"Move quickly!"
Ai shouted in a low voice.
In an instant he transformed into a flash of lightning, colliding directly with the incoming blood-red streak. Two powerful chakra forces detonated inside the factory simultaneously.
Bang, bang, bang.
He and Ai exchanged punches and kicks in a rapid blur, launching into a taijutsu exchange immediately. The two Hidden Cloud Jonin on the side saw this and stopped what they were doing, preparing to flee.
They were uncertain how many Sand Village reinforcements might be arriving. Although a considerable amount of medicinal materials and finished medicines had not yet been sealed into scrolls, what they had already taken was a substantial harvest.
They did not want to push their luck further.
Lightning Release: Lightning Blade.
Bang.
Yuji's figure was struck by Ai's fierce lightning technique and sent flying, soaring into the air and crashing down at a distance. The crimson armor covering his body shattered in large pieces from the impact.
He shifted his position forcibly in midair and hit the ground. A trickle of fresh blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as he glared at the powerful young fighter opposite him.
This Lightning Release enhancement was genuinely formidable.
"Body augmentation at this level. His hardness and speed mean Blood Release cannot easily injure him."
As he opened his eyes and observed Ai's chakra movements with his doujutsu, he assessed the situation internally.
At this moment, Ai's golden hair stood on end like an enraged lion, radiating a powerful aura and intimidating pressure. In the original story, this special Lightning Release chakra form had allowed Ai to possess speed comparable to the Flying Thunder God Technique, beyond even what the Mangekyou Sharingan could track, fast enough to instantly dodge Amaterasu. Today, Yuji was witnessing it firsthand.
"His speed is slightly faster than mine, and his attack and defensive power is genuinely astonishing."
He activated the Reverse Cursed Technique to heal the internal injuries the impact had caused. Then he brought his hands together and a tidal wave of blood surged beneath his feet. Facing an opponent of this caliber, he was no longer holding anything back.
At the same time, Ai was also reassessing. He had struck with his most powerful attack and the result had not been what he expected. That level of resilience was not what an ordinary opponent displayed.
Even elite Jonin, when caught by his Lightning Blade, were severely injured or killed outright. This one seemed comparatively intact.
Bang.
With a wave of his hand, a terrifying tide of blood surged outward and sealed the factory opening, condensing into a thick blood-red wall. The remaining blood transformed into dense crimson arrows and launched like a rain of projectiles toward the two Hidden Cloud Jonin who were attempting to flee.
One of them, trying to dodge, was instantly caught by a genjutsu trigger and froze in place. Unable to move.
Seeing the blood-red light about to pierce through his companion, Ai reappeared instantly, gathering Lightning Release chakra into his hand and forming a chakra longsword. He swung wildly, shattering every incoming blood projectile in a single motion.
When he looked up, the area directly ahead of him was empty.
"Not good!"
Ai spun around, his expression changing drastically.
His companion's body had been severed. The severed head was held in Yuji's hand.
"Go!"
Ai reacted immediately, grabbing the remaining Hidden Cloud ninja behind him and bursting out of the factory at full speed. He had no intention of continuing this fight. He had recognized clearly that this young man's strength was far from a joke.
If he stayed, he could not guarantee the survival of the companion he still had.
Boom.
Like a charging bull, Ai drove through Yuji's solidified blood wall with terrifying speed and force, tearing a hole through it and carrying his companion out with him.
Yuji gave chase immediately. He was not about to let them escape cleanly.
Ai moved at full speed and rejoined the Third Raikage on the other side of the village. At this point, the Third Raikage had nearly dealt with the Sand Village forces under Chiyo's command.
Only a handful of Sand Village members with any remaining fighting capacity were still standing. Chiyo herself was injured.
Fighting essentially alone for this long had depleted her considerably.
Seeing Ai return, the Third Raikage understood immediately that something had changed.
"It went worse than expected," Ai said in a low voice the moment he arrived.
"Did you get what we came for?" the Third Raikage asked, his expression flat.
"Only a portion of it," Ai replied.
The Third Raikage's face fell.
He knew his son's strength. The fact that the operation had been interrupted was enough to tell him that Blood Doctor Yuji was even more difficult to deal with than he had anticipated. Even Ai had felt genuine danger and pressure.
"Should we wait for the others?" Ai asked directly, ignoring the remaining Sand Village members nearby.
They were clearly preparing to retreat. But the entire Hidden Cloud Village elite squad had now been reduced to just the three of them. The fate of the others was unknown.
"Go," the Raikage said decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
The other Hidden Cloud members had not returned. Most had likely encountered serious misfortune. Even if some were still alive, the Raikage had no intention of mounting a rescue.
The appearance of Blood Doctor Yuji had sent a very clear and dangerous signal. Even if he had come ahead alone as a vanguard, other Sand Village forces could be converging on the village.
Once they were stopped, the outcome was unpredictable.
Without another glance at Chiyo and the surviving Sand Village members, the two of them moved to leave.
Then, without any warning, the body of the Hidden Cloud ninja beside them suddenly began to swell and expand. A second later, it exploded into shredded flesh.
Ai instantly grabbed the backpack containing the sealed scroll and leaped clear. His expression was one of genuine shock.
His companion had already dispelled the enemy genjutsu before. They were a senior Hidden Cloud ninja. How was it possible that genjutsu had reached them again?
He turned around and saw Yuji standing not far away.
"That fast!"
Ai's expression turned serious. He had moved at full speed and still had not been able to completely escape, falling behind by a considerable margin.
"Father, be careful," Ai said after landing, rising slowly from one knee, his face cold. "His combat ability is not simple. His physical strength and taijutsu proficiency are also extremely high."
"Noted," the Raikage said.
"This little devil," the Third Raikage muttered, assessing Yuji with sharp eyes.
"Yuji."
"Yuji!"
On the other side, Chiyo and the remaining Sand Village members saw him and their expressions shifted to relief.
"Take Lady Chiyo away first," Yuji said without expression, issuing the order to the surviving Sand Village ninja around her.
"Huh?"
Hearing the order Yuji had just given, the Third Raikage curled his lips into a ferociously amused smile.
What did this young brat mean? Did he actually think he could handle both of them alone? The Raikage was being looked down upon by a brat.
Interesting.
Judging from the current situation, joining forces with Chiyo and the remaining Sand Village members would have been the strategically sound choice. Together they might have been able to put up a genuine fight against the two of them.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
Several Sand Village ninja looked toward Chiyo. She had not originally intended to leave the younger one to face the Third Raikage alone. But looking at Yuji's expression, the serious and utterly composed demeanor he was projecting, so unlike the person she had known through the years, as if he had become someone different entirely in this moment, she made her decision.
They quickly retreated to deal with the aftermath of the attack on the village.
That work was equally important and could not wait.
"I genuinely admire your courage."
The Raikage stared at Yuji with intense eyes and praised him without reservation.
"I originally thought that after the Sand Village lost its Third Kazekage, given your village's internal situation, finding a worthy successor would be extremely difficult. But you are not bad."
"If you were from our Cloud Village, with the bearing you are showing right now, I might consider naming you the next Raikage."
"Unfortunately, you are from the Sand Village. If you die today, I think your Sand Village will no longer deserve to be counted among the Five Great Ninja Villages. Not after losing both the Third Kazekage and you."
"Enough of the talk," Yuji said, his expression cold and flat.
"This time, with the Great Ninja War erupting, although the Cloud Village and the Sand Village had no formal agreement, there was a tacit understanding between us. Since you, Raikage, have shown this level of disrespect, this action against our village will certainly be answered for."
"Hmph."
The Raikage heard these words and responded with open disdain, as though listening to someone trying to threaten the wind.
Then, as if by some unspoken signal, the two of them moved simultaneously. Not toward Yuji, but directly outward toward the edge of the village, breaking for the open desert.
Yuji was not surprised at all.
He raised the Military Music Dream and played a single passage. His body responded immediately, as though catalyzed by the sound.
The self-hypnotic effect of the military music strengthened his will and his physical constitution simultaneously, amplifying his physical strength to a further degree. His entire body seemed to expand slightly, the Blood Release armor thickening and his presence intensifying.
Then he returned the ninja tool to the system, exchanging it for experience points.
He deployed Blood Release and gave chase.
The Third Raikage and Ai appeared to be certain that a single opponent would not dare pursue them. With their speed, escaping the Sand Village should have been effortless.
But Yuji had not given up on stopping them. If this situation spread without consequence, the Sand Village would have no dignity left to show in the ninja world.
In the original story, the Hidden Cloud Village had also taken advantage of the broader wartime chaos to simultaneously attack the Sand Village, though without the Raikage's personal involvement.
Rasa had led the village's defenses and barely held them together. Without that, the Sand Village would likely have been effectively knocked out of the Third Great Ninja War entirely. Looking at the war as a whole, the Sand Village's situation had been even more precarious than during the Second War, almost constantly on the defensive.
The current situation illustrated that difference sharply.
Because of the butterfly effect, the Third Raikage had personally led the Cloud Village's elite squad in a precisely planned strike.
But this Great Ninja War was also the most crucial moment for changing the Sand Village's standing and image in the wider ninja world. With him present, it was absolutely impossible for the Sand Village to fall into the same predicament again.
He was prepared to fight to the death if necessary.
Whoosh.
The Raikage and Ai's speed was extraordinary, like two laser beams cutting across the desert. Within a few breaths, they had moved an enormous distance.
"Huh?"
They had not gone far when they realized someone was still behind them.
"His speed is even faster than before!" Ai's expression changed.
What was happening? The opponent's Blood Release was producing explosive output comparable to their Lightning Release Taijutsu?
In every previous confrontation, Yuji had always been slightly slower than Ai, yet somehow always managed to land a blow. At this distance and this pace, it did not appear they could shake him off.
"He actually dared to chase after us."
What surprised Ai even more was the sheer audacity of it. One against two. No matter how one looked at it, the opponent had no realistic path to victory. This was a certain death situation.
"To protect the village's dignity," the Third Raikage said calmly. "I did not expect the Sand Village to produce someone this stubborn."
"As a ninja, his loyalty is commendable. But he is still too young."
This was actually worse, in one sense, than if Yuji had not come at all. With this young man's strength and talent, he genuinely deserved the title of Kazekage.
If given time to fully mature, even the Raikage would not dare underestimate him, and even now he already made the Raikage genuinely wary. But unfortunately, he had acted too impulsively.
If there was an opportunity to eliminate the Sand Village's future Kazekage this conveniently, the Raikage was absolutely not going to pass it up.
Ai understood without needing the words spelled out.
"Find a place and finish him."
"Understood."
...
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