Chapter 75: The Death of a Kage
With the Mist ninja in full retreat and the Third Tsuchikage having fled the scene, the Third Raikage, A, knew he was in dire straits. But killing him was not a simple task, even for Akatsurugi.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, the Raikage turned and sprinted toward the Land of Lightning. Akatsurugi gave immediate chase; he would not let his teacher's killer escape. Uchiha Kagami's death at this man's hands remained unavenged. If he couldn't kill the Raikage now, pinned down and wounded, he might never get another chance.
The Raikage's raw speed was phenomenal. On the ground, Akatsurugi wouldn't have stood a chance. But he could fly. He pursued from the air, harrying the Raikage with slashes of searing flame, forcing him to slow his pace to block and dodge.
The journey from the Land of Demons to the Land of Lightning was long, passing through the Lands of Birds, Rain, Grass, Waterfalls, Frost, and Hot Springs. Even flying, it would take Akatsurugi three days. The Raikage, hindered at every turn, had no hope of outrunning him.
Akatsurugi was determined to run him down. Unless Kumogakure sent a massive rescue force, the Third Raikage's fate was sealed. And Akatsurugi was resolved that no one would stop him.
"Third Raikage, A! Today is the day you die!" Akatsurugi shouted, launching another wave of fire.
The Raikage, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon where his home lay, said nothing. He simply kept running. Let's see who has more chakra, Akatsurugi. Let's see who breaks first.
"Heh." Akatsurugi sneered. He still had his ultimate trump card: the Yin Seal. Unless the Raikage was a Jinchūriki, his chakra reserves couldn't possibly compare. And the Lightning Chakra Mode was notoriously draining.
Harried relentlessly, the Raikage felt his chakra bottoming out as they crossed into the Land of Rain.
The commotion of their battle could not be hidden from Amegakure. Hearing the reports, Hanzo led his forces out to intercept them. He couldn't allow these two titans to bring their fight into his village.
The Raikage's intent was clear; cornered and desperate, he had nothing to lose. Akatsurugi had even fewer scruples; this wasn't the Land of Fire. He would kill the Raikage here and now, as a brutal lesson to anyone who dared scheme against him.
"You two! Amegakure lies ahead. Detour around it. Now!" Hanzo commanded.
His ninja immediately drew their weapons, aiming at the two combatants.
"Get out of my way!" Akatsurugi roared.
Who did this minor village leader think he was? As for violating another village's borders? The Raikage had chosen this path. Let Amegakure blame him. And if their village was built here, that was their misfortune. Small nations had no rights in the affairs of the great.
Hanzo's face darkened with fury, but he recognized them: Akatsurugi, Konoha's Blaze God, and the Third Raikage, the strongest of his line. The fact that the Raikage was fighting a desperate retreat spoke volumes. This was a conflict between giants, and Amegakure had no place in it.
"Hanzō! Help me!" the Raikage yelled, seizing the chance. "If you aid me, Kumogakure will give Amegakure its full support from this day forward!" He had come this way for a reason—the Rain ninja were skilled in Water Style, and the perpetual rain of their country would work against Akatsurugi's flames.
"Do you think he dares?" Akatsurugi's voice was a cold, sharp counter. "The Land of Rain borders the Land of Fire. If he lifts a finger against me, Amegakure will cease to exist by tomorrow." He had to project absolute strength. He couldn't let any "cat or dog" think they could interfere.
Hanzō's expression was a mask of conflicted rage. He was trapped.
"Hanzō! If you don't help me, I will send a message with my dying breath that you and Akatsurugi conspired to kill me!" the Raikage threatened, his voice desperate. "My village may hesitate to wage war on Konoha, but they will have no such qualms about crushing your Rain Village into dust!"
Hanzō felt like a dog being kicked from both sides. As the two Kage-level fighters edged closer to his village, his anger grew. If they broke through, the collateral damage would be catastrophic.
"All units! Water Wall! Stop them!" Hanzō finally ordered.
As if on cue, the drizzling rain intensified. Akatsurugi frowned; the environment of the Rain Country was becoming a genuine hindrance.
The Rain ninja unleashed their jutsu, creating massive barriers of water to block the path. The Raikage's face soured; he couldn't afford to waste chakra breaking through them.
"A! DIE!"
In that moment of distraction, Akatsurugi struck. An Odinama Rasengan, gathered silently in his hand, slammed into the Raikage's back.
The last vestiges of the Lightning Chakra Mode shattered under the impact. Seizing the opening, Akatsurugi brought his zanpakutō down in a blazing arc. The flames enveloped the Raikage.
"Torch!"
The fire condensed into a furious, spinning tornado, trapping the Raikage within its incandescent core, burning and grinding away at him.
"So... powerful," a Rain ninja whispered, unable to contain his awe.
Hanzō watched, his face an unreadable mask, equally stunned. For all his own prowess with poison and fire, his techniques seemed paltry next to this display.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Level!"
With a final, desperate surge, the charred figure of the Raikage burst from the fire tornado. Ignoring his own devastating injuries, he forewent defense for one last, all-or-nothing attack. His hand, sharpened like a blade, chopped at Akatsurugi's neck.
It was a futile gesture. Akatsurugi remained in his elemental state. The attack merely scattered the flames of his neck for a split second before they reformed. Not even the pouring rain could extinguish them.
"Huff... huff... It seems... this is my limit," the Raikage gasped, his body swaying. He was critically wounded, his chakra utterly spent. He looked at Akatsurugi, a grim finality in his eyes. "But you... you can't have much chakra left either. You've fought all the way... from the Land of Demons."