Oh shit! The Fourth Raikage is really strong.
Since learning Sage Mode, Chao Yanqian hasn't felt this way in a long time. His entire arm, along with the right side of his body, was numb. No wonder the Fourth Raikage in the original work could knock Jugo out of his transformed state with a single blow. This kind of ninjutsu, which refines chakra to its extreme, is incredibly powerful.
But Chao Yanqian believed that the condition of the Fourth Raikage at that moment wasn't much better than his own.
Uchiha Madara once evaluated Tsunade, saying her speed was slower than the Raikage's, but her strength exceeded his.
In other words, the power of [Guilty Fist] surpassed the Raikage's ninjutsu.
Although Chao Yanqian's use of [Guilty Fist] hadn't reached Tsunade's peak level, he benefited from the Sage Mode's amplification. In his Asakan Mode, Chao Yanqian's use of [Guilty Fist] was even more destructive than Tsunade at her best in the original series.
Chao Yanqian was able to reduce Kumogakure to ruins with punch after punch, proving the destructive power of [Guilty Fist] in Sage Mode.
"Big Brother!"
"Thousand Names!"
Killer Bee and the Third Hokage rushed to the sides of the Fourth Raikage and Chao Yanqian. After such a massive explosion, no one could be sure either was still alive.
With the Third Hokage's support, Chao Yanqian slowly stood, but his right leg gave out and he nearly fell again.
In this clash, aside from the damage caused by the overwhelming counterforce, much of it was due to the Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release chakra. At that moment, Chao Yanqian felt half his body was paralyzed, and even moving his fingers required effort.
Thankfully, Chao Yanqian's entire body was protected by serpentine chakra. The final explosion hadn't caused serious damage.
"How are you?" the Third Hokage asked with concern.
After the battle with the Nine-Tails, the Third Hokage's view of Chao Yanqian had changed slightly. At least in that fight, Chao Yanqian had protected Konoha and its shinobi. However, the Third Hokage still disapproved of the Chao Yanqian obsession with power and didn't want to entrust the village to someone with such an ambition.
"I'm fine!"
Under the effects of cell activation, Chao Yanqian slowly regained feeling throughout his body. Once his right hand was functional, Chao Yanqian hurriedly used [Mystical Palm Technique] to begin healing. The Fourth Raikage's condition was still unknown Chao Yanqian had to be in peak condition at all times.
"Ahem!"
"Big Brother!"
Hearing a noise nearby, Chao Yanqian turned and saw the Fourth Raikage rising slowly with Killer Bee's support.
Chao Yanqian had to admit the Raikage clan's physique was truly abnormal. Even after such a violent explosion, the Fourth Raikage looked only slightly disheveled. Outwardly, he didn't even seem injured.
After all, the Third Raikage was a man who could fight the Eight-Tails. The Fourth Raikage inherited his father's techniques and possessed incredible physical strength. While Chao Yanqian's [Guilty Fist] was powerful, it wasn't stronger than a Tailed Beast's attack it was somewhere between their first and second forms.
In moments, Chao Yanqian had returned to normal, standing beside the Third Hokage. He looked coldly at the Fourth Raikage and said, "As expected of a man who can battle a Tailed Beast you can still stand. I'm impressed."
"You brat! Don't get cocky!" the Fourth Raikage roared, pushing Killer Bee aside and charging toward Chao Yanqian.
[Liger Bomb: Level Chidori Dance]
The Fourth Raikage charged at terrifying speed, hand shaped like a blade, slashing at Chao Yanqia. if Chao Yanqian couldn't see the Raikage's movements with the naked eye, everything the Raikage did was revealed to his sensory perception.
He ducked to avoid the Raikage's strike and threw a marked kunai behind the Raikage. Using the [Flying Thunder God Technique], he teleported behind him and launched a powerful [Guilty Fist] strike.
Whoosh!
The Raikage had clearly studied the [Flying Thunder God Technique] well. Seeing Chao Yanqian vanish, he immediately used [Shunshin] to dodge the incoming attack.
In terms of speed, while the Raikage was outmatched by teleportation, his [Shunshin] technique was nearly as fast. His close-quarters fighting style was supported by reflexes sharpened to their limits. Without a surprise attack, it would be difficult for Chao Yanqian to land a hit.
This was a man who had pushed attack power, defense, and speed to the extreme. Unless his opponent could suppress him in every area, the Raikage couldn't be defeated.
Even with mastery of the [Flying Thunder God Technique], Chao Yanqian had to feint to mislead the Raikage's perception before he had a chance of injuring him.
But in terms of combat experience, the Raikage had the upper hand. Chao Yanqian wasn't Naruto Uzumaki he couldn't fool such a seasoned warrior with a few Shadow Clones.
"Don't underestimate the Raikage's speed!" the Raikage shouted, slamming an elbow toward Chao Yanqian.
"Come on then!" Chao Yanqian roared, surging his chakra to its peak. Sage chakra filled his right arm, and he fired off a full-power [Guilty Fist].
In that instant, Chao Yanqian assessed the gap between himself and the Raikage.
The Fourth Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode wasn't quite on par with Sage Mode but close. And his natural physical strength surpassed that of Chao Yanqian. In a normal state, the Fourth Raikage was a Kage-level powerhouse; Chao Yanqian was only an elite jonin.
So even in Sage Mode, Chao Yanqian was slightly weaker than the Fourth Raikage.
In this scenario, Chao Yanqian had two options: use the [Flying Thunder God Technique] to outmaneuver the Raikage and look for weaknesses, or fight head-on with Sage Chakra overpowering normal chakra.
Chao Yanqian chose the latter for a simple reason because Uchiha Madara once said Tsunade's strength surpassed that of the Raikage.
That was the benefit of intelligence. Chao Yanqian fully understood the Raikage's capabilities and could compare both sides clearly. In a direct clash, he believed the Fourth Raikage would suffer greater injuries than himself.
The tricky part was the damage caused by Lightning Release chakra. But Sage Chakra likely inflicted more harm on the Raikage than Lightning Release did to Chao Yanqian.
The key advantage: Chao Yanqian was a medical ninja. Under the Third Hokage's protection, he could heal himself at any time.
"Chao Yanqian! Don't be reckless!" the Third Hokage yelled, but at this level of taijutsu, he couldn't intervene. He also had to keep an eye on Killer Bee to ensure he didn't join the fight.
BOOM!
When the two forces clashed, their energy exploded on contact with overwhelming destructive power.
A flash of light, electricity, thunder, and dust surged forth as the two figures were flung apart, carving deep trails into the ground in opposite directions.
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