A Parting Gift

If they had merely been ordinary Elite Jonin, even a few more of them might not have forced Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning, one of the Five Great Nations, into such a grueling battle.

But the mysterious masked men who had appeared this time were far stronger than ordinary Elite Jonin, and their abilities were even more bizarre and unpredictable.

Their ability to fight in midair alone crushed ninety-nine percent of shinobi. Kumogakure was located atop towering mountains, so its shinobi could use the Raikage Building and nearby peaks to leap into the air and attack.

Ordinary shinobi would likely have struggled even to get close.

Moreover, the mysterious man wielding a scythe could absorb chakra. Once someone was struck by his scythe or the "wind blades" he swung out, their chakra would be drained dry in an instant. Death or crippling injury was inevitable!

During the initial clash, under Darui, Shi, and Mabui's command, Kumogakure's shinobi had suffered the loss of two Jonin and twelve Chunin before forcing the two airborne enemies together.

However, once the two masked men coordinated back-to-back, they became even harder to handle.

Darui and Shi led several Elite Jonin in attacks from multiple directions, but every attempt was neutralized, leaving the battle deadlocked.

One had to know that in any shinobi village, Jonin were unquestionably the pinnacle of combat power. Even at the Hidden Leaf Village's peak, it would not have had more than fifty Jonin.

As for the current Konoha, it had only around thirty registered Jonin, while Special Jonin specializing in a single field numbered roughly the same.

The Uchiha clan was hailed as the "foremost noble clan of the Shinobi World" precisely because it had long maintained the combat strength of more than ten Jonin.

Once they awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, every one of them became a powerhouse on the level of an Elite Jonin!

Yet now, a scene Fourth Raikage A would never forget for the rest of his life unfolded in Kumogakure's central district.

Beneath the Raikage Building, half of which had been blasted into ruins, the smoke gradually dispersed. The two masked men floated in midair, back-to-back as they faced Kumogakure's elite forces, ten times their number, without falling into the slightest disadvantage!

These were no ordinary powerhouses!

At Raikage A's call, Mabui handed command of this battlefield to Samui, who had just arrived.

She was a mature blonde beauty about Mabui's age, calm and composed in her dealings, knowledgeable and well-read, and one of Killer B's disciples in swordsmanship.

"Lord Raikage!" Mabui hurried to Raikage A's side.

"The Communication Division has called for reinforcements! Yugito Nii will be here shortly!"

Kumogakure had two Jinchuriki, and both were perfect Jinchuriki. Once Yugito Nii and more Kumogakure shinobi arrived, the tide of battle would surely turn!

"B! Use Tailed Beast Transformation!" Raikage A immediately made his tactical arrangements, then barked at Mabui, "Prepare to transfer B and me to Unraikyo!"

Upon receiving his brother's order, Killer B immediately drew upon the Eight-Tails' chakra. A crimson Tailed Beast chakra shroud clung to his body, extending into eight ferocious red tails that writhed through the air.

The Tailed Beast chakra cloak greatly enhanced Killer B's abilities. He charged forward with his blades drawn and clashed with the mysterious masked man once more.

Lightning Release chakra crackled around Fourth Raikage A's body, tearing through the air as he transformed into a streak of lightning and struck the mysterious masked man from another direction.

"Double Lariat!" Their elbows gathered immense chakra as they moved to crush the enemy's neck between them!

But just as the Double Lariat was about to connect with the mysterious masked man—

Boom—!

A violent dark-red chakra surged from the mysterious masked man's body, instantly forming a chakra cloak around him and forcibly blocking the attack!

Bang!

Killer B's Tailed Beast cloak and Fourth Raikage A's Lightning Release chakra were stopped less than ten centimeters from the mysterious masked man's neck, colliding with a deafening crash.

"Idiot~ what's going on~?!" Killer B's rap carried a note of shock. He understood now why Gyuki had warned him that something was wrong with this guy.

The mysterious masked man's chakra cloak was virtually identical to his own Tailed Beast chakra cloak. That savage, sinister chakra was even more intense than Gyuki's!

"Mabui!" Fourth Raikage A shouted.

Not far away, Mabui's expression turned grave as her hands rapidly formed seals. "Heavenly Transfer Technique!"

A tearing sensation instantly enveloped Fourth Raikage A, Killer B, and the mysterious masked man in the midst of battle.

"So that's how it is." Feeling the tearing sensation throughout his body and the tremors in space, Menma could not help but view Mabui in a new light.

"Then take this as a gift." Just as he was about to be transferred away, Menma formed a dark-purple sphere of energy in his right hand. Frenzied Dark Chakra within it was wrapped in Wind Release chakra.

The instant Menma and the AB Duo vanished, the Mini Spiraling Ring slowly fell to the ground.

Unraikyo.

The AB Duo and Uzumaki Menma had been transferred here.

The instant he landed, Killer B entered complete Tailed Beast Transformation. Gyuki's colossal body rose from the ground.

"Yo~ Gyuki~ look at this guy~ which Tailed Beast is that chakra from~?" Killer B communicated with Gyuki in his mind.

At that moment, Gyuki in Killer B's mental world had already fallen into confusion and uncertainty.

This familiar chakra brimmed with negative emotions such as darkness and savagery. It resembled the Nine-Tails, yet it was also utterly unfamiliar.

So unfamiliar that even Gyuki had descended into chaos.

"Yes... yes, no... no, uh... is it?" Gyuki had fallen into deep self-doubt.

"B! Release everything!" Fourth Raikage A also activated his strongest Lightning Release Armor at full power. Immense lightning covered his entire body, and his hair stood on end.

Just as the two prepared to attack, the mysterious masked man floated up into the air and gazed in the direction of Kumogakure.

"Let's watch together." Uzumaki Menma's deep voice emerged from behind the mask.

Raikage A and Killer B were still somewhat puzzled.

In the distance, Kumogakure, shrouded beneath a mass of dark clouds, suddenly flashed with light.

Raikage A and Killer B turned toward it in shock. A massive mushroom cloud rose from Kumogakure, while the black clouds above the village were torn apart by blinding light.

Half a minute later, the roar of the explosion swept through Unraikyo.

"You bastard! What did you do?!" Raikage A's eyes nearly split with fury. He leaped high into the air, gathering the high-intensity current of Lightning Release chakra into his hand blade before chopping down fiercely!

"Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop!"

The hand blade wrapped in Lightning Release chakra struck Menma's Tailed Beast chakra cloak, yet failed to shake it in the slightest.

"I've had enough fun." Menma chuckled softly and flew higher and higher.

"B!" Raikage A roared.

In Tailed Beast form, Killer B planted his two forelimbs on the ground, raised his head, and opened his jaws.

A pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly formed within his mouth.

Looking at the fully formed Tailed Beast Bomb, Menma formed another dark-purple sphere in his right hand.

"This is a parting gift."

Menma casually tossed out the Mini Spiraling Ring.

The dark-purple sphere drifted downward and collided head-on with the howling Tailed Beast Bomb—

BOOM!!

Terrifying energy erupted in an instant, swallowing all of Unraikyo!