If it were the Third Raikage, giving up on all attacks might have been able to harm Mahoraga, who had not yet fully adapted. But against the Fourth Raikage's target, it would only further Mahoraga's adaptation.
There was no doubt that his proud technique not only failed to harm Mahoraga but also accelerated the adaptation progress that Mahoraga hadn't been able to achieve for a long time.
Mahoraga's expression didn't change at all. It sharply caught this scorching hot blade of the lightning plow. The lightning around it exploded but couldn't escape its body.
In an instant, it raised its hand and pressed its palm directly onto A's crown, slamming the Raikage's head straight into the hard ground. The top of his skull sank deep into the earth, leaving only half of his body exposed outside.
The ground trembled. Spiderweb-like cracks spread in all directions. Wind swept dust over the spectators, forcing them to retreat again and again. Even their breathing was choked by this oppressive force.
Killer Bee immediately prepared to move. Just as his tailed beast chakra cloak began to form, the Kumogakure elder beside him immediately stopped him and shouted:
"Stop! Stop! Stop! We admit defeat. We admit defeat."
Hearing the other side's words, Locke glanced at Akimichi Choza. Seeing him nod, he opened his mouth to give orders to Mahoraga.
"Mahoraga, stop."
Mahoraga didn't hesitate. It withdrew its palm, turned around, and walked toward Locke, its steps still steady and cold, paying no attention to A embedded in the ground.
And the Raikage, stuck in the earth, had half of his pupils exposed above ground, flashing with extreme disbelief. The light in his eyes gradually dimmed, and his consciousness began to blur from the intense pain and humiliation.
In the haze, it seemed a familiar figure slowly walked out of the light and shadow. A palm reached out toward him, as if to lead him away.
He strained to see and finally made out the person—someone who was clearly dead. An almost inaudible whisper escaped his throat:
"Father..."
"Brother!!"
A heart-wrenching cry suddenly rang out. Killer Bee's voice cut through the chaos, pulling his scattered consciousness back to reality.
A suddenly came to. His pupils contracted, and he clearly saw who the figure leaning over him was—it was his father, his face full of anxiety, reaching out his hand—to pull up his younger brother, Killer Bee.
Kumogakure's medical ninja followed Killer Bee to A, immediately sealing his chakra and beginning to heal him.
Fully snapping out of his daze, A gritted his teeth and struggled to rise from the deep, human-shaped hole in the earth. He coughed a few times, opened his mouth, and spat out several bloody teeth. A transparent red palm print on half of his cheek was particularly glaring with humiliation.
He raised his eyes and glared at Locke, who was walking away, and roared in anger:
"Locke!! Wait for me! One day, I'll make you realize that letting me go was the worst decision of your life!"
Faced with A's fierce and resentful look, Locke simply turned around lightly and replied casually:
"Alright. I'll wait for you."
His tone was flat, without a single ripple.
With that, Locke turned and followed Hyūga Hizashi and the others, slowly walking off the training ground under the complex gazes of the humiliated and angry Kumogakure ninja.
On the other side, Akimichi Choza casually said a few words to the pale-faced Kumogakure elder, who was ashen. He patted the opponent's stiff shoulder with a smile on his lips, then finally turned and left with the calm composure of a victor.
As for the ANBU in the forest outside the training ground, they began to evacuate, leaving only the three intelligence officers staring blankly into the distance.
Like everyone else, they were in shock. But they hadn't expected that one of Kumogakure's top combat forces, the next Fourth Raikage, would be defeated by Konoha's twelve-year-old... elite jonin's psychic monster in such a simple and humiliating manner.
As intelligence officers, they quickly realized that the most important thing now was to find information related to this psychic monster named Mahoraga.
However, their top priority was to return to their villages, report the situation, and make decisions.
The three immediately dispersed, each finding a secluded place to write their secret battle reports. At the top of the three documents, nearly identical conclusions appeared:
"Based on observation and analysis of the entire battle, the combat power of twelve-year-old Nara Locke has not yet been fully revealed, but the psychic monster Mahoraga he commands is strong enough to crush the future Fourth Raikage A."
"The psychic monster possesses supreme defensive capabilities. The ordinary lightning-release and taijutsu techniques of Kumogakure's ninja are completely ineffective against it. It can be inferred that ninja who specialize in ordinary lightning release and physical techniques will never be able to match Mahoraga."
"Mahoraga's power is immense, and the credibility of its intelligence in defeating the Third Raikage is extremely high. No weaknesses of this psychic monster have been discovered yet. All subsequent research and judgments should be based on the actual combat situation."
"Therefore, it can be concluded that the new Kage-level combat power of the Hidden Leaf Village may pose a serious strategic threat to our village. Close attention must be paid to the future deployment direction of Konoha's Nara Locke, and timely tactical adjustments must be made accordingly."
On the other hand, Akimichi Choza was considered a great hero. He was pulled aside by his colleagues surrounding Locke to talk.
"That wasn't a bad job. I was still afraid you might go too far. If you really beat him to death, Kumogakure would surely fight back against Konoha, and there would be big trouble."
"Uncle Choza, what you said—compared to his father, he's really too weak. If you hadn't told me to show off my strength, I would have fought him myself. He might not have been able to beat me."
"That's the problem. The most important thing for you now is to make the entire ninja world believe that you defeated the Third Raikage. Your age is too confusing. Who would think that the first thing we need to do when you become famous is to help you confirm it?"
Speaking of this, Choza couldn't help but sigh again—a twelve-year-old, a twelve-year-old Kage-level. Even if it was Mahoraga, it was still his own power.
Thinking of Mahoraga, Akimichi suddenly remembered something. He immediately took out a letter written by Nara Shikaku to Locke, handed it over, and explained the next plan to him.
"Alright, the freedom you wanted is here. Since you're too lazy to deal with the trivial matters of a bunch of adults, I'll block them all for you. However, the Third Hokage has ordered that you return to the village first."
Locke raised his eyebrows in surprise when he heard this, his voice a little puzzled: "Return to the village? I thought I'd be sent straight to the front lines."
"First, there are many wounded soldiers in the village. Doesn't your shikigami have the ability to heal the wounded? After you return and treat the wounded, you can bring people to the front lines."
Akimichi Choza slowly explained and added another sentence.
"Second, the Third Hokage wants to see you in person. Don't worry, he's not like Danzo, who suspects everything."
As soon as Danzo was mentioned, Locke's face darkened slightly, and he felt inexplicably annoyed. He just hoped that old man wouldn't do anything behind his back. Otherwise, he wouldn't get used to it, and he'd take revenge on the spot if he held a grudge.
Unexpectedly, before Choza finished speaking, his expression became strange. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile as he looked between his legs and spoke slowly:
"But here's the thing... the Third Hokage specifically asked me to ask you."
He deliberately paused, looked at Locke's blank expression, and then casually asked a question:
"Are you interested in women?"