Rest
"Boom!"
"Raikage-sama!"
"Pops!"
As the Raikage crashed into the ground, the Cloud ninja immediately rushed forward. They intended to catch him, but he raised a hand, stopping them.
That would have been a joke—at that speed, anyone who tried to catch him would only end up seriously injured. It was better not to. Besides, his body was strong enough that this level of impact meant nothing to him.
Sure enough, despite falling from such a height, a massive crater was smashed into the ground. Thick dust billowed into the air, but moments later, the Raikage calmly walked out of it—completely uninjured.
He glanced unwillingly in the direction Shirō and the others had escaped, snorted softly, then turned and walked toward A.
The Cloud ninja around him sensed his poor mood and wisely kept silent as they followed.
After a while, the Raikage suddenly spoke.
"That man in the green outfit… who was he?"
"Huh? Oh—his name is Might Dai, from Konoha. Rank… Genin."
The last word was spoken quietly. Even the one reporting it still found it hard to believe.
"A Genin?" The Raikage stopped in his tracks, frowning deeply.
That man had blocked him head-on. How could someone like that be only a Genin?
He was the strongest Raikage in history. If Konoha's Genin were all like that, then what was the point of fighting a war at all? They might as well surrender.
He turned back sharply.
"Confirm it."
"Yes, Raikage-sama. Our intelligence on him is limited, but he does have a title."
"A title?"
"Yes—the Eternal Genin."
"…."
The Raikage and the surrounding Cloud ninja fell into stunned silence.
They all understood something clearly: promotion to Jōnin required more than raw strength. But that man was more than qualified to be a Tokubetsu Jōnin. In terms of pure offense, he surpassed even elite Jōnin.
And yet—
He wasn't even a Chūnin.
Feeling the pressure of so many stares, the intelligence ninja hurriedly flipped through his documents.
"According to our records, the Chūnin Exams heavily test ninjutsu and genjutsu. Might Dai only uses taijutsu, so he cannot pass."
"A pure taijutsu ninja…" the Raikage muttered. "No wonder."
One of the Cloud ninja hesitated, then asked, "Raikage-sama… should we reconsider our own standards?"
Several others looked hopeful. Perhaps the Cloud Village also had hidden talent like this.
Raikage's answer was immediate.
"No."
Not only that—his voice hardened.
"The standards will not be lowered. They will be raised. I want elites."
"Pure taijutsu has fatal weaknesses. That man possesses a special state—genjutsu cannot affect him, and ordinary ninjutsu cannot touch him."
"We don't have techniques like that. Sending people like him onto the battlefield would be suicide unless they possess similar abilities."
After saying that, he resumed walking.
Truthfully, even if such techniques existed, he still wouldn't change his decision.
A ninja with only one specialty would always have glaring flaws.
In battle, opponents were just as skilled at identifying weaknesses as you were. Being well-rounded might not make someone overwhelmingly strong—but it greatly increased their chances of survival.
Why did Hatake Kakashi become famous throughout the ninja world, even with limited chakra reserves?
Because he had mastered over a thousand jutsu.
Even if he couldn't use all of them, the sheer tactical flexibility allowed him to counter nearly any elemental specialty.
By contrast, a ninja who focused solely on one field—even if powerful—was far too easy to target.
Just like Teacher Chen's son.
He had been personally trained and was strong enough to pass the ninja exams using only taijutsu. But because his weaknesses were obvious, he was singled out and killed on the battlefield.
The Raikage would not repeat that mistake.
He knew his subordinates were only momentarily shaken by Might Dai's display. Once they calmed down, they would understand.
Soon, he reached A.
The Raikage glanced at the wound in Ai's chest, then subconsciously touched the scar on his own body, falling into thought.
The improvement of Jigokuzuki—Hell Stab—could no longer be delayed.
This world was full of people with terrifying reaction speed. If this flaw wasn't resolved, it would cripple them in future battles.
What use was the strongest spear if it couldn't be thrust?
Enemies capable of forcing out Hell Stab were already capable of exploiting its weakness.
Reputation meant nothing if the technique itself couldn't be reliably used.
Still, this wasn't something that could be solved overnight. Ever since the Eight-Tails incident, the Raikage had been searching for a solution—but with no breakthrough.
At least his Lightning Release Chakra Mode had grown stronger.
"How is A?" the Raikage asked.
(This A was the Third Raikage's son—the future Fourth Raikage.)
He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the injuries before him.
A had collapsed from exhaustion and was stabbed during the recoil of his own attack. The wound wasn't shallow—if anything, it was terrifyingly close to fatal.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, he had twisted his body just enough to avoid his heart. Otherwise, he would already be dead.
"Reporting, Raikage-sama. Lord A's condition has stabilized, but he needs a long period of rest. He cannot engage in strenuous activity."
"He will not be able to return to the village immediately."
The Raikage nodded after a moment of consideration.
"You will remain here and protect A until he recovers."
Then he turned.
"Killer Bee—come back to the village with me. That training must begin."
"Yes, Pops."
The Raikage and Killer Bee escorted A to a Cloud stronghold, issued several orders, and then departed.
---
On the other side—
After successfully forcing back the Raikage, Shirō and Dai both collapsed backward onto the giant bird's back.
Shirō was fine. This was just another case of magic circuit overload—something he had long since grown used to. As long as he didn't use chakra or Projection for a while, a short rest would be enough.
He already had a routine for this.
Might Dai, however, was in far worse condition.
His mastery of the Eight Gates—especially the Gate of Wonder—was still incomplete. The burden on his body had already been extreme, yet he had forced himself to fight for so long.
At this moment—
Dai was gravely injured.
---
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