Chapter 115: Negotiation, Ambush by the Three Kage
"You think you can run? Did you ask me first?"
At that moment, Ling Yu's voice rang out from above the Third Raikage.
By now he had completely absorbed the chakra of the Four-Tails that Kushina had beaten half to death. After sending Kushina back to stay with Mikoto and Konan, he set his sights on the last remaining tailed beast on the battlefield—the Eight-Tails.
After sensing the Eight-Tails' location, Ling Yu directly used Space Power and instantly appeared in the sky above the Eight-Tails jinchūriki and the Third Raikage.
Having been tricked once by the Eight-Tails Gyūki, Ling Yu kept his Observation Haki fully active this time—he absolutely would not let the Eight-Tails escape again.
"Eight-Tails jinchūriki, come here to me!"
With that, Ling Yu activated the first stage of Susanoo. A golden skeletal giant hand emerged around him and reached down toward the Eight-Tails jinchūriki.
"Senju Ling Yu!"
The Third Raikage roared loudly. Blue Lightning chakra instantly enveloped his entire body. Carrying Fukai (the Eight-Tails jinchūriki), he dodged Ling Yu's grasp at lightning speed and pulled away from him.
"You're yelling so loudly for what? My ears are about to go deaf."
Ling Yu lightly tapped the side of his head a couple of times. The Third Raikage's lion-like roar from earlier had made his head buzz.
"Hmph! Senju Ling Yu, why are you so obsessed with tailed beasts? You've already absorbed two of them—what exactly do you want?!"
The Third Raikage shielded Fukai behind him and shouted at Ling Yu.
He completely ignored Ling Yu's actions and instead felt a little smug. If he could have directly shocked Ling Yu to death with that roar, he would have been delighted.
Unfortunately, that was impossible. Not to mention Ling Yu had only been caught off guard—there wasn't even a scratch. Even if the roar had been dozens or hundreds of times stronger, it still couldn't have killed Ling Yu.
"My purpose? Shouldn't you already be able to guess it? Since you all fear tailed beasts and are terrified of the disasters they could bring to your villages, I'll kindly help you solve the tailed beast problem once and for all. Shouldn't you be happy about that?"
Ling Yu put on an expression as though he was doing them a favor. First he used Wood Release to grow a thick pillar from the ground, then at the top he created a domineering dragon-head throne.
Like a monarch, Ling Yu sat on the throne, looking down at the Third Raikage from on high as he explained his purpose in the most arrogant manner possible.
He wasn't in a hurry to kill them anyway. The only tailed beast left on the battlefield was the Eight-Tails—there was no way it could escape under his watch. Meanwhile, his clones were steadily slaughtering the four-nation ninja forces. No matter how you looked at it, they held the absolute advantage.
"Hah… doing us a favor? Don't you know how many ninja you've slaughtered on this battlefield? And you talk about helping us? How ridiculous."
The Third Raikage seemed to be stalling for time as well. He clenched his fist tightly. Though unwilling in his heart, he still responded coldly, continuing the argument with Ling Yu.
"How about we make a deal then?" Ling Yu suddenly grinned and invited him.
The Third Raikage's little tricks were completely transparent to Ling Yu. With Observation Haki fully deployed, nothing could escape his perception. Trying such childish ploys against him—how unimaginative.
"What deal? What do you want from me?"
The Third Raikage continued stalling, pretending to be tempted as he asked.
"The deal is very simple. Hand over the Eight-Tails to me, and I'll let all you Cloud ninja leave. Afterward, your Hidden Cloud Village won't have to surrender—just pay Konoha some reparations. Trust me—even Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't dare say anything. How about it? Sounds fair, right?"
Ling Yu pointed at the Eight-Tails jinchūriki—Fukai—behind the Third Raikage and spoke as though he were being extremely generous.
On the surface, this deal seemed like an enormous profit for the Cloud ninja. But for a village leader—especially one as loyal and honorable as the Third Raikage—this was nothing less than an insult.
As the Third Raikage, the strongest Kage-level ninja of the Hidden Cloud, and the leader of an entire village—how could he possibly sell out his own subordinate? If he couldn't even protect his own people, how could he ever earn their loyalty again? How could he call himself a worthy Raikage?
"I… you…"
The Third Raikage turned his head and looked at Fukai behind him. His face darkened. His body trembled violently. The blue chakra armor covering him surged wildly, blue-white lightning crackling across its surface as though it were about to burst outward.
"Oh?"
Ling Yu raised an eyebrow, seemingly waiting for his answer. But secretly, he began gathering chakra, ready to strike at any moment.
"Go to hell with your deal!"
After more than ten seconds of silence, the Third Raikage finally raised his head. He gritted his teeth so hard his facial features twisted together. Like an enraged lion, he roared:
"Now! Attack!"
With a furious shout, the Third Raikage exploded forward. He shattered the ground beneath his feet and charged toward Ling Yu on the throne like a rocket, left hand raised.
"Hell Stab – One Finger Hand!"
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Spindle!"
"Tailed Beast Ball!"
Following the Third Raikage's attack, Ling Yu's figure was suddenly engulfed in a white barrier. Then from behind him, an iron sand spindle spun at supersonic speed and shot toward his body.
At the same time, Fukai had transformed into the Eight-Tails and instantly unleashed a massive Tailed Beast Ball straight at Ling Yu.
BOOM—BOOM—
Ling Yu's throne was instantly swallowed by the combined ultimate techniques of several Kage-level fighters and the Eight-Tails. A deafening explosion erupted. The overlapping ninjutsu blasts created thick smoke that completely obscured Ling Yu's figure—making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
"Phew… phew… Senju Ling Yu should be dead now, right?"
Ōnoki—who had continuously unleashed several major techniques—had expended more than half his chakra. Floating in the air, he panted heavily.
"He should be dead. With so many powerful techniques hitting him at once, there's no way he survived. I'll go check."
The Third Kazekage also looked exhausted. Slowly flapping his iron sand wings, he flew toward Ling Yu's position, wanting to see the situation clearly.
Whoosh.
But before he could get close, a humanoid figure shot out from the black smoke at terrifying speed and slammed into him, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the ground.
"What the hell is this thing… so heavy… almost crushed me…"
Pushing the heavy object off himself, the Third Kazekage wanted to see what had hit him. But when he clearly saw the face of the object, he let out a shocked cry.
"No… impossible!"
The thing that had flown out of the smoke and crushed him was the unconscious Third Raikage.
Right now, the Third Raikage's left arm was completely gone—reduced to mangled pulp. Blood still dripped from the severed stump. His eyes were tightly shut, but his faint breathing proved he was still alive—gravely wounded and on the verge of death.
"Heh… so many people ganging up on me. Did you really think I was blind? You underestimate me way too much!"
Ling Yu's devilish voice echoed across the battlefield. The smoke had already cleared. He sat unharmed on his throne with Rinnegan eyes open, looking down at them from on high.
"Mere dust… not even worth half a strike from me."
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