At that moment, Yugito Nii tried to step in, but from within Kushina's body, eight adamantine chains suddenly burst forth, effortlessly binding the Two-Tails.
Itachi, who had already unleashed two Amaterasu, had blood dripping from his eyes. His staggering body proved that, because of his age, he could no longer bear such strain.
Shisui caught Itachi and instantly withdrew him from the battlefield of the Eight-Tails.
"This power is still too much for me to handle… sorry."
Itachi's voice carried helplessness; after all, not everyone had the same constitution as Yun.
Shisui smiled. "Don't worry. From the moment Kumo shinobis stepped into this trap, they no longer had any choice."
As his words fell, Shisui returned to the fight.
By now, the Raikage's body, cloaked in lightning chakra, was covered with Yun's black flames of Amaterasu.
But the Raikage ignored it. With the corner of his eye, he glanced at the black fire burning on him, then instantly flickered forward, charging straight at Jiraiya.
Catching only a shadow, Jiraiya had no time to care about the burning Eight-Tails. His hands flew through seals.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Three seals, three layers of earthen walls stacked one atop another to protect Jiraiya.
However-
Boom!
With a lightning-crackling hand chop, the Raikage shattered all three barriers in an instant.
"Heavy Current Burst!"
His fist slammed down! Off guard, Jiraiya was sent flying at once, his hastily summoned Needle Jizō only managing to soften the blow.
As the dust settled, Jiraiya slowly stood, staring at the black flames clinging to his hair.
Was this a fight to the death?
By borrowing Uchiha Yun's black flames, the Raikage had recklessly enhanced his own power. That black flame-infused lightning just now was terrifying.
Thinking so, Jiraiya pulled out a scroll.
"Sealing Technique: Fire Sealing Method!"
The scroll absorbed the black flames from his hair. This sight jolted Killer B, who had just escaped from the swamp of oil and fire.
"Bro! Use sealing jutsu!"
B's shout rang out, but the Fourth Raikage only shook his head. In a flash, he sped toward Kushina again.
But this time, Yun denied him his wish.
Boom!
A towering blue chakra giant erupted into being, its fist colliding head-on with the Raikage's.
The Raikage's lightning-wreathed fist exploded with even greater power, surpassing even Susanoo in its crow-tengu form.
Black fire and lightning intertwined, and in his all-out state, they seemed to undergo a frightening change.
Slashing through Susanoo, the Raikage's punch still drove straight for Kushina.
"Go!"
In an instant, Minato appeared, whisking Kushina away. With the adamantine chains gone, the Two-Tails was freed.
"Roooaaar!"
In fury, countless blue fireballs spewed from its mouth, flying toward Konoha's shinobi.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The scorched ground split apart, and the trees around burst into flames.
At that moment, Yun's Word of Fate wore off, and the pattern of his Mangekyō Sharingan began to spin.
'Kotodama'
In a blink, Yun appeared above Yugito's head.
Susanoo's crow-tengu form raised a massive blue chakra blade and brought it down.
Boom!
With a single strike, the Two-Tails was cut down. Yun's eyes flashed with Mangekyō's power once more.
'Amaterasu!'
Black flames engulfed Matatabi's body as the blue chakra blade struck again.
Boom!
The blast resounded as the Fourth Raikage intercepted the blow, vomiting blood laced with black fire.
Amaterasu had seeped through his Lightning Chakra Armor, burning him from within.
In such a state, the Raikage could not possibly survive.
From the first combination of Kotodama and Amaterasu, when there had been no escape, the Raikage already knew his fate.
That was why,
He had used Amaterasu's inextinguishable flames to bolster his own threat, staking his life to block everyone's advance.
Ignoring the black flames, the Raikage kicked Matatabi toward Killer B.
"Seal the black fire on the jinchūriki, and then take her and get the hell out of here!!"
With a roar, the Fourth Raikage turned back to Yun. "Uchiha brat, with that power of yours combined with those black flames, speed no longer matters!
"From here on, you'll be an even greater threat to Kumo. So today, before I die, I'll make sure you're buried here!"
As his words fell, the Raikage vanished. Even the Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't follow his movements.
Boom!
With one chop, he shattered Susanoo's crow-tengu form. Barely defending himself, Yun looked at the Raikage and shook his head.
"In this moment… Lord Raikage, when you once forced Konoha and tried to seize the Byakugan through despicable means, did you ever foresee this day?"
"Puuh!"
The Raikage coughed blood, the black fire clinging to it burning even Susanoo's armor.
"Heh… Having lived through war, I know the cost of my choices. But for the next great ninja war, if it spares Kumo lives, then Byakugan and all secret techniques are worth seizing!
"For the village, the death of a Kage can be accepted! Even as Raikage, if my death means the Kumo grows strong again, then it is worth it!"
Yun shook his head slightly. "But in the end, all your schemes failed. The Kumo loses, and Konoha suffers as well."
Crack!
Susanoo's armor shattered as the Raikage's hand chop broke through, striking for Yun's chest.
But in the next instant, all he saw was the pattern of Mangekyō Sharingan.
'Tsukuyomi!'
The black flames had already burned away the Eight-Tails chakra tentacle B had given him…
Inside the Tsukuyomi world.
The Fourth Raikage was bound to a wooden stake. Yun approached him slowly.
He didn't strike immediately, after all, seventy-two hours stretched before him.
"You won't live any longer. And here, there's no torment of Amaterasu's fire. Let's talk."
The Raikage knew Yun spoke the truth. The Kumo had lost, and as its Kage, so had he.
"What do you want to talk about?"
Yun sat cross-legged, thinking. "This war, for one."
"At the start, you used alliance as bait, with the Byakugan as your true goal. Under such an open scheme, Konoha had no choice: either fight, or sacrifice the Hyūga clan head."
"In that situation, I can see you were gambling, betting Konoha wouldn't risk war. But when the war began, you still had a chance to turn back."
"At that time, did you ever think of the Kumo's middle- and lower-ranked shinobi, or the common civilians?"
At this, the bound Raikage gave a mocking laugh.
"Tch… To ask such a foolish question. For someone with your kind of power, is this really all you are…?"
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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