep into the dense forest.
Almost at the same moment, Locke's hands had already come together. The Third Raikage instinctively reacted to his hand seals, his entire body instantly exploding with blinding lightning-release. His lightning-release chakra mode activated in response, his ninja blade clenched with raging thunder, directly slashing at Locke's neck.
But in the next second, a mocking smile appeared on Locke's face, and he responded by summoning a ninjutsu.
[Shadow Clone: Shadow Mutual Swap]
The bodyguards around the Raikage hadn't even reacted yet when the Raikage's blade struck Locke's head. But at the break of the neck, there wasn't a single drop of blood. Instead, an inky black substance was exposed, as if condensed from shadow.
"A shadow clone?!"
Realizing he had been played, the Third Raikage's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice:
"Your next line is 'You've been tricked.'"
"You've been tricked."
"..."
"?!"
The Raikage's eyes were blank for a moment, then his gaze fell on the shadow clone that had taken a fatal blow yet still stood. His eyes suddenly flashed with surprise, full of disbelief.
This was the first time in his life he had seen a shadow clone that could survive a fatal wound like decapitation without disappearing!
"A shadow clone that doesn't disappear? Could it be... that's not it!" Suddenly, he snapped out of it, his voice becoming serious and certain.
"From the very beginning, it was the original body that was talking to me. I'm sure of that! So, you've improved the shadow clone, and you swapped positions with it through the shadow, right?"
Seeing that his technique had been seen through in one sentence, Locke didn't try to hide it. He sneered and said directly:
"Just as expected of the Third Raikage. On the surface, you don't look rough, but your mind is so sharp. It seems I underestimated you."
The shadow clone, now reduced to just a head, was still deliberately stalling, showing no signs of disappearing.
The Third Raikage was already wrapped in thin lightning arcs. His lightning-release chakra mode was fully activated, accompanied by the hissing of electric currents. A chilling murderous aura rose endlessly.
"Aren't you forgetting to stall until now? You should know that if you're even a little late, you'll die."
"But I've already won the bet, haven't I?"
The shadow clone's face still wore its usual expression, replying lightly.
Seeing that the shadow clone's face was still so calm, seeming both respectful and hiding a hint of mockery, the Third Raikage's face instantly darkened. The lightning arcs around his body suddenly surged in anger, and a chilling murderous aura flooded inward.
The bodyguards beside him were suffocated by this terrifying pressure, unconsciously swallowing their saliva, not even daring to breathe.
Unexpectedly, the Third Raikage suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter was rough and heroic, full of the magnanimity and fighting spirit of a strong man. His previous anger vanished.
"Good! State your name!" He shouted loudly, the lightning arcs around him trembling slightly with his laughter, his aura growing increasingly awe-inspiring.
"Nara Locke." Locke's voice came through the shadows, calm and clear.
"Alright!"
The Raikage suddenly shouted, his expression becoming restrained. The playfulness and contempt disappeared, leaving only complete solemnity. His eyes were like torches as he looked toward Locke:
"Nara boy, as a reward for you, I'll give you five minutes."
He paused, thunder and lightning hissing around his body, his momentum rising to its peak:
"In five minutes, I'll show you the peak of the ninja world—show you what it means to be the Raikage!"
The moment the words landed, the shadow clone of Locke, reduced to just a head, suddenly let out a thunderous roar before his eyes, then turned into a small amount of inky chakra and dissipated, returning to the original body.
Four kilometers away in the forest, between tree trunks, Locke received the intense pain feedback from the shadow clone. He grunted, raised his hand to wipe the blood stains from the corner of his mouth, turned to Choza beside him, and reported in a deep voice the information he had just gathered:
"I just counted. The ones I held up were forty-eight jonin, plus the Third Raikage and his two bodyguards—fifty-one in total."
"That many?" Choza's brow furrowed instantly, his voice heavy. "Although we have over three hundred eighty people, most of them are genin who have never been on a battlefield. Among those seven jonin, four are special chunin temporarily promoted during the war—they're not at all suitable for a frontal stand."
Thinking that the worries he had expressed earlier had come true, Akimichi was so frustrated he wanted to raise his hand and slap himself.
Even with Locke buying time with his shadow clone and stalling for so long, the Raikage was personally leading the elite of Kumogakure in pursuit. It was only a matter of time before their unit was caught.
"Damn it!" He cursed softly, punching a nearby tree trunk, splitting a century-old tree in half.
Choza was about to say something, but Locke raised his hand and interrupted him directly.
The young man turned his head slightly, casting an especially encouraging look at him, drawing out his tone slightly. The corners of his lips lifted with a bit of carefree confidence:
"Don't worry, Uncle Choza. I—"
"But he's very strong."