"I don't have much time... my chakra is being drained at an alarming rate," thought the Raikage, his jaw clenched, eyes narrowed with focus. "But as long as it's enough to let my shinobi escape... that's all that matters."
The moment those thoughts passed through his mind, the Raikage moved like a thunderbolt unchained—wild, primal, unstoppable. Like a beast released from its cage, he launched himself toward the enemy commander, his eyes locked on her with lethal intent. He aimed to end her life in a single, crushing strike.
Azora, the Iwa commander, was no ordinary opponent. Known as one of the fastest jonin in Iwagakure, her instincts were sharp. Yet, even she struggled to keep up with the Raikage's sheer speed.
"Half of your power… and already this fast?" Azora muttered, her eyes tracking his movements with a mix of awe and calculation. "I'll admit it… we underestimated you."
The Raikage didn't respond. Words were a luxury he couldn't afford. His chakra cloak flickered violently around him as his fist slammed into the earth—right where Azora had been standing just moments ago. The force of the blow created a crater several meters wide. Had she not dodged in time, there would've been nothing left of her.
Seeing the commander under pressure, another Iwa shinobi stepped in—Yusu, a skilled jonin with earth-style mastery.
"Earth Style: Explosive Tuna Technique!"
With swift hand signs, Yusu summoned a strange yet powerful jutsu. Ten massive rock-formed tuna, each five meters in length, materialized in the air. They hovered above the battlefield momentarily, then surged at the Raikage like missiles. Each tuna exploded upon impact, triggering a chain of devastating blasts that lit up the battlefield in a 60-meter radius.
Dust and smoke swallowed the area.
But when the haze cleared… the Raikage was still standing—untouched. Not a single scratch marred his dark skin. The lightning cloak sparked around him like a living storm.
"…Now it's my turn," he growled, his deep voice sending a chill through the Iwa ranks.
He shot forward with renewed fury, his chakra cloak glowing brighter as it flared to life. The Raikage became a living weapon—each punch that landed was fatal. Iwa shinobi fell one after another, unable to stand against the force of nature that raged through their ranks.
Azora and Yusu could only watch in horror. The poison was supposed to weaken him, limit his chakra. Yet with each attack, the Raikage was massacring their forces.
But then Azora saw it—his chakra cloak dimming, flickering erratically.
"He's weakening…" she whispered.
Indeed, inside his mind, the Raikage acknowledged it.
"I can't maintain this for much longer. My chakra mode is already down to 40%. And it's still falling… I'll have to finish this fast."
The Raikage's sharp gaze fell on the younger Iwa shinobi—genin and chunin, barely ready for a battle of this scale.
"They're sending children into a fight like this…" he muttered, anger flashing in his eyes. "They're not fit for this kind of war."
With a quick breath and rapid hand signs, he shouted, "Lightning Style: Thunder Dragons of the East!"
Three enormous dragons—each over 20 meters long, formed of pure lightning—rose behind him, their serpentine bodies writhing with chakra. With a roar of thunder, they surged forward, tearing through the battlefield.
Iwa shinobi scattered in panic. Some managed to defend themselves with earth barriers or defensive jutsu, but many couldn't react in time. The dragons plowed through the ranks, electrocuting dozens, leaving behind scorched earth and broken bodies. The genin and chunin were the first to fall.
"No!" Yusu shouted, eyes wide. He slammed his hands to the ground. "Earth Style: Grand Stone Bastion!"
Massive walls of rock erupted from the earth, shielding the surviving ninja just in time. The lightning dragons slammed into the walls, shattering them—and themselves—in a shower of debris and sparks.
The battlefield was a smoking ruin.
"…Thirty percent," the Raikage muttered under his breath. "Damn this poison… my chakra's still dropping. But I've got enough left… to take down their commander."
Azora knew things were slipping out of control. She had to act—now—or risk losing every Iwa shinobi on the field.
With a sharp breath, she formed a long series of seals.
"Water Style: Twin Serpents of the Abyss!"
Water surged from the ground, twisting and coiling as two massive serpents took shape—each one 20 meters long, fangs bared, eyes glowing with chakra. Their forms shimmered like liquid steel.
Getting into melee with the Raikage would be suicide. Their only chance was to keep him at a distance and pressure him with ninjutsu. Of course… that was easier said than done.
The Raikage charged again—undaunted.
Azora reacted immediately, casting a towering wave of water, 20 meters high, crashing toward him. The serpents flanked him on both sides, preparing to strike.
But the Raikage didn't stop.
He tore straight through the wave, his armor protecting him from the crushing force. When he was within two meters of Azora, his fist cocked back for a devastating blow—
—WHAM!
One of the water serpents slammed into him from the side with immense force, sending the Raikage hurtling across the battlefield. He crashed through trees, rocks, and earth before skidding to a stop—dust rising in his wake.
Any other ninja would've been obliterated. But not him.
The Raikage rose slowly, brushing dust from his shoulders. His chakra cloak flickered weakly.
"Fifteen percent… tch," he muttered. "I can't take another direct hit. One more, and I'll lose my lightning mode entirely…"
He cracked his neck and narrowed his eyes at the serpents circling him.
"Guess I'll take care of you two first," he said grimly.
The serpents lunged—one from the left, the other from the right.
With a sudden burst of speed, the Raikage dodged right, twisting in mid-air and slamming his fist down with all his remaining strength. The first serpent exploded into water, its form destroyed instantly.
The second one halted, then launched a beam of highly pressurized water at the Raikage like a razor. He raised his arm, blocking the blast with sheer endurance, his muscles straining against the force.
As soon as the beam ceased, he leapt onto the serpent's back and struck it in the neck with a brutal punch. The second serpent burst apart in a geyser of water, collapsing into nothingness.
Standing tall in the midst of wreckage and ruined jutsu, the Raikage's breath was heavy, his chakra cloak faint but still flickering.
He was far from finished.