At Konoha's East Gate, Ji swiftly eliminated the guards, then slung Kushina over his shoulder once more and activated his [Lightning Release to activate cellular activity], speeding away in an instant.
"Phase two of the mission is complete."
Kumogakure had divided this plan into three stages.
The first stage was to cause chaos in Konoha and capture the woman from the Uzumaki clan.
With Shen and the other sixteen members' assistance, this objective had already been achieved.
The second stage was to escape from Konoha safely.
Thanks to the Third Hokage mobilizing all Anbu forces, Ji managed to slip through a gap and complete this phase efficiently.
As for the third stage, it was to bring the unconscious target—Kushina—back to Kumogakure Village.
Ji was full of confidence. In terms of speed, aside from the Third Raikage, only those from his clan who had participated in the Uzumaki Village operation could possibly match him.
Even among the Yagami clan, those who also used the [Lightning Release to activate cellular activity] technique were slightly inferior to him.
He confidently claimed the title of the second fastest man in the shinobi world.
"Even if Konoha deploys their aircraft, I've already run this far—a distance even the Byakugan cannot detect." More than ten kilometers away from Konoha, Ji couldn't help but feel self-important.
A qualified ninja must never let their guard down at any time.
Therefore, despite his bloated confidence, he pushed himself to the limit, sprinting toward the Land of Lightning.
Near Konoha's North Gate, several pitch-black Hagoromo ships were parked.
"Emergency mission; clear the runway immediately," Xiang said as he and five Anbu entered one of the ships.
Taking the pilot's seat, the wireless earpiece on his ear rang just in time.
"Xiang, are you ready to depart?"
"Lord Third, another half minute please—we'll be airborne shortly after clearing the runway."
"Head east. Ji has nearly reached twenty kilometers outside the village," Shen interrupted the conversation.
"We must stop him at all costs! It will become complicated once he leaves the Land of Fire!" The Third Hokage's tone sounded impatient.
Issues concerning the Land of Fire should be resolved within its borders. If the situation spreads beyond, diplomatic spats will inevitably arise, potentially escalating into conflicts that might spark a war.
In this era of the Naruto world, not only did rival villages harbor hostility toward Konoha, but the Land of Fire's prosperity also lured many other nations.
All they needed was an excuse to launch a war aimed at seizing Konoha's revolutionary techniques.
"Old man Third, I'm going ahead—I'll pursue him faster. Make sure you catch up soon!" Shen decided to activate [Lightning Release to activate cellular activity] under his Lightning Nature Chakra Mode.
"No way! Once you use that technique, your body will suffer irreversible damage!" Nayou, standing beside him, knew injecting chakra while activating cells simultaneously would be extremely painful.
Shen gave her a confident smile: "I believe you guys will catch up in time."
The Third Hokage looked solemn. The state they were discussing was clearly the same one Qing had previously reported—an existence that surpassed the speed limits of ordinary ninja.
"I, as the current Hokage of Konoha, guarantee this—the Kumogakure ninja Ji will never leave the Land of Fire alive!"
"Thanks, old man Third." Shen, somewhat moved, immediately activated his Lightning Release cellular activation.
Nayou looked at him with concern. "I'll definitely keep up with you, so don't you dare slow down, Shen."
"I'm Shen Uchiha, the Konoha Troublemaker! Just wait for me—I'll throw a massive EDM Festival when I get back!"
Before the final word faded, Shen transformed into a dazzling flash and vanished from Nayou's sight.
Ji, who had fled more than twenty kilometers beyond Konoha, suddenly felt his entire body wrapped in an intense sense of danger.
"That's impossible—other than Lord Raikage, no one should be able to match my speed!"
"Don't underestimate Konoha!" At extreme velocity, Shen arrived behind Ji in the blink of an eye.
As Ji turned his head to look back, a sharp pain and numbness surged through his right arm.
"That's my arm?" Suspended midair, a severed limb told him everything about his condition instantly.
At a distance of three to four hundred meters, steam rose from Shen's skin as deep burns spread across its surface. His black trench coat had melted weirdly halfway, and even his black shoulder-length hair was singed six or seven parts out of ten.
The numbness from the lightning alone wouldn't have caused this level of damage. But the air friction from reaching near-supersonic speeds in seconds was simply too much for even an Uchiha's body to withstand.
"Forty percent burns across the skin, chakra and ocular power both nearly depleted," Shen endured excruciating pain while quickly forming hand seals, then condensing a [Pseudo Lightning Cutter] in his left palm.
Ji stopped running and suppressed his shock.
"If it weren't for this brat," he thought, convinced that having to carry Kushina the entire time had slowed him down.
Facing the menacing [Pseudo Lightning Cutter] ahead, Ji tensed defensively.
"Still has half his chakra, but only lost one arm." Judging from Shen's injuries, Ji thought he was just bluffing and couldn't really hurt him.
"I must finish him off now!" Ji tossed Kushina into the air and dashed forward at top speed.
In the span of a blink, a light-blue blur appeared before Shen's eyes.
"Never underestimate the Uchiha!" Roaring loudly, Shen shouted these words while channeling all his ocular power toward the enemy.
Sensing Shen's intent, Ji tightly shut his eyes and thrust forward his left hand surrounded by electricity.
"Thrust!"
"Don't underestimate the Uchiha—didn't I just tell you that?!" Gritting his teeth, Shen repeated himself while extending his [Pseudo Lightning Cutter] almost three meters.
A sharp wave of pain and numbness shot through Ji's right leg—he finally realized Shen had tricked him into closing his eyes earlier.
Only someone with the Yagami clan's extraordinary physical constitution could maintain the Lightning Release to activate cellular activity for an extended period.
In addition to the Raikage who have mastered the Lightning Release Armor throughout history, others can only gain improvements in speed and physical reaction.
"Kid, you're really ticking me off!" Ji charged forward furiously, risking the loss of his right leg.
While people consumed by rage are usually irrational, most ninja are an exception to that rule.
Ji kept his eyes tightly shut the entire time, giving Shen absolutely no opening.
Right now, he didn't even have the strength to fall backward.
The image of stabbing himself in the heart appeared in vivid detail before Shen's unusually active mind.
"It's truly unfortunate that I failed to protect this world."
He knew this level of trauma wouldn't be enough to awaken his Mangekyō.
Unless someone came right away to save Shen, this would surely become a matter of life and death.
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