At that moment, he was filled with regret, cursing himself for ever approaching the Third Raikage's corpse.
But in his despair, something awoke within him. Unlike the others who fled in blind panic, he didn't wait for death—he formed hand seals even as he ran.
It was the only technique he could think of, the one with the best chance of survival.
Earth Release: Earth Rise Technique.
With a thunderous rumble, a massive wall of earth surged from the ground—a high-difficulty, A-rank Doton jutsu.
This Iwagakure shinobi hoped the earthen barrier would shield him from the colossal mountain descending from the sky.
It didn't need to hold for long—just long enough for him to escape the shadow that threatened to crush everything beneath it.
Closer… closer to the sunlight.
Hope flickered in his eyes as he dashed into the light, a grin forming on his face.
He had made it.
He had escaped his fate.
But then, bathed in sunlight, he noticed something was off.
Could the earthen barrier he had hastily summoned really stop that falling mountain?
Doubt crept in, and in his misplaced relief, he glanced back.
And saw it.
A glowing figure, wreathed in flames, had seized the Third Raikage's corpse—and was rising into the air again.
"That is…?"
Whether it was real or an illusion, for a brief instant, it seemed that figure even waved at him.
Then the earth trembled.
With horror, he realized the mountain's trajectory had changed.
The shadow returned, swallowing him once more.
And then, the mountain landed with a deafening crash, its titanic weight slamming into the battlefield.
Countless Iwagakure shinobi who hadn't escaped were crushed in an instant—some buried alive, others flattened beyond recognition. The end result was the same.
Above, the flame-wreathed figure soared into the sky, the Third Raikage's body held tightly in his grasp.
That figure was Kawaki Aoba.
After securing the Third Raikage's body, he turned and vanished without hesitation.
From afar, Ōnoki, clutching another section of the mountain with both hands, could only watch helplessly.
There was anger in his eyes—but more than that, powerlessness.
Meanwhile, Kawaki Aoba returned to his previous vantage point.
Gently, he laid the Raikage's body down and inspected it. Good—no limbs missing. It met the conditions for the Necromantic Curse.
Kawaki Aoba placed a palm on the Raikage's forehead.
The curse activated.
Dark purple chakra—a twisted form resembling Yin Release, yet suffused with a deathly stillness—flowed into the corpse.
The Third Raikage's skin began to pale, his features graying as the chakra reshaped him into something… unholy.
Aoba could feel it: the more chakra he poured in, the faster the transformation progressed.
Sensing this, he didn't hold back. He pushed his chakra to the limit.
The corpse greedily absorbed everything, so much so that even Kawaki Aoba, despite his enhanced physique, began to feel the drain.
He quickly pulled out several blue chakra potions, downing three in quick succession.
Finally, the transformation was complete.
He muttered to himself, "Blue and red potions really are lifesavers."
Without them, reanimating the Raikage would have taken hours.
It was strange: during the transformation, the body had looked like a husk dragged from the underworld. But now, it appeared… normal. Too normal. As if he'd never died.
And yet, something was wrong. He wasn't truly undead—at least not in the traditional sense.
Undead beings, like those created by the Impure World Reincarnation, had their souls tethered in a state of limbo. But the Raikage's case was different.
He wasn't alive.
Just… animated.
Aoba frowned.
He had waited several minutes, yet the body didn't move.
Focusing his senses through the curse, he scanned the Raikage's state.
And then… he smirked.
"So the great Third Raikage is playing dead?"
At that, the corpse's eyes suddenly snapped open.
He looked at Kawaki Aoba—now disguised in the form of Smoker—and spoke in a gravelly tone:
"What jutsu did you use on me? I was dead… I know I was dead."
His voice trembled.
"My soul was in the Pure Land… I felt peace. And now—now I've been dragged back."
He looked down at his own body.
"My heart beats. My blood flows. But the life I once had… it's gone."
"I can feel it. Everything seems normal… but I know—I know I am dead."
"There's a connection between us. As long as you release this jutsu, I'll die again. You can also issue me commands against my will. What a terrifying technique… So tell me—what exactly are you? And what is your purpose?"
The Third Raikage rose from the ground, his stern eyes locking onto Kawaki Aoba.
Clap clap clap...
Kawaki Aoba clapped slowly. "As expected of the Third Raikage. You might be overconfident in your strength, but you're not just a brainless brute."
"Still, you're the one being controlled. You don't get to ask the questions."
"Hmph." The Third Raikage snorted coldly, eyes narrowing with disdain. "So, you're nothing but a rat who hides in the shadows."
"Say what you want. In the end, you're my tool now. And a tool needs to know its place." Aoba raised a finger and pointed toward the distance, where a battalion of Iwagakure shinobi was stationed.
"Surely, you're not satisfied with how you were ambushed and killed during that battle with Ōnoki, right? Consider this your chance for revenge."
"Go. Let Iwagakure feel your wrath firsthand."
The Third Raikage paused, then laughed—low at first, before erupting into a booming roar. "Heh… You're no saint, but I don't mind settling a score with those Iwa bastards."
He extended his hand toward Kawaki Aoba.
"What do you want now?" Aoba asked, suspicious.
"Soldier Pills," the Raikage replied bluntly. "You brought me back, but my body's got nothing left in the tank. You expect me to wipe out an army like this?"
Kawaki Aoba: ...
He'd overlooked a key detail: even with the reanimation technique, the Raikage's body was still in the state it was before death—battered and drained of chakra. He had absorbed some chakra during the summoning, but not enough to restore the Raikage's power.
Aoba tossed him two large bottles—one red, one blue. "No soldier pills. Drink these."
The Third Raikage eyed the vials briefly, then uncorked them and drank without hesitation. He was already dead—what was there to fear?
Warmth surged through his core. Chakra and vitality began to regenerate, and even old battlefield injuries began to mend.
It wasn't resurrection—but it was close. His body was returning to its peak condition, even if his soul remained tethered to the jutsu.
"Alright, that's enough. If you want more of that feeling, earn it. Now move—those Iwa shinobi won't wait around."
The Third Raikage clenched his fists, his expression darkening with grim purpose. He activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and electricity surged around his body like armor.
With a crackle of lightning, he vanished from view.
"He's fast," Aoba muttered, crossing his arms. Activating the Float-Float Fruit ability, he levitated into the sky to observe the carnage from above.
The Third Raikage streaked across the battlefield like a bolt of divine judgment. Within seconds, he crossed several kilometers and entered the Iwagakure formation.
By the time the Iwagakure shinobi noticed the flare of lightning, it was already too late. Like a living weapon, the Raikage tore through them—each strike a blur, each movement a fatal storm of speed and raw power.
No formation could stop him this time.
Before, they'd used tactics, numbers, and terrain to bring him down. But now, scattered and unprepared, they were nothing more than fodder.
And elsewhere…
---
In the Iwagakure command zone:
"What?" Ōnoki's voice boomed, eyes blazing as he glared at the messenger before him. "The white-haired intruder attacked the village?! And you're only telling me now?!"
"I—I'm sorry, Tsuchikage-sama!" the messenger stammered. "Lord Iwatomo said the intruder retreated, and that the village was stable. He thought your mission was more important and didn't want to disturb—"
Ōnoki's furious gaze silenced him. But after a moment, the elder Tsuchikage took a deep breath. He wouldn't lash out at his own men—not while his granddaughter Kurotsuchi was reportedly unharmed.
Just as he turned to reassess the battlefield—
A loud commotion broke out in the distance.
Ōnoki turned. "What is it now?!"
Another shinobi sprinted toward him, panic in his voice. "Tsuchikage-sama! It's terrible—the Third Raikage has returned! He's attacking our troops!"
"What?!" Ōnoki's eyes widened in disbelief. "The Third Raikage? That brute is long dead! Even if he weren't—how could he possibly be here now?!"
But there was no time for questions.
With a grim expression, Ōnoki floated into the air, rock particles swirling around his feet as he soared toward the chaos.
Visit patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters