Tatsuya had already fallen dozens of meters from atop the Azure Snake, large swathes of his skin charred by the high-voltage lightning.
"I'm okay! Guy, watch out, it's Darui's team, the Raikage's personal guard!"
Brushing off his burnt clothing, Tatsuya looked gravely at the approaching trio – Darui, Samui, and C. He spoke urgently, warning Guy.
Darui's Lightning and Storm Release techniques had indeed hit Tatsuya, causing significant damage. He'd nearly been unable to dodge Darui's potentially fatal strike.
At this moment, Tatsuya realized the situation was dire.
Darui, Samui, and C were all members of the Fourth Raikage's guard. Why would they suddenly appear here? This was far beyond the security one would expect for a simple food and supply depot.
With this thought, Tatsuya's gaze shifted back towards the burning supply yard.
As he looked, a wry smile twisted his lips.
The fires in the depot still blazed, yet the surrounding Cloud ninjas were utterly ignoring them. It was obvious – the food and supplies were just a decoy!
With Guy's help, Tatsuya stood up, assessing his physical condition. He immediately began forming hand seals.
Rapidly, the charred areas of Tatsuya's body began to slough off, replaced by a surge of newly generated flesh and blood. This was the flesh-regenerating forbidden technique, refined and optimized by his bio-chip.
In just over ten seconds, Tatsuya's body was fully restored.
Whoosh!
Nearby, Kakashi appeared, supporting Shisui.
Seeing Tatsuya completely recovered, Kakashi, Shisui, and Guy were all visibly surprised, but none of them questioned it. Cloud ninjas were rapidly encircling them; this was not the place for conversation.
Roar!
Not far away, the Azure Snake, in its Cursed Seal Level Two state, roared in fury, its massive tail slamming towards Darui. The black lightning attack had also inflicted minor injuries on the snake.
Boom!
A series of crashing sounds erupted as Darui and his team dodged the attack with difficulty. Facing the Azure Snake, with its high attack and defense, the trio was momentarily at a loss for an effective counter.
"Don't get cocky, you beast!"
After several attacks, the Azure Snake continued its relentless pursuit. Suddenly, a streak of lightning flashed across the night sky, accompanied by a thunderous voice.
"It's the Raikage-sama!"
Hearing this voice, the assembled Cloud ninjas lit up with expressions of joy.
Pop! Pop!
A piercing sonic boom ripped through the air as a figure enveloped in silver lightning chakra appeared in a flash, instantly materializing above the Azure Snake.
Lightning Release: Liger Bomb!
BOOM!
A deafening explosion. The Fourth Raikage, A, slammed his right hand down onto the Azure Snake's head.
The resulting blast was immense, forcing the Azure Snake's massive body several meters into the ground. Powerful gusts of wind kicked up a storm of dust and debris, turning the surrounding area into a chaotic mess.
"I'll deal with you first, you beast!"
Without a moment's hesitation, the Fourth Raikage roared his intent. He channeled a massive amount of lightning chakra into his right leg and, from above, delivered a crushing kick towards the Azure Snake.
This was the Fourth Raikage's ninjutsu-enhanced taijutsu, the Guillotine Drop.
If this strike connected, even the Azure Snake's formidable defenses would be unlikely to withstand it.
Release!
From a distance, witnessing this, Tatsuya's expression changed drastically. Without a second thought, he formed hand seals, breaking the summoning contract with the Azure Snake.
BOOM!
CRASH!
Under a cloud of white smoke, the devastating blow sent tremors through the earth. Countless rocks were thrown skyward, scattering in all directions. The Azure Snake's colossal form had vanished.
The Fourth Raikage's speed was simply too overwhelming. Tatsuya had no time to react, forcing the Azure Snake to take a direct hit. Against the Fourth Raikage, whose speed and attack power were at their peak, the Azure Snake's size was nothing but a hindrance.
All of this happened within a few seconds. Before the dust in the air had fully settled, several faint blue chakra orbs shot towards Tatsuya and his team from the slopes of the distant valley.
Not far away, Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki of the Cloud, had appeared in the valley. She was controlling the Tailed Beast Balls, launching them at Tatsuya's group.
With several desperate, acrobatic dodges in mid-air, the four narrowly avoided Yugito's attack, forced to regroup together.
As they landed, they found themselves surrounded by Cloud ninjas, a hundred meters in every direction.
At the forefront, the Fourth Raikage and Yugito stood on opposite sides.
On the other two flanks, Darui, C, and Samui – three young Jonin – and a group of veteran Jonin, each led a large contingent of Cloud ninjas, completely encircling them.
At this moment, the four members of Anbu Team Eleven were utterly trapped.
"Hah! The Cloud really thinks highly of us!"
Within the valley, looking at this overwhelming force, Tatsuya couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.
No one could have imagined that the Cloud would go to such lengths, even mobilizing the Fourth Raikage and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito, just to deal with the four members of Anbu Team Eleven.
"Anbu Team Eleven of Konoha, you've already achieved enough to be proud of! Just surrender peacefully!"
Standing on a hillside, looking down at the four, the Fourth Raikage boomed, his voice deep and resonant.
The damage Anbu Team Eleven had inflicted on the Cloud Village in this single battle far exceeded his expectations.
But the more this was true, the more determined the Fourth Raikage was to completely annihilate Konoha's Anbu Team Eleven here and now.
They were already this terrifying before fully maturing. If they were given more time to develop, Konoha might gain another one or two powerhouses on par with the Fourth Hokage.
This was something the Fourth Raikage absolutely could not allow.
Facing this desperate scene, the four exchanged bitter smiles.
The current situation was far more difficult than they had imagined!
Who could have thought that the Cloud Village would set up such a formation just for the four members of Anbu Team Eleven?
"Cough… cough… Everyone, let's use our last resorts and fight to the death!"
Kakashi coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, struggling to his feet and stepping forward, his voice calm.
As he spoke, Kakashi began forming hand seals: Rat, Horse, Monkey, Horse, Hare.
Chirp chirp chirp…
Instantly, a piercing, high-pitched chirping sound filled the air!
"I'll take on the Raikage!"
Guy also stepped forward, his fighting spirit blazing as he looked towards the Fourth Raikage.
Gate of Shock, Open!
With that declaration, a massive surge of blue aura erupted from Guy's body, a powerful blast of energy that pushed everything around him away.
The imposing pressure immediately drew everyone's attention.
"The Eight Inner Gates Formation!"
Seeing Guy's sudden, explosive display of power, the Fourth Raikage's expression turned serious.
C's face paled even further!
Not a single member of Konoha's Anbu Team Eleven was to be taken lightly.
Tonight, three of them had already demonstrated terrifying power.
Hah!
Having opened the Gate of Shock, Guy didn't give the Cloud ninjas any time to think. He immediately leaped into the air and dashed towards the Fourth Raikage.
Kakashi, dragging his right hand that crackled with brilliant lightning, charged towards Darui and the others.
In this desperate situation, Kakashi's only thought was to expend his last ounce of strength to take down at least one elite Cloud Jonin for Konoha.
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