Gento twisted sideways to dodge, but he was still half a beat too slow.
The Raikage's speed was simply too fast. His elbow brushed across Gento's shoulder with a dull thud.
Bang!
Gento staggered backward several steps, sharp pain shooting through his shoulder.
But the eight layers of Yaegaki armor had done their job.
That strike had been weakened by the vast majority of its force, with only a small portion reaching his body.
He glanced down and saw that the outermost three layers of armor had shattered, but the inner five layers remained intact.
Moreover, as chakra surged through his body, the shattered armor was slowly repairing itself automatically.
Gento rolled his shoulder and discovered he hadn't suffered any real injury at all.
A faint smile rose on his lips.
Seeing their clan head get hit, the distant Uchiha shinobi immediately wanted to rush forward.
However, Gento waved a hand behind him, signaling that he was fine.
The Raikage's expression turned grave as he shook his slightly numb hands.
If an ordinary person had been struck by that attack just now, they would definitely have been heavily injured!
Yet, even though he had clearly hit Gento's body, the man still looked unharmed.
And at the moment of contact, he had distinctly felt a strange layer of protection surrounding Gento.
His power had been weakened layer by layer by that defense, like a mud ox sinking into the sea.
Gento being unscathed absolutely had something to do with that protective layer!
"Again!"
The Raikage refused to accept it.
He didn't believe Gento could maintain such a powerful defense forever.
As long as he kept attacking relentlessly, that defense would inevitably shatter!
He charged forward once again, fists and kicks raining down toward Gento.
Gento accepted the challenge head-on as well, stepping forward to meet him.
The two became entangled in close combat, fists and kicks colliding endlessly with muffled impacts.
But very quickly, Gento was struck in the abdomen by one of the Raikage's punches and was forced backward again.
He steadied himself, wiped the corner of his mouth, and shook his head.
Whether in taijutsu combat experience or physical conditioning, there was still an enormous gap between himself and the Raikage.
Even with the enhancements from Yaegaki and the Fourth Gate of the Eight Gates, he could only barely avoid being instantly crushed.
Wanting to counterattack was still far from possible.
Gritting his teeth, he made a decision.
"Gate of Limit, open!"
The instant the Fifth Gate opened, Gento felt the life energy within his body begin pouring out frantically.
His skin became even redder, every muscle in his body trembling while bulging veins writhed like worms beneath the surface.
Intense pain spread through every limb and bone, as his muscles began tearing apart on a massive scale, capillaries ruptured, and blood seeped out from his pores.
With the strength of his current body, opening the Fifth Gate was still far too forced.
Nonetheless, he had already prepared for this.
Gento took a deep breath and began refining the Yang-Attribute Chakra within his body, guiding that life-filled energy toward every damaged part of himself.
The vitality brought by the Yang-Attribute Chakra rapidly began repairing the bodily damage caused by the Eight Gates.
Torn muscles healed, ruptured blood vessels repaired themselves, and damaged tissues regenerated.
Damage and restoration, the two forces formed a bizarre balance within his body.
Pain and comfort alternated back and forth, like heaven and hell intertwined.
Feeling the state of his body, Gento knew that opening the Fifth Gate was already his limit.
He could not open any more. Otherwise, the repair speed of his Yang-Attribute Chakra would no longer be able to keep up with the rate of destruction.
But the boost in power brought by the Fifth Gate was already enough to excite him.
As his limbs moved, his punches and kicks began carrying violent pressure waves.
Every punch he threw now produced the effect of an air cannon.
The air compressed into invisible shells and blasted into the distance.
Gento became exhilarated, battle intent igniting in his eyes.
This time, he actually took the initiative to attack the Raikage!
Seeing Gento attack proactively, a trace of surprise flashed through the Raikage's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by fighting spirit.
With a furious roar, golden Lightning Release chakra exploded across his body as he rushed forward like a bolt of lightning.
The two collided instantly!
The dull impacts of fists and kicks crashing together rang out continuously.
Every second, the two exchanged countless blows.
The air exploded with sonic booms, the ground shattered beneath their feet, and sand and stones flew wildly within a hundred-meter radius.
The Raikage's taijutsu was seasoned and refined. Every punch and kick carried power tempered through countless battles.
Facing Gento's assault, he showed no fear at all. Instead, the more he fought, the smoother his movements became.
As for Gento, although he possessed the boosts to speed, strength, and reaction granted by Yaegaki and the Eight Gates, his own taijutsu foundation was ultimately far too ordinary.
Previously, he had always relied on the Sharingan and system rewards to overwhelm his enemies.
Now that he was engaged in a pure taijutsu battle, his shortcomings were exposed completely.
His punches and kicks were fast, but the angles lacked cunning.
His footwork was swift, but the rhythm lacked fluidity.
His blocks were timely, but his skill at redirecting force was nearly nonexistent.
Even with the enhancements of Yaegaki and the Eight Gates, he could only barely keep up with the Raikage's combat rhythm, and from time to time he would still get struck because of his lack of experience.
Bang!
The Raikage slammed a punch into Gento's ribs, knocking him several steps sideways.
Gento let out a muffled grunt and glanced downward.
Cracks had appeared across the Yaegaki armor, but they quickly began repairing themselves.
He moved his body around and found that aside from a slight soreness, he still hadn't suffered any real damage.
"Again!"
An even fiercer battle intent ignited in Gento's eyes.
He charged forward again, this time deliberately slowing his speed to focus on observing the Raikage's movements.
The Raikage's punching style, footwork, shifts in center of gravity, methods of exerting force...
Every detail was recorded and analyzed by his Rinnegan.
Although his Sharingan had already evolved into the Rinnegan, the abilities of observation and copying still remained, and they had even been greatly enhanced.
The two sides continued their fierce battle, fighting until heaven and earth seemed to darken.
They fought from the open field to the edge of the forest, then from the forest edge back to the open field.
The surrounding trees were broken apart as deep craters were blasted into the ground.
Neither the Hidden Cloud nor the Uchiha shinobi made a move.
They stood far away within their respective camps, watching those two figures collide, separate, and collide again across the battlefield.
No one dared approach.
A battle of that level was beyond anything they could interfere with.
Even the strongest Jonin would only be shattered by the aftershocks if they rushed in.
Shisui looked at Gento's back, a trace of admiration flashing through his eyes.
He said to Itachi in a whisper:
"The clan head is using the Raikage as practice."
Itachi nodded, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly spinning.
"You can tell. The clan head is improving at an astonishing rate."
That was indeed the case.
Gento's taijutsu combat experience was improving rapidly throughout this prolonged battle.
From initially being utterly suppressed by the Raikage, to gradually being able to fight back, and finally occasionally landing one or two effective counterattacks.
The speed of his improvement was astonishing.
He was like a dried sponge thrown into water, frantically absorbing everything.
Every time he was hit, he memorized the Raikage's method of attack.
Every time he blocked, he adjusted his blocking posture.
Every time he counterattacked, he corrected the angle of his force.
The Rinnegan's copying ability, combined with the overwhelming regenerative power brought by Yang-Attribute Chakra, allowed him to continuously make mistakes, continuously correct himself, and continuously improve during this high-intensity battle.
The Raikage, who was fighting against him directly, could feel even more that Gento's strength was increasing.
And it was increasing through visible, step-by-step leaps!
From having absolutely no ability to fight back at the beginning, to now exchanging blows evenly, it had taken less than an hour!
---
If you want to support, please consider Patreon and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going! [Patreon.com/RedZTL]