Sogetsu's question hooked a memory buried deep in the Raikage's heart—
A shameful moment he least wanted to remember.
But pride ran in his bones. He disdained lies.
So he only nodded calmly.
"In my life, I've fought hundreds of battles—large and small."
"But only once…"
"In the battle against the Eight-Tails… that might be called 'defeat.'"
"As expected of Lord Raikage. Impressive."
Sogetsu smiled.
"I've long heard you suppressed a rampaging Eight-Tails multiple times. By that alone… it hardly counts as a failure."
"Are you done?"
The Raikage had already lost patience. He braced his hands on his knees and began to stand.
At that moment—
Outside Kumogakure, a firework shot into the sky.
Pop!
A brilliant bloom exploded against the blue heavens.
In an instant, like a signal being sounded—
A torrent of violent gale-force wind swept through the office.
Thunder roared.
The air churned and tore.
Chakra burned like blazing fire, surging outward and forming a solid armor over the Raikage's body.
His aura climbed—rising in a heartbeat to its absolute peak, crashing down like a mountain storm.
Even Sogetsu's calm expression grew heavier.
"Everyone—listen."
The Raikage's muscles coiled, thick tendons jumping under his skin. He crooked a finger at Sogetsu.
"No one interferes."
"Kid—let me see what you're really capable of."
"Then… excuse me."
Before the last syllable fell—
Sogetsu stomped hard.
His body vanished.
Wind howled.
A gale fueled by pure rage rose like a tsunami—
Yet even that storm was left behind by the speed of Sogetsu's charge.
In the narrow space, the airflow detonated into ring after ring of shattered sonic barriers, like a roaring dragon ramming through the air.
Walls and floor cracked and broke along his path.
The shockwave he kicked up slammed Cloud shinobi aside, sending them flying.
No fancy movements.
No wasted motion.
Borrowing the momentum of his forward rush, Sogetsu leapt—high—and poured all his power into a single kick.
"Good!"
The Raikage's eyes flashed with excitement.
He didn't dodge.
He didn't retreat.
His fingers clenched into a fist and he punched straight forward.
Fist and foot collided—
A shriek of violent impact.
BOOM—!!!
Centered on the two of them, the hard stone floor buckled and peeled up in layers.
A shockwave like something solid carved out an "empty cavity" in the air, blasting outward and forcing the spectators back again.
"S-so terrifying…"
Cloud shinobi stared, horrified.
"This is the first time I've ever seen someone match the Raikage in raw physical strength!"
Everyone knew the Raikage's monstrous power came from Lightning Release Chakra Mode, forcibly activating every cell in his body.
So why—
How was this man doing it?!
"…Scales?"
The Raikage's gaze locked onto Sogetsu's skin.
A layer of tight, hard pale-gold dragon scales covered his body.
A strange technique.
Curiosity flickered in the Raikage's eyes.
"But that alone… isn't enough!"
Lightning exploded again around him. His arm muscles swelled thicker.
"Break—!!!"
The roar hit like thunder.
The Raikage stepped in and smashed forward, his fist carrying an invincible, crushing might.
That power surged like a landslide.
In an instant, it overwhelmed Sogetsu—
The scales on Sogetsu's arm shattered piece by piece, blood spilling from the gaps.
Sogetsu was blown away by that one punch.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He smashed through multiple walls like a cannonball, angled downward—crashing through the floorboards.
Only after dropping to the lowest level and carving a crater several meters wide into the ground did he finally bleed off the force.
Sogetsu's vision spun.
His internal organs felt like they'd shifted out of place.
So heavy.
So strong.
Those were the first thoughts that flashed through his mind.
No wonder even a rampaging Eight-Tails couldn't take him down—until both sides were exhausted.
The Third Raikage really was terrifying.
But the Raikage didn't intend to give him time.
BOOM!
He landed like a meteor, shaking the ground again with a surging airblast.
Lightning armor wrapped him.
He bathed in thunderlight, violent arcs snapping around his body.
His bronze skin gleamed like tempered steel—almost metallic.
"What?"
"Is that all you've got?"
The Raikage's eyes bulged, killing intent pouring out as he stared down at Sogetsu in the crater.
"Stand up."
"You shouldn't be this weak."
"If you can't even take one punch from me, this is going to be painfully boring."
"Instead of worrying about me…"
Sogetsu rose from the crater, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. A faint smile tugged at his eyes.
"…Why don't you look at yourself?"
"Hm?"
The Raikage paused, then lowered his gaze.
Only then did he notice—
His own fist was bleeding.
Drip… drip…
Bright-red drops splashed onto the ground.
Across his knuckles was a wound so deep the bone was visible—flesh torn open.
The pain only reached his brain now.
"I see."
"Wind nature transformation."
The Raikage glanced once and understood the cause. Then his eyes burned with excitement, his grin widening as he lowered his center of gravity—battle intent blazing hot.
"Not bad."
"You're finally qualified to make me take this a little seriously."
Crackle! Crackle—!!!
Even more violent lightning gathered around him.
Under the compression of chakra, the armor grew denser—its patterns becoming sharply defined.
"Come, kid!"
The Raikage threw his head back and roared, thunder rolling.
"Let me see—"
"Is your Wind Release sharper…"
"Or is my Lightning Armor harder!"
"Exactly what I wanted!"
Sogetsu thrust out his right hand. His five fingers curved like a tiger's claw—
Then snapped together.
A storm surged from all directions.
Winds spun in opposite rotations on both sides, grinding against each other like the sharpest whetstone—
And forged an impossibly thin "blade" out of air itself.
"Wind Release: Guillotine Blade!"
He stepped forward half a pace, dropping his stance to the lowest possible point.
Sogetsu held the "Guillotine Blade" in his right hand, taking a draw-slash posture.
Even the breath leaving his lips hissed with a razor-edged shriek.
A brief silence.
Then—
Both figures vanished at the same time.
Wind and lightning collided—
And the instant they met, a massive shockwave detonated!
BOOM—!
Wind became a blade—carving a dazzling cold arc.
When an edge honed to its absolute limit struck an unbreakable Lightning Armor—
Sparks exploded everywhere.
In the ear-splitting roar—
The Guillotine Blade shattered.
At the same time, the lightning armor split open with a gash.
The sharpest spear and the hardest shield—
Almost broke together.
The next moment, the two who faced each other charged again.
Fist against fist.
Body against body.
In the cramped office space, they clashed at a speed beyond naked eyesight, trading high-intensity blows—
Sending savage gales and shockwaves ripping through everything around them.
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