The First Raikage A, the First Mizukage Byakuren, the First Tsuchikage Ishikawa, and the First Kazekage Retsuto.
In the current ninja world, there were only a handful who could force these four to unite in battle—aside from Yui Xuanyue, it would take only Senju Hashirama and, though absent, Uchiha Madara.
Xuanyue's mind flickered. Why does Madara never get this kind of attention?
Calm in the eye of the storm, he considered it. Their philosophies weren't so different—Madara had once shouted that Konoha should unify the ninja world through force—but no one ever tried to gang up on him.
Perhaps that's the perk of being inside the system, Xuanyue mused. Out there, if you slip up, the big brothers squash you. I've always been my own 'big brother'.
With that reflection, his gaze sharpened. Around him, Retsuto's wind blade, Ishikawa's double fists, A's relentless punches, and the true danger—Byakuren's water prison—all came into view.
Xuanyue's response was immediate.
"Chidori Style!"
A sharp, dazzling flash illuminated the four Kage. The cacophony of lightning resembled a thousand birds crying at once. Xuanyue's arms extended, releasing torrents of lightning that radiated outward, shielding him while sweeping across the battlefield.
The Kage had no time to react.
Ishikawa grunted underground, forced to release his paralyzed hands. Byakuren's water prison collapsed with a "pop" as electricity coursed through it, black smoke rising from his body. He barely flinched, his fists still moving at deadly speed.
Retsuto, though affected, relied on his wind chakra's natural counter to lightning. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, swinging his blade with unwavering determination.
Boom!
A shockwave tore through the air. Dust swirled, and a figure was launched backward like a cannonball, spinning violently before twisting midair.
Smack.
He landed heavily, carving a long trench into the earth. Xuanyue pulled his legs free of the mud and straightened, silver armor battered and torn, yet his aura remained intact. The fourfold attack had been formidable, especially Byakuren's water prison, but he had countered it in a single move.
Still, they were the Four Kage. Retsuto and A had left their mark, though steel-reinforced defenses dulled much of it. The battle continued.
No sooner had Xuanyue stripped off his damaged armor than A and Retsuto surged forward.
The fight raged with a violent beauty: wind's sharp swiftness, lightning's raw destructiveness, embodied by the First Kazekage and First Raikage. Xuanyue's mastery over all elements gave him versatility, yet in raw, singular chakra, they matched him closely. Seasoned by the Warring States, their combat experience was unparalleled. Physically, Xuanyue held no real edge.
But battles were never one-dimensional.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Xuanyue engaged A directly, trading blows in an all-out assault, his eyes catching the swift, almost phantom-like movement of Retsuto in his periphery.
Here he comes! Xuanyue's eyes narrowed.
A drew the enemy's focus head-on while Retsuto struck a lethal blow from the flank—a silent understanding born of countless joint battles. Xuanyue had lost to this tactic once before, but now it was time to turn the tables.
He let A attack, pivoting mid-motion to seize the advancing Retsuto. The wind Kage's expression remained calm; his attack, fueled by wind chakra, would always strike first. And it did.
Seeing the razor-sharp blade approach faster than his reaction, Xuanyue's fingers spread.
"Chidori Spear!"
In his study of lightning chakra, he had mastered variations of the Chidori. Few had ever forced him to show his full potential, but he knew the value of intelligence in battle. Now was the moment to harvest it.
A spear of lightning shot from his palm, piercing the air toward Retsuto at blinding speed.
Retsuto's face darkened. Though Xuanyue's intelligence indicated mastery over bloodline limits, little was known about his form-altering chakra techniques.
Retsuto assumed it was normal. No one could be studying jutsu from the womb… right?
Reality smacked him in the face.
Legendary ninja Orochimaru himself had marveled at the Chidori. Retsuto, understanding its potential, found himself ill-prepared. The lightning spear grazed his raised arm, narrowly missing his head.
Xuanyue, using the momentum from A's punch, twisted the spear in a horizontal arc, aiming to sever Retsuto's left arm.
Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!
Suddenly, countless water needles struck. Byakuren had finally intervened. The First Mizukage, renowned for his Water Style and sealing techniques, had infused each projectile with his signature seals.
Sealing techniques were chaotic, defying hierarchy; from ordinary ninjas to Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself, none could resist. Xuanyue, wary of hard-headed confrontation, abandoned Retsuto for a moment, leaping outward to evade.
Boom! Boom!
Byakuren, A, and a battered but persistent Retsuto pursued relentlessly. Xuanyue reached an open field. Even Ishikawa, finally stirring, joined the fray.
(End of Chapter)