"Lightning Level!"
Raikage Arai's right hand instantly transformed into a blade of chakra. Violent lightning surged, and with a sharp, cutting motion, even the air around him warped under its pressure.
"Break through it!" Arai roared.
His hand blade struck Susanoo with a speed faster than sound.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blue lightning exploded wildly, overwhelming the senses.
In just a few seconds, the two exchanged more than a dozen fierce blows.
Yet, despite Arai's relentless assault, Uchiha Kenji's Susanoo remained completely unshaken.
"This is insane..."
The Kumo shinobi turned pale at the sight.
If even Arai, known for his unmatched power and speed, couldn't pierce this defense—then who could?
"We've been playing long enough. Now it's my turn to attack," Kenji said with a faint smile, staring at the recovering Arai.
Arai's expression darkened, lightning crackling all over his body. He growled:
"Maybe I can't break your defense, but you can't keep up with my speed. Let's see who lasts longer."
"Ah… so that's what you're counting on?" Kenji smirked.
"Unfortunately, you've made the wrong calculation."
"Amaterasu!"
Kenji's Nine-Tomoe Sharingan spun abruptly. A sudden and overwhelming sense of dread gripped Arai's heart.
"Brother! Watch out!" shouted Killer B.
A massive octopus tentacle wrapped tightly around Arai, yanking him back.
But before he could fully react, black flames erupted, engulfing the area.
They surged like a tide, radiating a heat so intense that the battlefield's temperature spiked instantly.
Most terrifying of all was their speed. In a blink, the flames had spread across the entire length of the Hachibi's tentacle.
"Is that Fire Style?"
"Quick—use Water Style to put it out!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A Kumo shinobi skilled in Suiton quickly formed hand seals. Moisture gathered from the air, and a massive dragon of water shot forward.
Boom!
The water dragon shattered upon contact. Steam hissed into the air as the black flames burned even fiercer.
The scene left everyone horrified.
"This fire... it can't be extinguished!" a Kumo ninja exclaimed.
"Gyuuki!" roared the Eight-Tails, his chakra surging violently into the sky.
Kenji watched, a glint of envy in his eyes.
"Having a tailed beast really is a luxury..."
"Stay calm, Hachi!" Killer B urged.
But before he could regain control, Kenji's Mangekyō Sharingan rotated again.
"Tsukuyomi."
Killer B's world spiraled.
The sky turned blood red, and hundreds of spinning Nine-Tomoe Sharingan appeared above.
He found himself crucified, unable to move, surrounded by a horde of identical figures—all with his face.
Each figure drew a red-bladed weapon and advanced.
In the next instant, they stabbed him all at once.
"Aaaaaahhh!"
His scream tore through the illusionary space—but in the real world, only an instant had passed.
Watching Killer B suddenly freeze, Arai's face twisted in alarm.
"It's Genjutsu!"
"Lord Arai! You must sever the Eight-Tails' tentacle or the black flames will consume Lord B!"
Without hesitation, Arai focused lightning into his right hand and cleaved the burning tentacle.
Green chakra-infused blood sprayed into the air, and the severed tentacle hit the ground—only to be swallowed instantly by the black flames.
Even the shinobi of Konoha shuddered at the sight.
"Dispel the illusion!" Arai barked, forming seals one after another.
But after seven or eight attempts, Killer B remained motionless—his consciousness trapped in Tsukuyomi.
"What's happening?!"
"Even with everything we know from the Kurama and Uchiha clans, we can't break it!"
Panic began to spread among the Kumo forces.
Kenji's Kirin had already wiped out hundreds of elite shinobi.
They had believed the Arai-B duo would turn the tide—but Kenji had shattered all expectations.
"There's only one solution left," Arai muttered grimly.
"Either we kill the caster, or we use chakra even greater than the target's to shock him awake."
But after seeing Kenji protected by Susanoo, the first option was out of the question.
As for the second—Arai wasn't confident in overpowering a Jinchūriki like Killer B, even with his strength.
"What now? Hesitating?" Kenji asked with a calm smile.
"It's simple. Just stay away from me—the caster—and the illusion will break naturally."
Tsukuyomi is one of the most powerful Genjutsu in existence. Its duration depends on the user's eye power.
Even Kakashi, despite his resistance, had fallen unconscious for a week after being caught in Itachi's Tsukuyomi.
"Of course," Kenji added, his smile deepening, "I won't let you go that easily."
Arai clenched his fists.
"Don't get cocky, boy. I've seen through all your tricks."
"I can't hurt you—but you can't kill me either."
"You're right." Kenji nodded calmly.
"That's why I'm offering you a deal."
"Teach me your Lightning Chakra Mode—and I'll release the illusion."
"Oh, and one more thing... inside this illusion, a single second could feel like days... or weeks."
The faces of everyone present—both Kumo and Konoha—changed dramatically.
Even Arai was stunned.
"Lord Arai! You must not share this technique!"
"It's a forbidden art of our village. If Konoha gets their hands on it, it could tip the balance of power."
"We are shinobi of the Hidden Cloud! We do not fear death, nor do we surrender!