The white blade flashed silently once more, like the sigh of the god of death. Carrying an absolute, inescapable will to kill, it caught that momentary pause with flawless precision.
The candidate trying to flee had only sunk halfway into the swamp when his body froze. A thin line of blood stretched from his shoulder blade to his flank. Though the wound was not fatal, it was enough to rob him of all ability to fight, and blood poured from it.
The horror and defiance in his eyes froze in place. With a muffled grunt, he was sent flying by Sakumo's powerful follow-up kick, slammed into a distant rock, and lost consciousness.
The last Ninja Blade Candidate engaging Sakumo had been dealt with.
Raiga Kurosuki saw that all was lost. Munashi Jinpachi was gravely wounded and near death, another important candidate's fate was unknown, and almost all his elite subordinates had been wiped out. He had no will to fight left, only boundless fear and fury.
"Hatake Sakumo! I'll make you pay for this!" he roared savagely. Abandoning all other concerns, he crossed Kiba before his chest, lightning surging violently over his entire body. He even burned away part of his vital potential, using a secret technique to forcibly activate the Lightning Release cells throughout his body.
He became a blinding streak of lightning, desperate and resolute, his speed pushed to its absolute limit. Like a true lightning bolt, he fled with Munashi Jinpachi toward another stretch of the coastline, moving too fast for the naked eye to follow!
Sakumo watched Raiga's retreat with an icy gaze but did not pursue him far.
He understood the danger of chasing a cornered enemy, especially when his own side was in terrible condition and three gravely wounded teammates needed immediate treatment.
Besides,