Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Great Vacuum Orbs—razor-sharp, high-pressure spheres of compressed wind—shot toward him in rapid succession.
In response, a layer of crackling lightning erupted around Yuan's body, forming a cloak of chakra.
He had derived this technique after fighting the Third Raikage, piecing together traces of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode through sheer sensory intuition.
Though not the true Cloud Village technique, it was close—very close.
With both hands shaped like blades, Yuan struck.
Slice—slice—slice!
Each Vacuum Orb detonated the moment his lightning-coated hands met them.
Ahead, an old, moss-covered torii gate stood alone in the wilderness.
Yuan soared upward like a hawk and landed on its top beam, gazing down upon Danzō and his two subordinates with icy arrogance.
"Well now… what a delightful surprise," he said with a mocking smile.
"Didn't expect to run into you here—one-eyed old dog of Konoha, Danzō."
"You—!"
Fū and Torune burst into fury at once, and both moved to attack.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Fū formed a seal instantly, locking onto Yuan.
At the same moment, Torune flickered above Yuan's head, releasing a thread-thin black line of nano-poisoned insects toward him.
But—
Fū suddenly convulsed, dropping to one knee, blood spilling from his eyes and nose.
Danzō's expression hardened.
"Fū? What happened!?"
Fū trembled.
"D-Danzō-sama… my secret technique failed. The moment my consciousness entered his body… it was crushed."
Yuan stared down at Fū indifferently.
His soul—tempered since his very rebirth—was leagues beyond that of a normal shinobi.
Upon entering Yuan's mind, Fū's consciousness never made it past the outer barrier of his spiritual world. It was simply obliterated.
Yuan's eyes shifted—cold, sharp—toward Torune.
The two of them worked in perfect tandem; had Fū succeeded in controlling Yuan even for a fraction of a second, his lightning armor would've faltered.
Torune would have seized the opening, driving his nano-poison insects into Yuan's body, ending him immediately.
But now—
Fū had failed.
Torune's insects were blocked by the lightning cloak.
Yuan clenched his fist—
—and threw a punch that tore through the air like thunder.
Torune's body exploded into a puff of black smoke.
A split second later, the real Torune reappeared tens of meters away.
"A bug clone, huh?" Yuan praised, smirking.
"Not bad. You even managed to swap it in with a Substitution Technique at the last moment."
Torune flickered to Danzō's side, eyes narrowed.
Danzō studied Yuan, voice cold:
"You can use a Lightning Chakra Cloak.
Are you a Cloud shinobi?
What business would a Kumo ninja have all the way here in the Land of Rain?"
Yuan sneered openly.
"Old dog Danzō, you think I'd tell you anything about my village's mission?"
He let his lightning flare brighter.
"Running into you on my way back is just my lucky day. When I take your head, the Raikage-sama will be pleased."
It felt… satisfying.
Insulting Danzō to his face, while disguised as a Cloud ninja, was a pleasure Yuan had never expected to enjoy so much.
This man—Konoha's adviser, the shadow behind countless tragedies, the so-called "Darkness of the Shinobi World"—was feared by all.
Even the Daimyō of the Land of Fire lowered his voice around him.
But now, Yuan ridiculed him as if he were nothing.
Danzō's expression barely moved, but the killing intent leaking from his eye was unmistakable.
"Many have tried to kill me," he said coolly.
"None have succeeded.
Tell me your name, Cloud rat."
Yuan laughed loudly, lightning exploding around him.
"You'll learn it in Hell, old dog."
He vanished in a thunderclap.
Fū and Torune barely registered the blur before Yuan arrived—
and his fist smashed into both of them like a charging beast, sending them flying.
Danzō's blade flashed.
Clang!
His katana met Yuan's fist head-on.
The collision blasted out a shockwave, and Danzō used the recoil to flip backward, landing atop a nearby tree.
Fū finished weaving a set of seals.
Earth Release: Earthen Spike Barrage!
Jagged spires erupted from the ground, stabbing toward Yuan.
Yuan didn't dodge—
he simply charged straight through.
His lightning-coated arms shattered the spikes as if they were paper.
Danzō opened his mouth.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave."
A slicing gust struck Yuan head-on.
He crossed his arms, but the impact drove him sliding several meters backward.
A tear appeared across his lightning cloak—
and shallow cuts streaked across his forearms.
He clicked his tongue.
I underestimated him. The old dog does have some bite left.
Then—
His senses rang sharply.
Yuan leapt away just in time.
The ground where he stood instantly turned black, and Torune materialized from a cloud of roiling insects.
Torune and Fū shifted back into position, flanking Danzō.
Torune spoke grimly.
"Danzō-sama… this man is extremely dangerous."
Danzō glanced at Fū.
"Can you still fight?"
Fū wiped the blood from his face.
"Y-yes, Danzō-sama. I can continue."
Yuan touched down lightly.
Thunder roared around him as lightning erupted outward in a blinding flash.
Crack!!
The ground beneath his feet shattered—
—and he launched forward like a cannonball.
Lightning Release: Lariat!
Lightning Ox-Horn Cutter
Imitating the Third Raikage, Yuan drove his elbow forward in a devastating charge.
Danzō, still keeping one hand sealed, opened his mouth—
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
BOOOOM!!!
A violent storm of wind tore through the forest, uprooting and hurling trees into the air.
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