Battle with the Strongest Raikage

(Because this was a chakra version of the Ten Shadows Technique, shikigami that died could be re-formed with chakra. Divine Dog died too tragically in the original, so consider this a small personal addition of mine.)

Third Raikage Ai's laughter and fighting spirit echoed like thunder before the gates of Kumogakure. The surging Lightning Release chakra around him roiled like raging waves, radiating a terrifying pressure that made hearts tremble.

However, when his sharp gaze settled on Uchiha Shaoyu and he prepared to begin this test of strength, his pupil contracted slightly, and undisguised surprise appeared on his face for the first time.

"Your eyes..." Raikage Ai said in a deep voice. "They're not three-tomoe?"

Uchiha Shaoyu remained calm as the bands of light in his left eye began to rotate slightly faster.

"This is the Mangekyō Sharingan, a further evolution of the Sharingan. It possesses power beyond the three-tomoe."

"Mangekyō..." Raikage Ai repeated quietly. The surprise in his eye deepened before being replaced by even more fervent interest.

As a powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world, he had naturally heard the Uchiha Clan's legends regarding the Mangekyō. But this was the first time he had seen one with his own eyes.

He had thought Shaoyu was merely a remarkably gifted young prodigy. He had not expected him to possess legendary power as well. In an instant, his anticipation for this battle soared to its peak.

"Good! Very good!" Fighting spirit blazed fiercely in Raikage Ai's eye.

"Let this old man see just how powerful the Uchiha Clan's legendary Mangekyō truly is."

Before his words had faded, his burly body transformed into a bolt of blue lightning. Almost ignoring the distance through space, he appeared before Uchiha Shaoyu in an instant! There was no flashy ninjutsu, only the most direct, fastest, and most violent straight punch! Highly compressed Lightning Release chakra gathered around his fist, producing a piercing shriek as though it could penetrate anything!

"Lightning Release: Lariat!"

Facing this lightning-fast, mountain-splitting blow, the light bands in Uchiha Shaoyu's Mangekyō spun rapidly! With the ultimate perception and dynamic vision granted by the Six Eyes, he barely caught the Raikage's attack trajectory. He snapped backward by a hair's breadth while his hands formed seals in an instant!

"Ten Shadows Technique: Divine Dog!"

"Ten Shadows Technique: Toad!"

"Ten Shadows Technique: Rabbit Escape!"

Three shikigami phantoms instantly condensed and appeared before him.

The black and white forms of Divine Dog pounced forward with howls, attempting to bite and interfere. Toad's bloated body stood in front, trying to absorb the impact, while countless Rabbit Escape phantoms multiplied and surged forth to confuse his vision!

Yet before absolute speed and power, the shikigami's obstruction seemed utterly feeble.

"Boom! Bang! Riiip—!"

The Raikage's fist pierced straight through Toad's phantom without slowing, scattering the charging black and white Divine Dogs into motes of chakra light in passing. As for the Rabbit Escape phantoms, they could not even make the Raikage blink before being annihilated by the Lightning Release storm he generated.

The might of a single punch destroyed three shikigami in an instant. Such was the terror of the "strongest spear."

Taking advantage of the momentary obstruction provided by the shikigami, Uchiha Shaoyu had already retreated to a safe distance, his heart turning solemn. His hands formed seals again, and the light in his eyes intensified!

"Technique Reversal: Blue!"

A rudimentary application of spatial manipulation derived from the Six Eyes! A highly compressed chakra sphere that warped gravity instantly formed before his palm. Carrying powerful suction and tearing force, he hurled it at the pursuing Raikage.

Raikage Ai sensed the abnormal distortion and pull from the space ahead, and a trace of surprise flashed through his single eye.

"Oh? What kind of ninjutsu is this?"

But he neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he accelerated even further, smashing his Lightning Release chakra-wreathed right fist directly into Blue.

"Lightning Release Chakra Mode!"

"Lightning Release Chakra Armor!"

"Break for this old man!"

"Hummm—crack!"

Blue's gravitational field collided violently with the ultimate Lightning Release chakra on the Raikage's fist, producing a distorted screech that set teeth on edge.

The spatial distortion capable of shredding rock into dust was forcibly withstood by the Lightning Release chakra condensed to its utmost on the Raikage's fist—a power possessing both the penetrating force of the "strongest spear" and the defensive might of the "strongest shield." Then... it was shattered with a single punch!

Blue lightning and fragments of warped space scattered in every direction.

Even Blue could not break his defense!

Next, Uchiha Shaoyu tried summoning Nue, Great Serpent, Max Elephant, and even had Round Deer attempt to provide healing and chakra recovery from the rear.

But before the Raikage at his peak, these shikigami were either blown apart with one punch, torn to pieces casually, or simply unable to keep up with his speed. They could not form any effective restraint whatsoever.

Only Tiger Funeral, the shikigami capable of slipping into shadows, moving unpredictably, and wielding twin blades, caused the Raikage a little trouble with its unique shadow movement and fierce dual-blade strikes.

It left two bloody marks on his arm.

It held out for fewer than a few exchanges before the Raikage forced it out of the shadows with the area-of-effect "Lightning Release: Liger Bomb", then smashed it apart with one punch.

"You've certainly got some skill, Uchiha brat."

Raikage Ai's voice boomed like thunder, and his assault came like a raging storm, forcing Uchiha Shaoyu to retreat again and again.

The shikigami had been nearly wiped out, while ordinary ninjutsu and Blue had proven ineffective... Uchiha Shaoyu knew he could not keep testing him.

Resolve flashed through his eyes as the Mangekyō Sharingan's radiance surged to its limit!

"Susanoo!"

Hummm—!

Pitch-black, ominous yet majestic chakra surged into the sky.

Bones, muscles, and armor rapidly took shape. A second-stage Susanoo over ten meters tall appeared, clad in crude armor and wielding a massive hammer of black energy, protecting Uchiha Shaoyu within.

The second stage was not enough.

"Third stage! Half-body muscle form!"

The Susanoo rapidly transformed, its skeletal frame becoming covered in something resembling flesh and blood.

Its enormous size and the aura of destruction it exuded made every onlooker gasp.

"This is... what the hell is that?!"

Unprecedented excitement burst from Raikage Ai's single eye. One incredible power after another—this Uchiha Shaoyu had given him far too many surprises.

"Excellent!"

Rather than retreat, Raikage Ai advanced. The Lightning Release chakra throughout his body boiled to its peak as he charged straight at the massive Susanoo.

"Lightning Release: Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite!"

He concentrated Lightning Release chakra into four fingers, forming the indestructible "strongest spear." Transforming into a beam of blue lightning, he viciously stabbed toward Susanoo's chest!

Uchiha Shaoyu controlled Susanoo and swung its massive black hammer down!

"Clang—!!!!!"

An unprecedented deafening crash, like the toll of a colossal bell, exploded as the Raikage's Four-Finger Nukite collided fiercely with the giant hammer.

A violent shockwave spread outward in a ring, scraping away a thick layer of earth. Nearby Kumogakure ninja and Uchiha chunin of lesser strength were sent staggering back by the impact.

The giant hammer was knocked high into the air, fine cracks appearing on its surface. Raikage Ai was also forced half a step back by the recoil, but the fire in his eyes only burned hotter.

"Haha! That's more like it!" The Raikage laughed and lunged forward again!

The battle that followed entered a complete fever pitch!

The black Susanoo swung its massive hammer, continuously cleaving and smashing, every strike capable of splitting mountains and shattering stone. Meanwhile, Third Raikage Ai became humanoid lightning, using the Hell Stab series as his primary means of attack. With incomparable speed and monstrously powerful physical defense, he engaged Susanoo in a fierce head-on clash.

"Boom! Boom! Clang! Bang!"

Thunderous impacts rang out without end as the ground trembled continuously! The battlefield was ravaged beyond recognition, littered with massive craters and cracks.

Susanoo's armor repeatedly cracked, repaired itself, then cracked again.

Raikage Ai was occasionally struck by the aftershocks from Susanoo's giant hammer, leaving wounds on his body, but they were covered by Lightning Release chakra in the blink of an eye and caused no real harm.

Uchiha Shaoyu pushed the Six Eyes' perception and energy-saving traits to their limits, controlling Susanoo with precision. He blocked and counterattacked with the least possible expenditure while continuously drawing on Round Deer's power to repair his own injuries and Susanoo's damage, maintaining his formidable combat strength.

His tactical ability, chakra control, and endurance secretly alarmed even the Kumogakure jonin watching the battle. This young man was simply a monster!

However, Third Raikage Ai was a monster among the monsters who truly stood at the pinnacle of the ninja world.

Although Shaoyu had completely mastered Susanoo over these past few days, and its durability had been enhanced by the Six Eyes far beyond what it had been during the battle against Danzo or while subjugating Tiger Funeral, it was still not enough to reverse the outcome against the Raikage.

"Brat! The final blow!"

Lightning burst from Raikage Ai's eye. The Lightning Release chakra throughout his body compressed to its absolute limit, and black arcs of electricity even flickered faintly around him. He concentrated all his strength into his index and middle fingers.

"Lightning Release: Hell Stab: Two-Finger Nukite!!!"

A blue flash of lightning condensed to the utmost, as though it could pierce heaven and earth, tore through the air with greater speed and force than any of his previous attacks. Like the fingertip of death itself, it viciously stabbed toward the core of energy in Susanoo's chest—the comparatively weaker point of its defense.

Uchiha Shaoyu's pupils contracted. He controlled Susanoo, concentrating all its remaining power into the hammer as he raised it to block the fatal lightning.

"Block it!"

"Riiip—boom!!!"

This collision did not produce an earth-shaking crash. There was only a teeth-grinding tearing sound, as though space itself had been drilled through, followed by an explosion.

Susanoo's huge black hammer was as fragile as glass before the Two-Finger Nukite. It was pierced straight through the middle and shattered! The lightning did not lose any momentum as it viciously stabbed into Susanoo's chest.

"Crack... crash..."

Dense cracks instantly spread across the entire Susanoo from the point of impact. Then, this enormous black chakra giant collapsed and dispersed like shattered porcelain.