A Sage's Pursuit of Power

The Raikage's left arm was blown off from three-quarters down.

Aoba had originally aimed for the Raikage's heart, but at the last moment, a Cloud shinobi behind him disrupted his balance with an Earth Release jutsu, causing the attack to veer off course.

After his left arm exploded, the Raikage didn't pause for a moment. He immediately vanished from sight.

Without hesitation, Aoba attacked again, firing a Flash toward the Raikage's back.

However, just as he raised his hand, a dozen Cloud shinobi rushed forward to block him.

Aoba's Flash was still not perfect. The move still required a certain amount of preparation, both for raising his hand and for gathering power.

Although he had managed to compress this time to less than a second, it was enough time for the swift-moving Cloud shinobi to react.

The reason Aoba hadn't used Flash from the beginning but instead laid down layers of feints was to buy himself that fraction of a second.

Flash tore through the bodies of the dozen Cloud shinobi, but their obstruction allowed the Raikage to vanish from sight.

"Heh, I thought he would stay and fight to the death with me to buy time for your escape. Isn't that what your Third Raikage did?"

Aoba's taunt shattered the resolve of the remaining dozens of Cloud shinobi. Years ago, the Third Raikage had singlehandedly held the line, a sacrifice etched into the hearts of all Hidden Cloud ninjas. This was one of the reasons why the Fourth Raikage had ascended so smoothly and earned their support. His father had paved the way with his life.

These Cloud shinobi were all fervent followers of the Raikage. They had risked their lives blocking Aoba's killing moves.

Without them, the Raikage would have died three times by now. Each one of these Cloud shinobi was ready to sacrifice themselves for the Raikage.

But watching the Raikage turn and run left them stunned. Couldn't he at least say something to rally them, throw them a bone before fleeing?

Aoba understood the Raikage's thoughts clearly. With his left arm gone, his balance was utterly broken. He could no longer move at high speed.

Under these circumstances, if Aoba used Flash again, he wouldn't be able to dodge it.

The Raikage couldn't afford to stay, as Aoba could now unleash the move much faster than before. Any delay would put his life in danger, so he turned and fled without a second thought.

Thus, he carved out a narrow chance for survival, but at the cost of exposing all the Cloud shinobi left behind to Aoba.

Aoba beckoned with his hand, and the Kusanagi Sword embedded nearby flew back to him.

"A pity I didn't get to kill that old bastard here. Guess I'll have to take my anger out on you."

About an hour later, a hundred reinforcements from Konoha arrived on the scene. But by then, the battle was already over.

They saw only corpses littering the ground, scattered limbs, and indescribable remnants.

Aoba casually thrust the Kusanagi Sword into a nearby patch of grass, lifting a severed forearm.

"This is the Raikage's arm. Have the research department analyze it and see if they can reverse-engineer the Lightning Release Chakra Mode."

A member of the Anbu clumsily took the arm, his gaze toward Aoba filled with admiration.

According to their intel, Aoba had faced the Raikage and over a hundred Cloud shinobi alone.

But now, Aoba was practically unharmed, while at least a hundred Cloud shinobi lay dead on the ground, along with the Raikage's arm.

This could only mean one thing.

Lord Aoba had single-handedly defeated the Cloud's forces and severely injured the Raikage. This achievement alone was enough to shock the entire shinobi world.

"Inspect their bodies, gather all the intel you can."

Kakashi ordered and then walked over to Aoba.

"How do you feel?"

"No pressure."

Kakashi looked at Aoba in surprise.

"Your strength is advancing faster than I expected. Right now, I doubt there's anyone among the known shinobi who could defeat you."

"It's not enough. I'm still not a match for those hiding in the shadows."

Whether it was Obito or Nagato, Aoba had little confidence in dealing with them. Let alone facing Madara Uchiha in the future.

Moreover, most people had overlooked a key figure—Black Zetsu.

This being had little direct combat in the original story but was a product of Yin-Yang Release, a naturally high-tier being.

In the original, even Sage of Six Paths Madara was taken down in one hit by Black Zetsu, which showed just how dangerous he was. No matter Black Zetsu's combat abilities, his deadly one-hit kill ability made Aoba highly wary.

Two days later, news of the Raikage's retreat and the severing of his arm by Aoba, the "Wind-Chasing Sword," spread across the shinobi world.

Originally, there were reports of Iwagakure shinobi gathering in the northwest. However, Konoha didn't experience an invasion from the Iwa shinobi; they encountered only a few scouting squads. Soon, calm returned around Konoha.

...

In a special room within Konoha's prison, Aoba sat across from Gaara, whom he had captured during the Konoha Crush plan.

Since Aoba had drained Shukaku's source chakra, the One-Tail had become weak and lethargic, spending most of its time dormant within Gaara's mental space.

As a result, Gaara had been able to rest properly, and his mental state had noticeably improved. Curiously, Shukaku's harassment of him had diminished, even going so far as to lend him chakra a few times, attempting to help him escape from prison.

But Konoha's prison was far more secure than anticipated. Gaara quickly realized escape was impossible, so he remained quietly, waiting for his rescue.

Seeing Aoba enter, Gaara couldn't help feeling tense. He could sense that Shukaku, usually so unruly, was actually fearful.

Indeed, Shukaku was afraid. Though tailed beasts were essentially immortal and would eventually be reborn somewhere in the world, Aoba was different. He had taken part of Shukaku's source power, the very essence of its rebirth.

This meant Aoba could completely kill Shukaku, preventing it from ever reincarnating. How could Shukaku not be terrified?

"Tell that thing inside you that I never planned on truly killing it. What I've taken is already enough."

Gaara paused, then attempted to communicate with Shukaku. Ever since Aoba had beaten it, Shukaku's attitude toward Gaara had changed significantly. After all, a jinchuriki and their tailed beast working together could display even greater power.

After a while, Gaara spoke with a strange expression.

"It wants me to ask…what exactly are you planning to do?"

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Currently on Chapter 148 - Aoba Gets Targeted