The afterglow of the setting sun dyed Taoyuan Village a warm gold. Wisps of cooking smoke rose, mingling with the fresh scent of newly turned earth and medicinal herbs. Duanmu Ci stood atop the newly built watchtower, looking down below: white tents stood in neat rows in the medical district, wooden houses in the residential area had already taken shape, and several half-grown children on the training grounds were following Shizune as they practiced Chakra control with earnest precision. The warmth of peace flowed through every brick and stone, every new leaf.
Suddenly, an incomparably sharp Chakra perception pierced fiercely into the sensory network passively spread by his Rinnegan like an icy steel needle!
Northwest border!
"Lord Tsunade!" Duanmu Ci's voice traveled through the rudimentary transmitting vines grown by Wood Release and instantly reached Tsunade, who was guiding Nonō in the herb garden. Calm, it carried a trace of barely perceptible chill. "Some 'guests' have arrived. There aren't many of them, but... they're strong. Their Chakra feels like the clouds of the Land of Lightning."
Tsunade abruptly raised her head, her golden hair tracing a crisp arc beneath the sunset as her eyes sharpened like blades. "Those Cloud Village brats? They finally couldn't hold themselves back?" She slammed a fist into a nearby wooden post. With a boom, splinters flew everywhere. "Notify the guards. Level-one alert! All noncombatants are to enter the underground shelters immediately! Shizune, take Hinata and Sakura there!"
The entire Taoyuan Village moved like a precisely tuned set of gears suddenly set in motion. The peaceful air, still filled with the warmth of hearth and home moments ago, was replaced by grim killing intent. Guard members sprinted out from the training grounds and watch posts, swiftly guiding the slightly panicked residents and children toward the sturdy shelters carved into the mountain under Shizune's command.
"Lord Duanmu..." Young Hinata was pulled along by Shizune, looking back every few steps, her pure Byakugan filled with worry.
"Don't be afraid, Hinata," Duanmu Ci's gentle voice came through the vines, carrying a strangely soothing strength. "It'll be over soon. Take Sakura to see our new 'safe house,' then come back and tell me whether it was fun, all right?" His voice seemed magical, dispelling the gloom in Hinata's heart. Sakura clenched her little fists tightly, her large eyes shining with nervous excitement. "Go, Lord Duanmu! Beat up the bad guys!"
On the watchtower, Duanmu Ci's robes snapped in the rising evening wind. His gaze pierced through space, and the Rinnegan's extraordinary range of vision locked onto the scene beyond the border.
Two figures charged forward at terrifying speed like lightning ripping through the night! The man in front was mountain-like in stature, his bronze skin knotted with explosive muscles. Every strand of his dark short hair stood on end, while violent blue Lightning Release Chakra wrapped around him like tangible armor. Every step he took left scorched cracks in the earth. It was none other than the Fourth Raikage, Ay! Blue B followed closely behind him, equally massive, with wild brown hair. Yet his gaze held a barely noticeable trace of mania and repression. Dark red Chakra, bestial and heart-palpitating, swirled around his body—the restless power of the Eight-Tails Gyuki stirring within him.
"So this is the 'paradise beyond the world' that Wood Release brat built?" Ay's voice boomed like thunder, his gaze sweeping over the distant settlement that was beginning to take shape. "Hmph, all show! I heard this place has gathered quite a few special bloodlines and medical resources? Perfect. I happen to need some useful test subjects!" He clenched his fist fiercely, violent lightning crackling around it. "Blue B! Pick up the pace! Crush it!"
Blue B let out a low roar. Dark red Tailed Beast Chakra flared around him like flames, and his speed surged once more as bloodshot veins spread through his eyes. The terrifying presence of the two men descended upon Taoyuan Village like the forewarning of a storm.
"Test subjects?" A cold curve formed on Duanmu Ci's lips. Deep within his eyes, the Six Paths ripple patterns of the Rinnegan flickered into view. "Looks like I'll have to teach this Lord Raikage a lesson first. Let him understand... who the prey really is." He stepped off the watchtower, his body becoming a pale green streak of light. Sage Chakra circulated soundlessly as he charged headlong toward the two rampaging bolts of lightning!
Boom—!
At the edge of the forest along the Land of Fire's border, it was as if a meteor had struck!
The deafening clash of metal rang out! The shockwave born from the collision of pure, overwhelmingly brutal strength exploded outward in a ring, instantly clearing all trees within dozens of meters. The earth cracked open, and shattered stones shot through the air like bullets!
Duanmu Ci's fist, wrapped in lustrous pale green Sage Chakra, firmly blocked Ay's heavy punch, which was wreathed in violent blue lightning and powerful enough to split mountains and shatter stone! He did not retreat even half a step!
"What?!" Ay's bell-like eyes widened abruptly, violent lightning reflecting the incredulous shock on his face. That punch contained the ultimate speed and power of Lightning Release Chakra Mode, enough to grievously wound an ordinary Kage-level fighter in an instant! Yet this Konoha medical ninja, who did not even look particularly burly, had met it head-on with nothing but his physical body and that strange green Chakra—and had not moved an inch?
"Is that all the strength you have, Raikage?" Duanmu Ci's voice remained utterly calm, his gaze sharp as a hawk's. The Rinnegan's powerful dynamic vision clearly caught every tremor in the other man's muscles. "You want to tear down my home? That little knock at the door... isn't nearly enough!" Before his words had faded, the arm blocking the lightning-clad fist suddenly exerted force!
Buzz!
An unstoppable force erupted! This was no longer a direct contest of strength, but a skillful pull and push! Ay felt the power that could cleave mountains sink into a viscous abyss, only to be violently shoved back by an even greater, more concentrated force! His mountain-like body was actually thrown off balance, staggering involuntarily two steps to the side and plowing two deep trenches into the ground!
"Bastard!" Ay flew into a rage instantly, Lightning Release Chakra bursting around him like blue flames with a piercing shriek! Humiliation! Unprecedented humiliation! He had actually lost in a direct contest of strength!
Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop! Enraged, Ay pushed his speed to the limit, transforming into a blue flash that tore through space. Countless fist shadows, elbow strikes, and whipping kicks wreathed in destructive Lightning Release crashed down upon Duanmu Ci like a raging storm! The air was ripped apart with shrill detonations, every blow powerful enough to pulverize refined steel!
Faced with this blitzkrieg of speed that would drive any opponent to despair, Duanmu Ci's body instead became ghostlike and elusive. Sage Chakra granted him extraordinary perception and neural reflexes. Combined with the Rinnegan's terrifying dynamic vision, which saw through every trajectory, Ay's lightning-fast attacks seemed slowed several times over in his eyes.
Whoosh! He twisted aside, and a lightning-wreathed sweeping kick grazed his robe, the force of it slicing open the ground.
Clang! He raised an elbow to block, precisely catching a heavy punch aimed at his temple. Lightning and green radiance exploded against each other with a dull boom.
He twisted his waist! Spun! Leaned back! Duanmu Ci weaved through the airtight web of attacks, his footwork exquisite to the finest degree. Every dodge was perilously close, yet perfectly timed. He did not meet every blow directly. Instead, with the smallest possible movements, he redirected and dispersed the Raikage's violent power into the earth beneath his feet or the surrounding air.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The place where the two fought at high speed looked as though it had been repeatedly plowed by countless artillery shells! Deep craters continuously exploded across the ground. Thick trees were easily torn apart and ignited by stray lightning or the force of their fists. Smoke and dust filled the air as lightning and green radiance intertwined fiercely, forming a forbidden zone of destruction.
Blue B stood at the edge of the battle with his arms crossed, dark red Tailed Beast Chakra roiling restlessly over his body. Cruel, bloodthirsty light flashed in his eyes as he stared fixedly at the calm green figure within the Raikage's storm. A beast-like growl rumbled from his throat. "Ay! Stop playing around! Let me tear him apart!"
"Shut up, Blue B!" Ay roared back amid his relentless assault, but the shock in his heart only grew stronger. This Duanmu Ci's taijutsu, reactions, and ability to redirect force were far beyond what the intelligence had predicted! More terrifyingly, it seemed that... he had not even gone all out yet!
At that moment, the ripples in Duanmu Ci's Rinnegan flickered almost imperceptibly, instantly catching a tiny opening caused by Ay's rage—a momentary stiffness after an ultra-high-speed change of direction!
Got you. Duanmu Ci murmured inwardly. He stopped dodging, drawing back his right fist as pale green Sage Chakra gathered and compressed at an unprecedented speed!
Sage Art: Monster Strength!
BOOM!!!
Sage Chakra compressed to the extreme surged forth like a green comet, ripping through the air with the terrifying will to shatter everything. It struck with perfect precision at the opening beneath Ay's ribs exposed by his high-speed change of direction! The timing was exquisite to the utmost degree!
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