"Darui! C! Lead the team and take out those two flying ninjas!"
The Raikage, A, issued tactical orders without hesitation.
"Be careful of the scythe user!"
He quickly relayed the intelligence gained from their brief clash.
"That guy seems capable of absorbing chakra!"
"Bee! You're with me—we'll deal with this arrogant bastard!"
As the legendary AB Combo of the ninja world, the two had once dominated battlefields during the Third Shinobi World War, unstoppable and invincible. Only when they encountered the even faster "Yellow Flash," Minato Namikaze, were they finally suppressed.
But now Minato was dead.
The Fourth Raikage had become the fastest man alive.
No one doubted the power of the AB Combo!
Darui and C each took command of groups of Cloud ninja, organizing encirclement tactics against the two floating enemies.
They dared not be careless. Not only had the enemy boldly attacked Kumogakure with just three people—but the ability to float was extremely rare in the ninja world.
So far, the only known ninja capable of flight had been the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki of Iwagakure.
C, the blond-haired and handsome sensory ninja, led several Cloud shinobi in the first assault against the Jade Heavenly Maiden.
A squad of Cloud ninja unleashed earth-style techniques—countless stone spears erupted from the ground and shot toward the sky, attempting to trap her movements. Using those spears as footholds, C and three Jonin leapt upward, lightning techniques tearing through the smoke.
But the Heavenly Maiden's ribbons were like venomous serpents—extending freely, sharper than steel. Any ordinary ninja struck by them was either killed or gravely wounded!
Like an elegant dancer performing in the sky, she waved her ribbons with grace. One Cloud ninja after another was pierced or sent flying while vomiting blood.
For the moment, not a single person could even get close to her.
On the other side—
The Reaper of Three swung his black scythe as he clashed with Darui and his squad.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Barrage!"
Several Cloud ninja formed seals, firing countless high-speed water projectiles at the flying Reaper. Each one carried enough force to pierce metal.
The Reaper evaded them effortlessly, charging straight toward Darui.
"Storm Release: Laser Circus!"
Darui clapped his hands together.
Blue orbs of light erupted into more than a dozen electrified water beams, all locking onto the Reaper like guided lasers.
In response, the Reaper swung his scythe.
Multiple blades of wind sliced through the smoke, forming a net that shredded Darui's technique—and absorbed it.
"What?!"
Darui stared in disbelief as his signature technique was cut apart so easily.
Then those same wind blades continued forward, striking several Cloud ninja who couldn't dodge in time.
"Gah!"
Darui looked over in shock—only to realize that although they weren't physically cut, the victims collapsed lifelessly as if their very energy had been drained.
"Be careful!" Mabui shouted urgently.
"That scythe can absorb chakra! Don't let it hit you!"
Relying on the information Raikage had provided earlier, she immediately adjusted their strategy.
Without chakra, a ninja was as good as dead.
"I'll hold him off!" Darui declared.
"Mabui! Organize long-range support!"
Worthy of his future status as the Fifth Raikage, Darui chose to become bait himself.
Using the structure of the Raikage Building, he climbed higher and higher before launching himself into the air.
"Lightning Release: Black Panther!"
Dark purple lightning gathered around him, forming the shape of a roaring beast that lunged toward the Reaper.
The Reaper swung his scythe again.
Darui immediately activated the second stage—spreading the Black Panther into a massive web of lightning!
Yet the Reaper spun his scythe like a deadly machine, harvesting every trace of chakra that touched it.
"Impossible!"
Darui could only stare in stunned disbelief.
Meanwhile, on the main battlefield—
The AB Combo and Menma were locked in a fierce, high-speed exchange.
Raikage A, wrapped in lightning armor, attacked relentlessly with his Lightning Style Taijutsu.
Killer Bee wielded his seven swords like a buzzing swarm, coordinating flawlessly with his brother from both sides.
True to his nickname, the "Killer Bee," his strikes were ruthless—and his constant rap was equally annoying.
Yet the masked opponent countered all seven blades with nothing but a single kunai, dodging A's lightning-fast attacks at the same time.
Though it was their first encounter, both A and Bee felt as if the enemy somehow knew their fighting style intimately.
"Lightning Plough Hot Knife!"
A gathered lightning into his arm and dove down like a bolt from heaven—his famous, bone-shattering signature technique!
Bee simultaneously sealed off all escape routes with his swords.
"Mini Spiral Wheel Void!"
Menma blocked Bee with his kunai while forming a dark-purple sphere in his left hand, slamming it head-on against A's attack.
Though called "mini," the technique was nearly as large as a Wind Style Rasenshuriken.
BOOM!
Dark chakra and lightning chakra collided violently, producing a piercing shockwave.
In the end—
Menma's technique won.
Blades of condensed wind and darkness tore through A's lightning armor.
"Gah!"
Blood splattered as the Raikage's hardened arm was shredded with deep gashes.
His heavy metal bracer was ripped apart.
Only a body tempered by years of lightning training could survive such an attack. Any ordinary Jonin would have been killed instantly.
"Yo~ Big bro, you okay?" Bee called out.
"Bee!" A shouted, gritting his teeth.
"This guy isn't normal! Use full tailed-beast mode!"
"But bro~ we're in the village~ Eight-Tails might wreck the place~"
"Mabui!" A yelled—
Only to realize, when he turned around, that dozens of Cloud ninja had already fallen.
Darui and C were barely holding on.
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