"Wuuu—"
At this moment, Might Guy seemed to understand something. He struggled desperately.
Hyūga Hizashi restrained him with all his strength. Before coming, Hyūga Hiyasu had specifically instructed him:
"Hizashi, when Duy-san dies, let Guy watch carefully."
"Isn't that a bit too cruel?"
"Normally, yes. But after Duy-san dies, Guy's treatment will undergo a complete transformation. He needs to know that all of this was bought with his father's life."
"…Understood."
"And besides, this is the most glorious moment of Duy-san's life. If his son isn't by his side at a moment like this, he would probably feel some regret."
...
The Third Raikage looked at the oddly dressed man before him.
Chakra, physical ability—none of it was particularly outstanding.
Yet with such strength, how did he manage to save Jiraiya from my hands?
"Strange fellow, what's your name?"
"Might Duy."
"Never heard of you. Are you the next one Konoha sent to stop me?"
"No. I'm here to kill you."
Might Duy's reply made the Third Raikage pause for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"What arrogance. Die—One Fingered Assault."
The Third Raikage vanished in a flash.
Might Duy turned and dodged, pulling back to create distance.
"Arrogant? Maybe. After all, I don't have much confidence either. But there are a few kids who believe in me absolutely. In that case, how can I betray their expectations?"
"Guy, this is the final lesson your father will teach you. Self-restraint exists for this very moment—to bloom for the sake of your comrades."
"Eight Gates… the Eighth Gate of Death, open."
Might Duy's chakra began to turn red.
Through Hyūga Hizashi's Byakugan, a thin stream of chakra flowed through seven nodes in his body, finally reaching the heart—almost fading into nothing.
Then, from nothing, it surged back into existence.
A crimson blood-like vapor erupted from Might Duy's entire body.
"AHHH!!!"
The powerful shockwave forced even the Third Raikage to step back several paces.
"What kind of technique is this? How can someone so ordinary unleash such power? I must capture him—bring this back to the Cloud Village."
Those who have never seen the sky will never understand how small they are.
Before the Eight Gates appeared in the world, everyone believed taijutsu had its limits.
"Evening Elephant — First Step."
In an instant, Might Duy appeared before the Third Raikage.
So fast—faster than Lightning Release!
The Third Raikage was violently sent flying.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
The air tore apart with deafening sounds.
"My ribs… broken."
"Lightning Release Armor — Maximum Output, activate."
The Third Raikage's eyes turned into white lightning as he stared at where Might Duy had just been.
"Evening Elephant — Second Step."
"Not good—behind me!"
Might Duy appeared behind him and, with a single punch, slammed the Third Raikage into the ground.
Crackle—
The moment he touched the ground, the Raikage instantly bounced back up.
"No… I can't take this head-on. This is a forbidden technique—it won't last long. If I endure a bit longer, his body will collapse first."
At this point, the Third Raikage was bleeding from all seven orifices.
Two massive fist imprints marked his body, and his clothes had been shattered into pieces.
But as he looked at Might Duy—his arms already destroyed, hanging limply—a thought formed:
"As long as I endure, I can win."
"Lightning Release Armor — Extreme Speed — Flash."
The Third Raikage transformed into a bolt of lightning, racing at incredible speed.
Might Duy fixed his gaze on the Raikage's trajectory.
"Evening Elephant — Third Step."
"Damn it—why can't I dodge?!"
The Third Raikage spat out a large mouthful of blood as he was blasted into a small mountain.
Boom—
A massive hole was punched straight through it.
His condition was now extremely poor, yet his aura grew even more intense.
"Good. Since I can't run… let's see who's tougher."
"Evening Elephant — Fourth Step."
"Lightning Release Armor — One Fingered Assault!"
The Third Raikage gathered all his lightning chakra into the tip of his most trusted spear.
"AHHH!!!"
"Come!"
At the instant finger and foot collided, the world itself seemed to dim for a moment.
BOOM!!!!!
A deafening explosion followed.
The battlefield, once filled with fierce combat, fell silent.
Both Cloud ninja and Leaf ninja waited for the result of this earth-shaking clash.
As the roar faded and the dust settled…
The Third Raikage still stood tall.
However, his most trusted spear—his finger—had completely shattered.
"Long live the Raikage!"
"Long live the Raikage!"
The Cloud Village's morale surged instantly.
But at that very moment—
A furious roar echoed across the battlefield:
"Evening Elephant — Fifth Step!"
With all four limbs broken, Might Duy used his own body as the final step, charging straight at the Third Raikage.
Having already unleashed everything in the previous clash, the Raikage watched the rapidly approaching red figure.
"If I hadn't tried to run at the start… if I had faced him head-on, perhaps the outcome would have been different. But there are no 'ifs.'"
Before the eyes of all the Cloud ninja—
The Third Raikage was struck, sent flying, and crashed to the ground.
They waited.
And waited.
But he never stood up again.
"Raikage-sama!!"
"Raikage-sama!!!"
The morale that had just risen instantly collapsed.
Many Cloud ninja fell to their knees, powerless.
That was their faith.
And today, their faith was gone.
"Retreat! All Cloud ninja, retreat!"
Dodai broke free from Nara Shikaku's entanglement and issued the order.
This battle… the Cloud Village had lost.
And it was an unacceptable kind of defeat—they had lost their greatest Raikage.
"Roar!"
The massive body of the Eight-Tails was hurled before the Cloud forces.
Their already shattered morale suffered another devastating blow.
"The Eight-Tails… how could it also…"
"Is Konoha really something that can be defeated?"
The Cloud ninja had completely lost the will to fight.
The Third Raikage was that strong—and he died.
The Eight-Tails was that strong—and it was defeated.
Can Konoha truly be beaten?
"The Eight-Tails… seems a bit overrated. Or is that all your tailed beasts are capable of?"
Hyūga Hiyasu walked forward slowly, killing intent filling his pale eyes.
Duy-san was dead.
According to the plan, he was meant to die this way. Trading one life for the Third Raikage was an enormous gain.
But Hyūga Hiyasu felt unbearably heavy inside.
Why does it feel like… I forced Duy-san to his death?
I need to vent this anger… or it'll turn into a demon in my heart.
The Eight-Tails' body was already covered in wounds.
"Gyūki, release yourself! Don't worry about my body—forget the forty-percent limit! We have to ensure the Cloud Village can retreat safely!"
Killer B urged desperately.
"B, the forty-percent limit wasn't set by me—it's determined by your body. If we exceed it, your body will collapse, and I'll die as well. Then we'll be completely useless."
"Damn it… is there really no other way?!"
Killer B's tears fell in pain.
...
On the other side of the battlefield, Hyūga Hizashi's fingers were bitten until they bled, yet he still held Might Guy tightly.
He knew what Guy wanted to do.
But this was a battlefield—it was too dangerous.
Here, there were no heroes.
No earth-shaking battles.
No decisive victories.
Only a child who had forever lost his father.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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