Seeing that the Raikage and Darui had stopped advancing, Saitama quickened his pace even further. Each step he took spanned over ten meters, and in the blink of an eye, he had entered their attack range.
Tap!
Saitama halted dozens of meters away from the two and looked at them calmly.
"Didn't expect you'd dare come after me again."
The Raikage fixed his gaze on Saitama but didn't attack immediately.
"Well, who made your strength exceed my expectations? To keep the mission going, I had no choice but to show myself again."
Saitama shrugged, with a look like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Your companions don't seem to be faring too well at the moment—at least not completing the mission as planned."
The Raikage rotated his wrist, arcs of electricity flickering across it. His exposed muscles continuously twitched, as though he would erupt into violence any moment.
Darui stood silently by his side, saying nothing, yet his alert posture couldn't be ignored.
"Who knows? Maybe they've already completed their task and are on their way back. This time, I'm just here as an extra layer of backup. After all, I don't have the power to detain Minato Hokage, so I'll just have to focus on taking you down."
"Then you've chosen the wrong opponent!"
Staring straight at Saitama, the Raikage's expression grew serious, his eyes seemingly flashing with lightning itself.
The moment he finished speaking, a swirling current of air formed around his feet, shaking the solid rock beneath. Small pebbles began to slowly float upward.
A powerful aura started colliding between Saitama and the Raikage, making the dry air—already filled with loose electrical charges—emit sharp and intense crackling sounds.
"Let's find out."
Meeting the Raikage's gaze, Saitama gave a faint grin, clearly unfazed by the situation.
In their last fight, they both had moments of advantage, but neither had shown their full strength.
Saitama himself hadn't dared to go all out against the Raikage due to the lurking threat of other Kage nearby, fearing possible ambushes. Likewise, the Raikage also held back because of the presence of others and couldn't afford a life-or-death struggle that might spiral out of control. In the end, since this alliance wasn't built on complete trust, such caution was only natural.
[Then let's see whose Lightning Release prevails!]
Looking at Saitama's teasing smile, the Raikage's forehead bore a visible '#', clearly slightly angered by Saitama's flippant tone.
With no more words exchanged, all three braced themselves at the same time.
The air grew heavy, and the howling wind suddenly died down as a powerful energy filled the battlefield.
The fight was about to begin!
Boom!
As Saitama saw the Raikage charging toward him at high speed, his lips curled upward slightly. He pushed off the ground with equal force and left his original spot.
Bang!
Both men, wrapped in electricity, collided instantly upon closing the distance, releasing surging electric shocks outward into the air.
As they made first contact, the earth centered around the two men cracked apart as if struck by a powerful impact, leaving behind a massive rupture.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Saitama watched Raikage A, his current opponent, while also catching sight of Tarui charging forward from Raikage's side.
This young man with dark skin and white hair was not one to underestimate!
["Storm Release - Laser Circus!"]
Tarui followed close behind Raikage. With one leap, he soared into the air, then pressed both palms forward, targeting Saitama who had clashed with Raikage, activating his kekkei-tōta.
The blue water at his fingertips vaporized into mist, which then solidified into a laser beam under the enhancement of Lightning Release, shooting straight toward Saitama.
"Hmph!"
In Saitama's eyes, his dark Tomoe slightly rotated. Then he withdrew his hands and stepped back.
Keeping a close watch, he kept shifting positions swiftly. The jutsu launched by Tarui could only strike where Saitama had just stood, drilling small but incredibly deep black holes into the ground.
Bang!
Raikage continued his assault. Saitama placed both hands on his chest and collided midair with Raikage once again.
Raikage A truly lived up to his reputation as a master whose body had long been tempered by lightning. Saitama felt his arms tingling numb—not entirely unbearable, yet still indicating something: he was indeed slightly inferior to this Raikage in terms of physical strength.
Without hesitation, as Raikage attacked again, Saitama thrust his foot hard into the opponent's chest and used the recoil to launch himself backward onto a stone pillar.
Whoosh!
Struck by the kick, Raikage flew far away before finally halting in front of Tarui.
"Are you alright, Lord Raikage?"
"Yeah, minor issue."
Raikage stared seriously at Saitama, now standing atop the pillar, breathing somewhat heavily.
[Zzzt!]
More lightning began coiling around his body, his already solid muscles becoming even more swollen and hardened.
["Lightning Release Chakra Mode."]
Observing Raikage's transformation, Saitama immediately recognized what it was. He didn't hold back either—just like Raikage, he gathered huge amounts of lightning chakra on the surface of his body, forming an armor-like layer that covered his skin.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Once again vanishing from their spots, the two reappeared midair—one above, one below—and slammed into each other.
This time, both greatly increased speed. Mid-air, it looked as though two streaks of lightning repeatedly collided, producing piercing sounds within the air.
Tarui had not yet mastered Lightning Release Chakra Mode, so he could barely keep up with their speed. Not daring to recklessly intervene, he continuously moved beneath them, seeking a proper moment for attack.
As Raikage and Saitama fought on, the surrounding upright stone pillars suffered badly, destroyed by stray attacks and crumbling into rubble falling to the ground.
But not for a second did they stop—instead, they ramped up their pace, striking faster and harder than before.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Darui broke out in sweat, black lightning flickering across his body from time to time.
He couldn't get into the fight—his strength just wasn't enough. Even as he desperately searched for an opening, it felt extremely difficult.
Boom!
Kicking Raikage's chest once again, Saitama saw that his kick had completely dented the lightning armor on the other's chest.
At the same time, Raikage's elbow smashed heavily past his cheek.
Instantly, a searing pain spread across his face, freezing his expression for a moment before both fighters separated.
Tap! Tap!
Landing on the midsection of a stone pillar, Saitama channeled chakra through his feet to cling to the stone surface, positioning his body almost parallel to the ground.
At the same time, he glared coldly at Raikage who had landed below, locking eyes with his opponent.
After their brief exchange, both fighters appeared evenly matched—each leaving their mark on the other without either gaining any decisive advantage.
Huff! Huff!
Raikage was breathing heavily, clearly suffering more than Saitama.
Unlike Saitama's monstrous regeneration ability, Raikage would gradually fall behind during continuous high-intensity combat.
He already realized this disadvantage.
Therefore, he knew he must end this quickly if he wanted any chance of victory.
"Darui!"
With a low, furious growl, Raikage glanced briefly at his subordinate hiding behind another stone pillar, then shot forward again, throwing a powerful punch toward Saitama.
Bang!
The stone pillar where Saitama stood moments ago shattered into rubble scattered across the ground.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures emerged from the clouds of dust and immediately clashed once more, exchanging blows in rapid succession.
"Chidori!"
Planting his feet firmly on the ground, Saitama crouched slightly and rushed forward like a spear.
Shhhk!
Instead of piercing through as expected, the Chidori stopped instantly upon contact with Raikage's abdomen, completely blocked by the layer of lightning armor.
"Unexpectedly solid!"
Saitama frowned slightly, clearly surprised his attack had no effect.
He tried pulling back, hoping to retreat and look for another opportunity—
But...
Swish!
Realizing the opening, Raikage immediately slammed both hands down onto Saitama's shoulders, locking him in place and preventing escape.
"Heh heh!"
Looking down at Saitama bent forward and trapped in his grip, Raikage smiled triumphantly.
Crackle! Pop!
Lightning erupted from his entire body, producing deafening sounds. His arm muscles twisted and coiled like ropes, bulging visibly with power.
Hoo!
Feeling himself lifted straight off the ground by Raikage, Saitama began struggling fiercely—but only for a moment, because Raikage's full-strength suppression left him no chance to escape. Helplessly watching himself seized and raised chest-high into the air.
Without giving Saitama a chance to retaliate, Raikage unleashed his move instantly.
"Yaah!! [Raikage Dan: Lightning Barrage]!"
Raikage's lower body gripped the ground firmly as he smashed Saitama—already lifted halfway into the air—straight down toward the earth. A torrent of lightning surged through his hands and slammed into Saitama.
Boom!!
The ground beneath Raikage's feet caved in, leaving behind a wide crater several meters in diameter.
Swish!
Yet despite landing his technique successfully, Raikage didn't smile. Instead, the moment he released Saitama, he immediately dodged sideways.
"Hmph? So he actually survived!"
Tarui quietly observed the scene. He noticed that Saitama, who had just taken a direct hit from Raikage's [Lightning Release – Raihoudan], had somehow managed to survive, activating a ninjutsu at the very last second.
"Susanoo. That must be what it is."
Tarui stared at the skeletal figure that had appeared beside Saitama, his brows tightening. The defensive power of this jutsu was unexpectedly strong—it had actually withstood Raikage's last move.
After all, up until now, no one had ever endured that attack head-on—except for Saitama Uchiha.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
After leaping back, Raikage landed lightly on the balls of his feet and continued sliding away.
In his field of vision, the Saitama he had smashed into the ground was now completely encased in skeletal armor, prompting him to momentarily retreat.
Crackle!
Saitama stood up and shook his head slightly. Raikage's earlier strike had hurt him. Although he activated Susanoo just in time, the intense shockwave still left him feeling slightly dizzy.
However, he didn't have much time to recover.
[Lightning Release - Black Lightning Pike!]
Saitama sensed a surge of chakra behind him. Tilting his body slightly to get a better view, he realized that Tarui—who had been waiting in reserve all this time—had launched an attack.
The assault came extremely suddenly, catching Saitama off guard right after being heavily damaged by Raikage.
Bang!
Massive waves of black lightning erupted from Tarui's body. Midair, they coalesced into the shape of a ferocious beast before surging forward and slamming into Saitama's Susanoo.
Zzzt!
"Huh?"
At first, Saitama wasn't concerned. He was confident Susanoo could block anything. But the moment the black lightning struck the skeletal frame, something felt off.
This black lightning pierced straight through like nothing, passing effortlessly through Susanoo and striking his real body directly.
"Oh no!"
Saitama's expression instantly changed.
And the penetration wasn't even the worst part.
If it were ordinary lightning, Saitama wouldn't have worried—he could easily counter it using his own Chidori Current.
But Tarui's black lightning was strange, possessing some bizarre properties. The moment it touched Saitama's body, it exploded outward violently.
Hiss! Hiss!
A sharp, searing pain shot through Saitama's body, freezing his movements for a brief moment.
"Damn it!"
"This sudden pain..."
Saitama held his chest, occasional black arcs flickering across his body. He was doing everything he could to wear down that strange black lightning, but the pain in every part of his body seemed to be magnified, causing him some temporary loss of control.
Enduring the unbearable agony, Saitama suddenly activated his Susano's power. The skeletal ribcage manifestation surged forth once more, upgrading as it became denser and more complete, quickly forming a full upper body.
Swish!
Controlling his Susano, Saitama swung his weapon toward Tarui. At the same time, he noticed Raikage, who had retreated earlier, charging forward again.
Boom!
The weapon formed entirely of lightning struck Tarui's body, sending him flying into a stone pillar.
"[Righteous Thunder Roaring Lightning Axe]!"
Bang!
Raikage kicked the newly 'upgraded' Susano, which only dented slightly before halting the attack, causing no harm to Saitama at its core.
Anticipating Raikage's strike, Saitama instantly raised his flame-edged blade with his left hand and slashed it across Raikage's body.
Crack!
It sounded like smacking a target—a dull, heavy smack.
Caught off guard by this blow, Raikage was smashed straight into the sky before crashing back down into the ground.
Huff!
Saitama exhaled deeply. A momentary lapse in concentration had cost him some hardship, so now he had only one thought.
Glancing around, he spotted Tarui emerging from the rubble of the stone pillar, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Without hesitation, Saitama immediately dispelled his Susano and swiftly rushed toward Tarui.
Tarui, who had ambushed him, clearly infuriated him. Ignoring the nearby Raikage, Saitama targeted the more distant Tarui instead.
"Watch out!"
Raikage leapt from the crater, seeing Saitama dissipate his Susano and charge directly at Tarui.
He pushed off the ground hard and hit the ground running after them, but the previous slash still pained him greatly, significantly slowing his start.
"Damn it."
Meanwhile, Tarui naturally sensed Saitama coming straight for him. His face paled, yet he knew there was no time to run.
Gritting his teeth, his hands formed rapid hand seals.
"[Water Release – Water Encampment Wall]!"
"[Lightning Release – Grateful Surge]!"
First came a torrential current crashing toward Saitama like a waterfall, followed by an infusion of lightning chakra into the water, multiplying its power!
Frowning, Saitama took a deep breath and forcefully exhaled from his chest.
"[Fire Release – Great Fireball]!"
Boom!
The Ninjutsu clashed violently, instantly creating a massive burst of steam that obscured both sides' vision.
However, this didn't stop Saitama at all.
Whoosh!
He dashed through the thick clouds of steam and confronted Tarui, who was trying to sneak away. The latter's expression froze—clearly not expecting Saitama to break through so quickly.
"Die!!"
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