"Oh no, it's those bastards from the Nokizaru group!" Almost the instant the white light burst forth, the Fourth Raikage roared in shock and fury, his expression changing dramatically.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
In a flash, Kakashi's hands became a blur, forming seals with practiced speed. Though blinded by the intense light, he relied on sheer experience to launch a scorching fireball nearly three meters in diameter toward the incoming threat.
In an instant, the massive fireball tore through the air with blistering heat, igniting everything in its path and forming a momentary vacuum barrier as it vaporized surrounding material.
"Trying to burn our nano-explosive worms with heat? How naive."
A shadow materialized from the branches above, its glowing red eyes looking down with disdain.
"Nano-scale explosive bugs may not be able to dodge or resist high temperatures, but… we simply have too many." Another voice echoed, calm yet sinister.
"Hehehe, you're all prey now. Konoha's Sannin and Sharingan Kakashi—those two alone will fetch a fortune at the underground gold exchange." With a splash, a mass of water reshaped into a human form, its eyes gleaming with greed.
"I want that Sharingan! I want to test the power of an Uchiha eye!" With a bang, another figure appeared from the flames, eyes burning with desire.
"Sure, we might offend Konoha doing this... but we're not even afraid of Kumogakure. Konoha? Don't make me laugh. We'll kill them all—leave no one alive." From the flickering firelight, a transparent silhouette emerged from a tree trunk, his voice cruel and calm.
"You're right. We were confused as to why the Exploding Bugs inside the Raikage didn't activate... Now we know. Paralysis by Lightning Release. Thanks, Konoha, for solving the mystery for us." Their leader stepped forward from the trunk's shadows, his eyes icy and calculating.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh…
Almost as he finished speaking, five figures leaped into the clearing—men in turbans with brown, tail-like cloths wrapped around their waists—landing in formation.
"Damn Nokizaru scum—die!"
Without hesitation, the Fourth Raikage erupted in a flash of lightning and entered Lightning Chakra Mode once more. With Tsunade's earlier confirmation, he no longer feared the chakra parasite and was free to unleash his full might.
With a thunderous whoosh—
All Ishikawa and the others could see was a lightning blur. In the next breath, the Raikage was behind the enemy, his fist crashing into them with brutal force.
In the blink of an eye, the five Nokizaru people were pierced and shattered by the Raikage's lightning-speed assault. Ishikawa, Shizune, and the others stood frozen, mouths agape.
So fast… The Raikage's speed was terrifying! If it weren't for the Exploding Bug earlier, he would've crushed them instantly.
Ishikawa's heart raced. If I had that speed and strength… survival would be guaranteed. I'd have a bright future ahead!
"Fool. Didn't you learn anything from our last fight?" Just as Ishikawa was fired up with admiration, the bodies of the Nokizaru group twisted into gray mist and reformed, smirking coldly.
It was as if the Raikage's devastating strike had done absolutely nothing.
"No effect…?" Kakashi's pupils shrank, his voice grim as realization dawned.
"This is the Iburi clan's Kekkei Genkai… smoke transformation. I've seen it before during my missions in Root. This is troublesome... physical attacks are useless against them."
"Kakashi, do you know them?" The Raikage, already at a loss, appeared beside Tsunade with a whoosh, almost flashing over, and asked with urgency and excitement.
Immediately, Tsunade, Ishikawa, and the others turned to listen intently.
"I've encountered the smoke transformation technique used by the Iburi clan before. Their ability isn't affected by physical attacks—only Wind Style ninjutsu can counter it." Kakashi explained crisply, getting straight to the point.
"Afraid of wind? That's great! We finally found those bastards' weakness!" The Fourth Raikage was overjoyed. Though he didn't know Wind Style ninjutsu himself, Kakashi had copied over a thousand techniques. With someone like him here, they had a real chance.
"Damn it! How does he know our weakness?!" On the other side, the Nokizaru group leader glared venomously at Kakashi after hearing his words.
"Hmph! Let's test them, then. Kill the others first and force Kakashi to use his chakra—I want to see what comes first: their explosion or our defeat." One of them snorted coldly, his body gradually becoming transparent as he began to move stealthily.
"He knows Transparency Jutsu. Everyone be careful!" Kakashi immediately caught the opponent's position through his Sharingan and shouted a warning, hurling a kunai in response. "Try to use as little chakra as possible. We don't know if any of us have been parasitized by the Exploding Bugs, so be cautious."
"What?"
"We might be parasitized too?"
The two younger teammates' faces paled instantly. They'd just seen a parasitized Kumogakure Jonin explode.
Wouldn't they, as Genin, explode even faster?
Ishikawa swallowed nervously, feeling a moment of sympathy—but since he trusted Tsunade and Shizune, he wasn't too panicked. It was just a minor surgery... could it really kill them?
"You three, protect Shizune. Leave the rest to us!" Just as the two Genin were beginning to panic, Tsunade issued a crisp order and charged into the fray.
She knew her own limits better than anyone. As long as Shizune was safe, everything else could be handled. Even if Shizune were parasitized, surgery could remove the threat!
As for whether Shizune might really get parasitized and need surgery herself… that would have to wait until the Nokizaru group was defeated.
"No problem." Ishikawa nodded calmly, showing no signs of overexcitement or eagerness to prove himself.
He wasn't foolish. These were the Nokizaru group, who dared to hunt the Raikage and the Three Ninjas. How many lives did he have to throw himself into that fight? That would be pure suicide!
"I'll hold the others back. Kakashi, you focus on your part." Seeing Tsunade charge ahead, the Fourth Raikage gritted his teeth and activated his Lightning Chakra Mode with a loud crackle.
On the other side, Kumogakure Jonin Amai had also arrived, joining the chaotic melee alongside the Raikage in hopes of ending the fight swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, the five Nokizaru group people were caught in a fierce battle against Raikage, Tsunade, Kakashi, and Amai!
"This is getting bad. If this continues, either Kakashi will find a way to strike, or we'll be affected by the explosion of the Exploding Bugs. This can't go on…" the Nokizaru group leader muttered grimly, eyes narrowing.
Then, his sharp gaze locked onto Tsunade.
If they could kill her, the rest would have no hope of treatment. And with time on their side, they could just wait for the Exploding Bugs to mature and detonate...
Yes. That was it.
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (30+ Advanced Chapters)