Victory and Defeat Decided

Nawaki hovered above the valley using Moon Step, watching the Third Raikage's bedraggled figure with a smile. "Looks like my speed is slightly superior after all, Lord Raikage."

The Third Raikage endured the stinging pain across his skin and used the adhesion technique beneath his feet to hang sideways from the cliff face. Squinting through his scorched eyelids, his voice trembled slightly as he said, "That was a space-time ninjutsu just now, wasn't it? But I never saw you use a kunai. And in that situation, with Lava Release's clumsiness, you shouldn't have had time for such a complicated move! Tell me, how did you determine the Coordinate? Did you improve the Flying Thunder God Technique?"

The Third Raikage's analysis was correct. From an observer's perspective, Nawaki had vanished from where he stood the instant the attack descended, appearing directly behind the Third Raikage. At the same time, he had knocked the rapidly charging Third Raikage into the lava with a Strength of a Hundred Fist.

Faced with the Third Raikage's question, Nawaki answered frankly, "No, no, no! Using the Flying Thunder God requires a stable Coordinate. I'm not capable of skipping such a crucial step! The reason I didn't use a kunai is because the Coordinate was on you!"

"The Coordinate was on me?" The Third Raikage hurriedly searched himself after hearing that, but found nothing. "Impossible. There's nothing extra on us!"

"Hehe..." Nawaki chuckled. "There's no harm in telling you. The key to a space-time Coordinate is a Cursed Seal formed from chakra; a kunai is merely a medium for inscribing the Cursed Seal. But I've already reached the level where I can leave a Cursed Seal through a momentary touch. So, more accurately speaking, the true Coordinate is inscribed on Lord Raikage's back!"

Upon hearing this, the