"Masked Man?!"
The Raikage's roar almost shattered the windowpanes. That bastard… was he really waiting for him in the Land of Fire?! And dared to come knocking on his door?!
Extreme rage caused his Chakra to completely go berserk, and violent Lightning Release, like a tangible substance, coiled around his entire body, ionizing the air with a scorching aura.
"You damn bastard—!!"
He ripped off his white outer robe, revealing his strong, bronze-colored body. His muscles were knotted like steel, and every inch of his skin pulsed with destructive lightning.
"C! Darui! Follow me!!"
Without any superfluous words, the Raikage's figure had already transformed into a dazzling bolt of lightning, instantly smashing through the wall of the Hokage Building and speeding towards the direction of the explosion.
The Third Hokage's face completely darkened. The Masked Man… appearing at such a time? He abruptly turned to look at the reporting Ninja.
"Notify all Jonin to immediately enter Level 1 combat readiness! Evacuate civilians, seal off the affected area!"
"Hurry!!"
— — — — — —
The magnificent arch of the Leaf Village's main gate had completely collapsed. Shattered wooden beams and stones were scattered everywhere, and burning debris emitted thick black smoke. A pungent, scorched smell permeated the air.
The Leaf Ninja on guard were facing a formidable enemy, cold sweat seeping from their foreheads, their kunai and shuriken trembling slightly in their hands. They stared intently at the figure gradually becoming clear in the dust, their throats involuntarily tightening.
That rumored "Masked Man"… the monster who annihilated the Kumogakure envoy group all by himself…
The dust slowly cleared, and a man in a black robe, wearing a bizarre fox mask, slowly walked out. His steps were steady and unhurried. What made the Leaf Ninja tremble was the nine different-looking summoned beasts behind him.
Nanto Sennin and Hokuto Sennin floated in mid-air, their wide sleeves fluttering without wind, forming hand seals, emitting an ominous purple light.
The God of Death drifted to the left, his huge scythe gleaming with cold light, ready to reap lives at any moment. The Celestial Maiden floated to the right, her ribbon-like robes gently fluttering but concealing murderous intent.
On the ground, the Golden Snake coiled and flickered its tongue, the Azure Dragon roared and circled, the Vermilion Bird flapped its wings, ready to fly, the Black Tortoise was as steady as a mountain, and the White Tiger bared its fangs, its sharp claws deeply embedded in the ground.
Although they hadn't started reaping lives yet, the combined pressure of the nine summoned beasts formed an almost tangible oppressive force, making the air feel viscous.
"I advise you not to act rashly," Menma's voice came through the fox mask, calm and cold. "My target is only that brute, the Raikage."
"Bastard—!!"
A roar suddenly came from behind; the Kumogakure Ninja stationed outside the village had finally arrived. Their eyes were bloodshot, and the kunai in their hands gleamed with lightning, clearly enraged to the extreme.
"You absolutely cannot get close to Lord Raikage!!"
The leading Kumogakure Jonin roared, his Ninja blade wrapped in Lightning Release Chakra, charging towards Menma at an astonishing speed. The other Ninja followed closely, dozens of figures striking like lightning.
However—Menma didn't even turn his head.
"Little ruffians, don't get in the way." As his voice fell, the Azure Dragon on the ground suddenly whipped its tail, its massive body sweeping out.
"Bang—!!"
The Kumogakure Jonin at the very front had no chance to react and was directly sent flying, crashing heavily into a distant building, raising a cloud of dust.
At the same time, the Nanto Sennin and Hokuto Sennin in the air simultaneously formed hand seals, and purple formations instantly unfolded beneath the feet of the Kumogakure Ninja.
Bind!
In an instant, all the charging Kumogakure Ninja stiffened and couldn't move. Their expressions changed from anger to terror, and they struggled to break free, but couldn't even lift a finger.
Can't move?! What kind of Ninjutsu is this…?!
The God of Death's scythe was raised high, shrouded in ominous purple light, and swung down towards the Kumogakure Ninja. It began to harvest Chakra.
"Water Release: Water Wall!"
Just as the scythe was about to strike, a surging torrent of water suddenly blasted from the side! Darui spewed a powerful stream from his mouth, precisely striking the God of Death's scythe. The scythe's trajectory was forcibly deflected.
"It's not over yet—Lightning Release: Gratitude Wave!"
Darui's hand seals didn't stop. With a clap of his hands, the originally surging water stream was instantly wrapped in dazzling lightning! High-voltage electricity ravaged along the water wall, temporarily forcing back the God of Death. However.
"Roar—!!"
The White Tiger's sharp claws and the Azure Dragon's giant tail swept over! The attacks of the two summoned beasts were fierce, the ground cracked under their stomping, and shattered stones flew. Darui immediately pulled back, simultaneously drawing the rectangular Ninja blade from his back. Lightning flashed on the blade, ready to meet the blow head-on.
"Lightning Illusion: Lightning Pillar!"
Just then, C's Ninjutsu activated. A dazzling flash of light suddenly erupted, and vision was instantly swallowed by pure white. This move was not a simple flash, but a prelude to Genjutsu. The moment the enemy was blinded by the strong light, the seed of the Genjutsu would silently implant itself into their consciousness, causing them to fall into paralysis.
However—"What?! It's useless?!"
A bead of cold sweat seeped from C's forehead. The Azure Dragon and White Tiger's movements showed no delay, still pouncing with wild ferocity!
"Genjutsu is ineffective against them?!"
His heart sank, but his body instinctively leaped, narrowly dodging the Azure Dragon's tail attack. On the other side, Darui's Ninja blade violently collided with the White Tiger's sharp claws.
"Clang—!!"
Amidst the explosive clang of metal, lightning and Chakra fiercely clashed. Darui's feet plowed two deep furrows in the ground, and his hand was numb from the impact. He gritted his teeth and growled, "These guys… what kind of monsters are they?!"
"Hey, look here."
A cold voice came from behind Darui without warning, so close it was almost in his ear. Darui's hair stood on end—when did Menma get behind him?!
He didn't even have time to turn around, only feeling a suffocating pressure from behind. Menma's fist, wrapped in dark Chakra, created a sound of compressed air even before it reached him.
He's going to get hit—!
"Kid! Look here!"
A furious roar exploded, and the Raikage instantly flashed behind Menma! His right arm was wrapped in violent Lightning Release Chakra, blue-white electric arcs crackling. His arm slammed down hard towards Menma's back!
"Lariat!!"
This attack held nothing back; the Raikage's monstrous strength and the penetrating power of Lightning Release perfectly merged, and the air let out a deafening roar. Under his fist, shattered stones melted into a reddish, lava-like substance due to the high temperature.
"Boom—!!!"
Amidst the deafening roar, a shockwave spread in a ring, and the ground within a ten-meter radius instantly collapsed. Dust obscured everyone's vision.
Darui seized the opportunity to use a Body Flicker Technique to create distance, a bead of cold sweat on his temple.
The dust slowly cleared, but… there was no one there.
Menma… or rather, Menma's figure had vanished like an illusion.
"Tsk, as expected, it's a Space-Time Ninjutsu…"
The Raikage's gaze swept to the side—Menma was standing quietly on the ground twenty meters away, his black robe flapping in the air currents, his expression beneath the mask unreadable.
"Kid, who exactly are you?"