Surrounding Raiga Kurosuki

"This Star Shadow has been hiding his true strength from the beginning; his power has definitely reached the Kage Level!"

Despite being severely injured, Raiga Kurosuki felt a chill run down his spine.

Before he could make a decision—whether to flee or continue fighting—the five-meter-tall white giant ape unleashed another punch the size of a millstone, piercing through the air.

Raiga Kurosuki quickly dodged.

Boom!!

Another earth-shattering sound.

Although he dodged the attack, the force of the punch was like an invisible Dotō, instantly engulfing him. His entire body exploded into a cloud of blood mist, and he was sent flying again.

"Unrivaled!"

Seeing the situation clearly, and faced with his own life at stake, Raiga Kurosuki could no longer care about grabbing the Star Core. With his severely injured body, he decided to flee out of the village.

Just then...

"You wicked villain! Stop!"

Just as Raiga Kurosuki was about to flee, he was bewildered by "Star Shadow's " roar, but in an instant, he was both shocked and furious.

Just as the giant ape launched its attack, someone moved with incredible speed and, before anyone could react, appeared behind the giant ape and seized the Star Core.

When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits.

Raiga Kurosuki never imagined that his scheme would backfire and benefit someone else.

The one who made the move was naturally Long Ye.

After he learned that the Meteorite had this magical ability, greed arose in his heart, but because the Meteorite was too big, it would not be easy to steal it, so he gave up the idea.

But now that he knows the Meteorite's power originated from a Star Core the size of an egg, and given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he naturally wouldn't miss it.

He moved with speed comparable to the Body Flicker Technique, arriving in a flash and then disappearing instantly after succeeding in his attack.

"Raiga Kurosuki! You did a great job on the mission, now hold them off for me." The voice echoed as Long Ye fled into the distance.

"So the villain had accomplices! Chase them! Don't let any of them escape! Reclaim the Star Core at all costs!"

In a distant room, Star Shadow, who had remained hidden throughout, roared in exasperation.

Raiga Kurosuki he was practically fuming.

That person not only took advantage of the situation, but after succeeding, he even tricked him, making him share the burden.

Unwilling to accept defeat, he chased after Long Ye in the direction she had gone, giving chase with all his might.

Behind him, hundreds of Star Ninja were chasing after him.

The secret of the Meteorite was exposed, and the core of power was stolen, plunging the entire Hoshigakure into riots. In the end, almost the entire village was mobilized, and countless ninjas launched a thorough search and extermination of the two.

Long Ye fled ahead, with Raiga Kurosuki relentlessly pursuing from behind.

With Long Ye's speed, shaking off this person would be effortless, but he intentionally kept him hanging, since his purpose in coming here was to eliminate this person.

However, the ninjas chasing after Raiga Kurosuki and Long Ye gradually fell behind.

It wasn't because these people weren't fast enough; some of the powerful Star Ninja could even use Chakra Wings to track targets from an eagle's perspective in mid-air.

The reason they fell behind was because Raiga Kurosuki used the Hidden Mist Technique.

The dense fog he created obscured their vision.

"Stop right there if you don't want to die!"

Seeing that he was getting closer and closer, Raiga Kurosuki assumed that his opponent was exhausted and became very excited.

In his view, although the process was tortuous, the result would not change. Even though this person had taken the Star Core before him, as long as he eliminated this person, the thing would still be his.

The two chased each other through a jungle and arrived at the edge of a cliff.

A steep cliff, seemingly bottomless, blocked Long Ye's path. He looked down and saw a dark yellow mist spreading across the bottom of the cliff.

This is miasma.

If a person is caught in it, they can die within a few breaths without a gas mask.

Moreover, even with a gas mask, one cannot remain inside for an extended period, as the toxic gas will penetrate the body through the skin, causing the same deadly effect.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

Seeing the bottomless cliff blocking Long Ye's path, Raiga Kurosuki burst into wild laughter.

"Weren't you supposed to be pretty fast? Why have you stopped running...?"

His face contorted with the savagery often seen when he was killing someone.

"Since there's no way out, I'll just eliminate you here and now," Long Ye said calmly.

Seeing that Long Ye wasn't as timid as he had expected, but instead spoke with great arrogance, Raiga Kurosuki's expression changed slightly, and he vaguely felt that something was amiss.

"Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you in Hoshigakure? Are you also after the Star Core?"

He asked tentatively.

As he spoke, he gripped the Lightning Blade tightly, Lightning Blade crackling around it. He was clearly using the time it took to speak to accumulate Lightning Release Chakra for a fatal blow in the future.

Long Ye ignored him. "Kirigakure, an S-rank missing-nin Raiga Kurosuki Kirigakure, I have come to take your life on behalf of the Fourth Mizukage."

Raiga Kurosuki's expression changed, but he quickly revealed a mocking smile.

"I see! So you're from Kirigakure in the Land of Water."

Long Ye neither admitted nor refuted it.

"The Mizukage is getting more and more naive. Does he think he can get rid of me just by sending someone randomly? But I still have to thank you. Without you, I would never have been able to Sweet Commander Core away from Hoshigakure."

Long Ye smiled slightly, "No need for thanks, because it never belonged to you, neither before nor after..."

Long Ye finished speaking, Raiga Kurosuki's expression changed, and he abruptly turned to look behind him.

A person emerged from the jungle behind.

The figure in the Long Ye, standing one in front of the other, blocked his path forward and his retreat.

"Isn't the burial place I found for you pretty good?" Long Ye smiled.

"So you deliberately lured me here."

Raiga Kurosuki felt he was caught in a conspiracy.

"Otherwise, do you think you can catch up with Konoha Lightning's speed?"

The person who walked out, though dressed as a Star Ninja, used Mei Terumi's voice.

Her identity had not been exposed until now, so she had been mixed in with the group of pursuers from the very beginning.

Raiga Kurosuki's Hidden Mist Technique had almost no effect on her, as she was equally proficient in it, and kept a close distance behind the two.

She only decided to reveal herself after Long Ye lured the man into a desperate situation.

"It's you..."

Upon hearing the voice, Raiga Kurosuki immediately recognized who it was, and genuine fear began to show in his eyes.

"Raiga Kurosuki, you have no chance of escape now that you're here."

Mei Terumi finished speaking, the other party suddenly attacked.

"If my life were so easy to take, I wouldn't be alive today."

He suddenly turned his twin swords around and slammed them into the ground. The Lightning Blade burst forth with dazzling lightning, guiding the lightning from the sky to descend.

"Lightning Blade Technique - Thunder Gate!"

The indiscriminate attack enveloped both Long Ye in front and Mei Terumi behind.