Chapter 96: The Edge of Annihilation
The Fourth Raikage's fist, wreathed in crackling lightning, slammed into the chest of the fiery giant. But Akatsurugi was in his elemental state. Even the Third Raikage at his peak had been unable to harm him physically; this successor's attack was equally futile.
However, a flicker of surprise crossed Akatsurugi's mind. There was something different about this Raikage's chakra. The arcs of electricity carried a strange, binding sensation—a hint of sealing power.
"A sealing technique woven into your Lightning Release Chakra Mode?" Akatsurugi mused, giving the Raikage a more appraising look. "I'm impressed."
Intricate, glowing runes pulsed across A's body, and the lightning he emitted now had a tangible, restrictive quality. Even in his elemental form, Akatsurugi could feel a slight pull, as if a part of him was being pinned down.
The Raikage offered no reply. His hands flashed through a brief sequence of seals. "Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique!"
He spat forth a torrent of khaki-colored liquid that hardened instantly in the air. Runes shimmered across its surface, and the substance expanded into a massive sphere, trapping Akatsurugi's fiery giant within its core.
"Lava Release? And a sealed variant at that," Akatsurugi's voice echoed from within the prison. "You prepared this specifically for me, didn't you?"
He had to acknowledge Kumogakure's preparation. This was no spontaneous technique; it was a carefully crafted countermeasure.
But it was insufficient.
"Tailed Beast Ball!" the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B, roared, a sphere of swirling negative chakra already formed in his beastly maw.
Simultaneously, the Two-Tails prepared its own Tailed Beast Ball, its surface also etched with faint, glowing sealing formulae. They had layered their strategies, preparing for every eventuality.
The Raikage retreated at top speed. The simultaneous detonation of two enhanced Tailed Beast Balls would be catastrophic.
Inside the Lava prison, Akatsurugi didn't need to see to understand the threat. A direct confrontation with such power was a reckless gamble, and the Cloud Village had clearly saved their best tricks for this moment.
"Then it's time to test a new technique," he stated calmly. He drew Ryūjin Jakka, its charred blade seeming to drink the light from the air. "Bankai. Zanka no Tachi."
The air stilled. He simply swung the blade.
Zanka no Tachi, Higashi: Kyokujitsujin (East: Rising Sun Blade).
This technique did not burn or explode. It concentrated the sun-like heat of his Bankai into the very edge of the sword, granting it the power to utterly erase anything it touched from existence, leaving no trace behind.
The tip of his blade met the hardened Lava prison. There was no sound of shattering rock, no burst of flame. The entire sphere simply vanished, wiped away as if it had never been.
Seeing the two Tailed Beast Balls hurtling towards him, Akatsurugi moved. He appeared directly in their path and his blade passed through them in two fluid motions.
There was no cataclysmic explosion, no shockwave. The spheres of apocalyptic energy were simply... erased. They ceased to exist.
"How... is that possible?!" The Raikage, looking back, felt his blood run cold. This was not in any of their intelligence reports. A Tailed Beast Ball, the pinnacle of raw power, couldn't just be deleted.
From the sidelines, a gravely wounded Danzō watched, his single eye wide with shock. He had been steeling himself for devastating losses, knowing the Konoha ninja near the blast would be annihilated. He never imagined Akatsurugi could neutralize the threat so... absolutely.
"Is it a space-time ninjutsu? Or something else...?" Danzō muttered, completely baffled.
The Raikage reached the same terrifying conclusion. If it could erase a Tailed Beast Ball, what about a person? "Don't let that blade touch you!" he bellowed, the order echoing across the battlefield. They all knew Akatsurugi possessed a unique sword, much like the treasured tools of the Sage of Six Paths that Kinkaku and Ginkaku had once wielded. If they'd had those, perhaps they could have countered him. But without knowing the exact nature of his power, they were fighting blind.
"All forces, retreat!" the Raikage commanded. Until they could decipher this new ability, a tactical withdrawal was their only sane option.
But while the Raikage could order a retreat, Akatsurugi was not inclined to grant one. The Cloud ninja had crossed a line by invading the Land of Fire's heartland. Letting them leave unscathed would be an unforgivable sign of weakness.
"Lord Raikage, go! I'll hold him!" Blue B yelled, the Eight-Tails' voice thrumming with resolve. He launched a rapid volley of smaller Tailed Beast Balls to cover the retreat.
"Bee!" the Raikage shouted, torn between duty and camaraderie.
"Go, A! This isn't the time for your stubbornness!" the Eight-Tails, Gyūki, roared within Bee's mind.
With a final, frustrated snarl, the Raikage turned, a bolt of lightning streaking away from the battlefield as his forces disengaged.
Huge, chakra-formed tentacles shot from Blue B, attempting to ensnare Akatsurugi, followed by another Tailed Beast Ball. Akatsurugi's blade moved in clean, efficient arcs. The tentacles were severed, their ends turning to dust before they could hit the ground. The Tailed Beast Ball met the same fate as its predecessors—erased into nothingness.
"Bee, this guy is a monster! We need to run!" Gyūki insisted, feeling the permanent loss of its chakra from the severed tentacles.
"I can't, buddy," Blue B said, his voice calm but resolute. He wasn't in a full transformation, but cloaked in the Eight-Tails' vibrant red chakra, eight tails swaying behind him. He drew the massive sword from his back, settling into a fighting stance. He would buy every second he could for his brother's escape.
"Surrender, and you will not be killed," Akatsurugi offered, his tone flat.
Blue B just laughed, the chakra around him flaring violently. "Not happening!" He surged forward, his sword a blur.
Akatsurugi gave a slight, almost imperceptible shake of his head. "A shame."
He swung Zanka no Tachi.
There was no clang of metal, no shower of sparks. The chakra cloak, the massive sword, everything the blade passed through was reduced to ashes. The legendary Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B, was gone.
Akatsurugi watched the distant figures of the retreating Cloud army. He did not pursue. The war would not be won in a single chase. With his return, their defeat was now inevitable; it was only a matter of time.
He dismissed his Bankai and Blaze God Mode, landing softly beside the wounded Danzō.
Danzō looked up, his expression a complex tapestry of relief, bitterness, and grim acceptance. "Akatsurugi... you're back." He didn't voice any accusation. He knew it was pointless. Akatsurugi was now Konoha's savior, a superweapon made flesh. He, Danzō, the commander who had lost the front and allowed the enemy to run rampant in the Land of Fire, bore the weight of that failure. He had no standing to blame anyone.