Seeing Saitama come after him, Darui instinctively narrowed his eyes and froze in place.
Under normal circumstances, a ninja of his caliber wouldn't perform so poorly, even against an enemy far stronger than himself.
But the aura Saitama exerted on Darui far surpassed anything he'd ever faced from other enemies.
Even from several meters away, it felt as if he could already see his own grim death.
So with Saitama charging toward him, Darui was doomed!
"You dare!"
Raikage rushed closely behind Saitama. He naturally saw through Saitama's intent, and that alone surprised and enraged him deeply—his fury was even greater than when Saitama attacked him directly.
Darui was one of his most promising subordinates. He had even considered grooming Darui as his successor, since the latter was young and his strength had been recognized by most people in the village—his future was limitless!
Yet now, Saitama had turned his hand against Darui, someone he'd chosen to succeed him, which made Raikage extremely angry. His eyes widened as he fiercely glared at Saitama's back.
However, despite giving chase with all his might, Raikage still fell several steps behind, helplessly watching the other rush forward and reach Darui's position.
Boom!
Like a cannonball, Saitama crashed down beside Darui. The area where Darui stood instantly exploded, sending up countless clouds of dust. Upon landing, the ground caved in beneath them, followed by numerous fissures spreading outward from where the two men stood.
"Darui!"
Raikage charged another step forward. Though his view was blocked, he still headed toward the spot where Darui had stood based on memory.
At the eye of the storm, two figures continuously clashed. One cloaked in dark lightning tried desperately to counterattack but was clearly overwhelmed, occasionally taking hits that caused brief stumbles, inviting even more incoming attacks.
This only plunged Darui into a worse cycle.
[Tat-tat-tat.]
Saitama dashed forward once again, passing right by Darui. The latter's body trembled slightly before standing motionless. As Saitama brushed past, Darui barely raised his arm, unable to fully block the attack—the gap between their strengths wasn't just slight; it was plain vast.
Puchi.
Only after Saitama reached a few meters beyond Darui did a large gash tear open on his body. Then, his head snapped back, and he instinctively bent forward at the waist.
At this moment, Saitama remained in the posture with one arm extended sideways, standing with his back facing both Darui and the approaching Raikage, appearing extremely dominant.
And running along his arm, [Chidori Current] continued to flicker, sending faint arcs of electricity crackling through the air and subtly linking to Darui's chest.
Raikage A finally caught up. His first sight upon arrival was Darui and Saitama passing each other, then Darui suffering a critical wound—a gaping hole opening up on his body.
He stopped his steps right in front of Darui, his expression frozen solid while Darui weakly lifted his head, looking up at the Raikage who had arrived before him.
[Whoosh!]
As Darui's collapsing form fell toward him, the Raikage swiftly caught his subordinate in his arms, his expression extremely grim.
Swoosh! Hiss!
Saitama slowly turned around and shook his arm—the one he had just used to attack Darui—splattering blood and Chidori Current onto the ground, carving a shallow gash into the earth.
"Darui!"
The Raikage slightly turned his head, looking at his pale-faced subordinate with a stiff expression. He was too late.
From his perspective, Darui's chest had been torn open by a gaping wound, with a smaller one ripped through his back.
Saitama Uchiha had struck straight through Darui, dangerously close to the heart.
"Heh... heh... Raikage A!"
Darui stared at Raikage A, his eyes full of emotions, but his strength was rapidly draining away. He seemed to want to say something, yet lacked the ability to speak.
"It seems... I can no longer... serve as your guardian... Raikage A... sorry."
A shimmering liquid appeared in Darui's eyes. His previously clenched hand gripping the Raikage's shoulder gradually loosened until it finally dropped lifelessly into the air.
No more words were spoken. In that instant, his gaze completely dulled, revealing unmistakable signs of death.
"You've always been my trusted right hand!"
The Raikage said solemnly while gently laying his subordinate flat onto the ground. Then he raised his gaze toward Saitama Uchiha ahead, his expression ice-cold and filled with intense killing intent.
"I'm going to kill you, Saitama Uchiha!"
The Raikage stared at Saitama Uchiha, speaking in an unusually calm tone.
"So do I."
Meeting the Raikage's glare, Saitama smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth.
While they shared their final words, he almost attacked more than once.
What held him back and gave them time for a final goodbye was the Black Lightning Darui hit him with earlier. Even now, his entire body suffered from indescribable pain, making movement difficult.
This was the nature of Black Lightning—an even stronger current than ordinary lightning chakra. Even for Saitama, shaking off its effects took serious effort.
Crack!
The Raikage clenched his fists tightly, his muscles taut.
Neither spoke further, yet the atmosphere between them became extremely oppressive and terrifying.
Whoosh whoosh!
Both disappeared from their spots simultaneously, becoming two blurred afterimages colliding violently in midair.
Sonic booms, shattering rocks, bone-crunching impacts—every kind of sound erupted rapidly within a brief span.
They took hand-to-hand combat to the absolute limit. Holding nothing back, each unleashed every technique fully.
The Raikage activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and driven by rage from Darui's death, he unleashed even greater power and speed than before.
Likewise, Saitama stimulated his cells using the Chidori Current to accelerate himself.
Even so, Saitama was still at a disadvantage in the initial confrontation.
Therefore, without hesitation, Saitama activated Sage Mode.
The moment he entered this mode, Saitama's strength and speed soared. In a flash, the tide turned, and Raikage A was pushed back repeatedly.
However, Raikage A's potential and his explosive combat power seemed equally unpredictable.
After being sent flying by Saitama with just a few punches, he charged forward once again with renewed determination.
Moreover, his speed and the lightning-infused chakra covering his body intensified.
Whoosh!
Facing Saitama, who had already activated the Sharingan, Raikage A threw another punch. The air around his fist created a ring of white airflow due to friction.
This punch was aimed directly at Saitama — absolutely straight, no feints or detours.
At this point, his speed no longer relied on flashy movements to confuse Saitama; it was purely a head-on, brute-force clash.
Each punch he threw packed earth-shaking force. Even the leaking wind pressure and Lightning Release chakra from his strikes alone could leave deep craters in the ground.
Faced with the blow, Saitama didn't seem surprised. He simply tilted his head slightly sideways, dodging the incoming fist, then leaned his body toward Raikage A.
Pfft!
The punch missed, causing the air to explode violently.
Boom!
Although the punch missed its mark, Raikage A's arm immediately slammed downward onto Saitama's shoulder.
In that instant, a flush appeared on Saitama's face, and both his feet sank deeply into the ground.
Snap!
Raikage A's other hand clamped down on Saitama's palm, which had reached for Raikage's chest.
Unchanging in gaze, Saitama remained calm. At the same time, he thrust his other hand straight toward Raikage A's abdomen.
Though the opponent was protected by Lightning Release, through repeated exchanges, Saitama had already figured out the limits of such defenses.
Therefore, this time, he unleashed [Sage Art - Chidori Current] at full power.
Exactly as Saitama predicted, the strike pierced through Raikage A's defense.
Yet Raikage A reacted instantly. Almost the moment Saitama breached the Lightning Release barrier, the muscles around his injured area tensed suddenly, locking Saitama's fingertips in place to prevent them from going further.
Sou sou!
The two broke apart, retreating several steps respectively, neither rushing into another attack right away.
After their intense exchange, both were visibly drained — physically and mentally alike — they both needed a second to catch their breath.
"Indeed, you truly deserve to be Raikage."
Wiping the blood at the corner of his mouth with his right sleeve, Saitama remarked.
That heavy blow from Raikage A's arm moments ago had inflicted considerable damage on him.
"I told you before — I'll kill you myself! No one's getting in my way now!"
Raikage A didn't even glance at the wound on his abdomen, maintaining his composed demeanor as he locked eyes with Saitama.
"We'll see who can make good on that threat!"
Shrugging his shoulders, Saitama suddenly lunged forward, launching another attack.
"Perfect!"
Roaring loudly, Raikage A stepped forward without hesitation as well.
[Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation!]
Saitama took a few steps forward, and his Sage Chakra surged as he activated the Sage Technique.
Boom!
The ground between them exploded upward, instantly transforming into countless sharp stone spikes that shot toward the Raikage.
"Hmph! Mere child's play! Crush it for me!"
Having already witnessed Saitama's manipulation of rocks and earth in his surroundings, the Raikage remained unshaken.
A wave of countless stone spikes shot up in front of Saitama, blocking his view. They then launched full-force at the charging Raikage.
Once again, chakra condensed on the surface of his body, enhancing his defense even further. The Raikage never slowed his pace, continuing his forward charge.
Boom!
With one horizontal elbow strike, he shattered all the rocky spikes made of stone or earth, creating an opening just wide enough for him to pass through.
"Hm!?"
Not finding Saitama beyond the broken spikes, the Raikage sensed danger and instinctively prepared to dodge sideways.
But Saitama struck in an instant.
Slice!
Suddenly bursting from beneath the Raikage's feet, Saitama smashed through the ground and rammed his knee directly into the other's lower groin area.
"Urk..."
The Raikage's expression twisted in pain, his entire body immediately locking up from the critical blow.
Whoosh!
Following up immediately after the successful strike,
Saitama slammed his fist into the Raikage's jaw right as the latter launched into the air.
CRACK!
Instantly, Saitama vanished from the ground and reappeared beneath the airborne Raikage, delivering a heavy kick straight to the opponent's throat.
Struck by the brutal kick, the Raikage's eyes bulged outward, nearly popping from their sockets.
"Damn it!"
Receiving consecutive attacks from Saitama, the Raikage endured intense pain but maintained strong willpower. Fighting through the agony, he regained control of his body midair and attempted to twist himself around for a counterattack.
Anticipating this reaction, Saitama did not slow down—his assault became even fiercer and more relentless.
Thud!
Grabbing Raikage's right arm, Saitama used it as leverage when the Raikage extended his left hand trying to grab him back, twisting his own body in reverse and flipping the Raikage over midair as well.
CRACK!
Mid-turn, Saitama rotated half a circle himself, and then the same leg that had kicked the Raikage's throat moments ago came crashing down hard onto the opponent's chest.
The Lightning Release chakra radiating from the Raikage's chest managed to absorb most of the impact, yet Saitama's blow still penetrated through the defense, shaking the internal organs.
"Pfft!" Blood flew from Raikage's mouth as he groaned in pain.
Zap! Zap!
Tightly gripping the Raikage's arm and sensing the powerful resistance, Saitama gritted his teeth and readied another strike.
[The Chidori Current began glowing intensely in his other hand.]
"Get down!"
Raikage also noticed Saitama's movement and, without caring about his right arm locked by Saitama, clenched his left hand into a fist and smashed it toward Saitama with full force.
Sensing this, Saitama twisted Raikage's arm in the opposite direction, hoping the opponent would retract his attack accordingly, thereby neutralizing the assault.
However, at this moment, Raikage displayed true ruthlessness worthy of the title 'Kage.'
[Crack!]
His right arm bent grotesquely outward in Saitama's grip, yet he did not waver from his offensive intent.
[Bang!]
With no choice, Saitama blocked the punch with the very hand he had intended to use for attacking Raikage.
The powerful punch put Saitama at a momentary disadvantage, sending him skidding sideways.
Accordingly, Saitama also released the twisted arm he had been holding.
Tap tap tap.
After landing, he staggered back several steps to absorb the impact of Raikage's previous attack.
Raikage, on the other hand, looked somewhat disheveled as he landed, immediately dropping to one knee, his right arm dangling limply beside him.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
He glared at Saitama, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot and streaked with red.
Just now, he had clearly suffered a major setback, nearly falling into a losing position in an instant.
And if he hadn't steeled himself to ignore his own right arm, he might have ended up in an even more pitiful state.
He had always believed his strength surpassed anyone in the Shinobi World, yet today he found himself defeated—bitterly and undeniably—by an enemy far younger than him, something he hadn't experienced in years.
[Crunch!]
Raikage violently snapped his twisted wrist bones back into place, involuntarily knitting his brows for just a moment.
He flexed his fingers. Though painful, as long as he could endure it, the fight could continue.
[Whoosh!]
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