"It really is the Third Raikage..."
Gazing at the lightning-wreathed figure below, Onoki's expression darkened.
He had no idea how the Third Raikage had been resurrected—likely through Edo Tensei—but he was certain of one thing: if the Raikage continued his rampage, Iwagakure would suffer devastating losses.
As Onoki observed from above, the resurrected Raikage, A, also caught sight of him. Their eyes locked—and then, the former Raikage sneered, not caring whether Onoki could hear him or not, and bellowed:
"Onoki! Didn't expect this, did you? I've crawled back from the Pure Land to take revenge! Prepare yourself and witness my wrath! Hell Stab — Three-Finger Piercing!"
Blue lightning exploded from his body as he charged forward, his right hand formed into a deadly spear of three fingers. The technique, refined for maximum power and penetration, pierced through Iwagakure's defenses with ease.
Even Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall crumbled like wet clay before his Hell Stab, unable to halt his advance.
"Tch. Only seven this time? You Rock ninja are good at scattering," A muttered, dissatisfied. If they hadn't dispersed, he believed he could've taken out a dozen or more in that strike.
Despite not fully indulging in the slaughter, he knew the massacre couldn't last forever.
Suddenly, a beam of Dust Release fell from the sky—Onoki's signature technique, the Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu. But A, having fought Onoki in the past, was familiar with his tactics and evaded the attack with minimal effort.
While moving, he laughed up at the sky:
"What's wrong, Onoki? Trying to repeat your old ambush? If you're up for it, I wouldn't mind another three days and nights of fighting!"
Onoki's face tightened. He didn't respond. He couldn't.
Back in the Third Great Ninja War, the Rock ninja had spent three days trying to bring down the Third Raikage in a battle of attrition. But now, unprepared and with his forces depleted, even a single day of continuous battle would result in catastrophic losses.
"Why the silence, old man? Could it be… you're scared of me?" the Raikage taunted again, kicking aside the corpse of a fallen Rock shinobi—an act that stung Onoki more than any insult.
Still, Onoki endured. His people had already lost too much.
With a grim expression, he snorted and unleashed another Dust Release attack before shouting an order to his troops:
"Everyone, retreat! Fall back to the village!"
The Rock ninja, exhausted and mentally broken, complied. Though they felt ashamed to retreat, they knew they had no strength left to resist. One by one, they withdrew, leaving only the two Kage on the battlefield—two titans of their era.
High above, Kawaki Aoba, observing through a summoned hawk, clicked his tongue.
"Another stalemate. How boring..." he muttered.
It was a common issue among Kage-level shinobi—against ordinary ninja, they were overwhelming forces of nature. But against opponents of equal standing, unless one had a specific advantage or counter, the battles usually turned into long, exhausting deadlocks.
Just like now—Onoki against the Third Raikage.
Since the revived A had entered the battlefield, Kawaki had been counting. In less than ten minutes, the Raikage had killed 231 Iwagakure shinobi.
A loss comparable to a major battle.
Still, when weighed against a force of over 10,000 troops, it was less than 3%. Barely a scratch, Kawaki thought. He needed Iwagakure completely crippled—not just bruised.
He contemplated whether to return to the battlefield himself—and perhaps drop another mountain or two on the Rock ninja.
But just then, a flood of information surged into his mind—the delayed memory of a Shadow Clone that had just dispelled itself.
The village had sent a directive.
First, news: Namikaze Minato had taken command on the Cloud battlefield and led Konoha to a decisive victory.
Second, orders: several Konoha squads were to withdraw from the Grass Country battlefield—his team included. Apparently, all squads being recalled had made significant contributions and would be rewarded upon their return.
And Kawaki Aoba knew—no one had done more than him.
Maybe, just maybe, this was the time he could earn a peek at the Book of Seals.
A smirk formed on his lips. With a swift signal, he sent an order to the Third Raikage from afar.
The Raikage froze mid-clash with Onoki, his expression momentarily distant, almost contemplative.
That mysterious figure had given him a new objective: to disrupt the Land of Earth and keep Iwagakure so occupied they couldn't redeploy forces elsewhere or ignite another front.
The real war was in strategy.
Now, besides the Hidden Cloud, only the Hidden Leaf was truly engaged in direct conflict with the Hidden Stone. Could that mysterious figure be a Leaf shinobi?
If so, why would he allow me, the Third Raikage, to do something so minor? Shouldn't he be using this opportunity to negotiate with the Hidden Cloud for greater strategic gain?
Could it be that the person pulling the strings had an even greater scheme in motion?
Although the Third Raikage couldn't make sense of it, he didn't see it as a bad thing.
It would be far more troublesome if the mysterious manipulator ordered him to return to Kumogakure. The Third Raikage didn't want to be a pawn used to control the Cloud Village from the shadows—such an act would make him a traitor to his people.
Fortunately, the person controlling him hadn't shown any intent to manipulate the entire village through him.
Little did the Raikage know, Kawaki Aoba had indeed considered that strategy. Controlling the Third Raikage and using him as a proxy ruler was something well within Aoba's power.
However, doing so would have required Aoba to monitor the Raikage's every move constantly. And frankly, it was far too troublesome.
The Third Raikage, despite his immense value, wasn't worth Aoba's undivided attention.
It was more practical to let the Raikage roam freely in the Land of Earth, stirring up chaos for Iwagakure. After all, he remained under Aoba's control regardless.
Aoba could always deal with him later, when time allowed.
And so, without the Third Raikage's awareness, Kawaki Aoba released him from direct manipulation.
Utilizing the Float-Float Fruit—an ability foreign to this world, combined with explosive chakra techniques—Kawaki Aoba swiftly rejoined his squad, finding the perfect opportunity to swap places with his own shadow clone.
Upon his return, he was immediately noticed by Yuhi Kurenai.
She approached quietly and whispered, "You're back?"
Aoba froze. Had Kurenai realized he'd been using a shadow clone to substitute for himself these past few days?
That should've been impossible. Unless there was intense combat, a shadow clone was indistinguishable from the real body. Even the Byakugan could only detect the difference by chakra volume.
So, how had she noticed?
Kurenai smiled knowingly, her eyes narrowing to slits as she leaned closer. "Let me tell you a little secret," she whispered. "My mental strength has increased several times lately—I can even see through shadow clones now."
Aoba was stunned.
Several times stronger? That was no small development.
Kurenai had always been among the top-tier genjutsu users in Konoha, even among Chūnin. If her mental prowess had evolved that drastically, didn't that mean she had already stepped into—or even surpassed—Kage-level genjutsu?
No… Even most Kage wouldn't be able to differentiate between a real shinobi and a high-level shadow clone without clashing.
This wasn't just a quantitative increase. It was a qualitative leap.
Aoba's mind raced. If Kurenai's mental strength had undergone such sublimation, could that mean her bloodline limit had awakened?
As if reading his thoughts, Kurenai extended a hand. A radiant pink flower bloomed delicately on her fingertip.
"Genjutsu?" Aoba muttered.
He reached out and touched it. The petals felt soft and tangible. A faint fragrance filled his nose.
Then he tried to dispel the illusion—but no matter what genjutsu release technique he used, the flower remained.
Finally, Aoba sighed. "Genjutsu: True Manifestation."
This was an ability rumored to lie dormant in the bloodline of the Kurama clan—a rare and powerful gift that turned illusions into physical reality. A direct contrast to the Uchiha clan's Izanagi, which turned reality into illusion.
While Izanagi required the sacrifice of a Sharingan, Genjutsu: True Manifestation required only chakra.
Aoba was certain this wasn't simple sensory manipulation. He had Kage-level perception and his Observation Haki had reached such a peak that conventional genjutsu couldn't affect him without absurd chakra input.
And Kurenai wasn't known to possess that kind of chakra pool.
Then again, perhaps things had changed.
"Kurenai," Aoba said at last, "Congratulations. You've clearly reached a new level in your bloodline limit. But… with your mental strength rising so fast, can your body handle it?"
Kurenai blinked in surprise and covered her mouth. "Aoba… how did you know? I only noticed recently. Sometimes I feel like my mental energy is about to burst out of my body…"
Just as I suspected, Aoba thought.
In the original timeline, a girl named Kurama Yakumo from the Kurama clan awakened a similar power. She suffered frequent mental breakdowns and uncontrolled manifestations of her illusions—likely due to the same issue: mental strength surpassing the body's capacity to contain it.
Kurenai was in a better physical state than Yakumo ever was, but it was clear the risk existed.
Aoba made a mental note: strengthening Kurenai's physical resilience would have to become a priority.
While Aoba and Kurenai continued chatting in hushed tones, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings, they failed to notice the shadow looming behind them—an oppressive presence radiating displeasure.
It was their team leader, Yuhi Shinku—Kurenai's father.
That bastard kid is flirting with my daughter right in front of me, Shinku fumed silently. And she's not even an adult yet, dammit!
But what truly infuriated him was the genjutsu barrier she'd cast around them.
Who the hell are you trying to keep out, Kurenai? What exactly are you two doing in there?
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