AB Brothers' Probing

Li Yu stepped forward, unslung the massive scroll from his back, and handed it to Tsunade, telling her to keep it safe as it would be of great use.

"You're looking for me. I am the captain of the Konoha support team, the one who sent your Cloud Ninja vanguard running in defeat. I am Senju Nawaki of the Senju Clan."

As he declared his identity, his hands were far from idle; he pulled several Specialized Kunai from his ninja pouch, ready to throw them at a moment's notice.

"Yo, yo, so it's you, kid! Watch this, big brother is gonna beat you down and show you the power of my blade!"

Before Killer Bee could even finish his rap, A, standing beside him, could no longer hold back. His entire body shuddered as he activated the signature skill of the Raikage: "Lightning Armor."

Surrounded by crackling blue lightning, he stomped the ground and lunged straight at Li Yu, hoping to catch him off guard with a blitz attack.

"Big brother, that's cheating!"

Li Yu had long anticipated that the hot-headed, impatient future Fourth Raikage would strike at any moment. He flicked his hands, sending the Specialized Kunai flying to embed themselves in the surrounding trees and ground.

He pulled out one more kunai, gripping it tightly to counter A, who was already throwing a heavy punch toward his face.

Dropping the kunai in his hand, Li Yu vanished in a blur. A "swish" echoed as he reappeared on a tree to the side, leaving only the Specialized Kunai spinning in the air behind him.

The future Fourth Raikage, A, saw his punch land on nothingness. Unable to stop his momentum, he watched as the Specialized Kunai spun through the air, falling in a free-fall trajectory.

"Swish!"

Li Yu activated the Flying Thunder God technique a second time, appearing at A's side. He snatched the spinning kunai from the air, added a burst of force, and secretly coated the blade in wind-attribute chakra before stabbing it down toward A's Lightning Armor.

Eyes gleaming, Li Yu muttered to himself, Come on, leg, come on, I want it!

Suddenly, a massive force shoved A from behind, and a severed octopus tentacle replaced his body.

"I've been waiting for you, my octopus leg!"

"Pfft!"

Under the enhancement of Li Yu's Strength of a Hundred, he severed the tentacle in one strike. With one hand, he branded the Flying Thunder God Mark onto the retreating tentacle, and with the other, he snatched the severed limb from the ground.

"Swish!"

Li Yu appeared before Tsunade, ripped open the scroll standing on the ground, pressed the tentacle into the center with his left hand, and slammed his right hand onto the "Seal" character on the scroll.

The entire sequence was completed in a flash. While the group stood stunned and Tsunade, acting as a mere tool, hadn't even reacted to holding the scroll, he successfully sealed the Eight-Tails' chakra into it.

Tsunade watched as Li Yu "swished" before her eyes, witnessing the entire process before he quickly rolled up the scroll and shoved it back into her hands.

"Sister, keep this safe. It's good stuff. I'm going to get more later."

A, who had been shoved aside by the tentacle, scrambled to his feet and saw the scene, his rage instantly boiling over.

"You Konoha ninja, you go too far!"

Li Yu had successfully pulled off a move inspired by Namikaze Minato's original exploits and secured the Eight-Tails' chakra. He was thrilled; as long as he could get more, he was satisfied. Even though this tentacle segment was short, the chakra it contained was no less than that of a Jonin.

Ignoring everything else, A charged at Li Yu again, shouting, "Give me your life!"

"Don't be so stingy. You guys have plenty of Eight-Tails Jinchuriki chakra."

The smiling Li Yu's expression suddenly shifted. Based on the original story, A relied on his Lightning Armor for protection and needed Killer Bee to push him with a tentacle to dodge Minato's kunai strikes. You, A, are still far behind your father, the Third Raikage.

Li Yu met the future Fourth Raikage's fist head-on with a punch of his own.

"You think I'm afraid of your fists?"

"Boom!"

Li Yu slid back three steps, each one cracking the ground, while A was sent flying backward, crashing straight into Killer Bee.

Li Yu shook off the tingling sensation in his hand as the faint scorch marks slowly faded.

He took a stance, ready to trade a few more blows with the future Fourth Raikage. Having taken their property, it wouldn't be easy to end this peacefully; the Cloud Ninja all wore grim expressions, and the atmosphere was thick with tension.

On the other side, the future Fourth Raikage was caught by Killer Bee, his face heavy with concern.

"Big brother, this Konoha ninja is tough. I might need to enter Tailed Beast mode to beat him."

A clutched his injured right hand and glared at Li Yu, his body trembling with fury. He couldn't swallow this defeat.

"I'm still too far behind Father. I haven't mastered the Lightning Armor yet."

"This place is too cramped. There aren't many Konoha ninja here, but we have many, and I'm afraid of collateral damage."

"Let's head back for now. Besides, this was just a probe, and we didn't suffer too much of a loss."

"You're right, big brother. Next time, we'll find a wider space, and I'll help you get your revenge."

"Fine, it's decided."

In truth, Killer Bee had another worry he didn't voice: if he went into Tailed Beast mode, he might inflict heavy casualties on the Konoha ninja, but his brother A would likely be killed by that Senju kid. He didn't want to see that happen, so he chose to retreat.

The fact that A had only suffered a minor injury to his right hand after taking a full-power Strength of a Hundred punch from Li Yu was a testament to his incredible physique. Though not yet on par with the Third Raikage, he was already approaching Kage-level strength.

Unfortunately, his Lightning Armor wasn't fully refined, leaving his defense limited and his power insufficient.

Killer Bee helped A up, threw out a harsh threat, and turned to lead the Cloud Village ninja away.

"Konoha ninja, just you wait!"

They delivered a cliché threat, performed the most cowardly retreat, and took off with their men. They didn't give the Konoha ninja a chance to react; they came fast and left even faster.

"Are the Cloud Ninja really just leaving like that?"

"I thought we were in for a major battle."

"Are we not going to pursue them?"

"Pursue them? What if it's a trap?"

"Exactly. They came in a rush and left in a hurry."

Seeing the Cloud Village ninjas vanish into the forest, everyone's gaze converged on Tsunade, waiting for her orders.

"We'll discuss this back at base. At the very least, we know who the leader is now, and we managed to gain a small advantage."

Tsunade had been closely observing the situation earlier. She was incredibly astonished that Li Yu could use the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama's Flying Thunder God with such proficiency. Even in those few simple exchanges, as an expert herself, she could tell that Li Yu was no ordinary fighter. To minimize casualties, she had decisively opted to retreat.

She cast a furtive glance at Li Yu, looking him up and down, and thought, What I can't wrap my head around is how someone who is clearly just a Wood Release Clone can be this strong. Where is his real body, and just how powerful is he?

You didn't even come to see me when you returned to Konoha, but you send a clone the moment you hit the battlefield. The day I get my hands on your real body, just wait and see how I deal with you.

As Li Yu retrieved his Specialized Kunai from various spots in the forest, he felt a cold gaze directed at him from the Konoha squad. It sent a shiver down his spine, and when he turned back, he met Tsunade's playful, mocking stare.