The explosion didn't last long before it stopped, the strong impact blowing up the surrounding snow, turning it into countless snowflakes scattering in the air. There was a large crater at the site of the explosion, where the Third Raikage knelt, his body still covered in Lightning Release Armor. He seemed unharmed, merely shaking his head to clear his slightly dizzy mind.
—Did it work?
This thought was the first to surface in the Third Raikage's mind. He had long been waiting for an opportunity to get close to Fumori Masaki, to unleash the high-level Fire Release nature transformation he had painstakingly cultivated. With Fumori Masaki's powerful Wind Release, a strong impact would easily occur, triggering an explosion at close range.
With the Third Raikage's robust body and the protection of his Lightning Release Armor, he naturally wasn't afraid of an explosion of this magnitude. But Fumori Masaki was different. Even if Fumori Masaki possessed powerful armor-piercing attack capabilities, his physical strength hadn't reached a level where he could withstand such an explosion.
The Third Raikage looked up and immediately saw Fumori Masaki not far away. He had explosion marks all over his body; the wounds weren't deep, and although they looked bloody, they were probably just superficial injuries. At most, his internal organs might have suffered some damage from the explosion's impact, but it shouldn't affect his mobility.
"I'm a bit surprised. I remember during the first joint Chunin Exam, one of your Cloud Village genin used this tactic, didn't they?"Fumori Masaki said.
"Ah, this method is the simplest and most direct. However, it can only be used when you're close. From a distance, with my level of Fire Release, I wouldn't dare to show off in front of you," the Third Raikage replied.
The Third Raikage understood that even though his Fire Release countered Wind Release, if the distance was too great, it would be exploited by Fumori Masaki's astonishing Wind Release. The counter-relationship between Wind and Fire chakra natures was inherently mutual; only at close range could Fumori Masaki be denied any chance to counter.
"Indeed. Although I want to say that the only reason I survived this suicidal tactic was because I sent the explosion into the sky at the critical moment, only I could have saved my life. You, on the other hand, would probably be fine even if you took the full force of it,"Fumori Masaki said.
He said this because Fumori Masaki suddenly recalled the battle between Uchiha Obito and Konan. Konan, with a resolve to die, used herself as bait, embedding explosive tags within her Paper Release. If Uchiha Obito hadn't kept the explosion within his Kamui dimension, he and Konan might have truly been blown to death. Even so, Uchiha Obito lost an arm and all his ninjutsu that required hand signs.
Although the tactics were very similar, the Third Raikage couldn't produce six hundred billion explosive tags to ambush Fumori Masaki, nor would Fumori Masaki fall for it again. The Third Raikage himself was well aware of this; failing to severely wound the opponent on the first try meant that it would not be easy to find another opportunity against experienced ninja like them.
Moreover, in the situation just now,Fumori Masaki was able to send most of the explosion into the sky, let alone at other times. Therefore, when the Third Raikage saw Fumori Masaki appear before him with only that degree of injury, he felt a sense of regret over the failed operation.
"If you think I only have this method, then you underestimate me too much." The Third Raikage clenched his fists tightly, his body intensely flickering with lightning. "That was just to lure you into a trap, but I can also choose to attack proactively!"
With that, the Third Raikage shot forward, his speed perfectly matching Fumori Masaki's. As his right arm flickered with lightning, a faint crimson glow subtly appeared.Fumori Masaki chose not to meet the attack, instead flashing to the side, allowing the Third Raikage's arm hammer to smash into the ground with a boom. After creating a hole, it still emitted intense heat, seemingly even melting the surrounding snow.
—So that's it. Since I can't sneak attack anymore, I'll actively approach and use the close-range collision of Wind Release and Fire Release to trigger an explosion?
Fumori Masaki instantly saw through the Third Raikage's intentions. Because the Third Raikage's speed was very high, with little difference from his own, it would be impossible to use Wind Release to send the explosion's power back. He would inevitably be caught in it. At most, he could send it into the sky as before, allowing himself to escape the explosion's range.
The Third Raikage himself could withstand the impact of the explosion, butFumori Masaki didn't have such a body. Even a Sage Body, tempered by natural energy, couldn't match the Third Raikage's abnormal physique. He really wondered who the Third Raikage's ancestors were.
What followed was a chase. The Third Raikage relentlessly pursued Fumori Masaki's figure. Their speed difference was small, but Fumori Masaki's movements and turns were very agile, always allowing him to evade the Third Raikage's attacks at critical moments. Although explosive sounds constantly rang out, they didn't inflict the slightest damage on Fumori Masaki. On the surface, however, he looked somewhat disheveled from being pursued.
—However, this doesn't mean I have to keep being chased.
Fumori Masaki's gaze sharpened slightly, and his figure suddenly froze. He then changed his previous evasive style and lunged towards the Third Raikage. The latter was somewhat surprised, but the opponent's actions were exactly what he wanted. He swung his arm, mixed with fire-natured chakra, and fiercely smashed it towards Fumori Masaki.
Fumori Masaki was about to swing Wind Cutter, but at the moment of impact, he quickly retracted it. His body spun, and the Third Raikage's strike suddenly missed. The Third Raikage's pupils couldn't help but contract slightly. At this moment,Fumori Masaki had already darted to another corner of his vision, raising an arm that was slender compared to the Third Raikage's, and punched the Third Raikage's side abdomen.
Even with the Lightning Release Armor, the Third Raikage still felt a huge impact coming from his side, and his body involuntarily took a step back. Immediately after,Fumori Masaki delivered a flying kick, striking the same spot. This time, the Third Raikage was lifted off the ground for a moment before falling.
"You, how can your strength be so great?" The Third Raikage felt the two impacts, utterly bewildered in his heart. He couldn't understand how Fumori Masaki, who appeared slender, could unleash such astonishing power, almost on par with his own naturally abnormal physical strength.
"Guess."Fumori Masaki, of course, wouldn't answer that it was due to the amplification of natural energy. Now, he already possessed speed and strength not inferior to the Third Raikage's. The only thing he lacked was that unreasonably tough body and the Lightning Release Armor on its surface. Without that layer of Lightning Release Armor, the Third Raikage probably wouldn't dare to attempt that level of explosion multiple times.
While the Third Raikage was momentarily stunned,Fumori Masaki actively stepped forward, his speed once again increasing, and swung Wind Cutter. The Third Raikage subconsciously threw a punch. He had no intention of trading blows with Fumori Masaki; the opponent's blade swing was too fast. He could at most block the slash. To ambush Fumori Masaki before the slash arrived, he would probably have to pay a greater price, so the best method was still to trigger an explosion.
Unexpectedly,Fumori Masaki suddenly retracted his blade midway, and as before, turned to his side again. Two powerful blows landed, sending the Third Raikage flying and crashing heavily into the snow. Before he could catch his breath, he quickly rolled over, avoiding Fumori Masaki's sudden downward stab.
"In that situation, you actually had time to retract your strength." The Third Raikage widened the distance between them. Seeing that the opponent had no intention of pursuing, he couldn't help but ask. He found it incredible. In order to cut him before he could counterattack,Fumori Masaki would have to swing his ninja tool quickly. In that case, it would be very difficult to change direction and retract strength midway. Even if he could, it would probably cause muscle strains. But Fumori Masaki looked as effortless as if he were drinking water.
Normally, in a regular ninja battle,Fumori Masaki shouldn't explain the reasons to his opponent, as it could easily allow the opponent to gather intelligence and devise a counterattack. If someone actually did that, they would either be deceiving the opponent or truly foolish.
However,Fumori Masaki's goal wasn't really to determine a winner or loser with A. Their battle was ultimately meant to be a point-to-point engagement, and convincing the opponent to concede was also part of the strategy. To some extent, some information needed to be revealed. And ultimately, whatFumori Masaki was about to say was actually quite obvious; the Third Raikage himself could see it, but it was about applying some verbal pressure to force the Third Raikage to surrender.
"A, although in terms of pure speed, our difference isn't that great, the distinction lies in the fact that my movements are more flexible than yours,"Fumori Masaki said. "Your movements are too direct. While very fast, it's easy to judge the direction of your attacks. However, most people can't even dodge them and can basically only choose to take the hit. Even those who can dodge aren't flexible enough to counterattack. And I'm sorry to say, I possess both speed and flexibility."
In Fumori Masaki's sensory vision, the Third Raikage's active lightning-natured chakra was like a fire in the night. Even if his movements weren't so direct, he could, like a Sharingan predicting, notice the Third Raikage's actions. And the control ability bestowed by the Sage Mode allowed him to retract his strength, change his attack direction and movement direction over short distances, giving him a chance to counterattack while avoiding the Third Raikage's attacks.
"Ordinary people can only output chakra from their mouth, hands, and feet. The special nature of Lightning Release Armor also lies in internally stimulating cells and overflowing to cover the body surface, fixing it. However, fire-natured chakra is not so easy to overflow and fix. It is not as active as lightning-natured chakra, and its nature is primarily expressed as high temperature. If you were from the Hyuga clan, you could output chakra directly from your tenketsu, but—"Fumori Masaki stopped there, knowing that the Third Raikage already understood.
"I see." The Third Raikage quickly understood Fumori Masaki's meaning. "However, you also have a disadvantage. Just as you said, I can't output fire-natured chakra from anywhere other than my hands and feet, but similarly, you can't output powerful Wind Release from anywhere other than your weapons, because that would cause severe damage to your hands and feet, making it impossible to penetrate my Lightning Release Armor!"
Fumori Masaki raised an eyebrow slightly. What the Third Raikage said was correct, and this was also the disadvantage of wind-natured chakra. It couldn't form a protective layer directly on the body surface like lightning-natured chakra, because the effects were mutual. Lightning Release could stimulate body cells, and its active nature could provide a powerful impact, but wind-natured chakra would directly shred the body—
Because of this, users of Wind Release either employed long-range Wind Release secret techniques or applied a wind-natured amplification to their weapons at close range. No matter how proficient someone was with wind-natured chakra, they couldn't cover their entire body with it like lightning-natured chakra.
Fire-natured chakra and water-natured chakra also shared this disadvantage. Among the five chakra natures, earth and lightning were the most suitable for full-body coverage. Of course, a Wind Release master like Fumori Masaki could temporarily output powerful Wind Release from his hands and feet, but it would come with some cost, and the output strength wouldn't reach the same level as when used with a weapon. This is why the Third Raikage said it couldn't penetrate his Lightning Release Armor; to achieve that,Fumori Masaki would have to be prepared for his hands and feet to be pierced by wind nature.
"Indeed, as you said."Fumori Masaki nodded slightly, smiling.
Somehow, the Third Raikage felt a hint of something ominous in Fumori Masaki's smile. He took a deep breath. "In any case, my advantage still remains. I don't believe you won't make any mistakes from beginning to end. As long as I seize a single opportunity, you should know the outcome."
Fumori Masaki naturally understood that a ninja like the Third Raikage, if given even a slight opening, could exploit it. Then, he might not be able to send the explosion away in time—though he felt that with his mental state, the probability of making a mistake was very low, and the probability of making a mistake and not even having a chance to remedy it was even lower. However, saying this would only make the Third Raikage think he was bluffing.
Next,Fumori Masaki and the Third Raikage once again engaged in close-quarters combat. The Third Raikage's attacks never landed on Fumori Masaki, while Fumori Masaki's agile movements always found opportunities to land two punches or two kicks on the Third Raikage's body. However, lacking the amplification of powerful Wind Release, he couldn't even break the Lightning Release Armor, let alone inflict damage on the Third Raikage's body.
This seemed to have turned into a war of attrition, seeing who would make a mistake due to chakra depletion. At least, that's what the Third Raikage thought, but then he suddenly heard Fumori Masaki chuckle and say, "It's about time."
With that,Fumori Masaki suddenly pulled away from the Third Raikage. This unusual action immediately put the Third Raikage on alert. But before he could perceive anything, he felt a powerful pressure from behind, as if his body was being pulled by something.
"The last person to experience this technique died. I haven't used it in over ten years. A, you are the second to experience this technique, but don't worry, you won't die."Fumori Masaki's voice came from below. "But you'll still have to suffer a little."
—This, this technique is... As this question arose in the Third Raikage's mind, he heard Fumori Masaki below utter the name of the ninjutsu—Wind Release: Azure Dragon.
Unlike the Eight-Divination Wind Wheel, this was a Wind Release secret technique that could be called an ultimate art. Back then,Fumori Masaki had used this technique to severely wound Kakuzu, thereby defeating him. Originally, given the demanding conditions of this technique, it would be impossible to use it in this environment without consuming a large amount of chakra, unless it was in a rock cave like where he fought Kakuzu, utilizing the environment to reduce consumption. But coincidentally, with Fumori Masaki's current control over natural energy, when imbued with nature transformation and fixed, the resulting effect was surprisingly similar to that achieved in a rock cave. In other words, he could use it with less chakra even in the wild.
The current Fumori Masaki could truly be called a Sage who transcended mortals. Even the Third Raikage, who was extraordinary, was still a mortal. And only gods could stand above Sages.