Chapter 104: The Third Raikage Is Stunned
"Was it because he sensed the attack being blocked?"
Li Yao's eyes flickered slightly, speculating internally.
Just now, during the moment he was struck by the black lightning, he sensed that the burly man with terrifying chakra atop the giant eagle behind him was also emitting lightning that resembled the black lightning.
Li Yao suspected there must be some kind of sensory connection between the black lightning attacking him and the black lightning on the opponent's body—something he didn't understand.
It seemed the enemy could infer his position inside the Black Iron Giant Eagle by observing how the black lightning dispersed upon being blocked.
Then, by comparing with the clones, they could deduce where his real body was.
The key must be preventing the black lightning from hitting him.
"Is that how it works?"
Li Yao muttered to himself and then shook his head. He wasn't entirely sure of his guess.
Still... zzzzzz!
Looking at the black lightning forming in his own palm, Li Yao smiled faintly.
Black Lightning was indeed a high-quality Lightning Release chakra, different in its nature transformation compared to standard Lightning Release.
Black Lightning abandoned many traits typical of the lightning element—such as its flash or piercing nature—and instead maximized basic electrical attributes like current and paralysis.
Because of this, even just the transmission of the electrical current had hit Li Yao as if he'd been struck by high-voltage electricity.
If not for his Wood Release chakra and the Vajra Chains, he would have gone down from the very first hit.
It showed how terrifying Black Lightning was.
It also explained how unique its chakra transformation truly was.
Only after taking two full attacks had Li Yao managed to replicate and form the same Black Lightning chakra.
Boom!
Boom!
Now that his true body had been located, Li Yao once again dispelled his clones, reclaimed the chakra, and then created two new shadow clones with two Black Iron Eagles, fleeing again in three directions.
"Lightning Release: Black Spotted Thunder Serpent!"
The Third Raikage repeated his previous move, using Black Lightning to determine where Li Yao's real body was.
But this time, things didn't go as he expected.
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
The Third Raikage's eyes widened in disbelief. Damaokelisi and the others were equally shocked, unable to believe what they were seeing.
At this point, they were just over a kilometer away from Li Yao—close enough to see with the naked eye how he reacted to the Third Raikage's Black Lightning.
Each of the three Li Yao clones extended their right hands, gathering black lightning identical to the Third Raikage's to block the Black Spotted Thunder Serpent.
Seeing lightning exactly like the Raikage's coming from Li Yao's hands, Damaokelisi and the others were stunned.
"That guy... how is that even possible?"
The Third Raikage, usually composed and wise, now furrowed his brow deeply. His eyes were full of confusion and disbelief.
He was certain his self-created Black Lightning had never been taught to anyone else. No one in Kumogakure besides himself had ever learned this extremely powerful and specialized jutsu.
So why?
Why did an escaped experimental subject from Konoha know his Black Lightning?
Could someone in Konoha know this jutsu too?
Impossible.
If Konoha knew it, someone would have used it by now.
But if they didn't, where did Li Yao learn it from?
He couldn't have just learned it on the spot, right?
The Raikage shook his head. That was the most unlikely explanation.
Black Lightning's hand seal had been simplified down to a single seal, and its chakra nature transformation was something he had meticulously refined over time from his Lightning Chakra Mode.
Anyone who didn't know the origin of Black Lightning's seals—or didn't possess Lightning Chakra Mode—would never be able to replicate it, even with the Sharingan said to be capable of copying all ninjutsu.
"But... why?"
The Third Raikage still couldn't make sense of how Li Yao could use Black Lightning.
But at this point, it no longer mattered. Seeing Li Yao getting closer and closer atop the Black Iron Giant Eagle, the Raikage stopped wondering.
As long as he caught him, all questions would be answered.
At this moment, Li Yao was flying in three directions like an inverted arrowhead.
The Third Raikage and his summoning eagle remained on course, quickly closing in on the middle Li Yao.
"This is bad!"
Sensing the enemy's eagle enter within one kilometer of him, the Li Yao flying just slightly to the right grew tense.
Even though he had used the copied Black Lightning to confuse the enemy's sensory abilities, making it difficult for them to determine where his true body was—
That eagle was simply too fast!
Even though his clone was doing everything it could to flap the Black Iron Eagle's wings as fast as possible, it still couldn't outfly the enemy's summoning eagle.
That eagle had a massive chakra reserve, and it was wind-natured chakra. Even worse, it could cast Wind Release jutsu to aid its flight.
As it flew, a layer of wind swirled around its body.
This wind layer didn't just cancel out drag—it actively increased thrust, letting it fly even faster.
Against a supernatural creature like that—with chakra and Wind Release flight assistance—Li Yao's eagle, which relied on normal physics and eagle flight mechanics, had no chance of outrunning it.
No matter how much he increased the flap rate, he couldn't beat that kind of supernatural flight.
At this point, Li Yao could only hope the clones could stall long enough for his real body to gain more distance—only then could he shake off the Third Raikage.
Yes, Li Yao had already spotted the Kumogakure forehead protector on the Raikage's head through the clone's eyes.
Combined with the man's overwhelming Lightning chakra, he knew—this had to be the Third Raikage.
Realizing that, Li Yao immediately knew: he must not let the Third Raikage get close.
He wasn't afraid of a spellcaster-type like the Third Hokage—his Black Iron Chains and Vajra Seals had high resistance to jutsu.
But against someone like the Third Raikage, who had terrifying pinpoint strike power and insane speed, those resistances meant nothing.
It would all come down to whether the Raikage's attacks could break through the Black Iron Chains' defense.
And Li Yao... wasn't confident.
Still, that wasn't what he feared most about the Raikage.
It was the man's speed.
Once the Third Raikage got close and engaged him, Li Yao wouldn't be able to escape. Even shadow clones would be useless—the chakra-split clones would get swatted away instantly and wouldn't be able to help him disengage.
With that kind of speed, the Raikage alone could keep him pinned down.
And right now, the Raikage wasn't even alone.
Under these conditions, Li Yao absolutely could not fall to the ground.
If he did… he'd have no choice but to risk it all.
(END CHAPTER)
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