The hurricane, rising from the flat ground, seemed to bore into the sky, while the nearby trees, unable to withstand the pressure, were flattened, kicking up snow.
Just by looking at it, one could feel its immense power.
Even the distant samurai nearby felt the air currents constantly being drawn towards them, their clothes fluttering in the wind.
"Is this the power of a ninja?" one of the samurai muttered to himself.
He was a captain-level expert in the Land of Iron's Chakra Samurai Corps, with strength comparable to a top-tier taijutsu jonin.
Even so, what he witnessed before him surpassed his imagination.
"Since thirty years ago, ninjas have gradually grown stronger.
During the Warring States period, those who could be called Kage were very few, but now their numbers are increasing.
However, these two individuals before us have already surpassed the power of ordinary ninjas," Saito said expressionlessly.
No matter how powerful a ninja is, ultimately, they are still human, and the power they can wield is within the human realm.
But what was displayed now was like the might of heaven and earth, a level that had long since transcended the mortal sphere and entered the realm of the non-human.
After the decline of the Sage of Six Paths' teachings, the ninja world was ruled by nobles and samurai.
Ninjas, due to their scarcity and fragmentation, lost most of their historical heritage.
Even descendants of the Sage, like the Senju and Uchiha, forgot their ancestors, while the stable and large noble and samurai groups preserved a certain amount of their heritage.
In the Land of Iron's historical records, Saito had once heard of a cultivation method that allowed mortals to reach the legendary realm of the Sage of Six Paths, the progenitor of the ninja world.
It was called Senjutsu.
However, detailed records were scarce, making it seem like a vague and ethereal legend.
But it was said that those who mastered Senjutsu could wield power comparable to the Sage of Six Paths.
"Could the Hokage of Konoha Village have learned the legendary Senjutsu?" Saito murmured in a low voice, unsure.
The legend of Senjutsu was too ancient, and those who embarked on the path to immortality never reappeared.
He had never witnessed firsthand what kind of power someone who mastered Senjutsu would possess.
"This commotion is truly too big.
Leaving aside everything else, this place alone has been largely destroyed," said another samurai, also a captain of the Chakra Samurai Corps.
"Although this was originally a training ground, they really went too far," Saito nodded and said, "After this is over, we'll have to make the Hokage compensate us properly.
It was already out of respect for the Hokage that we allowed them to fight so intensely in the Land of Iron for their affairs, and now this place is in such a state.
We can't just let it go."
"Look, what's that?!" Suddenly, someone exclaimed.
Everyone quickly looked over, and the hurricane, which seemed to bore into the sky, began to change shape.
Its form grew increasingly closer to that of a certain creature, a form that all the samurai present had seen in myths.
It was—
"A dragon…"
"It's a dragon! It's a dragon!"
The samurai's voices rang out one after another, filled with astonishment, shocked by the awe-inspiring sight before them.
Even the samurai observing from afar could feel the abundant power within the hurricane.
Needless to say, the Third Raikage, caught within it, personally bore the pressure from all directions.
His body seemed to lose its sense of reality, allowing the swirling air currents to toss him around.
Under this relentless torment, he felt as if his internal organs were twisting.
—To be able to use a Wind Release ninjutsu of such a scale, this is surely beyond what a human can achieve.
What exactly is going on with Fumori Masaki?
The Third Raikage found his body's unusual state to be a rare occurrence, but even he couldn't perform such a secret technique that bordered on the might of heaven and earth.
Not to mention him, even the Sage of Six Paths' descendants, Kin-Gin, couldn't use such a technique at their peak.
This didn't seem like using a Wind Release secret technique, but rather completely controlling the power of "wind."
Fortunately,
He wasn't sure if it was a limitation of the jutsu or if Fumori Masaki was holding back at the crucial moment, but the whirlwind here wasn't made of sharp, blade-like wind currents.
It only had powerful impact and pulling forces, and the pressure on his Lightning Release Armor wasn't extremely great.
Otherwise, the Third Raikage would have to endure the cutting forces with his own body, and he believed that even if he survived, he would likely be left with only half a life.
—Indeed, against a Wind Release ninja of this caliber, even learning Fire Release can't bridge the elemental gap, can it?
If I could raise my Fire Release to a level comparable to my Lightning Release, would the situation be a little better?
The Third Raikage couldn't be sure of the outcome, but at least he was certain that with his current strength, he was no match for Fumori Masaki.
Aside from the initial suicidal tactic that causedFumori Masaki some trouble, the subsequent battle was almost entirely dominated by his opponent.
Now, he was completely defenseless, merely floating in the air.
At this point, the Third Raikage's blood was already churning, and his head couldn't help but feel dizzy.
Although he knew he had surely lost, he didn't want to fall so disgracefully.
After all, he was the Raikage of Kumogakure, and if they were to cooperate with Konohagakure in the future, he had to demonstrate a certain level of strength.
Even with a disadvantageous element, he couldn't just sit there and wait for death.
After some time, the Third Raikage also noticed that the strength of this hurricane wasn't uniform everywhere, and at this moment, something that pleased him occurred.
Because, somehow, the shape of the hurricane began to change.
From his position, he couldn't see the hurricane transform into a dragon-like shape, but he understood that this was the power of Wind Release being concentrated.
Although he feared that being hit by it would not end well, as the power concentrated, the strength in other surrounding areas began to further decrease.
—There's only one chance, it looks like I have to take a risk.
The Third Raikage hardened his resolve, concentrating the remaining chakra in his body into his right hand.
He closed his fingers, extending only one, and a powerful lightning glow rapidly gathered.
At the same time, his entire Lightning Release Armor erupted in brilliant light.
Then, the Third Raikage roared, and his entire Lightning Release Armor burst forth with an intense glow as if exploding.
His body seemed to be heavily pushed, and he thrust his finger forward like a long spear.
This technique was the Third Raikage's unique Lightning Release secret technique, called Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite.
As the number of fingers decreased, the power of the technique increased.
In other words, concentrating all the power into a single finger was when this technique was at its strongest.
In its manifestation, it was very similar to the Chidori used by Hatake Kakashi in later generations, but the nature transformation and shape transformation involved were still different, which also led to the difference in the technique's power.
The Third Raikage didn't expect to escape the hurricane's grasp with this move.
No matter how high-level a Lightning Release, it was still Lightning Release, and it had an elemental disadvantage against Wind Release.
Moreover, this Wind Release secret technique was also a rare high-level Wind Release.
There was no way his Lightning Release could penetrate it.
But what the Third Raikage needed wasn't that; it was to advance a certain distance, to get closer to the outer wall of the Wind Release.
With the explosion of the Lightning Release Armor, the Third Raikage gained a thrusting force, and Hell Stab allowed him to penetrate the pressure of the Wind Release before him.
Even so, the Third Raikage could still feel immense pressure on his body, secretly surprised.
The hurricane's form had already begun to transform, and the pressure from all sides was far less intense than before, yet he could still feel such powerful pressure.
However, the Third Raikage advanced a certain distance because of it.
When he judged that he could not continue further, he decisively stopped the Lightning Release.
As he was about to be swept back in, he quickly formed hand seals, took a deep breath, and exhaled a large fireball towards the rear.
Wind and fire mixed together, creating a violent explosion.
The powerful impact directly threw the Third Raikage out.
Fumori Masaki, standing outside, stopped controlling the shape transformation after hearing the Third Raikage's roar, curious as to how the Third Raikage planned to break this technique.
His sensory vision first detected a fluctuation of Lightning Release chakra from the Third Raikage, followed by a fluctuation of Fire Release chakra.
Then, after a flash of fire, a powerful explosion sound came, and a figure flew out from the confines of the hurricane.
Fumori Masaki watched as the figure fell heavily from the sky, crashing to the ground and forming a large crater.
The Third Raikage lay inside, covered in blood.
At this moment, the hurricane slowly dissipated, and the stirred-up snow gently fell on the Third Raikage, creating a beautiful scene, with a melancholic flavor that Wu greatly appreciated.
Fumori Masaki walked over, looking at the Third Raikage, who couldn't get up for a while.
He knew the other party wasn't seriously injured, just completely exhausted, with chakra almost depleted, and his body covered in wounds from the Wind Release and the explosion.
He no longer had the strength to fight again.
In comparison, although Fumori Masaki had also consumed a considerable amount of chakra, his overall condition was very good.
He only needed a light stab to kill the Third Raikage there.
Of course, he wouldn't do such a thing.
The value of keeping the Third Raikage alive was far greater than his death.
Losing long-term development for a small gain was not in his character.
"Are you feeling alright?"Fumori Masaki asked.
"I've never felt this exhausted.
Even when suppressing a Tailed Beast, I didn't feel this powerless," the Third Raikage looked up at the sky and said faintly.
"That's good,"Fumori Masaki pulled out a military ration pill from his person and offered it to the Third Raikage.
"This is the latest research from our village's medical department.
If you eat a small amount, there are no side effects, and it's better than traditional military ration pills."
"If possible, I really want to keep this and take it back to the village for research," the Third Raikage said, swallowing the military ration pill Fumori Masaki threw to him in one gulp, slowly feeling the medicine take effect in his body.
"Even if I gave it to you, it wouldn't be something you could research in a short time.
Just restoring the ingredients and collecting the medicinal materials isn't a simple matter,"Fumori Masaki said.
"Heh, by the time we figure it out, your village will probably have come up with something even better," the Third Raikage shook his head helplessly.
"You always go further than us.
I really don't know if Heaven is favoring Konohagakure."
"We just found a relatively correct path, that's all,"Fumori Masaki said calmly.
"Indeed, a relatively correct path, more correct than the one we've taken," the Third Raikage felt some strength return to his limbs.
He sat up from the ground, looking at Fumori Masaki, "Do you know why I chose to cooperate with you?"
Fumori Masaki shrugged, not answering.
He certainly wouldn't believe that the Third Raikage chose to cooperate with him purely for love and peace.
Perhaps there was a part of that reason, but to say it was entirely that would be underestimating the leader of Kumogakure.
To reach this point, even an idealist must learn to be pragmatic.
An idealist who doesn't understand this will only become a loser.
"Because I feel that following the path of the Land of Earth, Land of Wind, and Land of Water has no future.
Perhaps it can ensure the temporary peace of the Land of Lightning, but it cannot lead to true strength.
And your Konohagakure is on that path.
Even if temporarily held back, you will gradually widen the gap with us.
By then, we certainly won't be able to win against you," the Third Raikage candidly expressed his inner thoughts.
Fumori Masaki nodded slightly.
He could understand the Third Raikage.
As a leader of a village, he would certainly not want to see his village and country remain subordinate to others, especially since the Land of Lightning still had sufficient potential.
If it were just a small country, it might abandon such ambitions.
However, for the current Land of Lightning, there was still the potential to reach the pinnacle.
"Therefore, our Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning must also walk the same path as you.
The Land of Wind and Land of Water, lacking innate potential, are not to be feared, while the Land of Earth is stubborn and inflexible.
You can tell by Onoki's current performance."
The Third Raikage looked directly into Fumori Masaki's eyes, "In my opinion, in the future, the only ones who can be your Konohagakure's opponents are us, Kumogakure.
I wonder if you think so too?"
"Before, I wasn't very sure, but hearing you say that, I can confirm that, for now, your Kumogakure is indeed capable of competing with Konohagakure.
As for Iwagakure, things might change in the future, so let's not talk about it for now,"Fumori Masaki replied.
"At least I believe that the future of the ninja world will be a contest between our two countries.
Now we stand in the same camp, but that doesn't mean we will love each other forever.
That's just to push out those who have gone down the wrong path," the Third Raikage said.
"As long as one walks on the right path, anyone can bring new order to the ninja world.
However, I believe it's better for Konohagakure to lead,"Fumori Masaki smiled, "I'm sure you also think it's better for Kumogakure to lead the new order, right?"
"Of course," the Third Raikage said, "Don't think you can rest easy just because your Wind Release is at a high level.
We, Kumogakure, aren't just standing still."
"Then let's see the performance of us and our successors in the future,"Fumori Masaki said, "By then, even if you lose, I can guarantee that the people of your country will be able to live peacefully, including the people of your Kumogakure."
"I feel the same way about that," the Third Raikage said, "This will be our new competition agreement, then."
"Mm." Although the other party clearly stated that they wouldn't always be in the same camp,Fumori Masaki admired the Third Raikage's candor.
To be able to pragmatically express both sides' needs, perhaps this was the demeanor of a man from the Land of Lightning.
Even as an enemy, he was worthy of respect, and his oath could be met with a certain degree of expectation.
Of course,Fumori Masaki believed he wouldn't lose to the other party.
Rather than hoping for the other, it was better to trust himself.