The Battle Ended in an Instant, Overturning Everyone's Expectations!

The lightning strike Kaze unleashed instantly pierced through Ryoma's skin.

Along with the nano-scale venomous insects dwelling inside him, everything was charred black.

The scorched smell of roasted meat spread through the air.

Aburame Ryoma's eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness!

An instant kill!

Aburame Ryoma, powerful enough to serve as Danzo's personal guard, had been instantly defeated by Kaze's "Lightning Release" right before everyone's eyes!

Kaze released his elementalized fingers, and Aburame Ryoma tilted backward before falling to the ground with a thud in front of everyone.

The entire Meeting Room fell deathly silent.

Just moments ago, everyone here had been certain that Kaze would die horribly at Ryoma's hands.

Yet in the blink of an eye, the one who had fallen was Aburame Ryoma!

"So, so strong..."

Fugaku's eyes were wide as saucers, his black pupils trembling incessantly.

"As Lord Danzo's right-hand man, Aburame Ryoma's strength is among the best even within the Jonin ranks."

"Without using a trump card like the Mangekyō Sharingan, even I would find it difficult to defeat him..."

Fugaku murmured inwardly.

He had once heard secrets about the Aburame Clan.

These people used their own bodies to raise insects capable of devouring chakra.

The price was that the first parts devoured from the Aburame Clan members were their eyes.

That was why they needed to wear sunglasses.

This also meant that the Aburame Clan could not be controlled by the Sharingan's Genjutsu.

And Ryoma was one of the Aburame Clan's greatest geniuses.

Even as Clan Head, Fugaku might not have been able to defeat him under normal circumstances.

Yet...

Such a powerful Aburame shinobi had not even lasted half a minute before Kaze.

One move. Instant kill!

Just how strong was Kaze now?

And...

"Was that the new Lightning Release Ninjutsu Kaze developed?"

Fugaku stared at Kaze's figure, unable to look away.

In all his life, this was the first time he had seen such a Lightning Release Ninjutsu.

In fact, it was not only Fugaku.

Shisui and Itachi, the two Uchiha geniuses, were also deeply captivated.

"Was that... Lightning Release Chakra Mode?" Shisui blinked in disbelief.

He had heard that the Raikage of Kumogakure had mastered a form of Nintaijutsu known as Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

Its movement speed could even keep up with Minato Namikaze, known as the Yellow Flash.

It was far faster than his own Body Flicker Technique.

Though he had never seen it in person, Kaze's appearance looked remarkably similar to Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

"Could it be..."

"Did Kaze develop a form of Nintaijutsu similar to Lightning Release Chakra Mode through his own talent for Lightning Release?"

At that thought, Shisui could not help but draw in a sharp breath.

He had always thought Kaze was merely an ordinary clansman.

A mediocre person who could not even awaken the Sharingan.

Yet unexpectedly, in the field of Lightning Release, he was instead the most astonishing talent in the Uchiha Clan!

"Big Brother Kaze..." Itachi was stunned as well.

However...

Although the elders of the Hyuga Main Family had also seen Kaze's "Lightning Release Chakra Mode," they were even more shocked than the Uchiha.

In fact...

They were no longer merely shocked—they could not understand it at all.

"What exactly is going on with that brat?"

The Main Family Elder and Hizashi both rubbed their eyes at the same time.

With their Byakugan, they possessed a certain degree of X-ray vision, allowing them to see through a person's skin and muscles to clearly observe their chakra pathways and internal organs.

But when they used the Byakugan to observe Kazekage—

They were stunned to discover...

His chakra pathways, his internal organs—everything had vanished completely from Kazekage's body!

At a glance, Kazekage seemed to have turned into actual lightning.

Standing in the center of the Meeting Room!

This bizarre yet very real scene practically overturned their understanding of the world!

Because no one had ever heard of someone making their chakra pathways and organs disappear while using Lightning Release!

Even this elderly Main Family Elder could not help but question his own sanity.

"Could it be that I've overused my Byakugan and started hallucinating?"

One person seeing things wrong could still be explained as a hallucination.

But every member of the Hyuga family present was seeing exactly the same thing!

The instant Kazekage activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode, all of his chakra pathways and organs vanished.

The nanoscale venomous insects Ryoma had injected through contact were reduced to ashes in an instant.

"What kind of Ninjutsu is this..."

Hizashi stood frozen on the spot.

Kazekage's Ninjutsu felt both inconceivable and unbelievable.

In truth, the technique Kazekage was using was not Ninjutsu at all.

It was the Elementalization of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

He was lightning itself!

Of course, Kazekage did not maintain his Elementalization the entire time.

After killing Aburame Ryoma, Kazekage immediately dispelled his Elementalization form.

His clothes remained as neat as new.

Having witnessed the entire process firsthand, the hearts of Konoha F4 were like a sea swept by a violent storm, with wave after wave crashing through them.

They could not calm down for a long while.

As the instigator who had given the order, Danzo's jaw dropped even further.

He had never imagined that his most capable Root Organization member would be dealt with so easily!

His opponent was not that super genius Shisui.

Nor was he that old fox Fugaku.

He was merely a fifteen-year-old newcomer!

Uchiha Kazekage!

Ever since the Third Shinobi World War, he had clearly ordered Root to keep the Uchiha Clan under constant surveillance.

There were clearly Root members stationed all around the Uchiha Compound.

Yet not a single person had reported anything about Kazekage to him.

If Kazekage had not displayed his Lightning Release here today—

Danzo might never have known for the rest of his life that the Uchiha Clan had a Lightning Release monster like Kazekage!

At that thought, Danzo could not help but draw a sharp breath, his heart filled with shock.

"Kazekage!"

Suddenly, Danzo slammed his palm onto the table, and a powerful sense of unease rose within him.

It was because of both Kazekage's astonishing Lightning Release and his ability to evade Root's watchful eyes while secretly growing stronger.

Those two points alone were enough to show that Kazekage possessed outstanding talent and deep cunning.

If an Uchiha like this were allowed to continue growing—

He would absolutely become someone who could rally the entire clan with a single call, becoming Konoha's most troublesome threat!

For a moment, Danzo's killing intent surged wildly, as though he intended to eliminate Kazekage right here.

Sensing Danzo's fierce killing intent, Kazekage merely sneered on the spot.

"Heh heh heh."

"When you can't win an argument, you order your subordinate to attack."

"I really don't know what Danzo-sama considers this meeting to be."

"Are we discussing with the Uchiha Clan and Hyuga Clan how to calm this disturbance?"

"Or are you using it as an excuse to suppress our two clans?"

"Or was it simply that, in Lord Danzō's eyes, there was no room for either our Uchiha branch or the Hyuga Clan?"

"If that was the case, then Lord Danzō's magnanimity truly was extraordinary."

"No wonder Lord Tobirama never passed the position of Third Hokage on to you."

At those words, veins immediately bulged across Danzō's face.

Back then, it was because of a moment's hesitation that he had missed his chance to become the Third Hokage.

Now, hearing Kazekage say this felt like a sharp thorn piercing deep into his heart, twisting his features beyond control.

His viciousness was laid bare!

Though fighting Danzō had not been part of Kazekage's plan, if it truly came to a fight...

He would not lose to him.

However...

Just as the tension between the two grew increasingly explosive, Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice rang through the entire Meeting Room.

"Enough, Danzō."

That stern rebuke directly dragged Danzō from his thoughts back to reality.

Danzō turned his head and looked at Hiruzen's profile, his voice somewhat low. "Hiruzen."

"I said enough, Danzō. Know your place."

After a brief pause, Hiruzen continued, "Today's meeting is to discuss how to resolve the pressure from the Land of Lightning, not to use it as an excuse to suppress the Uchiha Clan."

"Whatever personal grievances you may have against Uchiha Kazekage, you should not vent them here."

When Hiruzen said the word "personal," he deliberately stressed it.

It was as though he was emphasizing it to everyone present.

Danzō's actions stemmed entirely from personal reasons and did not represent the Konoha leadership as a whole.

With just a few simple words, he not only suppressed Shimura Danzō, but also instantly cleared himself of any implication.

He really is the Third Hokage, Kazekage thought, narrowing his eyes.