The dust over the Mountain Graveyard had yet to fully settle. Madara Uchiha's Perfect Susanoo had already been reduced to powder beneath Shinichi's Rinne Tenseigan, and a golden halo flickered faintly in the sky.
Shinichi stood in the center of the devastated battlefield, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead. His chakra had not fully recovered, and his breathing was slightly uneven.
His eyes narrowed, showing a hint of exhaustion, yet still radiated an unmistakable authority.
"Tch, that old bastard Madara really was a pain..." he muttered, stretching lazily to ease the stiffness in his body. "I finally deal with him, and I don't even get a sip of water. Why does this damn place, Konoha, have one problem after another?"
Just then, an Anbu ninja appeared before him with the Body Flicker Technique and dropped to one knee, speaking urgently. "Lord Shinichi! The Land of Lightning front is in crisis! Fourth Raikage A has personally taken the field, leading Kumogakure's elite in a surprise assault on Thousand Thunder Valley. Our defensive line is on the verge of collapse!"
"The Raikage took the field himself?" A cold glint flashed through Shinichi's dead-fish eyes, and a mocking smile curled his lips. "Heh, those Kumogakure bastards think they can exploit my absence to throw the northern defenses into chaos? How naive."
He lightly raised his hands and formed the signs for the Flying Thunder God Technique. With a flash of golden light, he vanished, leaving only a complaint drifting on the wind. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have worked so damn hard. Wouldn't kicking back and retiring have been better?"
The Land of Lightning, Thousand Thunder Valley front.
Dark clouds churned and thunder roared. Thousand Thunder Valley resembled the Thunder God's raging sea, with lightning flashing across the battlefield and killing