If it were only a few ordinary elite jonin, no matter how many there were, it would be nearly impossible to push Kumogakure—the Hidden Cloud Village of one of the Five Great Nations—into a desperate struggle.
But the mysterious masked figures who appeared this time were far beyond the level of ordinary elite jonin, and their abilities were bizarre and unpredictable.
Just the fact that they could fight while floating in midair already put them above ninety-nine percent of all ninja. The only reason the Cloud shinobi were even able to engage them at all was because Kumogakure was built atop towering mountain peaks. By using the Raikage Building and nearby cliffs as footholds, the Cloud ninja could leap into the air and launch attacks.
For most ninja, simply getting close would have been impossible.
And the masked enemy wielding the scythe was even more terrifying—able to absorb chakra outright. Once struck by his scythe or the "wind blades" he unleashed, a ninja's chakra would be drained in an instant. Those hit were either crippled or killed on the spot.
In this first exchange, under the command of Darui, C, and Mabui, the Cloud ninja managed to force the two floating enemies into a corner—but only after suffering heavy losses: two jonin and twelve chunin either dead or gravely injured.
Yet when the two masked figures shifted into a back-to-back formation, coordinating with each other, they became even more difficult to deal with.
Darui and C led several elite jonin in repeated attempts to attack from multiple angles, but every approach was cleanly dismantled. The battle had fallen into a complete stalemate.
It had to be understood—within any ninja village, jonin were the absolute top combat force. Even during Konohagakure's peak era, the total number of jonin had never exceeded fifty.
The current Konoha roster held only around thirty registered jonin, with roughly the same number of special jonin specialized in specific fields.
The Uchiha Clan was called the "Number One Noble Clan of the Ninja World" precisely because they consistently maintained more than ten jonin-level fighters.
Once an Uchiha awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, they were practically guaranteed to be elite jonin-level combatants.
And yet, today, a scene unfolded that the Fourth Raikage would never forget for the rest of his life.
Beneath the half-destroyed Raikage Building, as the smoke slowly cleared, two masked figures hovered in the air—back to back—holding off a force ten times their number, completely unshaken!
This was no longer the realm of ordinary power.
Hearing the Raikage's shout, Mabui quickly handed battlefield command over to the newly arrived Samui.
Samui was a blonde, cool-headed kunoichi around Mabui's age—calm, knowledgeable, and one of Killer Bee's swordsmanship disciples.
"Lord Raikage!"
Mabui hurried to his side.
"The communications team has already called for reinforcements! Lady Yugito will arrive soon!"
Kumogakure possessed two jinchūriki—and both were perfect jinchūriki. Once Yugito Nii and more Cloud ninja arrived, the tide of battle could still be turned!
"Bee! Activate Tailed Beast Mode!"
The Raikage made his decision instantly, then barked to Mabui:
"Prepare to teleport me and Bee to the Valley of Clouds and Lightning!"
Receiving the order, Killer Bee immediately unleashed the power of the Eight-Tails. Crimson tailed-beast chakra wrapped around his body, forming a fierce cloak with eight writhing red tails.
His abilities surged dramatically as he charged forward once more, clashing with the masked enemy.
At the same time, lightning chakra exploded around the Raikage, tearing through the air as he attacked from the opposite side.
"Lariat!"
The two brothers focused massive chakra into their elbows, aiming to crush the enemy's neck from both sides in a perfect execution strike!
But just as the technique was about to land—
BOOM!
A violent surge of dark-red chakra erupted from the masked man, forming a chakra cloak around him and blocking the attack head-on!
BAM!
Bee's tailed-beast cloak and the Raikage's lightning armor were stopped less than ten centimeters from the target's throat, the impact shaking the air.
"Fool~ what's going on~!"
Even Bee's rap carried disbelief.
He finally understood the warning the Eight-Tails had given him earlier.
The masked man's chakra cloak was nearly identical to Bee's own—and the aura of savagery and darkness within it was even more intense than the Eight-Tails'!
"Mabui!" the Raikage roared.
Nearby, Mabui's expression turned solemn as she rapidly formed seals.
"Heavenly Transfer Technique!"
A tearing sensation instantly enveloped the battlefield—pulling in the Fourth Raikage, Killer Bee, and the masked man all at once.
"So that's how it is."
Feeling the distortion of space around him, Menma couldn't help but gain new respect for Mabui.
"In that case… take this as a gift."
Right before being teleported away, Menma formed a dark-purple sphere in his right hand—violent dark chakra wrapped in cutting wind.
And as he and the AB Combo vanished—
The Greater Spiral Wheel Void drifted slowly downward.
The Valley of Clouds and Lightning
The instant they landed, Killer Bee unleashed full Tailed Beast Transformation. The massive form of the Eight-Tails, Gyūki, rose up from the ground.
"Yo~ Gyūki~ check this guy~ which tailed beast is his chakra from~?" Bee asked internally.
But within Bee's mental world, Gyūki was already confused and shaken.
The chakra was filled with darkness and rage—just like the Nine-Tails.
Yet… not like it at all.
So familiar, and yet so alien that even Gyūki fell into deep self-doubt.
"Right… right… no… no… wait… is it?"
The Eight-Tails was utterly bewildered.
"Bee! Go all out!"
The Raikage activated his strongest Lightning Armor form, electricity crackling wildly as his hair stood on end.
Just as the two prepared to attack—
They saw the masked man rise higher into the sky, looking toward the direction of Kumogakure.
"Let's watch together," Menma said quietly.
The Raikage and Bee frowned in confusion.
Then—
From far away, beneath the dark clouds covering Kumogakure, a brilliant light suddenly erupted.
Both men turned in shock.
A gigantic mushroom cloud rose from the Hidden Cloud Village, tearing apart the storm clouds above with blinding radiance.
Half a minute later, the thunderous roar of the explosion finally reached the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
"You bastard! What did you do?!"
The Raikage's eyes went bloodshot as he leapt high into the air, gathering intense lightning into his hand.
"Lightning Plough Hot Knife!"
His chop slammed into Menma's tailed-beast cloak—
And failed to even shake it.
"I'm done playing," Menma said with a faint laugh, rising higher into the sky.
"Bee!" the Raikage shouted.
In full beast form, Killer Bee planted his claws into the ground and opened his mouth wide.
A pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly condensed.
Watching the completed attack, Menma calmly created another dark-purple sphere in his palm.
"This… is my parting gift."
He tossed the Greater Spiral Wheel Void down casually.
The small dark orb drifted downward, colliding head-on with the roaring Tailed Beast Bomb—
BOOOOOM!!!
A catastrophic explosion erupted, swallowing the entire Valley of Clouds and Lightning in blinding destruction.
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