Ninja World's Fastest vs. Fastest in History

At the edge of the charred crater, the Raikage's boot crushed a still-burning splinter. His gaze swept across the battlefield before settling on the unnatural objects scattered across the ground.

Several specially made kunai lay scattered within the crater.

Similar yet distinct jutsu formulas were engraved along their blades. They were symbols once feared most by enemy ninja on the battlefield, the shadow that golden-haired man had left over the entire Ninja World—the Flying Thunder God Technique.

"...I never thought that after the Yellow Flash died, someone else would learn such a troublesome jutsu!"

A black figure stood silently atop the ruins. Menma rested one foot on a broken tree beam, casually tossing a Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand.

"Even though this is the number one most troublesome Space-Time Ninjutsu, you actually came charging in alone?" His voice came through the mask, carrying lazy mockery. "Should I call you confident or arrogant?"

"Cut the crap!!"

The instant the Raikage's furious roar erupted, his body had already transformed into a blinding bolt of lightning! Lightning Release Taijutsu: Raging Thunder Axe!!

His elbow rose high and chopped down like a battle axe. Brutal force and Lightning Release compressed the air into a thunderous blast. This strike was enough to pulverize solid rock into dust.

But it missed.

Menma's figure vanished like a phantom at the very instant before the Raikage could reach him. The Raikage's nerves tensed sharply, his eyes darting as he tracked the positions of every kunai.

Left? Right? Ahead? Behind?

"Here!"

The Raikage's instincts suddenly screamed a warning! He roared, lightning bursting around his body again. "Liger Bomb!!"

He charged directly toward the spot where Menma had just appeared! But at the instant he lunged forward, Menma curled his lips into a smile and suddenly hurled the kunai in his hand high into the sky.

The Raikage's muscle memory moved faster than thought. Since the kunai had been thrown upward, the enemy would surely teleport into the air! His charge twisted sharply mid-course, lightning shooting skyward like a rising dragon—but there was no one in the air.

"Damn it...!"

The hairs on his back suddenly stood on end. Beside the Raikage's ear came a low, cold laugh from beneath the mask. "You rely too much on prediction, Raikage."

"Rasenshuriken."

A black sphere of Chakra exploded against the Raikage's back. The distorted force field of collapsing space tore cracks through his Lightning Release Armor. Agonizing pain and the blast wave sent the Raikage flying, his body smashing into the ruins and kicking up clouds of dust.

"Cough...!"

The Raikage pushed himself up from the rubble, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away as his Lightning Release Armor surged again, but the fighting spirit in his eyes only grew more violent.

"Excellent! The Flying Thunder God Technique!!"

"That battle with Minato Namikaze that was cut short...!" He clenched his fists as Lightning Release Chakra surged once more. "Here and now, answer my question!!"

Who was truly the fastest in the Ninja World?!

"Whoosh—!"

Menma's figure vanished like a ghost. The next second, he appeared behind and to the side of the Raikage, the Rasenshuriken in his hand ruthlessly blasting toward the Raikage's spine.

The Raikage's reaction was terrifying. At the instant the Rasenshuriken touched him, his body transformed into a blinding flash of lightning and forcibly shifted several meters sideways, narrowly evading the fatal strike.

"Boom—!"

The Rasenshuriken struck nothing, blasting a crater ten meters wide into the ground. Black Chakra shockwaves spread out like ripples, making even the air tremble.

"Tch, you dodged pretty fast." Menma's voice came from beneath the mask, laced with amusement.

The Raikage did not respond. His gaze remained locked on Menma, arcs of electricity crackling over his Lightning Release Armor as his muscles heated slightly from the high-speed movement.

Black afterimages and lightning continuously intertwined across the battlefield. Rasenshuriken kept exploding within the craters. After suffering for it, the Raikage stopped charging recklessly and began constantly evading Menma's Rasenshuriken.

After their brief exchange, the Raikage reached a conclusion. This guy... was different from Minato Namikaze!

Minato's Flying Thunder God was more elegant, like a golden flash weaving trails of death across the battlefield. But Menma before him... fought in a more brutal, more sinister manner!

"Don't get too cocky, brat!"

The Raikage stomped down hard, cracking the ground beneath his tremendous force. He shot toward Menma like a cannonball, Lightning Release Chakra gathering around his fist.

"Heavy Stone Bullet!!"

Menma neither dodged nor moved. He merely lightly tossed a Flying Thunder God Kunai into the air—

"Whoosh!"

The Raikage's fist punched through an afterimage, while Menma's true body had already appeared in midair, another black Rasenshuriken forming in his hand.

"It's useless. No matter how fast you are... you can't surpass teleportation."

The battle gradually turned into a one-sided war of attrition.

The Raikage's speed was indeed unmatched in the Ninja World. His Lightning Release Armor pushed both his explosive power and reaction speed to the limits of human capability. But Menma's Flying Thunder God... simply did not belong in the category of speed.

This was not a contest of who was faster... but of who was closer to the finish line!

The Raikage's breathing grew heavy. The Chakra consumption of his Lightning Release Armor far exceeded his expectations. Every charge and every dodge rapidly drained his stamina. Yet Menma... remained completely at ease.

"Boom—!"

Another Rasenshuriken exploded beside the Raikage. Though he barely avoided it, the blast's aftermath still tore through the defenses of his Lightning Release Armor, leaving a bloody gash across his shoulder.

Damn it...!

The Raikage gritted his teeth. The fighting spirit in his eyes had not faded, but the exhaustion in his body could no longer be ignored. His wounds were multiplying, and the glow of his Lightning Release Armor gradually dimmed.

Meanwhile, Menma... still appeared and vanished like a ghost.

"Still want to continue, Raikage?"

Menma's voice came from every direction. Flying Thunder God Kunai covered the battlefield, making it seem as though his figure was everywhere.

The Raikage panted heavily, faint electrical arcs flickering over his Lightning Release Armor. His gaze swept around before finally settling on Menma's true body.

"Don't look down on me...!"

He suddenly slammed a fist into his chest, and Lightning Release Chakra erupted again! "I am... the Raikage!!"

However, something unexpected happened.

"No, I don't want to fight anymore."

Menma's voice rang out abruptly, like a bucket of cold water poured over the blazing battlefield.

The Raikage's muscles even froze slightly at those words. He stared at Menma, shock waves churning deep within his heart. What was this guy saying?

He clearly had the upper hand. If this dragged on, only his own side would lose... so why was he stopping?

The Raikage's mouth remained stubborn as he forced out a cold snort. "What, scared?" Yet his nerves had tightened further. Years of battle instinct told him something was wrong.

Menma did not answer immediately. Beneath the Fox Mask, his gaze swept over the Raikage, then passed over distant Konoha. Silence settled over the battlefield like an invisible pressure.

"It seems you've misunderstood something."

At last, Menma spoke, a nearly imperceptible weariness in his voice. He raised one hand slightly. "I don't want to fight anymore—not because I can't, but because I want to end this battle."

The moment his words fell, his five fingers clenched sharply!

"Boom—!!!"

Violent Wind Release Chakra erupted. In an instant, the air compressed into a visible hurricane. The ground cracked as shattered stones were swept into the sky, becoming a deadly barrage! The Raikage's Lightning Release Armor gave off a piercing hum under the wind pressure. His feet sank deep into the earth, plowing two trenches behind him, yet for once, he did not choose to charge head-on. Instead, he held his ground firmly.

Something's wrong. This Wind Release isn't meant to attack, but to... restrict movement?

The Raikage's instincts screamed warnings. He looked up and saw Menma appear in midair, his black robe whipping in the wind. His right palm faced upward, and a mass of black energy was gathering at a terrifying speed.

That was no longer a Rasenshuriken.

Its Chakra density far surpassed what came before. The surrounding air twisted under the energy overload, even faintly tearing open tiny spatial cracks. Merely looking at it made one's eyes sting.

"Great Rasenshuriken. Don't die, Raikage."