Sparring with the Fourth Raikage (Part One)

The fourth stage of the Eye of Heaven transcends the realm of ordinary techniques, beginning to involve spatial arts. The independent spatial characteristics of the Sumeru World grant Issui an invincible trump card; any attack will be rendered ineffective if Issui hides within the Sumeru Space. Moreover, living beings can be placed inside, and if done properly, it will become a world, with Issui as its master. The special Secret Technique of Myriad Transformations is also incredibly powerful, allowing him to transform into anything and retain all the characteristics of that thing. If Issui so desires, he can transform into sand or water droplets; even gods would not be able to discern his true form. The Kitsuchi War God Secret Technique is another extremely powerful Secret Technique; simply standing on the ground grants him boundless power, making its strength comparable to the Flame Demon Descent.

Is the fifth stage of the Eye of Heaven, "Wind," unknown? Is the sixth stage, "Thunder," also unknown?

The seventh stage of the Eye of Heaven only unlocks a portion of its abilities, yet this stage has already pushed the power of spacetime to its extreme. Distorting Light distorts enemy attacks and instantly arrives beside them, making it virtually impossible to defend against, and with a cooldown of only one second, it's incredibly powerful. Annihilating Light creates a spatial black hole, absorbing attacks with energy more than ten times its own. With this technique, it's practically invincible; no matter how much stronger you are, you can't harm Issui. Even the Ten-Tails could probably escape unscathed. And this is only a portion of the seventh stage's abilities; I truly look forward to seeing how powerful it will be when all seven stages are fully unlocked!

Based on the above analysis, Issui is arguably one of the strongest ninjas in the current ninja world. The only ones who can rival him are the First Hokage Hashirama Senju, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, Madara Uchiha. Others are slightly less powerful. Therefore, Issui is not afraid of any force at present. He has begun a new chapter in changing the world, and the world is destined to be changed because of his arrival.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Mifune took the initiative and said, "Alright, everyone has thought about it for a while and should have a general idea by now. Now we need to choose the true leader of the Five Nations Allied Shinobi Forces."

Ōnoki glanced at the other four Kage. Although his strength was considerable, he was getting old and his judgment wasn't as thorough as it used to be. If he became the leader, he would definitely be a burden. Thinking of this, he volunteered, "This old man is abstaining. Sigh, my health isn't as good as yours, young people. I'll leave the troublesome matters to you. I'll assist you and lend a hand."

Although Gaara wanted to become the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces and make a name for himself, he knew that his strength was far inferior to that of the other four Kage, and that he was too young to gain their trust. Therefore, he believed that he had no chance of becoming the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces. However, he would not speak for now; he would continue to observe and see the reactions of the other three Kage.

Without giving it any thought, Issui blurted out, "I vote for myself. I think I'm strong enough. Putting aside other things, I doubt anyone here can beat me. The leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces must be the strongest ninja, so I have the ability. Although I've only been Hokage for a few days, that doesn't mean I'm not qualified."

The Fourth Raikage frowned deeply upon hearing Issui's words. How dare a mere child boast like this? Although he had heard some rumors about Issui before, he felt that some of them were false and based on hearsay. He would never agree to Issui this little kid sit on his head.

"I disagree. You say you're the strongest, then prove it to everyone. In all my years, there aren't many ninjas I admire, but none of them are comparable to you, little brat. If your Fourth Hokage Konoha still alive, perhaps I would hand over the leadership to him, but you little brat should go home and drink milk."

Mei Terumi covered her mouth and chuckled upon hearing the Fourth Raikage's words. She wanted to see how Issui would handle it, since the Fourth Raikage's strength was well-known, and few could defeat him in close combat. His Nintaijutsu were extremely famous.

Issui's lips curled slightly upwards, and he gave a wicked smile, saying, "Hmm, alright, how about the Fourth Raikage be my opponent? I also want to see just how powerful the rumored A-rank is, what do you say?"

Seeing that the two were about to fight, Mifune quickly intervened, saying, "Gentlemen, please calm down. We are all sitting here as partners. If you two start arguing, what's the point of this meeting? Please calm down, try to understand each other, and seek the best solution. Let's avoid a physical fight if possible."

Ōnoki became slightly interested and said with a smile, "It would be good for everyone to have a competition. Since the fighting is endless, let's decide with strength. Whoever is the strongest will be the leader. But let me make it clear beforehand that this is just a friendly spar, and we should stop when we've reached our limit."

"Yes, I agree. I also want to see the strength of Konoha's new Hokage. Wouldn't that give us all more confidence? Besides, the Fourth Raikage's strength is a perfect test of his abilities." Gaara said. He really wanted to see Issui's true level, and the strongest person here was none other than the Fourth Raikage. Only by having him go could they verify Issui's true strength.

Mei Terumi chuckled and said, "I also support them having a duel. They're the main contenders for the leader's position right now; the three of us are slightly weaker."

Seeing that everyone was determined, Mifune stopped trying to stop them and said helplessly, "Alright, then let's have a warm-up match before the Fourth Shinobi World War. This space is too small, let's go outside. But the two Kage should be careful and stop when they've made their move."

The Fourth Raikage nodded. He decided to make a deep impression on Issui. Konoha's strength had been declining recently, so it would be better to have Kumogakure as its leader.

The group arrived one by one at an open space outside the conference room. It was snowing heavily, and soon everyone was covered in a thick layer of snowflakes. However, this was nothing to them. They were all ninjas who had trained for many years, so how could this environment affect them?

Mifune acted as the referee for this sparring match. He gestured for Issui and the Fourth Raikage to separate, then waved his hand in the air and said, "Alright, you can begin. Remember, don't use excessive force. Both of you are of extremely high status, and we cannot afford any mistakes. Just stop when you've reached a point where one of you is no longer able to fight. If I determine that one of you is no longer able to continue, I will call a halt. Once you hear my voice, immediately disengage from the battle."

"Kid, you're a junior. To show my seniority, I won't attack for the first three rounds; I'll only defend. But after those three rounds, you'll have no chance," Raikage said loudly, his words laced with disdain.

Issui smiled faintly and said, "Tch, you'd better not hold back. I'm worried that after these three rounds, you'll be defeated by me. Go ahead and attack. It doesn't matter if you hurt me; it'll just be me overestimating myself."

The Fourth Raikage, enraged by Issui's words, retorted, "You take my face lightly? Fine, then I won't hold back. In all my years, no one has ever dared to be so arrogant towards me. Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson, brat, and show you that experience counts. Your strength is nothing but a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

Issui wasn't going to waste any more words with him. He pulled out a Shuriken from behind his back and charged towards the Fourth Raikage.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!!" As he ran, Issui used Multi Shadow Clone, instantly turning one Issui into five Issui wielding Shuriken and charging towards Raikage.

"Haha, this childish stuff is useless against me, you can't even keep up with my speed!!" The Fourth Raikage watched as the five Issui rushed towards him from five different directions. He wasn't afraid at all. He dodged the attacks of the five Issui with lightning speed, and then used his powerful strength to shatter them one by Issui!

"Nintaijutsu - Lightning Release - Lariat!!"

"Bang... bang... bang... bang... bang..."

Under the attack of the Fourth Raikage, all five Issui simultaneously vanished into white smoke? Where is the real Issui? Didn't he charge towards the Raikage at the beginning? Why is there no real Issui the five? Everyone clearly saw that Issui didn't try to escape or anything, so where is he?

Ōnoki exclaimed in surprise, "His Hand Seals are incredibly fast! I didn't even see him Hand Seals before he unleashed the Multi Shadow Clone and then quickly hid himself. He seems to have some skill. Konoha wouldn't let a weak brat become Hokage. I'm even more excited about this kid now. It looks like the Raikage is going to have a bit of trouble. His opponent isn't so simple. We'll see how strong he is once he makes a move."

"Earth Release - The Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!!"

Just as Raikage finished off the five clones of Issui, his feet were about to touch the ground. The initiative had been lost, and this was undoubtedly the moment when he was least able to react.

A hand emerged from the ground, grabbing one of Raikage's legs and trying to pull him down. It was clearly visible that the person emerging from the ground was Issui. When he drew his Shuriken and charged at Raikage, he was no longer in his true form; his true form was waiting underground for a swift strike!

"Delusion! Such petty tricks won't work on me! Nintaijutsu — Lightning Release — Liger Bomb!!!"

The Fourth Raikage, seeing Issui grab his leg, roared and instead of rising, descended, his body instantly stepping down the clouds at an even faster speed. A large amount of lightning had already gathered on his feet; he was going to crush Issui!

Seeing this, Gaara couldn't help but sigh, "The Raikage is truly formidable. In that situation, he couldn't maintain a clear mind and reverse the environmental factors. Issui Earth Release were completely ineffective, and this attack has failed. Although his plan was indeed very clever, and his timing was perfect, the Fourth Raikage isn't stupid. Defeating him won't be easy. The specifics of this battle are still unknown."