Flash of Thunder

The cat demon wreathed in blue flames, the colossal warrior clad in emerald armor, and the Eight-Tails Gyuki, lashing its tentacles, battled as they moved. Before long, the three enormous creatures had approached the battlefield beside the fortress.

The earth shook wherever they went, and trees snapped and toppled. Their might far surpassed that of the giant summoned beasts from before.

The shinobi on both sides gaped in astonishment, their hearts shaken by the sight. They hurriedly retreated.

"Susanoo?"

Fugaku Uchiha recognized his clan's technique. His eyes narrowed, and when he made out the figure inside the giant, he cried in shock, "Shisui? It's him?"

With Shisui's talent, he certainly had the potential to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. But he was still so young—how had he managed to manifest Susanoo to such an extent?

The other Uchiha soon spotted Shisui controlling Susanoo as well. Their surprise quickly gave way to elation. Their emotions surged, and pride filled them from head to toe.

So their Uchiha Clan now had a warrior powerful enough to stand against a Tailed Beast!

"Shisui Uchiha. So he's the one who's been holding off Yugito and Killer B."

The Fourth Raikage recognized the Uchiha Clan's Forbidden Eye as well, and his expression gradually darkened.

It was no exaggeration to say that Shisui's presence had doomed Kumogakure's chances of winning this war.

"He can't be allowed to live!"

The Fourth Raikage made up his mind. His body turned into a bolt of lightning, and he soon reached the area where the three enormous creatures were fighting.

The moment the Fourth Raikage arrived, the two Kumogakure Jinchuriki immediately changed their tactics.

The Two-Tails, Matatabi, stopped fleeing and spat out countless Scorch Release fireballs. They pounded against Susanoo's chest armor, driving it back again and again.

The Eight-Tails, Gyuki, stretched out its tentacles and seized the opening to bind Susanoo's legs and feet completely.

In an instant, Susanoo was trapped, struggling helplessly as the Eight-Tails held it fast with no room to dodge.

The Fourth Raikage naturally wasn't about to let such a good opportunity pass. His body became a bolt of lightning, and he hammered down blow after blow like a falling sledgehammer.

Susanoo couldn't withstand the punishment. Under the rain of punches, it began to crack apart layer by layer like an eggshell.

Seeing this, Yugito, the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki, felt a surge of satisfaction. She had struggled to hold on for so long before ending her Tailed Beast Transformation for this very moment.

"Die, Shisui Uchiha!"

Inside Susanoo, two streams of blood ran down Shisui's face. The pain twisted his features, and he couldn't help collapsing to his knees.

"No. I have to keep going."

By now, Shisui's eyesight had deteriorated badly, and he could no longer make out the battle clearly. He could only cling to his orders to keep the Jinchuriki occupied and press on.

He pulled the last syringe from his clothes and drove it into his arm.

The gene serum could no longer improve his constitution, but it was still extremely effective as a way to recover.

It was simply far too extravagant—a wasteful indulgence.

Feeling his strength swell once more, Shisui began squeezing more power from his eyes, hoping to repair Susanoo.

But this time, unlike before, forcing out more ocular power caused his eyes to revert from the Mangekyō Sharingan. He couldn't even maintain the Sharingan.

He really had nothing left.

Susanoo vanished under the Eight-Tails' assault, and Shisui lost his support. His body dropped from the sky.

His ocular power was spent, but he still had Chakra left. What truly left Shisui bewildered, even at a loss, was how rapidly his vision was deteriorating.

A veil of mist clouded his eyes. The world before him grew increasingly blurred, and darkness gradually swallowed his field of vision...

After forcing his eyes beyond their limits without regard for the consequences, he was now suffering the backlash.

With great effort, he fired a Kunai attached to a thin wire, making one last attempt while he still had a little vision left.

He couldn't help smiling bitterly to himself. Even in his normal condition, how could he possibly be faster than the Fourth Raikage?

"We finally cracked that shell. Just like you, Big Brother."

Killer B let out a breath, but he didn't relax. His eyes remained fixed on Shisui as he swung a tentacle, sending it sweeping toward him with a fierce gust.

At the same time, the Fourth Raikage planted his foot on a tentacle to halt his fall. Lightning gathered around his arm, and he slammed it down toward Shisui.

Clang...

A sword rang out. "Orochimaru" blocked the Fourth Raikage's punch and grinned. "You're attacking my people so brazenly. You really don't take me seriously at all."

The Fourth Raikage's hair and beard bristled, but the corner of his eye remained on Shisui.

Orochimaru was occupied. He could block the Raikage, but he couldn't stop Killer B.

Yet what happened before his eyes left him stunned. A streak of lightning flashed by, and the Eight-Tails' tentacle swung through empty air.

"Who is that? That speed is almost on par with my Lightning Release Chakra Mode."

In the forest, Kakashi set Shisui down and formed Hand Seals. "Summoning Technique!"

As the smoke cleared, a several-meter-long python appeared before Kakashi.

"Don't resist. I'll take you somewhere safe to rest."

Shisui knew Kakashi's voice well. He relaxed and let the python swallow him inch by inch.

After releasing the Summoning Technique, Kakashi covered his left eye with his Forehead Protector, leaned against a tree, and began panting heavily.

Using the Breathing Technique Orochimaru had taught him as a foundation, he had developed his own lightning-based move, a one-hit kill even more effective than Chidori.

But his physical condition couldn't withstand using it more than a few times.

"Should I keep fighting?"

Kakashi straightened up, still leaning against the tree, and looked toward the distant battlefield.

Orochimaru had assigned him only one task in this battle: rescue Shisui at a critical moment.

Given his personality, Kakashi would normally have joined the fight against Kumogakure after completing that task.

But he was troubled by the mysterious enemy who could use Space-Time Ninjutsu. The enemy still hadn't made a move.

If he launched a surprise attack while Orochimaru was fighting the Raikage, Orochimaru would be in grave danger.

Kakashi reckoned that, in his current state, he could still use Flash of Thunder once more. Perhaps it could make a difference at a crucial moment.

Once he had made up his mind, Kakashi darted into the shadows at the edge of the battlefield, ready to provide support at any moment.

Just then, a powerful surge of energy came from the center of the battlefield.

Kakashi paused. Then he adjusted the Forehead Protector on his head, the Tomoe in his Sharingan spinning as he fixed his gaze on Orochimaru.

"Is that... the technique from last time?"

The Fourth Raikage also sensed the sudden change in Orochimaru. His expression darkened, and he braced himself for the worst.

"Heh... The fortress has been destroyed. Kumogakure has been thoroughly defeated. This war should end here."

"Orochimaru" grinned, his face turning menacing. "But why aren't you retreating? Are you still hoping to take me down?"

Though the Fourth Raikage's thoughts had been exposed, his expression didn't change.

When he learned that four giant snake Summoning beasts had breached the fortress, he'd grown suspicious. After probing a little, he confirmed that Orochimaru had less than a tenth of his Chakra remaining.

Orochimaru had likely avoided taking on his White Snake form from that night because maintaining the Summoning beasts had consumed more than half his Chakra.

On top of that, Orochimaru had been gravely injured by him repeatedly throughout their earlier battle, and healing those wounds had consumed a great deal of Chakra.

This was Orochimaru's weakest moment, while the Fourth Raikage reckoned he could keep fighting for another full day.

"To think you'd use an ability that consumes so much even now. You're practically asking to die. All I have to do is block this move..."

Unprecedented fighting spirit blazed in the Fourth Raikage's eyes. He couldn't return to the village empty-handed, with nothing but defeat to show for it.