The Rampaging Beast and the Third Raikage's Collision

CLANG!

A deafening sound of metal striking metal exploded!

The jagged blade collided with the lightning-shrouded neck, erupting in blinding sparks.

The shockwave rippled outward in a ring, carving a deep trench into the ground!

But the Third Raikage did not budge an inch.

He stood his ground, his entire body covered in a dense, flowing, and crackling layer of blue lightning.

That was the "Lightning Shield" pushed to the absolute limit of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, hailed as the strongest defense in the ninja world!

Zaraki Kenpachi's blade, having struck it, could not advance even a fraction of an inch.

It left only a shallow white mark, which was instantly repaired by the flowing lightning.

"What?!" Namikaze Minato's pupils constricted.

He had seen it clearly; the destructive power contained in that strike was enough to split a small mountain!

Yet, striking the Raikage's neck, it hadn't even broken the skin?!

Is this the true weight of the "Strongest Shield"?!

The watching Kumogakure ninjas recovered from their initial shock, erupting into fanatical cheers:

"Lord Raikage is invincible!"

"A mere blade wants to break the Lightning Shield?!"

"That is a defense capable of tanking a Tailed Beast Bomb!"

However, Zaraki Kenpachi's reaction was beyond everyone's expectations.

There was no frustration in his eyes, not even a hint of being discouraged.

On that face, half-hidden by an eyepatch, he froze for a split second.

Then, he broke into a grin that nearly tore his mouth apart, a smile of extreme ecstasy:

"Ha... Hahahahahaha!!!"

The wild laughter echoed through the Vale, drowning out even the roar of the Lightning Release.

"Interesting! This is too interesting!" Zaraki Kenpachi's golden slit pupils burned with excitement.

"It won't break! It actually won't break!

Hahaha! This is how it should be! This is worthy of being my opponent!"

He yanked his Zanpakuto back and took a step back.

Gripping the hilt with both hands, his muscles bulged, and his Reiatsu erupted like a volcano!

"Again!!!"

This time, the blade was not wrapped in pure brute force.

Instead, it was condensed to the limit with crimson Reiatsu.

Zaraki Kenpachi lunged forward again, his speed even faster than before!

The Zanpakuto tore through the air with a piercing shriek, slashing straight at the Third Raikage's head.

The Third Raikage's eyes narrowed.

The power of the previous strike had already surprised him, but this one...

It was faster, more condensed, and even made him feel a faint sense of threat!

"Lightning Release: Heavy Flow Violence!"

No longer underestimating his opponent, he threw his lightning-wrapped right fist forward, meeting the blade head-on!

BOOM------!!!

An explosion even more violent than the last!

The ground of the Vale collapsed dozens of meters, the rock walls shattered, and debris poured down like a rainstorm.

Several nearby Kumogakure chunin were blown away by the shockwave, coughing up blood.

Amidst the swirling dust, two figures flew backward simultaneously.

The Third Raikage flipped in mid-air and landed steadily, the ground beneath his feet cracking.

He looked down at his fist—a tiny crack had actually appeared on the lightning shield covering his hand!

Meanwhile, Zaraki Kenpachi retreated a dozen steps, leaving deep footprints with every stride.

But his smile grew increasingly ferocious, and the fighting spirit in his eyes boiled like magma!

"He blocked it! Lord Raikage blocked it!" The Kumogakure ninjas cheered again, but their voices now carried an imperceptible tremor.

Because that madman with the eyepatch... had only retreated a few steps under Lord Raikage's Heavy Flow Violence, and he looked completely unscathed?!

What kind of monster is this?!

"Namikaze Minato-senpai."

A calm voice rang out from the side.

Namikaze Minato whipped his head around to see Uchiha Ryūha standing beside him, though he hadn't noticed when he arrived.

He was adjusting his glasses, watching the battlefield with a tranquil gaze.

"Uchiha Ryūha-kun? You just said..." Minato looked at him with a complex expression, "That man... is your master?"

He truly couldn't fathom it.

Uchiha Ryūha's combat style was cool, precise, and adept at controlling the overall situation.

Yet that wild man who had suddenly appeared was the complete opposite—a berserk, bloodthirsty beast born purely for battle!

How could these two possibly be master and apprentice?!

"Yes." Uchiha Ryūha nodded, his eyes remaining fixed on Zaraki Kenpachi. "Master is... rather unique.

The stronger the opponent, the more excited he becomes."

In any case, the previous Uchiha Ryūha had been a nobody, so no one paid him any mind.

This also conveniently explained his rapid rise to power: he had been taught by a master.

He paused, then added:

"As for his strength... it should be no less than the Five Kage."

Minato's heart skipped a beat.

No less than the Five Kage?!

Looking at the current situation on the field, that wild man... must possess strength beyond the Kage level.

No wonder he could go head-to-head with the Third Raikage!

In the center of the battlefield, the Third Raikage shook his numb fist.

He had used ninety percent of his strength in that last Heavy Flow Violence.

An ordinary Kage-level ninja would have suffered broken bones at the very least from taking that punch head-on.

Yet, not only had his opponent taken it, but he had also countered, cracking the Third Raikage's lightning shield in the process!

What shocked him even more was the man's speed—he clearly appeared to be a pure power-type fighter.

But the speed he had erupted with during that charge was enough to barely keep up with him while he was in his Lightning Style Chakra Mode!

And that strange energy... it wasn't Chakra, but a more violent, destructive force!

"Who exactly are you?" the Third Raikage asked in a deep voice. "Seireitei... I have never heard of this organization!"

"Hahaha! If we're fighting, then fight! Why all the chatter!" Zaraki Kenpachi hoisted his Zanpakuto over his shoulder and stepped forward, the bells on his hair jingling.

"I am Zaraki Kenpachi, and I'm here to cut people down! As for Seireitei... I'll tell you once I've put you in the dirt!"

Before the words had even faded, he vanished again!

It was a charge of pure, extreme violence.

He kicked a massive crater into the ground, his figure turning into a blood-red blur.

Dragging his Zanpakuto behind him, the blade friction against the air created ear-piercing sonic booms.

"You're courting death!" The Third Raikage's lightning flared violently.

"Lightning Style: Lariat!"

He transformed into a bolt of blue lightning, not dodging or weaving, and slammed head-on into Zaraki Kenpachi!

The red and blue figures collided like two meteors.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In just three seconds, the two exchanged dozens of blows.

Blade light and fist shadows intertwined; Reiatsu and lightning clashed!

Every impact triggered a localized explosion, as if the valley were being bombarded by countless explosive tags simultaneously.

The ground collapsed repeatedly, and the rock walls shattered in sheets.

Minato had already retreated to the edge of the valley with the unconscious Kushina, erecting a ninjutsu barrier to deflect the flying debris.

He stared fixedly at the battlefield, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

It was too fast!

It was absurdly powerful!

That wasn't a "battle"—it was two humanoid beasts brawling.

There was no technique, no strategy, only the collision of the most primal strength and speed!

Every exchange made his heart race—an attack of that caliber would kill him instantly if he took even one hit.

And Uchiha Ryūha... had actually managed to become the apprentice of such a monster?!

Namikaze Minato couldn't help but glance at Uchiha Ryūha once more.

The youth stood there as calmly as ever, adjusting his glasses as if the cataclysmic battle unfolding before them were nothing more than a mundane fireworks display.

"Ryūha-kun, your master, he..." Namikaze Minato couldn't help but ask, "Does he always fight like this?"

"Mhm." Uchiha Ryūha nodded. "Master believes that the essence of combat is simply cutting others or being cut yourself."

"Technique, strategy, ninjutsu... these are all secondary."

"As long as you are strong enough, tough enough, and durable enough to take a hit, you win."

Namikaze Minato: "..."

What kind of insane combat philosophy is this?!

But watching the madman in the center of the battlefield, who grew more excited the longer he fought and laughed more wildly the more he was injured.

Namikaze Minato suddenly felt... that perhaps those words weren't wrong.

Because that madman was actually suppressing the Third Raikage!

Yes, suppressing him!

At first, the two were evenly matched, but as the battle progressed, the speed and strength of Zaraki Kenpachi were actually increasing!

It wasn't that the Third Raikage had slowed down, but that Zaraki Kenpachi was growing stronger the longer he fought.

His Reiatsu surged wildly as if it had no upper limit, and his Zanpakuto swung heavier and faster with every strike.

The scarlet Reiatsu on the blade edge had almost solidified, and every slash left deep cracks in the Lightning Shield of the Third Raikage.

"Hahahaha! Exhilarating! Absolutely exhilarating!" Zaraki Kenpachi roared with laughter, taking a Lightning Style strike from the Third Raikage head-on.

A deep wound, exposing bone, was carved into his chest, and blood sprayed out.

But he didn't care in the slightest; he backhanded his blade into the shoulder of the Third Raikage, forcing the latter to stagger backward!

"Lord Raikage!" the Kumogakure ninjas cried out in alarm.

The Third Raikage looked down at his shoulder—the Lightning Shield had been completely split open, the blade edge had cut half an inch into his flesh, and blood flowed down alongside the blue electric sparks.

He was injured.

He had actually... been injured?!

Ever since he had cultivated the Lightning Style Chakra Mode to its peak, how many years had it been since he had bled?

Ten years? Twenty years?

Yet today, under the blade of this inexplicable madman.

His "Strongest Shield," which he took such pride in, had actually been broken!

The Third Raikage slowly raised his head, the contempt in his eyes vanishing completely.

Replacing it was an unprecedented gravity, and... a ignited fighting spirit.

"Very well." He exhaled a breath of air crackling with electricity, the lightning around his body beginning to retract and compress.

From violent blue lightning, it gradually condensed into deep, near-black plasma.

Zzzzt—

Amidst the piercing sound of electric currents, he concentrated all his Chakra into the index finger of his right hand.

The electric arcs at his fingertip jumped, compressed, and condensed frantically.

Finally, it transformed into a single point of extremely refined, pitch-black sharpness radiating a destructive aura.

"The warm-up is over."

The voice of the Third Raikage was as low as rolling thunder:

"The Strongest Spear—"

He raised his right hand, pointing his index finger at Zaraki Kenpachi.

"Hell Stab, One-Finger Nukite!"

As the words fell, his entire body transformed into a streak of black lightning, instantly crossing the hundred-meter distance.

Wherever that pitch-black sharpness at his fingertip passed, the very space seemed to be torn asunder, leaving behind a vacuum trail that refused to dissipate!

Extreme speed, extreme penetration, extreme destruction!

It was the ultimate technique that the Third Raikage had used to dominate the ninja world for decades, the pinnacle of his mastery over Lightning Style offense and defense!

It was the technique that had once defeated the Eight-Tails Gyūki head-on—

The Strongest Spear!

Zaraki Kenpachi's golden vertical pupils suddenly constricted.

It wasn't fear.

It was a tremor of extreme excitement!

"Well come!!!"

He roared, neither dodging nor weaving, but instead charging headlong into that bolt of black lightning.

He ripped off his eyepatch, and a Reiatsu several times more powerful than before erupted with a boom.

Gripping his blade with both hands, he focused every ounce of his Reiatsu into his Zanpakuto.

Then, he swung!

"Shikai!"

"Break for me!!!"

The blood-red blade light and the black lightning collided with a thunderous crash!

There was no sound.

Because sound had been utterly annihilated by that extreme clash of power.

There was only light.

Light that intertwined, devoured, and exploded in a mix of crimson and pitch black!

Then came the shockwave that swept away everything in its path.

In that instant, the valley collapsed completely.

In the distance, Uchiha Ryūha adjusted his glasses, the cataclysmic scene reflected in his lenses as he whispered to himself:

"One minute left."

Sixty seconds remained in the summoning time.