Chapter 393: The Fourth Raikage (Part 2)
The Fourth Raikage's expression darkened.
He had never imagined that his assault would be stopped—
and stopped so effortlessly.
What unsettled him even more was that he couldn't tell how Fugaku had done it. The interception had been calm, almost casual, as if it required no effort at all. That alone completely overturned the Raikage's expectations.
Under the enhancement of Lightning Release: Chakra Mode, the Raikage knew exactly how terrifying his current output was.
Especially since he had just used Lightning Release: Lariat, a technique designed to maximize burst power and penetration.
Yet now, the Uchiha he hadn't even taken seriously—
Fugaku—had blocked him head-on.
For a brief moment, the Raikage's displeasure deepened.
Then—
It transformed into excitement.
Feeling the immense pressure gripping his arm, the Fourth Raikage rapidly assessed the situation.
His right hand shifted instantly—from a blade-like strike into a claw—grabbing hold of the pale-golden chakra arm.
At the same time, his left hand snapped up and locked onto it as well.
In the next instant, an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted from his body.
"RAAAH!"
The Raikage roared, lowering his stance slightly before leaping upward, dragging the massive Susanoo arm with him.
"Lightning Release — Lightning Guillotine Drop!"
"…!"
Fugaku felt crushing pressure slam into him.
The strange patterns within his eyes spun wildly.
In a flash, the golden chakra construct began expanding violently—but the Raikage was simply too fast.
He actually lifted the Susanoo along with Fugaku himself.
Midair, the Raikage twisted his body, forcibly changing the vector of all his momentum.
Then—
He slammed the massive Susanoo straight into the ground.
BOOOOOOM—!!
A cataclysmic explosion tore through the battlefield.
The shockwave flattened the surrounding terrain, sending debris flying in all directions. Dust and smoke swallowed the area whole, as if the space itself had been erased.
The surrounding shinobi had already retreated to give the two monsters room to fight—
Yet even that wasn't enough.
They had grossly underestimated the sheer scale of destruction these two could unleash.
Many ninja—Konoha and Cloud alike—were caught in the blast.
The unlucky ones were thrown violently into jagged debris, dying on the spot.
At that moment, all remaining shinobi abandoned any thought of continuing the fight.
The Cloud forces were deep inside enemy territory, practically surrounded.
Konoha forces, if they pushed forward, would only be caught in the aftermath of the clash.
For a brief, surreal moment—
The battlefield fell into an uneasy truce.
"Are those two… monsters?"
"That was terrifying… It's almost like the Nine-Tails back then—no, not quite, but still…"
Whispers spread among the stunned ninja.
Then, from within the swirling dust—
The Fourth Raikage's silhouette emerged.
Despite the smoke and chaos, his figure remained tall and imposing—
if anything, he looked even more dominant amid the haze.
He didn't move.
His eyes remained fixed on the heart of the smoke cloud.
Waiting.
Watching.
Because he knew—
That fight wasn't over yet.
Lightning Guillotine Drop—
a technique that, once unleashed, almost no one had ever survived.
Yet the Fourth Raikage knew one thing clearly:
Fugaku possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Against someone wielding such power, it was impossible to say whether even a near-certain killing taijutsu could break through.
The Raikage had studied records of the Uchiha clan before. But as time passed, sightings of that terrifying power had all but vanished from the shinobi world.
Even so, despite his confidence in defeating Fugaku, the Fourth Raikage knew one thing better than anyone—
He could not afford even the slightest carelessness.
As the dust slowly settled, the Raikage frowned.
Just as he had expected.
Fugaku still stood.
Under Lightning Guillotine Drop, the first survivor had appeared.
Fugaku's expression wasn't pleasant either. Cracks had spread across his Susanoo, but his body itself was completely unharmed.
He took a deep breath, his gaze sharpening as it locked onto the Raikage.
This man's strength… was terrifying.
"…In that case."
The pale-gold chakra around Fugaku suddenly surged violently.
His Susanoo expanded explosively, and within moments, a towering giant over twenty meters tall rose from the battlefield.
Second-Stage Susanoo.
Fugaku deliberately held back—he didn't reveal everything.
Keeping something in reserve to respond to unforeseen danger was the mark of a true shinobi. And in his judgment, this level was already enough.
The Fourth Raikage clenched his fists, excitement blazing in his eyes.
He hadn't expected this.
He had thought perhaps only Sarutobi Hiruzen would give him such a feeling.
As for Namikaze Minato—
he had always wanted a rematch.
That past defeat still burned in his heart. Now stronger than ever, he longed to face him again.
Yet for the sake of victory, and to limit casualties, he didn't truly want Minato on the battlefield. He had even prepared countermeasures for that possibility.
Now—
He decided to get serious.
The earlier exchanges were nothing more than warm-ups.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode intensified violently. His hair stood on end as massive chakra tore up the ground beneath his feet, stones flying everywhere.
"You're impressive," the Fourth Raikage growled like thunder.
"But this ends now!"
The instant he finished speaking, he vanished—
His speed was beyond absurd.
For a split second, Fugaku felt as if he were facing Namikaze Minato himself.
But unlike Flying Thunder God, the Raikage's movement could still be tracked by the Sharingan.
And that made it even more terrifying.
This wasn't teleportation.
This was pure physical speed, rivaling Flying Thunder God itself.
"You monster…!"
Fugaku clenched his teeth as violent tremors rippled through his Susanoo.
The Raikage's attack had already landed.
Thankfully, the Susanoo's sheer mass and density provided extraordinary defense. Though the force penetrated through the chakra construct, it remained within tolerable limits.
This Susanoo wasn't his strongest form—
but neither was the Raikage's attack on the level of Uchiha Kei's monstrous Susanoo.
Adjusting quickly, Fugaku stabilized himself.
But standing still and enduring blows was never his style.
If you want brute force—then I'll let you have it.
The Mangekyō rotated.
Black specks of light bloomed across the golden Susanoo.
They spread rapidly, until the entire giant shimmered with ominous darkness.
The Fourth Raikage noticed—but after smashing the Susanoo back a step, he didn't overreact.
He lacked Fugaku's intel.
All he could do was stay vigilant and keep attacking.
What he didn't realize was that Fugaku was memorizing his rhythm.
With the Raikage's movements fully visible to his eyes, Fugaku carefully tracked his timing—his attack intervals, his recovery windows.
He waited.
Speed-type shinobi dictated close-combat tempo.
Fugaku knew this well—
especially after fighting Uchiha Kei.
He also knew his own strengths.
"…Now."
The instant the Raikage completed a punch and began withdrawing his arm, Fugaku activated the black flames.
Amaterasu.
Black fire erupted in an instant, engulfing the Susanoo.
At a glance, it looked eerily identical to Uchiha Kei's black-flamed Susanoo.
The Raikage's expression changed instantly.
He had already committed to the strike.
There was no time to withdraw.
Instead of retreating, his eyes burned with wild ferocity.
Lightning chakra surged even harder.
"Lightning Release — Lariat: Thousand-Strike Dance!"
His punch slammed into the Susanoo.
The power was absolute.
Even without Ōnoki's assistance—and executed hastily—the blow still shattered the golden Susanoo with massive cracks.
The Raikage flashed away in an instant, creating distance.
His gaze locked onto the towering chakra demon.
Then—
He glanced down at his right hand.
Black flames clung to it.
They devoured his Lightning Release chakra, burned into muscle and flesh.
The pain was indescribable.
Yet his expression never changed.
Then—
The black flames vanished.
The cracks in the Susanoo sealed themselves.
The Raikage understood.
He could not continue.
Without hesitation, he raised his left hand—
And severed his own right arm.
The burning limb hit the ground.
Amaterasu devoured it instantly, leaving nothing behind.
The Fourth Raikage looked at the lingering black fire, at the assembled Konoha forces, at the towering golden giant—
And clenched his teeth.
"All units—withdraw immediately!"
The order marked the failure of Cloud's surprise attack.
Even the Raikage himself hadn't expected such a disastrous outcome.
Uchiha Fugaku—
a man he had never truly respected—
had wielded power this terrifying.
And worse—
He had blocked him head-on.
Not evaded.
Not tricked.
But endured—and countered.
Against Minato, he had felt only frustration.
Flying Thunder God denied him a true clash.
But Fugaku—
This was a real defeat.
He was wounded. Missing an arm.
Continuing would mean death.
And he knew Konoha had already begun maneuvering during their duel.
He had lost the initiative.
The Cloud forces retreated with astonishing discipline, scattering while raising dust and collapsing structures to slow pursuit.
But as the Raikage expected—
They were intercepted.
Uchiha Ryūkage and Uchiha Kawa had already moved to cut them off.
Of the thousand attackers, only seven hundred returned.
Still—
Konoha had paid a price.
Supplies were destroyed. Casualties mounted.
Enough to matter.
The Raikage's mood improved slightly.
This war would no longer be decided by monsters alone.
Now—
It was time to grind down living strength.
Standing tall, his gaze cold and cruel, he strode toward the tent entrance.
"Enjoy this while you can… Uchiha Fugaku.
Third Hokage."
Then his eyes turned east.
Toward Konoha.
"…And you too, Namikaze Minato."