On another battlefield.
The Fourth Raikage's hair stood on end, his body surrounded by a torrent of Lightning Release chakra and crackling electricity that surged like a raging current.
His face was filled with uncontrollable rage, and his tiger-like eyes seemed ready to spit fire.
All his subordinates, who had been standing beside him moments ago, now lay lifeless on the ground.
And all of this had happened in the brief few seconds after he led his elite squad to this location, only to be intercepted by Minato Namikaze.
In Minato's hand, the blade of his kunai was shrouded in a faint yellow layer of Wind Release chakra. This chakra was so thin and razor-sharp that even the Raikage, protected by his Lightning Armor, could feel a faint sting just by looking at it.
How could ordinary shinobi possibly defend against such a weapon?
"Raikage, the last time we parted ways, neither of us bore the title of 'Kage.' But now, the situation is entirely different. With just you alone, you pose no threat to my village. End this here..."
"If I kill you, it will only escalate the war between our two villages endlessly."
"Are you certain you want to continue this war, one destined for failure?"
Minato's figure flashed before the Fourth Raikage, his voice calm and indifferent.
"Argh!"
"Minato Namikaze! Do you really think you can take my life so easily?!"
"If you've killed my subordinates, then I'll take your companions as retribution!"
The chakra surrounding the Raikage flared even more violently, sending faint sparks of electricity rippling across the water's surface.
Minato, at this moment, had not entered Sage Mode—perhaps due to the urgency of his arrival.
The Raikage locked his gaze on the fortified wall behind Minato. In an instant, he transformed into a streak of blue lightning, breaking past Minato with a sharp swoosh and appearing behind him.
On top of the fortress wall stood several ANBU members wearing animal masks. Some had just finished evacuating the wounded.
Yet, in the face of such high-speed combat, the remaining ANBU could only stand frozen in shock, unable to intervene.
Among them, one ANBU's eyes, visible through his mask, were particularly striking—one of them was a crimson Three Tomoe Sharingan!
Even so, all he could see was a blue afterimage cutting through the air, leaving behind a faint trace of lightning. Locking onto the target was impossible.
"Lightning Oppression Straight!"
Boom!
With the Raikage's thunderous roar, the towering earthen fortress wall was shattered by a single punch. Massive chunks of stone either crumbled into rubble or collapsed entirely.
The ANBU scattered in all directions, but one unfortunate member, who had just leapt from the fortress, found the Raikage already flashing before him.
"Huh?!"
The eyes behind the animal mask were filled with terror. The overwhelming chakra emanating from the Raikage felt like the descent of a thunder god, utterly insurmountable.
The Raikage's gauntleted hands reached for the ANBU's waist and sides, while the lightning surrounding his body had already ensnared the shinobi.
The ANBU's body and mind were paralyzed by the electricity, frozen as if time itself had stopped.
"Liger Bomb!"
The Raikage roared furiously, lifting the ANBU high into the air before slamming him to the ground with devastating speed and force.
Boom!
Crackle!
A deafening thunderclap erupted, shaking the ground as though an earthquake had struck. The impact created a crater, while lightning as thick as barrels radiated outward from the Raikage's position, carving deep scars into the earth and unleashing a violent storm of electricity.
All of this happened in an instant. Some of the slower-reacting ANBU hadn't even realized what had occurred before their comrade was sent hurtling into the afterlife by the Raikage's ferocious blow.
Amidst the chaos of the lightning storm, with dust swirling, mud flying, thunder roaring, and rain pouring...
Everyone's attention was drawn to the spectacle.
But at that very moment—
From beneath the ground, an even more terrifying presence suddenly erupted.
If the Raikage was like a fierce beast imbued with the power of lightning, then this presence felt like an ancient serpent—cold, sinister, and desolate.
A hand, shrouded in sticky, golden-green chakra, shot out from underground. Before a white-haired ANBU could react, the hand had already gouged out his Sharingan from his left eye socket!
Meanwhile, another hand, also covered in golden-green chakra, transformed into a sharp beast claw and aimed directly at the heart of the now one-eyed shinobi, ready to kill him on the spot.
But—
Swoosh!
"Flying Raijin Mutually Instantaneous Revolving Technique!"
The ANBU shinobi vanished from his original position. Standing before the beast claw now was none other than Minato Namikaze!
With a swift swing of his kunai, Minato's razor-sharp Wind Release chakra sliced Sōmi's beast claw into two.
From the toad-like pupils of Minato's eyes, it was clear he had entered Sage Mode!
The white-haired ANBU, now trembling with fear and confusion, stood frozen. His mask had been shattered by the violent force, revealing a youthful and handsome face. He was still in his teens, barely past adolescence.
But his left eye socket was now a dark, bloody void. The force that had gouged out his eye had also torn apart his eyelid, leaving him unable to even close the wound. All that remained was a gruesome, bloodied cavity.
Only now did the searing pain finally register, flooding his mind like a tidal wave.
"Ahhh!"
The white-haired youth clutched his face, groaning in agony.
He couldn't comprehend why such a powerful enemy had appeared.
Why would this person take his eye?
That eye was entrusted to me by Obito... How could this happen...?
A surge of grief, helplessness, and overwhelming pain engulfed him, causing his vision to darken and dizziness to overtake him.
"You're... Sōmi of Sunagakure!"
Minato quickly glanced at the white-haired youth, confirming that his life was no longer in immediate danger. Only then did he relax slightly.
He turned his icy gaze toward Sōmi.
If he had been even a second slower in entering Sage Mode, this last surviving disciple of his would have lost his life here.
Minato had already blamed himself for the deaths of two of his disciples. He would not, under any circumstances, allow the last one to die before his eyes.
After all, a shinobi exists to protect.
Peace, the village, family, disciples, the villagers... These were Minato's reverse scale. If anyone dared to touch them, he would show no mercy, eradicating the threat completely.
"Heh..."
"So we meet again, Fourth Hokage."
Sōmi chuckled softly, his expression calm and nonchalant.
It was as if he hadn't just gouged out someone's eye but had merely helped remove a speck of dust from it.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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