A Sage's Pursuit of Power

In the forest, lightning flickered, and wind blades flew chaotically.

After three wars and a period of peace, many ninjas had forgotten when they last witnessed such a high-level battle.

Moreover, both combatants specialized in physical jutsu, so their clash from the very beginning was a hard-hitting exchange of sparks.

Though Aoba was at a disadvantage in both strength and speed, he managed to hold his own against the Raikage, thanks to his powerful weapon, the Kusanagi Sword.

In this world, while there are several Kusanagi swords, they are unequivocally divine weapons. Even though the Raikage was using Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he dared not clash directly with the Kusanagi Sword with his flesh and blood.

Previously, his wind blades couldn't harm the Raikage because he was using ordinary ninja swords.

These ninja swords couldn't channel chakra, so he had to release chakra from his hands, envelop the swords, and add wind elements to form his own Wind Release techniques.

At that time, his chakra wasn't amplified by the ninja swords; instead, part of it was used to protect the swords.

Now, with the Kusanagi Sword, a top-tier divine weapon, chakra flowed directly through the blade. His chakra and the sword's power combined, enhancing each other and making the sword even more fearsome in battle.

Even the Raikage, with his formidable physique, dared not touch it casually.

"Impressive, being able to stand toe-to-toe with the Raikage without falling behind," the surrounding Konoha ninjas were invigorated. The previous low morale, due to lacking a Kage of their own, was now high.

Nearby, Killer Bee recognized the dire situation.

At this point, the Raikage was actually losing. The imbalance in their statuses meant that the Raikage should have shown an overwhelming advantage against Aoba.

After all, the highest combat power of a village should be able to defeat the regular combatants of an enemy village instantly. If they couldn't, it would mean a complete loss of face and momentum.

If they couldn't win this battle, they were still deep in the Fire Country's heartland. Not achieving a decisive advantage meant a strategic defeat.

The Raikage sensed this but didn't stop; instead, he intensified his attack. The more desperate he felt, the more determined he was to kill Aoba.

They had finally reached a weakened Konoha. If another talent like the White Fang emerged, their opportunity would be wasted.

As the Raikage pushed harder, Aoba felt increasing pressure.

He had never fully unleashed his power, as he didn't have as much chakra as the Raikage. He relied on Sage Mode enhancements and the sharpness of the Kusanagi Sword to drag the fight out.

The battle was less like a conventional ninja fight and more like a desperate struggle between two warriors.

In less than five minutes, Aoba began to feel his chakra waning.

His Sage Mode was perfect and hadn't yet been tested to its limits, but his chakra was running low.

Once his chakra was depleted, Sage Mode would also fail.

Under intense pressure, he started preparing for a retreat. However, he glanced fleetingly at the distance and then poured his remaining chakra into one final clash with the Raikage.

The Raikage's advanced Lightning Release technique, Lightning Chakra Mode, was broken through by Aoba's three void slash flashes.

As the Raikage's speed surged once more, he thrust his right hand, now in the form of a spear, directly at Aoba's chest.

Aoba quickly countered with his sword but was still a step too slow.

He felt a violent force strike his chest, followed by a powerful recoil. In the next second, he was sent flying backward.

What made the Raikage frown was that, at the moment he struck Aoba, Aoba's left hand performed a wind-based technique.

This technique had no lethal power; it merely stirred up a lot of dust, obscuring their battle from view.

Thus, his decisive blow was largely unseen by those around him.

In the next moment, Aoba flew backward and crashed into the Konoha ninja crowd.

He leaned on his Kusanagi Sword, half-kneeling on the ground, holding his chest, and remained silent.

Several medical ninjas rushed over to treat him, but when they arrived, they saw him slowly stand up and release his hand from his chest.

At this moment, the Konoha ninjas saw clearly that Aoba's chest was severely torn, with a red mark that seemed to be from the recent battle.

However, beyond that, he had no other injuries.

"That was close, Raikage-sama. You almost pierced my chest," Aoba stepped forward and taunted.

The Raikage's expression darkened.

Though others hadn't seen it, he knew clearly that his previous attack had hit Aoba's chest.

Even though Aoba's Kusanagi Sword had blocked the blow, he was sure that he had at least shattered Aoi's ribcage.

If Aoba hadn't died from that blow, he would have been seriously incapacitated. But now, seeing he was unharmed, the Raikage was in disbelief.

He knew Aoba must have used some technique to avoid fatal injury. The dust cloud was a cover for his trick.

The Raikage didn't have the Byakugan to see what he had done, but whatever it was, it must have been an impressive secret. Aoba had even kept it hidden from his own Konoha comrades.

The Raikage's murderous intent surged, but he was also deeply cautious. He looked at his right hand, now with only three fingers left.

His previous attack had landed on Aoba's chest, but Aoba's sword had struck back.

If the fight had continued, Aoba would have died, and the Raikage would have lost his hand.

Given the certainty of victory, the Raikage wouldn't trade his hand for Aoba's life. As a Kage famous for his physical prowess, losing a hand would be a fatal blow.

So, he had chosen to withdraw after his attack, hoping to win without further injury. Under the previous exchange, this decision seemed sound.

Yet, at the final moment, Aoba's sword had unexpectedly gained a fraction more speed, causing the Raikage to lose another finger.

Including the little finger lost to Aoba's strange Lightning Release jutsu, he had lost two fingers in consecutive fights with Aoba. This was a disgrace he would never forget.

Most crucially, Aoba had somehow healed his injuries.

To the outside world, Aoba seemed only to have a torn shirt, while the Raikage had lost a finger.

In the end, the Raikage had lost this fight...

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