Hagoromo had to write out the word "Respect" by hand. Having lived two lifetimes, he was now thoroughly awestruck.
From the moment he had plunged into the enemy ranks alone until now, the Third Raikage hadn't uttered a single word. It was pure, unadulterated slaughter—a true war machine.
The way he utilized Lightning Release was entirely different from Hagoromo's method. It was another kind of extreme—an extreme Hagoromo couldn't achieve.
It was highly instructional... though only in a theoretical sense. Hagoromo likely couldn't replicate the Raikage's approach; it was probably tied to the man's unique physical constitution.
The scale of the battle wasn't the 15,000 Hagoromo had estimated, but 10,001.
One against ten thousand, and he was actually fighting them to a standstill. This exceeded Hagoromo's imagination, and he finally realized he had still underestimated what a "shinobi" could be.
So this was the extent of a ninja's potential.
The Rock forces had been engaged with the Raikage for a day and a night. Although no one was keeping an exact count, the number of Rock shinobi fallen at the Third Raikage's hands had already surpassed four digits.
Despite being subjected to frequent concentrated fire, the damage the Rock managed to inflict on the Raikage was negligible.
Judging by the intensity of his lightning, he was still bursting with energy, showing no signs of fatigue.
In Hagoromo's view, the Rock commanders were being stubborn. No matter how strong the enemy, there was only one of him. At this point, they should have split their forces—leave a portion to keep the Raikage busy and send the rest to continue the push toward the Hidden Cloud. They seemed to have forgotten their original objective.
How could ten thousand men be held back by just one? It was absurd.
...But that was Hagoromo's own assumption. He didn't realize what killing the Raikage on the spot would mean to the battle-hungry Rock shinobi.
Furthermore, even if they split, how would they do it? Leave too few, and they couldn't contain the Raikage. Send too few to the Cloud, and they'd likely be wiped out by the Cloud's defensive systems, leading only to pointless sacrifice.
Thus, the Rock commander's judgment remained: kill the Raikage first, no matter the cost.
The Rock shinobi feared no sacrifice. Whatever the price, the Third Raikage had to fall.
By now, the Rock had completely adjusted their formation, surrounding the Third Raikage in a complex, multi-layered "Eight Gates" array.
The Raikage was trapped at the very center. The only one there capable of even trading a couple of blows with him was Kitsuchi, whom Hagoromo had noticed earlier.
Of course, the Raikage's dominance was partly due to elemental advantage; the Rock was full of Earth Release users, many of whom were simply countered by his lightning.
Regardless of how long he could last—and given the Rock's formation, his end was likely inevitable—the courage to face ten thousand enemies alone... he was a true man.
A "one-man army" (Ikki Tousen) was nothing compared to this. The Third Raikage seemed intent on taking down all ten thousand himself.
Perhaps when he chose to block the path alone, he had already accepted his death with composure?
Hagoromo didn't have time to study the delicate psychology of a "true man." No matter how much he admired the Raikage, the man was still an enemy and a mission target.
He had a job to do.
"It's about time..."
Hagoromo took a deep breath. He knew he had to move.
He couldn't let the Rock waste any more time on the Raikage. If Hagoromo's guess was right, the Cloud would use the time bought by the Raikage to rapidly adjust their combat strength and build a defensive counter-offensive system.
The more time wasted, the worse it was for the Rock.
A day and a night's worth of time was likely enough for the Cloud to turn the Rock's "lightning strike" into a quagmire... and a mutually destructive outcome was exactly what Konoha wanted.
By now, the Raikage had already inflicted crippling damage on the Rock's forces.
Reaching out, Hagoromo roughly shoved aside the shinobi in front of him and began to walk forward.
Step by step, he neared the center of the battlefield where the Third Raikage stood.
There were always ninja around who recognized "Yoshida," and they were left staring in disbelief.
If this guy hasn't wet his pants and run away yet, that's one thing—but he was actually walking toward the center of the fray?
Were their eyes playing tricks on them, or had Yoshida finally lost his mind and decided to commit suicide?
Even Jonin were being poked to death by the Raikage's finger; what could a ninja like Yoshida possibly do?
Though Hagoromo hadn't dispelled his Transformation Jutsu yet, he was no longer bothering to control his facial expressions. His face was set in a mask of grim seriousness, devoid of his usual servility.
In this chaotic combat, he wasn't afraid of exposure. He couldn't be exposed.
The further forward he went, the higher the caliber of the shinobi. In the chaos, Hagoromo's transformation quietly unraveled, unnoticed by anyone.
He still wore the standard Rock shinobi uniform and the white mask, but he had left the iron gourd off his back—it was too conspicuous.
Hagoromo reached the innermost circle. There was only one ninja left in front of him; beyond that was a ring of empty space.
And in the center was the Raikage.
He was right there.
The ninja in front of him was tense, ready to spring forward at any moment.
Hagoromo tapped the man on the shoulder, quite boldly. He spoke plainly and quickly:
"I'm with the ANBU. I have a Forbidden Jutsu I want to try to see if it can break the Raikage's defense. Please stay still for a moment and help shield me from view."
"..."
"Understood!"
"Good. When I give the signal, dodge to the right!"
The man agreed without suspicion. To him, Hagoromo was an "ally," and the lightning already crackling around him carried a destructive aura powerful enough to be felt by everyone nearby.
Perhaps he really could break the Raikage's defense.
In truth, the Third Raikage was a stationary target; it was just that no one could breach his armor. If Onoki were here, the Raikage wouldn't be this invincible—he certainly couldn't tank a Particle Style blast.
At that moment, the Raikage was being besieged by over twenty Rock shinobi. He saw the lightning flare up thirty meters away, but he didn't pay it much mind.
First, at that distance, Lightning Release usually couldn't reach full power.
Second, he had absolute confidence in his own defense.
Hagoromo held his fire, waiting until he had the Raikage's silhouette perfectly locked.
Then...
THUMP!
The helpful Rock shinobi shielding him exploded into a spray of blood and mist like a crushed watermelon!
Hagoromo had lied; he never sent a signal.
The mist of blood obscured everyone's vision. Hagoromo's figure behind it was a blur, but a single beam of orange-yellow light tore through the mist, instantly piercing the Raikage's left chest... and the heart within his thoracic cavity.
The Super-Electromagnetic Cannon actually passed right through his body without producing an explosive effect.
Could a body really be that dense?
The Raikage's movements jerked to a halt, even as his Lightning Release Chakra Mode remained active.
THUMP!
The Rock shinobi standing directly behind the Raikage exploded too.
A rain of blood fell over the center of the clearing.
Arcing electricity flickered across Hagoromo's outstretched arm.
Though there had only been one visible trail, Hagoromo couldn't accurately judge the Raikage's defensive strength. To be safe, he had fired a triple-burst of the Super-Electromagnetic Cannon.
All three shots hit the exact same point.
It was a technique that no physical body, no matter how powerful, could defend against.
The scene fell into a total, heavy silence.
Hagoromo's white hair was stained red with blood as he slowly walked forward.
The Rock shinobi didn't move a muscle.
The Third Raikage was, incredibly, not yet dead.
He turned toward the direction Hagoromo was approaching from. A thumb-thick hole in his chest was gushing blood, the edges of the wound charred black.
He took a step toward Hagoromo.
"Watch out!"
An actual Rock shinobi shouted a warning to Hagoromo.
The Raikage reached him and raised a fist to strike.
But Hagoromo didn't flinch.
The wind from the punch blew his hair back, but the fist stopped less than five centimeters from his face.
The lightning shroud on the Raikage's body flickered and died completely.
Hagoromo reached out, pulled out a scroll, and sealed the Raikage's body away right under the noses of the Rock shinobi.
When he stowed the scroll, the Rock shinobi—Kitsuchi included—remained in a state of stunned paralysis.
Total silence.
What exactly had just happened?