Apfelgeschoss(en)
And so, Shirō subtly manipulated his chakra as he moved alongside Might Dai toward Nakamura and the others.
After receiving the alert, Nakamura's group had already summoned the giant birds, and Shirō and Might Dai were heading straight for their location.
On the other side of the battlefield, since the Raikage had already decided to retreat, he allowed them to act freely. After all, the mission objective had not yet been lost.
In truth, the primary reason for his decision was the sheer number of Konoha geniuses present. Killing them here would inevitably provoke Konoha and could escalate into a full-scale war between the two nations—especially with certain figures more than willing to fan the flames.
At the same time, after exchanging blows with Might Dai, the Raikage had vaguely sensed danger. A faint premonition lingered in his mind—if they truly fought to the death, he might not emerge victorious.
Though he did not fully believe such a notion, caution won out in the end. Thus, he issued the order to retreat and deliberately turned a blind eye to Nakamura and the others summoning the giant birds.
To prevent any unforeseen complications, he even positioned himself at the rear, standing before A and the Kumogakure ninja, personally covering their withdrawal.
---
Meanwhile, Shirō quickened his pace slightly.
He was worried that Might Dai's Gate of Wonder would not last much longer—and even more concerned that his target might escape the effective range of his Noble Phantasm.
Before the Raikage's group had retreated far, Shirō and his team had already gathered beneath the giant bird. At that moment, Shirō's chakra had fully converged.
Hidden behind his back, his right hand suddenly clenched into a fist.
A black crossbow materialized in his grasp.
---
[The Arrow of Released Trust]
Rank: C
Type: Anti-Personnel Noble Phantasm
Range: 1–50 meters
Maximum Capture: 1 target
Apfelgeschossen.
Translated as "Shooting the Apple."
A legendary arrow that perfectly pierces an apple placed upon a son's head, fired from a crossbow by his father.
This arrow, released upon the son's absolute trust, will never miss.
It will certainly pierce its target.
When sublimated into a Noble Phantasm, this legend transcends skill and probability, interfering directly with causality itself—rendering the attack fundamentally unavoidable.
This was Shirō's trump card.
The Raikage could not block this arrow. Any defense would be meaningless before an attack rooted in causality itself.
However, the reason Shirō had not used it against A earlier was simple.
First, fully enraging the Raikage at that moment could have resulted in Might Dai's death.
Second—and more importantly—this Noble Phantasm might not be able to break A's defenses.
At present, A was lying on the ground. Firing from ground level at such an angle made execution extremely difficult. Even a "guaranteed hit" still required basic targeting—this Noble Phantasm could not simply be fired blindly and strike regardless of position.
That level of absurdity was far beyond what the current Shirō could project.
Moreover, the Arrow of Released Trust had a short effective range. It could not be fired from high altitude, making targets hidden in blind spots—like A—effectively untouchable.
Thus, the remaining options were clear.
The Raikage himself was out of the question—he would not be pierced.
As for the other jōnin…
There was no need.
To rescue this one individual, even the Raikage had personally intervened. Although A and Killer Bee were contributing factors, it still demonstrated just how important this mission was to Kumogakure.
Several Cloud jōnin had already died in the process.
Shirō could only unleash this Noble Phantasm once.
In this situation, the choice of target was self-evident.
---
After Projecting the Noble Phantasm, Shirō did not hesitate.
He raised the crossbow, aligned it with his target, and pulled the trigger while calling out its true name.
"The Arrow of Released Trust—Apfelgeschossen!"
"Uncle Might Dai! Retreat!"
Without waiting to witness the outcome, Shirō turned and leapt onto the giant bird. The instant both he and Might Dai landed, Nakamura's group activated the summon, and the bird surged skyward.
---
On the ground, the Raikage saw the incoming bolt.
He was not surprised.
From the beginning, he had been guarding against a sneak attack. Konoha had mobilized far too many people to simply abandon the mission.
If their positions were reversed, he would have done the same—eliminate the mission target outright after a failed capture.
Thus, when faced with the sudden strike, the Raikage remained calm.
Everything was proceeding within his expectations.
Unfortunately—
What Shirō had fired was not an ordinary projectile.
It was a Noble Phantasm bound by causality itself.
When the Raikage's right fist collided with the crossbow bolt, he believed it had ended there.
Then—
The world seemed to lose its color.
At the moment of contact, arcs of lightning-like light erupted from the point of impact.
The Raikage's pupils shrank in horror.
At some point he could not perceive, the bolt had already bypassed him—and was now heading straight for the Kumogakure ninja behind him.
It pierced through the man's skull without resistance.
As the bolt slowly dissipated, the Raikage felt a burning sensation scrape across his face.
Rage exploded within his chest.
With a furious roar, he stomped the ground, transforming into a streak of lightning as he charged straight toward Shirō and the others in the sky.
---
The hearts of everyone aboard the giant bird clenched.
Being shot down now would mean utter annihilation.
Everyone—except Shirō and Might Dai.
They had absolute confidence in the Eight Gates.
In the original story, Might Dai—by opening the Gate of Death—had single-handedly crippled the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
Those men were no ordinary shinobi. As the Hidden Mist's trump cards, each possessed strength at least on the level of elite jōnin.
To defeat them in an instant—
What did that say about Might Dai's true power?
Although Might Dai was not opening the Gate of Death now, his strength at this point already surpassed his canon counterpart.
Under Shirō's guidance—and with the aid of restorative tonics that reduced long-term bodily damage—Might Dai's physical limits had steadily expanded.
More importantly, inspired by Shirō, he had already begun conceptualizing techniques related to the Eight Gates.
One such prototype—
The precursor to Daytime Tiger.
At present, it existed only as a rough framework. No tiger-shaped shockwave. No perfected form.
Thus, it bore a far less majestic name.
---
Might Dai inhaled deeply.
He struck a stance atop the giant bird—
And leapt.
His right fist smashed forward.
"Sky Rocket!"
The air detonated.
Having expended all his remaining strength, Might Dai immediately fell out of the Gate of Wonder and landed heavily on the bird's back.
The Raikage, however, fared worse.
Though Sky Rocket could not truly injure him, he was airborne.
With no footing to stabilize himself, the Raikage was blasted straight down from the sky.
Shirō and his group did not look back.
They seized the moment to ascend even higher.
Because if the Raikage jumped again—
No one would be able to stop him.
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