A Hair's Breadth Away, AB Duo

There was no earth-shattering change, nor any flashy special effects.

Only a ripple like water disturbed the surface of the scabbard, before it returned to normal.

But Blue B knew that something had already changed.

The ritual was complete.

"Teacher Matsumoto, help!" Haruno Kazuya, seeing that Liuyu seemed to be "suppressing" his opponent, shouted in a hurry.

Matsumoto Ryūichi gritted his teeth; he knew he might not be of much help, but as a subordinate, he could not just stand by and watch.

He formed hand seals: "Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

Several high-pressure wind bullets shot toward Blue B.

Blue B was already feeling agitated from being forced into a corner by Liuyu's "predictions."

Sensing the attack from the side, he didn't even think; lightning suddenly surged violently from his body!

A layer of dark red, translucent Chakra erupted into view!

Tailed Beast Cloak!

Although it was only a thin layer, the violent power contained within it far exceeded that of an ordinary Jonin.

The Vacuum Spheres struck the Chakra cloak and were shattered without even causing a ripple.

The leaking shockwave instead sent Matsumoto Ryūichi flying backward.

"In the way."

Liuyu frowned.

He could have easily dodged Blue B's subsequent counterattack.

But the direction in which Matsumoto Ryūichi was sent flying happened to be within the range of Blue B's blade.

"Troublesome."

He muttered, his figure flashing to appear on Matsumoto's flight path, where he kicked the side of Matsumoto Ryūichi's waist.

"Bang!"

Matsumoto Ryūichi had his trajectory altered by the kick and flew off at an angle.

After snapping two small trees and rolling into a bush, he was disheveled, but he had narrowly avoided the horizontal slash that followed from Blue B.

"You..." Blue B looked at Liuyu and suddenly smiled, a sinister expression on his face, "You've revealed an opening!"

The red Tailed Beast Cloak on his body suddenly thickened, and a phantom tail made of Chakra swayed behind him.

A terrifying pressure permeated the area, making the air feel viscous.

"A precursor... to Tailed Beast transformation?" Liuyu remained calm, even sheathing his sword.

"But why do you think I let you see that 'opening'?"

Blue B was stunned.

The next second, Liuyu brought his hands together in front of him, index and middle fingers extended and pressed together while the other fingers were interlocked, and began to chant:

"O sovereign! Mask of flesh and bone, all things, fly, those who bear the name of man!

Truth and temperance, upon this wall of sinless dreams, unleash your fury!"

The strange language, with syllables unlike any in the ninja world, carried a rhythm that struck directly at the soul.

Although Blue B could not understand it, he instinctively sensed danger.

He wanted to rush forward to interrupt, but his body felt as if it were bound by invisible chains, his movements slowed by half a beat.

It wasn't so much that he was slow.

It was more that his "perception" had been interfered with.

He thought he was charging forward with all his might, but to the outside world, he had only swayed slightly.

The Complete Hypnosis of Kyōka Suigetsu was beginning to show its true power.

"Binding Way #61: Rikujokoro!"

Liuyu finished his chant and pointed his sword-fingers at Blue B.

Six massive beams of light appeared out of thin air, surrounding Blue B in a hexagonal formation.

They then slammed shut, pinning him firmly in place!

"What... is this jutsu?!" Blue B was filled with shock and rage.

He struggled desperately, his Tailed Beast Chakra slamming wildly against the beams of light, but they remained unmoved, merely vibrating slightly.

"It's not over yet."

Liuyu began to chant again, this time faster and more urgent:

"O sovereign! Mask of flesh and bone, all things, fly, those who bear the name of man!

Carve twin lotuses upon the wall of blue fire, wait in the abyss of the great conflagration between the distant heavens!"

He crossed his hands before his chest, palms facing upward, then thrust them forward violently:

"Hado #73: Twin Lotus Blue Fire Crash!"

A torrent of azure flames, like a roaring dragon, thundered toward the restrained Blue B!

"Blue B--!!!"

At the critical moment, a roar exploded from the horizon.

A bolt of lightning, far more blinding and violent than the one Blue B had just unleashed, tore through the twilight.

It descended from the sky at an incredible speed, blocking the path in front of Blue B!

It was a youth even taller and more robust than Blue B, with dark skin and white, spiky hair standing on end like needles, his entire body encased in Lightning Style Chakra so dense it was nearly liquid.

He used no ninja tools; he simply raised his right arm, clenched his fist, and threw a punch!

"Lightning Style: Heavy Flow Violence!"

The fist collided with the Twin Lotus Blue Fire Crash.

"BOOM--!!!!!"

The blue-white flames and golden lightning exploded into a dazzling sphere of light.

The shockwave spread in a ring; wherever it passed, the ground was plowed into deep trenches, trees were uprooted, and rocks were pulverized into dust.

Matsumoto Ryūichi had just climbed to his feet when he was sent flying again by the blast.

Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki clung desperately to a boulder to avoid being blown away.

The light dissipated.

Uchiha Ryūha stood where he was, his robes fluttering, his expression remaining calm.

The youth standing before Blue B had his right sleeve charred and shredded, with burn marks on his skin, but the injuries were not severe.

He glared at Uchiha Ryūha, lightning dancing in his eyes:

"Uchiha brat... you're courting death!"

"A." Blue B broke free from the now-dimming Rikujokoro, his voice low. "Be careful, his genjutsu is very strange."

"Genjutsu?" The future Fourth Raikage, the current Yotsuki A, grinned, revealing a ferocious smile.

"Then I'll use absolute speed so he doesn't have time to activate it!"

Before the words had even faded, he vanished, transformed into a bolt of lightning.

True Lightning Style Chakra Mode!

His speed was so great it even exceeded the limits of Uchiha Ryūha's visual tracking!

But Uchiha Ryūha did not need to "see."

His Reiatsu perception provided a 360-degree view with no blind spots.

The moment Yotsuki A moved, Uchiha Ryūha moved as well.

He did not meet the attack head-on, but instead stepped to the left—precisely avoiding Yotsuki A's linear trajectory.

"Hm?" Yotsuki A missed his strike, forced a turn in mid-air, and swept his right leg out like a battle-axe.

Uchiha Ryūha bent his waist, barely dodging the blow.

The fierce wind stung his face.

"Good reaction!" Yotsuki A laughed, his offensive like a raging storm; every punch, kick, elbow, and knee carried the power to split mountains and shatter stones, and his speed was only increasing.

Uchiha Ryūha wove through the lightning, his movements still elegant, but his brows were slightly furrowed.

Yotsuki A's speed truly exceeded the range he could handle in his normal state.

If he relied only on Flash Step and basic swordsmanship, he would be hit sooner or later.

And once struck by that monstrous strength, he would be either dead or crippled.

Use Senbonzakura?

No, Bankai was his trump card; it could not be exposed so early.

Moreover, facing the AB Duo, even with Senbonzakura, victory might not be guaranteed in a short time.

If dragged into a war of attrition, reinforcements from Kumogakure might arrive.

Retreat was the optimal solution.

He was not the Third Raikage; he had no need to fight to the death against ten thousand ninjas.

"Boring." Uchiha Ryūha suddenly said.

Yotsuki A paused.

The next second, Uchiha Ryūha formed hand seals—a very simple seal, but the incantation he chanted was in a different language:

"Bakudo #21: Red Smoke Escape!"

"Puff!"

Dense red smoke erupted from beneath his feet, instantly shrouding a radius of several dozen meters.

The smoke not only obscured vision but also possessed properties that interfered with Chakra perception.

"Trying to run?!" A roared, his entire body flaring with intense lightning as he attempted to disperse the smoke with Lightning Release.

But the smoke was more stubborn than he had imagined, and its range was constantly expanding.

"Blue B!"

"I know!"

Blue B closed his eyes, his Tailed Beast Chakra spreading out as he attempted to lock onto Uchiha Ryūha's position using "Malice Sensing."

Yet, within his perception, there were seven or eight "Uchiha Ryūha" Chakra signatures within the red smoke, all moving at high speeds!

Kyōka Suigetsu, combined with Red Smoke Escape, had created the perfect interference.

"This way!" A charged in one direction based on intuition and threw a punch, only to dissipate a cloud of smoke.

Three seconds later, the red smoke began to dissipate.

The clearing was already empty.

Only from the distant woods did Uchiha Ryūha's calm voice drift faintly on the wind:

"When we meet again, I hope you can provide me with some amusement."

A stood in the clearing, his face livid.

His right fist was clenched tight, his knuckles white, and lightning crackled across his fist.

Blue B walked to his side and removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of sharp eyes.

He looked toward the direction where Uchiha Ryūha had vanished, remaining silent for a long time before saying in a low voice:

"A, that Uchiha Ryūha... might become Kumogakure's greatest trouble in the future."