A barren battlefield stretched across the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
Leading the charge were Darui and C, as the Cloud forces launched their assault against the Allied Shinobi Army.
"Darui, Uchiha Kenya hasn't shown himself for over a month, right? Could something have happened to him?"
Running at the front, C turned to Darui with a frown.
"I don't know," Darui replied, eyes narrowing. "But don't let your guard down. According to the intel, that guy's strength rivals the late Third Raikage. One careless slip, and you'll be sent straight to the afterlife."
C's role on the battlefield was crucial—his genjutsu expertise made him the best candidate to counter Kenya's illusions.
Of course, that assumed Kenya was even willing to engage.
But as Tutai had warned, even if Kenya was lying low for unknown reasons, he wouldn't remain absent for long.
—GAH!!!
A piercing shriek tore through the air.
The two Cloud elites froze mid-conversation, their expressions twisting in shock.
A blazing red lotus of green flame, wrapped in silver light, streaked overhead and detonated behind them.
—RUMBLE!!!
A towering pillar of silver fire roared upward, shaking the ground.
"Wh–what…?"
C's head jerked back like a broken puppet, his eyes wide and vacant.
All that remained behind them was a scorched crater, nothing else.
Only a few dozen Cloud shinobi survived—those who, like Darui and C, had been at the very front of the formation.
"Don't just stand there! Look ahead!"
Darui snapped them back to reality with a roar.
As they turned forward, their eyes fell on a lone figure at the head of the Allied Shinobi forces.
Uchiha Kenya.
He stood calmly with his right hand extended, a thin wisp of molten smoke still trailing from his palm.
There was no mistaking it—he was the one who had unleashed that devastating technique.
"Tch, a little off target," Kenya muttered with a faint chuckle. "A shame. I thought that move would wipe you all out."
He lowered his hand and smirked. "So, what now? Will you continue this fight… or run away again, like you did before?"
Though separated by miles, Kenya's voice carried unnaturally clear, as if whispered directly into their ears.
Meanwhile, the souls of the hundreds of Cloud shinobi annihilated by the Twin Lotus Blue Fire Pendant had already begun to flow into the Hōgyoku.
"…Amazing. He wiped out that many in an instant…"
The shinobi of the Three Great Villages who had witnessed the attack swallowed hard.
It was absurd. Terrifying.
If he had aimed that technique at their own allies, they would have been reduced to ashes just as easily.
Cold sweat ran down their backs as they whispered silent thanks that Kenya was, at least for now, on their side.
"Captain Darui! We should retreat!"
The few surviving Cloud Jōnin rushed to his side in panic.
"That guy's a monster!"
"He took out so many of us with just one attack—"
"We don't stand a chance! We have to retreat and inform Lord Raikage and Lord Bee!"
Veterans hardened by countless battles now trembled in fear. Yet, who could blame them? This was the same dread one felt when facing Killer Bee's Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Calm down!"
Darui's usual lazy expression was gone, replaced by grim resolve. His voice was firm.
"Retreat? Do you really think he'll let us turn our backs and run?"
The survivors froze at his words.
Darui continued, voice heavy: "You saw the range of that last attack. If we try to flee, he'll wipe us out with a single strike."
Clenching his teeth, Darui drew the great cleaver strapped to his back.
"Our only option is to close the distance. C, use your genjutsu to break through his illusions. We have to uncover the truth behind his power—and get word to Lord Raikage, even if it costs us our lives!"
"…Understood."
C's expression hardened as he nodded. "There's no escape. Since we've stepped onto this battlefield, we should already be prepared to die. Even if it costs us everything, we'll expose the true nature of his illusions!"
Their words ignited a fire in the other survivors. Fear gave way to determination, and one by one, the Cloud Jōnin drew their weapons, roaring as they charged toward an army hundreds of times their size.
"These guys are insane…"
Temari's eyes widened in disbelief.
Even knowing Kenya's overwhelming strength—and outnumbered so badly—they still dared to rush forward?
At Kenya's side, Ghost Lantern Mangetsu stepped forward, readying his blade.
"No need, Mangetsu."
Kenya raised a hand, smiling faintly.
Mangetsu froze mid-motion, then reluctantly eased his grip on the hilt.
Kenya took a leisurely step forward, his smile widening. "I admire your courage. And I know exactly what you're trying to do."
—SHING!
Kyōka Suigetsu gleamed in the sunlight as it left its sheath.
"Come, then. I'll give you the chance. Whether you can seize it… is up to you."
Darui, now within a hundred meters, scowled.
Never before had he been so thoroughly underestimated—it was an insult.
—CRACKLE!!!
Black lightning, the signature of the Third Raikage, flared around Darui's blade.
Despite his bulky frame, he moved with surprising speed. In the blink of an eye, he closed the hundred-meter gap, thundering down upon Kenya with a mighty slash.
—CLANG!
But instead of the expected explosion of force, a crisp ringing echoed like a bell.
The black lightning was scattered instantly, suppressed by Kenya's overwhelming spiritual pressure.
And there, at the heart of the clash, a single finger gently hooked Darui's blade.
With just one finger, Kenya had stopped him cold.
Suspended in midair, Darui's eyes widened in disbelief.
In that instant, a single thought consumed his mind—
If Lord Third Raikage were alive… could even he stop this strike with just one finger?