"Damn, this woman was really hard to shake!" Keiko raced forward alone with the Lightning Release Armor activated, while Feng Jianxu chased close behind without losing any ground in speed.
When Keiko realized they were about to be surrounded by Hidden Stone Village, he decisively ordered a retreat. Though he reacted quickly, several unlucky men were still swept by Feng Jianxu's Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, leaving not even ashes behind.
Damn it, I was only here to lend a hand—I can't die here. Dodging the Dust Release attacks, Keiko shouted, "Split up and break through! Meet at the old spot!" Everyone scattered like birds and beasts.
The Replica Lightning Armor was nearly as fast as the genuine article. Before long, Keiko had left most of the Hidden Stone Village ninja behind, with only that madwoman still relentlessly pursuing him.
It was not that Keiko feared her Dust Release. Although he had been very confident in his strength ever since crossing over, the techniques he truly excelled in were still Magnet Release and Wind Release. His body's attributes determined that, and there was nothing he could do about it. After all, freaks like Hashirama Senju and Hiruzen Sarutobi, who mastered ninjutsu of every nature, were exceedingly rare in the entire Shinobi World. But if he made a move, his identity would inevitably be exposed. Nearly the entire Shinobi World knew that there was only one ninja who used Iron Sand: Keiko. Using it was equivalent to revealing himself. (With ninjutsu, mastering more techniques did not necessarily make one stronger. Tobirama, the Second Hokage, excelled at Water Release, while A, the Fourth Raikage, excelled at Lightning Release, yet both were still formidable powers in the Shinobi World.)
Keiko was confident that defeating Feng Jianxu would not be difficult, but after seeing the woman's skills, he knew that killing her would be nearly impossible without using the Iron Sand Technique. If she managed to tie him down, he really would not be able to get away. Besides, he had come this time to stir up conflict between Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Cloud, forcing Hidden Stone Village to withdraw. Though he had not done the deed himself, the practical effect was about the same. In Feng Jianxu's eyes, he was a Hidden Cloud Jonin who had come to launch a sneak attack. If his identity were exposed, it would not merely mean this trip had been wasted—the entire plan would backfire. Keiko had a headache for a moment. It seemed he either had to shake her off completely or run farther away and kill her in one strike!
Suddenly, a mountain appeared in his field of vision ahead. It looked rather high. Keiko silently calculated, and an idea immediately formed in his mind. Without hesitation, he raced toward the summit.
The two chased each other to the mountaintop in no time. Keiko immediately leaped off the cliff. Seeing him jump, Feng Jianxu gave a cold smile. Trying that trick on me? Jumping off a cliff was meaningless before the Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique. Without pausing, she floated down after him. Sure enough, she found Keiko hanging from a crooked tree halfway down the mountain.
"Comfortable hanging there?" Feng Jianxu looked at him teasingly.
Keiko did not waste words. He flung open his cloak at Feng Jianxu, revealing seven or eight burning Explosive Tags beneath it!
"Earth Release: Rock Arm Technique!"
Feng Jianxu reacted quickly. Her right hand instantly transformed into a massive stone arm, nearly shielding her entire body.
"Boom!" A deafening explosion rang out! Splintered wood and shattered stone flew everywhere. Only after quite some time did the smoke finally disperse.
Feng Jianxu withdrew her stone arm and carefully examined the crooked tree that had just been blasted to pieces.
"Did he escape?" As a ninja, she naturally could not believe that the one who had just blown himself up was the real body. It had to be a Shadow Clone or an explosive trap created with a Transformation Jutsu. Feng Jianxu carefully searched the entire cliff three times, yet still failed to find even a trace of anyone. She even deliberately left for a while before returning, but the cliff remained the same, without the slightest change.
"Looks like he really escaped. He really was good at running." Feng Jianxu drifted away in frustration.
After quite a while, several meters from the blast site, a patch of rock wall slowly faded away like sand. Before long, it revealed a cave half the height of a person!
"Good thing this area was all black basalt. With Iron Sand covering it, no one would notice without a close look. That woman finally left." Keiko let out a breath of relief.
Fortunately, there had been a tree and a small cave halfway down the cliff. By jumping off the cliff, Keiko had bought several seconds from Feng Jianxu. As he fell, he surveyed the terrain clearly and swiftly changed his plan. (His original plan had been to unleash an Iron Sand area attack the instant Feng Jianxu came down and finish her in one wave.) He immediately created a Shadow Clone, took off his cloak, and turned it into a simple trap. His real body then flipped into the small cave and sealed its entrance with Iron Sand.
Keiko crouched halfway down and watched outside the cave as he silently recovered his stamina and refined his chakra.
"Yo, hello there, stranger."
The strange voice sent chills down Keiko's spine.
He never could have imagined that there would be another person inside a cave less than half a man high, located halfway up a mountain! Keiko considered his senses incomparably sharp, yet after all this time, he had not noticed anything at all! For the first time, Keiko felt deep terror in the Shinobi World!
Keiko slowly turned around and came face-to-face with a monster whose face was half black and half white.
Oh, it was him. No wonder.
"Bang! Ōnoki has gone too far!" A large hand slammed furiously onto the table, and the solid-looking hardwood desk instantly collapsed. A cloud of dust rose. When it gradually settled, a burly man stood revealed: dark skin, light blond hair, a long beard, knotted muscles, a lightning-shaped scar across his chest, and the character for "lightning" tattooed on his right shoulder. It was none other than the Third Raikage—A!
"Lord Raikage, please calm down." Dodai skillfully cleared away the desk. As the Raikage's secretary, he knew the Raikage's bad habit all too well. A considerable portion of this year's office budget had gone toward furniture alone. As he gathered the table legs, he continued his report.
"The outpost at the Earth Country border was indeed attacked, and judging from the scene, the attackers did mostly use Earth Release. But that does not prove Hidden Stone Village was responsible. They are currently at war with Konoha, and starting a war with us would not benefit them. I suspect..."
"Hahahaha!" The Third Raikage interrupted Dodai with booming laughter.
"My dear Dodai, why are you so naive?"
"Hmm?" Dodai was puzzled.
"I never care about the reasons for going to war. I only care who it benefits me more to fight. Understand? As for the reasons, someone will always come up with them. Understand? Hahahaha!"
"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do as your secretary?" Dodai sounded rather helpless.
"Hahahaha! You finally understand."
A laughed for a while before stopping. His gaze suddenly sharpened.
"Immediately gather the ninja and have them lie in wait at the Earth Country border. Two hours after issuing the declaration of war, launch a full-scale assault on Hidden Stone Village."
After reading the urgent intelligence Feng Jianxu had sent over, Ōnoki fell into deep thought. His three great disciples, Kitsuchi, Hakudo, and Akatsuchi, did not even dare breathe too loudly, afraid of interrupting their teacher's thinking.
"Order the entire army to withdraw to the Earth Country at midnight tonight." Ōnoki opened his eyes and said sternly.
"Ah?!" The three disciples were greatly shocked. Hakudo anxiously rose to his feet.
"We can't! Danzo ahead is bound to collapse with one more push. As long as we..."
Ōnoki raised a hand, cutting off their words.
"I know what you want to say. I have my own considerations. You do not understand the Third Raikage. By the time he decides to fight you, you may no longer have a chance to evade his fist."
Before you continue