It was only because Uchiha Shūichi had devoted himself to years of research that Chidori Blade could pierce the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Armor. But breaking through the armor was already the limit of what it could do; in the end, it had only left the Fourth Raikage with a trivial, barely noticeable cut.
Even the Lightning Release infused into Chidori Blade had caused no additional damage. After all, the Fourth Raikage's resistance to lightning was already maxed out.
"Lord Raikage, are you all right?!"
Just then, two Kumogakure ninja caught up with them. When they saw the scene before them—especially the bloody gash across the Fourth Raikage's back—they were both shocked.
"Don't worry. I'm fine!"
The Fourth Raikage waved a hand with a swaggering confidence. Uchiha Shūichi had given it everything he had, yet all he'd managed was to pierce the Raikage's Lightning Release Armor and inflict a minor flesh wound. The Fourth Raikage now felt certain that victory was his.
The next moment, one of the Kumogakure ninja suddenly lunged forward without a word and clung tightly to the Fourth Raikage. His expression changed. The Lightning Release Chakra Mode surrounding him faded considerably, and he struck the ninja hard in the neck, knocking him unconscious.
At the very instant the Fourth Raikage reined in his Lightning Release Armor to avoid hurting his subordinate, the Chidori Blade in Uchiha Shūichi's hand shot forward, extending into a Chidori Sharp Spear aimed at the Raikage.
With a wet crunch, the Fourth Raikage blocked the Chidori Sharp Spear with his hand, but it pierced through his palm. The Fourth Raikage snorted as bolts of lightning raced along the spear. Uchiha Shūichi, caught off guard, felt his arm go numb with pain and let go, staggering back several steps.
"Be careful. That's the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu. Don't maintain eye contact with that man for too long."
The Fourth Raikage tossed the subordinate he'd knocked unconscious aside, then ordered his other subordinate to keep an eye on him. His gaze, cold and sharp, settled on Yamanaka Fū.
"This is looking bad..."
Uchiha Shūichi knitted his brows. One of his hands had just been burned by the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release, and it was still somewhat charred. More importantly, their surprise attack had failed.
A ninja battle was a battle of information. They had been able to cripple one of the Fourth Raikage's hands so easily and take down a Kumogakure ninja largely because their opponents hadn't been prepared for Yamanaka Fū's Mind Secret Technique.
Now that Yamanaka Fū's abilities had been exposed, he was far less of a threat. As for Hyuga Homura and Yūhi Kurenai, in a battle at this level, they'd be doing well just to protect themselves. In the end, everything would depend on the outcome of the fight between Uchiha Shūichi and the Fourth Raikage.
Even though the Fourth Raikage was now much more badly injured than he was, Uchiha Shūichi still wasn't optimistic about his chances. There was too much he needed to keep hidden. With his hands tied like this, he had almost no chance of beating the Fourth Raikage.
"I'll hold this guy off. You three, fall back for now!"
Uchiha Shūichi spoke slowly. With Hyuga Homura here, he didn't dare use Kotoamatsukami. Once they were gone, he'd be able to fight more freely.
There was no arguing. Ninja who had lived through the Ninja World War had matured completely, both in efficiency and in their ability to control their emotions. Hyuga Homura immediately began retreating with Yamanaka Fū, who had just suffered mental damage. Yūhi Kurenai brought up the rear as they withdrew from the battlefield in a standard formation.
The Fourth Raikage raised his brows slightly. Considering that one of his ninja was unconscious, he didn't send his last subordinate after them. Instead, he turned his gaze to Uchiha Shūichi.
"Do you think they can get away? Once I've taken you down, I'll still have time to hunt them down!"
"Heh... save the big talk for later!"
Uchiha Shūichi's expression shifted slightly as he glanced toward the nearby forest. The Sensory Ability he had honed through special training alerted him to some strange creatures that had already slipped into the woods.
"So the White Zetsu have made it here too? Looks like I can't reveal my abilities until the very last moment."
He clicked his teeth together, took a small breath, and stepped forward.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their brief clash flashed by like sparks, without a moment's pause. Several bright flashes burst out almost simultaneously.
The two clashed in a contest between blinding speed and genjutsu clones. Uchiha Shūichi's Chakra blade techniques were nothing more than simple forehand and backhand strikes, but his movements were so swift they exceeded the limits of normal vision. It was as if the process itself couldn't be seen, leaving only the afterimages created by the Body Flicker Technique.
But against the faster Fourth Raikage, these attacks had little effect. Uchiha Shūichi's long blade could only reach the Raikage's arm guards, while every strike from the other man shattered one of the afterimage clones.
Even as his afterimage clones were destroyed, Uchiha Shūichi kept creating more. But he couldn't produce them as fast as the Fourth Raikage could destroy them.
A little over ten seconds later, Uchiha Shūichi's clones suddenly vanished all at once. Only his real body remained, already leaping into the air with his hands forming seals.
"Fire Release—Head Hard!"
A raging sea of flames incinerated everything in its path. To conceal the changes within himself, Uchiha Shūichi had avoided using most of his abilities. But the massive Chakra he'd gained through body modification had also boosted the power of his Fire Release, enough to leave an ordinary ninja dumbfounded.
Faced with the terrifying blaze, the Fourth Raikage blurred into motion and immediately grabbed his two subordinates, getting them out of the sea of flames.
As soon as he landed, Uchiha Shūichi turned and ran without a word. The Fourth Raikage was just about to chase after him when his expression shifted and he looked toward the figures struggling in the flames.
"What are those?!"
Several strange, white, humanoid creatures struggled out of the blaze. The Fourth Raikage was stunned. They'd been so close, yet he hadn't sensed them at all.
Generally speaking, top-level fighters like them could instinctively sense other ninja at close range, even if they weren't Sensory Type Ninja.
Yet even at the height of the battle, the Fourth Raikage hadn't sensed a thing. The Kumogakure sensory ninja hadn't noticed anything either.
At that point, the Fourth Raikage stopped chasing Uchiha Shūichi. Though the man was powerful, the strength he'd shown was still inferior to his own. These sneaky observers, who were impossible to detect, posed a far greater threat to him and Kumogakure.
"Who are you? Or should I say, what kind of monsters are you?"
With a blur of movement, the Fourth Raikage seized all the White Zetsu. Though the flames had burned their bodies, these half-plant modified humans were exceptionally hardy, and they were still alive.
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