251-255

*Chapter 251: Double Hand Spear! Illusion Reversal!*

"Friend, have you ever seen Ultraman in the Ninja World?"

On this day, Uchiha Shinji did.

At the moment when the sword of limits, the "Eight Million Divine Majesty Slash," descended, an ominous feeling abruptly rose in Uchiha Shinji’s heart. A cold shiver shot up from the soles of his feet to his head in an instant, chilling his overheated mind to clarity.

Uchiha Shinji’s expression hardened as he suddenly looked up—

The clouds in the sky, at some point, had spiraled together into a thick, swirling mass. The oppressive storm clouds resembled the twisted faces of demons from hell, looming menacingly overhead.

And then—

The heavens roared with fury:

*“Crack!”*

A bolt of lightning pierced through the dark clouds, spanning thousands of miles in an instant, hurtling downward like a blazing arrow.

With an awe-inspiring posture—

One arm raised, four fingers together, and the other hand placed firmly over the heart,

It was almost exactly like the appearance of Ultraman!

In Uchiha Shinji’s shocked gaze, the old man shouted furiously, his four fingers like a blade, stabbing straight down!

*“Hell Thrust: Four-Hand Spear!!”*

With the roar, an intense black lightning condensed at the tips of his fingers and slammed into the massive flaming sword.

Then—

Thunder exploded across the sky, scattering in a web-like pattern.

The overwhelming force crushed the air, creating shockwaves that reverberated outward. The immense pressure surged along the blade of the sword and slammed into Uchiha Shinji’s body, forcing a muffled groan out of him. He spat a mouthful of blood.

*“Cough! Damn it, what’s going on!?”*

Gritting his teeth, Uchiha Shinji twisted his waist, stomped heavily, and braced himself!

The stomp was so powerful that even the Two-Tailed Beast’s head tilted to the side. The creature instinctively growled in anger, raising its head high.

Serving as the link between the beast’s immense strength and the flaming sword, Uchiha Shinji’s body bore the brunt of the pressure. His skin cracked, blood flowed freely, and the screeching of his bones echoed painfully. Yet, against all odds, he managed to redirect the sword’s trajectory mid-air, slashing it upward in defiance!

Feeling the terrifying force from the sword, which seemed capable of reducing anyone to pulp, the old man in the black lightning momentarily raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

*"This Uchiha kid’s body is surprisingly durable!"*

But his astonishment quickly faded, replaced by a calm ruthlessness.

In the next instant, the four fingers pressing against the sword began to close, leaving only two.

With this subtle change—

The black lightning, which had been crackling across the sky, surged with renewed intensity, growing thicker, fiercer, and more imposing!

*Zzzzzzz—!!*

The once-fine streaks of lightning expanded tenfold, branching into massive, tree-trunk-thick bolts that tore through the atmosphere with unimaginable destructive power!

The two fingers thrust forward.

*Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!*

Sharp, piercing explosions erupted as cracks spread rapidly from the point where the fingers and the sword met.

And then—

*“Boom!!”*

In a deafening explosion, the 60-meter-long flaming sword was pierced cleanly from end to end by the two fingers, shattering into fragments of wildfire that rained down like a meteor shower.

The residual force of the black lightning plummeted further, piercing into the cliff walls of Hell Valley.

In an instant—

A massive wall of fire erupted, forming a circular inferno that expanded outward with unstoppable ferocity, engulfing everything in its path.

The sheer force of the shockwave was so overwhelming that even the Two-Tailed Beast couldn’t maintain its footing, tumbling to the ground in a massive crash.

*“Ugh, damn!”*

Slammed into the earth, Uchiha Shinji struggled to rise, wiping away the blood that once again dripped from the corner of his mouth.

The destruction of the flaming sword, combined with the sudden loss of 80% of his chakra and the devastating backlash, left his organs battered and bruised, his body riddled with internal bleeding.

For an ordinary person, such injuries would have meant instant death.

Fortunately, his forbidden jutsu, *Body Rebirth*, and his immortality allowed him to withstand this superhuman punishment.

Shaking his head to clear the dust from his mind, Uchiha Shinji barely had time to process what had happened before another wave of danger sent chills racing down his spine.

He quickly raised his head, staring into the smoke and dust that obscured the raging fire.

*“It’s coming!”*

Through his scarlet Sharingan, Uchiha Shinji barely caught sight of a shadow—not leaping, but shooting—toward him, weaving through the haze like a deadly phantom.

Suddenly,

From a far distance to right up close, pitch-black lightning pierced through the wall of fire.

In an instant, it shot directly toward the back of his head!

At this moment,

A devastating elbow strike, capable of perfectly obliterating Uchiha Shinji's skull, was less than a centimeter away from the nape of his neck!

And just then,

Uchiha Shinji's eyes suddenly snapped open in fury, the veins around his eyes bulging instantly.

"Now!"

His crimson Sharingan transformed in an instant into eerie snake-like pupils!

A seamless 360-degree field of vision expanded in an instant,

channeling the natural energy stored within his eyes to unleash an indiscriminate ocular technique on everything within range.

"Sage Art: Sharingan – The Blinding Eye of Illusion Rebirth!"

Theoretically, Uchiha Shinji's eyes could simultaneously observe every corner within a perfect 360-degree field.

The Illusion Rebirth technique, as the name suggests, involves using an indiscriminate ocular attack to cast illusions on all heat-emitting living beings within a five-meter radius of his infrared-perfect vision. This technique demands an immense amount of natural energy to activate.

This was a Sage Art illusion technique created by Uchiha Shinji himself,

one he was convinced no one could ever evade!

And at that moment, using his enhanced eyes, Uchiha Shinji finally saw the full appearance of his assailant—

This person,

possessed an explosively muscular physique. The oversized, one-shouldered vest from the Hidden Cloud Village clung to his body like a skin-tight tank top. His waist was cinched by a thick, straw-yellow braided rope.

His wild white hair flared behind him like a demonic flame!

It was none other than someone Uchiha Shinji had seen in the original story—

The Third Raikage, A, himself!

Seeing such a terrifying figure suddenly appear before him made Uchiha Shinji's heart sink.

The more he wished to avoid something, the more it seemed to come right at him!

However,

luckily for him, the unique illusion technique of his Sharingan had already been unleashed with no chance of escape!

Next, all he had to do was...

But,

Before Uchiha Shinji could fully envision how he would replicate Naruto's strategy to defeat the Third Raikage and control the Raikage—trapped in his illusion—to use the Hell Stab: One-Finger Strike to end himself...

A sudden gust of wind shot toward his face!

Before his eyes, a blurred vision seemed to flash—

A muscular arm, as if forged from steel, with a green tattoo of the character for "thunder" etched on the bicep, suddenly reached for his throat,

lifting him like a helpless chick before slamming him into the ground and pummeling him mercilessly!

Uchiha Shinji's heart raced, alarms blaring in his mind. His chest thumped violently!

He could see nothing, feel nothing, not even the hazy image he saw—it was something conjured entirely by his instincts and imagination!

But,

In that moment, he instinctively made the right move.

With a quick sideways leap followed by a donkey roll, he clumsily tumbled to safety!

After executing the move,

he lifted his head and couldn't help but widen his eyes in astonishment, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Just as in his premonition, a massive, muscular arm suddenly tore through the fire-filled wall of black smoke!

And it truly reached out to grab the exact spot where Uchiha Shinji had been standing moments ago!

(Chapter End)

Chapter 252: Counterattack! Ninja Art: Super Sonic Vacuum Blade!

*[Talent: Combat Intuition (S+) Activated.]*

A line of text suddenly appeared before Uchiha Shinji's eyes, causing him to feel a chill down his spine.

This talent, typically dormant during regular battles, would only trigger at moments of extreme peril. It served as a warning from his body and soul, indicating a situation of near-certain death.

However, Uchiha Shinji couldn't shake the feeling that this time was different.

In the past, Combat Intuition, though extraordinary, never predicted future events with such clarity—let alone presented them as vivid, tangible images before him.

At that moment, Uchiha Shinji began to understand what had just transpired.

After executing his genjutsu, Kaiten (Revolving Heaven), the Third Raikage had evaded it in a manner reminiscent of how the Fourth Raikage dodged Amaterasu in the original story.

As Uchiha Shinji’s genjutsu was about to ensnare him, the Third Raikage, relying on his terrifying reflexes and extraordinary speed, dodged and quickly circled around, launching a surprise grapple from the front.

The speed was so astonishing that it exceeded the limits of what the human eye could perceive at close range.

Even with his Two Tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Shinji could no longer track the Raikage’s movements.

Realizing this, Uchiha Shinji felt a heavy weight settle in his heart. His previous analysis from the original story—that the Lightning Armor had different evolutionary branches depending on the user—was proven wrong in an instant.

It wasn’t that the Fourth Raikage’s Lightning Armor specialized in speed and the Third Raikage’s in defense. The truth was far simpler: the Third Raikage was stronger than the Fourth. His mastery of the Lightning Armor was more advanced, and that was all there was to it.

The Lightning Armor was fundamentally the same for both—enhancing both defense and speed. The differences lay in the degree of training and innate reflexes.

The Fourth Raikage’s Lightning Armor enabled him to dodge heavy-hitting attacks like Chōjō's Cannon and Amaterasu with near-zero lag. Similarly, the Third Raikage, who stood before Uchiha Shinji now, could also evade ocular jutsu.

Although his neural reflexes might not quite match the Fourth Raikage’s, the difference was negligible.

What made things even more troublesome was the crackling layer of lightning that enveloped the Third Raikage’s body. Uchiha Shinji couldn’t help but focus on that electric aura.

At this moment, the Third Raikage squinted slightly, looking at his empty hand.

“This reaction speed is almost like precognition.”

“In this regard, this kid might even surpass A.”

“But…”

The Third Raikage turned his head coldly, his gaze locking onto Uchiha Shinji, who had rolled aside in a sorry state, supporting himself on the ground with one hand.

“You’re still too weak.”

Before the last word left his lips, the Third Raikage vanished in a flash of lightning.

“Gone?!”

Seeing this, Uchiha Shinji’s heart tightened. His crimson snake-like pupils darted left and right, tracing faint, trembling red lines in the darkness.

“Where will he strike from?”

Even with his mutated Snake Eye Sharingan, which enhanced his visual prowess, Uchiha Shinji couldn’t track the Raikage’s movements.

The situation reminded him of his early battles with Kakuzu, back when he only had a single Tomoe Sharingan.

His eyes weren’t enough.

So, Uchiha Shinji simply closed them.

He focused his mind entirely on his body’s senses. Relying on the heightened crisis perception that rippled across his skin, he felt as if he were in the center of a still pond, detecting the enemy's movements through the waves caused by their presence.

Gradually, the sounds around him faded.

The crackling fire consuming the ground, the quiet night wind brushing the sky, and the tense, anxious breathing of the ninjas outside the fiery battleground—all receded into the background.

Then, faintly, he heard it.

A barely audible electric buzz, like the sound of paper scraping against itself.

The moment he registered this sound, a chill ran down Uchiha Shinji’s spine. His eyes snapped open, and without hesitation, he flipped backward with one hand, launching himself into the air.

In the next instant—

A blinding flash of lightning illuminated the ground beneath him.

Fixing his gaze on the figure that had lunged downward with a powerful, single-legged strike, Uchiha Shinji’s eyes turned sharp. Still mid-air, he clasped his hands together.

“Secret Technique: Earth Grudge Fear!!”

Shhhh! Shhhh! Shhhh!  

The ground beneath them ruptured as three jet-black masses surged forth. These were dense bundles of threads that wove together to form thick, dark tendrils.

Countless threads erupted from the earth, writhing and twisting like tentacles, surging toward the Third Raikage.

This was Earth Grudge Fear.

*Hiding Life Beneath the Battlefield: The Stirring, Pitch-Black Tendrils!*

Moments ago, Uchiha Shinji had pressed his palm firmly to the ground without rising, all to create this trap designed to restrict his opponent’s movements.

The Third Raikage furrowed his brow slightly, his strike aimed at Uchiha Shinji’s back narrowly missing its mark.

Just as he tried to pivot on his foot to shift his momentum and continue his assault on Uchiha Shinji, the path ahead was already filled with sturdy, pitch-black tendrils. If he wanted to capture Uchiha Shinji, he would first need to sever these tendrils.

Upon seeing this, he didn’t hesitate for a moment. He immediately activated his Lightning Cloak, causing his entire body to radiate with flashes of lightning!

Clenching his thumb, he turned his four-fingered hand into a blade and swung it horizontally. In an instant, the strike sliced through the web of three black tendrils as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter.

However, from the severed ends of the tendrils, three mysterious symbols suddenly lit up. At the same time, Uchiha Shinji, who had risen into the air and pressed his palm downward, revealed the same symbol in the center of his palm!

“Sealing Technique: Three-Way Seal!”

Green beams of light shot out from the symbols, connecting with each other to form a triangular green prism. This prism quickly trapped the Third Raikage inside. Then, the green triangular prison began to compress inward, squeezing tighter and tighter!

The Third Raikage tilted his head slightly and, upon witnessing this, shook his head.

“These little tricks won’t work on me.”

As his words fell, lightning flared again!

The Three-Way Seal shattered like a mere toy before the Third Raikage. He didn’t even need to use his four-fingered strike to cut through the tendrils this time. His Lightning Cloak alone was enough. With a shrug of his shoulders and a powerful charge, he completely destroyed the sealing technique.

And yet, Uchiha Shinji didn’t respond.

His eyes turned cold as he twisted his body and flipped downward, landing lightly.

Pressing his lips into a thin line, he adjusted his stance, firmly gripping the Kusanagi Sword in his hand, which was already fully charged. With a sudden burst of speed, he dashed toward the Third Raikage!

The black tendrils and the Three-Way Seal had been merely a means to restrict the Third Raikage’s movements. They gave Uchiha Shinji the chance to approach and launch his attack, instead of allowing the Raikage to maintain control of the battle with the high-speed movements granted by his Lightning Cloak.

*The Initiative.*

Though it’s just five words, its influence on the outcome of a battle is profound.

These five words have always been the core principle guiding Uchiha Shinji’s battle strategies.

At this moment, the blade of the Kusanagi Sword in Uchiha Shinji’s hand trembled slightly. But unlike before, no blazing flames or spiraling water blades emerged from it. It seemed as though Uchiha Shinji had run out of tricks, relying solely on the sword’s inherent sharpness.

However, only Uchiha Shinji knew the truth.

Inside the sword was a fusion of compressed Wind Release and Lightning Release chakra. This union, brought to a state of perfect harmony, created a unique effect: the sharpness of the wind was hidden within the sword’s vibrations, while the high-frequency oscillations enhanced the invisible wind blades’ cutting power.

The vibration frequency exceeded the limits of human hearing, rendering the sword’s killing intent completely silent.

This was the killing move Uchiha Shinji had prepared for the Third Raikage—

*Composite Ninjutsu: Supersonic Resonance Vacuum Blade!*

(End of Chapter)  

Chapter 253: Intelligence Is Life! Silent Killing Intent!

Gripping the super-sonic vacuum wind blade in his hand, Uchiha Shinji's scarlet Sharingan flickered. With a low stance, he charged forward like a flash of lightning!

His opponent was none other than the Raikage, a shinobi with immense defensive power. This time, Uchiha Shinji chose not to rely on the usual tactics of throwing ninja tools to create an opening.

As the Third Raikage himself had said, such tricks were ineffective against him.

Whether it was wire threads, ninja tools, or even large-scale but diffused elemental ninjutsu like the Flowing Flame Greatsword, none of it could penetrate this impenetrable "turtle shell."

In an era where most shinobi were glass cannons, the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode was an anomaly among anomalies.

Thus, conventional combat experience with other shinobi didn’t apply here. To break through this lightning armor, Uchiha Shinji had two options:

1. Use a super-condensed fire chakra technique, the Scorching White Longsword, to cut through the lightning armor with sheer, scorching heat. This method, however, required a massive amount of chakra.

2. Rely on elemental advantage with a wind-lightning composite ninjutsu. The wind blade in his hand possessed unparalleled piercing and penetration power to break through the Lightning Release Armor.

But this wasn’t a simple matter of choosing between the two.

Uchiha Shinji's decision?

*"I’ll take both!"*

“Haah!”

As he sprinted at high speed, the gusts of wind lashed against his face.

Everything around him blurred into streaks, trailing behind him as he moved.

With a loud roar, Uchiha Shinji bit down on the sparks bursting from his teeth.

*Fire Release: Chakra Mode, activate!*

In the next instant, an intense, incandescent glow erupted!

A blinding sun seemed to rise from the cliff's edge, illuminating the entire battlefield.

The flames, born from the burning of his heart and body, surged wildly before concentrating, condensing, and swirling like a waterspout around his left arm and fist!

In a flash, Uchiha Shinji launched a blazing, sun-like punch, aiming directly at the Third Raikage’s face!

This was none other than the *Shattering Flame Fist*, the technique he had previously used to counter Mangetsu Hōzuki’s Hiramekarei Light Blade.

Amid the intense white light, comparable to the blinding radiance of the Lightning Illusion: Lightning Pillar, the Third Raikage squinted his eyes, a serious expression crossing his face.

“Damn, I can’t see this kid’s position clearly,” he muttered.

“I see. So, the earlier series of techniques, including the sword, were merely feints?”

“After closing the distance, he’s using the intense light to disrupt my vision before launching this move for a decisive blow.”

“So, this is the intelligence I’ve heard of—the ultimate Fire Release technique that doesn’t require hand seals?”

A small smirk curled on the Raikage’s lips. For the first time, this Uchiha brat, whom he had dismissed as insignificant and hoped to quickly defeat, stirred a glimmer of battle spirit within him.

“In that case…”

Straightening his stance slightly, the Raikage’s expression turned cold and sharp.

“I will defeat you as fast as possible!”

Raising his hands, he positioned his left fist in front of his right, curling his thumb while extending his index and middle fingers in a sword-like gesture. After reconsidering, he retracted two fingers, leaving only the index and middle fingers extended.

As he assumed this pose, the lightning armor around him intensified in brightness!

This was none other than the *Hell Stab: Two-Finger Strike*!

Completing the gesture, the Raikage closed his eyes, focusing entirely on his hearing.

Unlike Uchiha Shinji, who relied on instincts for evasion, the Raikage, a master of close-quarters combat, had an exceptional ability to predict attacks based solely on the sound of wind.

Listening carefully to the flow of air disturbed by flames and movement, he suddenly turned his head sharply to the right.

In an instant, he locked onto the rapidly approaching figure slicing through the haze.

“There you are!”

The Raikage’s eyes snapped open, his fierce gaze locking onto Uchiha Shinji.

With his body coiled like a spring, he pulled back his left elbow and twisted his waist, unleashing a devastating right-hand sword thrust straight forward!

The sheer force of the blow seemed to anticipate Uchiha Shinji’s movements perfectly, aiming squarely at the charging youth's chest.

It was as if Uchiha Shinji was hurling himself into the strike!

“!!”

At that moment…

As Uchiha Shinji’s flaming fist was about to strike Ai’s face, he suddenly sensed danger. However, mid-air and fully committed to his attack with the Fire Release: Chakra Mode, he was unable to use the Dance of the Solar Halo to evade.

The incoming blade strike was unavoidable!

In an instant,

A blinding burst of lightning pierced through—

It tore through his skin, slashed into his flesh, and shattered his ribs!

Then, aiming directly at his still-beating heart, it viciously impaled and exploded it!

Squelch!  

The blade obliterated his heart and emerged through his back.

Uchiha Shinji stared in shock at the hand blade piercing through his chest.

The fiery fist he had launched toward Ai’s face stopped just one centimeter short.

Moments later, the blazing white flames enveloping his arm and fist dissipated into the air like rootless wildfires.

The flaw of the Fire Release: Chakra Mode was its dependence on the heart—the source of its violent power. Once the heart was destroyed, the energy fueled by its fiery combustion would naturally scatter like wildfire extinguished.

At that moment,

Ai raised his thick, muscular arm, keeping it embedded in Uchiha Shinji’s chest as he lifted the entire boy into the air.

“This is the end for you, brat.”

Then,

Ai coldly regarded the lifelessly drooping left arm of Uchiha Shinji and said in an icy tone:

“For a ninja, intelligence is life itself.”

“After revealing so much sensitive information, you still had the audacity to linger in Hell Valley instead of training diligently back in your village to grow stronger.”

“To put it bluntly, your arrogance has made you blind—”

“And utterly foolish!”

As his words fell, Ai’s eyes flashed with cold intent.

He was well aware that rumors about Uchiha Shinji had spread across the ninja world thanks to Sunagakure. He knew that even a destroyed heart wouldn’t be enough to kill this boy.

However,

Destroying the heart would render his enemy powerless, leaving him at his mercy.

The next moment, Ai raised his left hand,

Fingers splayed as he reached for Uchiha Shinji’s head, intending to twist it clean off and take it with him.

But,

Facing this life-or-death crisis, Uchiha Shinji’s initial shock quickly gave way to a calm resolve.

Although the situation was unexpected, it didn’t interfere with his original plan!

With that thought, Uchiha Shinji suddenly raised his head, glaring intently at Ai’s chest.

At this close range,

The lightning-like scar across Ai’s chest became perfectly visible!

The words of the Third Raikage were indisputable:

For a ninja, intelligence is life itself!

And as Ai had learned about Uchiha Shinji,

Uchiha Shinji had also uncovered Ai’s fatal weakness—a piece of intelligence Ai himself was unaware of!

A flurry of thoughts raced through Uchiha Shinji’s mind in an instant.

The gust of wind from Ai’s grasp ruffled his bangs,

Under Ai’s cold, piercing gaze,

Uchiha Shinji suddenly grinned menacingly. Then, without a word, he raised the blade Ai had dismissed as a mere feint.

He aimed it directly at the lightning-scarred mark on Ai’s chest!

In the next instant,

Thunder roared, and a gale surged!

The blade of the Kusanagi Sword erupted with a dazzling golden glow,

Unleashing a radiant beam of energy akin to a burst of pure destruction!

The ordinary appearance of the sword concealed an overwhelming killing intent—

Now fully unleashed!

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 254: Sudden Change! A Thunderous Strike!*

Swoosh!  

A blade of wind, shedding its ordinary form, erupted in an instant!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!  

Accompanied by the sudden surge of the wind blade, a suppressed thunderclap roared to life, piercing the air with a screech akin to the cry of a thousand birds!

“What the hell is this?!”

Ai furrowed his brows deeply, pain flashing across his face.

The sharp, high-pitched resonance of the thunder, bordering on the limits of human hearing, burst their eardrums in an instant. Blood trickled from their ears, streaming down their jaws.

The wind, empowered by the thunder, became a sharp and relentless force.

The thunder, amplified by the wind, resonated with a wail that seemed to pierce the heavens!

This was an attack Ai’s Lightning Armor couldn’t defend against—sonic waves!

The strength of compound jutsu lies in its synergy.

In this moment, Uchiha Shinji didn’t care if his attack affected both himself and his enemy; he was willing to risk going deaf just to temporarily destroy Ai’s hearing.

The Third Raikage Ai’s hand-to-hand combat skills were overwhelmingly powerful.

Uchiha Shinji had often wondered if Ai had a stats panel, and if so, whether every single skill under Taijutsu would be at the master level.

His only option was to drag Ai down to his own level!

If they were to be blinded, they’d both go blind.

If they were to be deafened, they’d both go deaf.

There would be no unfair advantage!

Without hesitation, Uchiha Shinji directed his golden blade of light straight toward the scar above Ai’s left chest!

Upon seeing this, Ai’s gaze sharpened.

“How is this possible? How does this brat know about this weak spot?”

“Could he have guessed?”

“There’s no way this information could’ve leaked—Tsuchidai, the only person who knew about this scar, was killed by Uchiha Setsuna.”

“And yet this kid made a life-or-death decision based on a single glance?”

This reckless approach instantly reminded Ai of a powerful man he had personally killed ten years ago.

The sudden sense of danger made Ai’s body tense. His left hand, which was reaching for Uchiha Shinji’s head, instinctively retracted.

In a critical moment,

he pulled back his elbow, opened his palm, and just before the golden blade of light could pierce his scar and heart, he braced his hand against the scar.

Squelch!  

The golden blade pierced the Lightning Armor on Ai’s left hand!

Crackle! Zzzzzzz!  

The clash of wind and thunder erupted instantly, a blinding golden light enveloping them both, robbing them of sight.

This combined jutsu, boasting extreme penetrative power and elemental superiority,

actually managed to slice through the outer layer of the Lightning Armor!

The golden blade penetrated Ai’s hand, stabbing through his palm. It nearly reached his chest!

However, Uchiha Shinji could feel an insurmountable resistance preventing him from pushing further.

In this dire moment, Ai used the muscles in his palm to clamp down on the wind blade!

Beneath the Lightning Armor, his body was unbelievably resilient, as if Uchiha Shinji’s blade had struck diamond.

Uchiha Shinji’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Though he could try pushing further, relying on the Grasscutter Sword’s sharpness to sever Ai’s arm,

he chose to abandon the idea.

Why? Because an overwhelming sense of danger crept into his mind as soon as he considered continuing.

Even Sasuke’s Chidori, used with his palm, could slice through the Fourth Raikage Ai’s Lightning Armor, though it couldn’t push further.

Now, Uchiha Shinji was facing the Third Raikage Ai, whose defense was even stronger. However, his compound jutsu—a supersonic vacuum blade with elemental advantages—should, theoretically, yield results similar to Sasuke’s.

The results confirmed his theory.

Thus, there was no need to fixate on piercing Ai’s chest scar to strike his heart.

The Third Raikage had other weak points besides his chest.

His throat, carotid artery, brain, upper abdomen, stomach, liver, spleen, groin, knees, and arches of his feet—any of these could incapacitate a human body with a single strike.

He had plenty of options.

Resolving himself, Uchiha Shinji’s gaze turned cold.

He kicked Ai’s Lightning Armor with force, using the recoil to escape, pulling his bloodied blade free as he flipped backward and landed.

Without hesitation,

he bent his knees, twisted his foot into the ground, and drew a kunai from his tool pouch, hurling it.

He grabbed the wire attached to the kunai’s end, launching himself upward with a splash of water, sliding through Ai’s legs using the Water Release: Water Cutter Technique.

Emerging behind Ai, he twisted his body with immense strength, planting his hands on the ground and flipping into the air.

Clutching the Grasscutter Sword tightly in both hands, he twisted the blade.

“Die, you turtle-shelled old dog!”

With a roar, Uchiha Shinji reversed his grip and drove the golden blade straight toward Ai’s crown!

The golden blade reflected Ai’s upturned, astonished face.

In the next instant—

Although Uchiha Shinji couldn't hear what the elderly man was saying, it was clear from his face that it was nothing good.

The old man, now furious, found the boy's moves filled with deceit and trickery, making the fight utterly frustrating!

If he had to describe it, it was like battling a sly flea, a buzzing mosquito, or an erratic housefly!

His vast combat experience was rendered useless, leaving him with a suffocating sense of frustration, like swallowing bitterness itself.

For a moment, Ai’s blood pressure spiked uncontrollably.

He had enough!

"You brat!"

"You’ve angered me for the last time!"

*Bang! Bang!*

Ai suddenly stomped both feet into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Clenching his blood-stained left hand, his beard and hair flared as he glared upward, his eyes blazing with fury.

In a booming voice, he roared:

"Now, I’m going to kill you!!"

Meanwhile, Uchiha Shinji couldn’t understand what the old man was babbling about.

But suddenly, he felt his Zero-Tails energy surge from his abdomen, transforming and replenishing the chakra he had lost after his Flame Sword and Flame Fist were destroyed.

Then he noticed the old man standing motionless with his head raised, glaring angrily with wide eyes.

The sight was so ridiculous that Uchiha Shinji almost burst out laughing.

"What’s this old man doing?

Does he plan to catch my sword with his teeth?"

The way the old man presented himself seemed like he was deliberately offering his head to be stabbed!

Seeing this, Uchiha Shinji’s eyes lit up.

Without hesitation, he gripped his sword hilt tightly, veins bulging across his hands, arms, and even his forehead.

Then, with a decisive thrust—

*he stabbed down!*

However, facing the golden blade radiating an intimidating sharpness that could cut through stone,

Ai coldly muttered:

"The ultimate—"

"Lightning Release Armor!!"

As soon as the chilling words left his mouth, the dark, heavy clouds swirling in the sky above suddenly lit up!

*Crack!*

A bright bolt of lightning snaked through the clouds, striking directly onto Ai atop the cliff.

With the deafening thunder, Ai's Lightning Armor erupted, reshaping and expanding rapidly.

Bathed in lightning, Ai’s long, white hair standing at his back instantly rose on end!

The intense electric discharge crackled and flashed wildly, scorching the ground black all around. Even Uchiha Shinji, who had descended above Ai’s head, felt a wave of intense paralysis run through his body.

In a fleeting moment—

The golden sword in Uchiha Shinji’s hand struck the Lightning Armor,

but it was as if he had stabbed into a block of impenetrable diamond.

Although his ninjutsu allowed him to press into the armor inch by inch,

the speed was so slow that it felt like an insurmountable chasm between him and the old man,

shattering any hope of victory.

Looking at the old man, who now resembled something out of Dragon Ball Z,  

Uchiha Shinji’s face twisted. Doubt filled his mind as his eyes showed growing fear.

"Holy crap! He has a second form?!"

An overwhelming sense of danger exploded in his heart.

But before his instincts could fully process the situation—

A pair of massive arms, wrapped in fierce lightning, appeared before his eyes faster than his combat intuition could predict.

In a flash, they disappeared.

Then—

Uchiha Shinji felt his waist grabbed, his pants yanked upward,

and his entire body lifted into the air by brute force.

It reminded him of being tossed around by his dad as a baby, only much more brutal.

"Great, I’m even seeing my life flash before my eyes now," he thought bitterly.

His vision spun wildly, the world flipping upside down, and then—

*Boom!*

All he could see was *dirt.*

"Ahhh—!!!"

"Thunder Bomb!!!"

In the blink of an eye,

this brutal, thunderous blow, like the roar of a lightning storm,

shattered the battlefield with its sheer power.

The scene went still.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 255: Hell Stab - One Finger Assault!

The sixty-meter Flame Sword was shattered, the Two-Tails was knocked down, and thunderclaps roared once more across the heavens.

During the span of this intense battle that pushed Uchiha Shinji to the brink of death multiple times, the entire confrontation lasted less than two minutes.

At this moment,

The Konoha team, relying only on their "Route 11"—their feet—to advance, was already lagging behind Uchiha Shinji due to the difference in speed. After struggling through the fiery sandstorm unleashed by the clash of Hell Stab: Two Fingers and the immense pressure of Eight Million Gods,

They were deafened by an ongoing thunderous roar.

Moments later, a new storm erupted as lightning descended from the skies.

In this world of overwhelming might, ordinary ninjas could barely endure the shockwaves of such a battle between powerhouses. When the team led by Uchiha Setsuna and Sarutobi Shinnosuke finally overcame numerous obstacles to reach the battlefield,

What they saw left them horrified—

The battlefield had been reduced to a scorched wasteland. At its center stood a figure like a victorious champion on a stage: the man known as the "Third Raikage."

The elderly man was cloaked in strands of lightning, each emanating a terrifying aura. The electric currents crackled, causing even the surrounding air to hum and tremble.

The Konoha ninjas froze in place, their breaths catching as they instinctively swallowed hard. Slowly, their gazes shifted to the figure the Raikage held high in his grasp.

"Is that… Uchiha Shinji?!"

Seeing this, the Konoha team turned pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

This boy—who had fought valiantly in their moment of peril, rushing into the fray during times of despair,

Who had saved them once before the camp,

Who had even managed to suppress two Tailed Beast Jinchūriki single-handedly, giving them hope for victory,

The genius Jonin of Konoha, the second Tailed Beast Jinchūriki of their village—Uchiha Shinji,

Had been… defeated!

The young man, held aloft by the Third Raikage, was bloodied and battered. His clothes were in tatters, his exposed skin marred with burn marks and scorch scars. His left arm was charred black like charcoal.

And on his left chest—

Where his heart should have been—a gaping hole pierced through, front to back!

The scene was shocking beyond belief.

"Shinji!!"

Uchiha Setsuna’s lone crimson eye widened in fury, his pupil contracting into a needlepoint as the three tomoe around it spun furiously, merging into a single line.

It seemed as if they were about to transform into an entirely new pattern, but—

"Why… why… WHY?!"

Setsuna clenched his fists tightly, his body trembling.

He had forgotten. Forgotten.

Despite unlocking those forbidden eyes, he had forgotten how to use them. What a cruel joke!

And why did it have to be at this critical moment?!

Before anyone could react—

“ROAR!!”

"Lightning Bomb!!"

The old man’s face twisted with fury as he let out a thunderous shout. His muscles swelled, and he hurled Uchiha Shinji violently to the ground!

With a deafening BOOM,

Uchiha Shinji was slammed into the earth like a toy, shattering the ground on impact. Furious lightning burst outward like chains, slashing wildly like a heavy battle axe cleaving through everything.

Centered on Uchiha Shinji, the ground erupted in concentric rings, cracking and rising. Spiderweb-like fissures spread over a hundred meters, reaching the feet of the Konoha ninjas.

Amid their horrified stares,

The boy’s head hit the ground first, his neck bending into a "V" shape. His spine pierced through his skin as his body slammed into the earth, shattering bit by bit—his arms, chest, hips, and legs followed.

On the cliff’s edge behind the Raikage, Killer Bee sat watching in awe. He couldn’t help but exclaim,

“The old man used that move….”

“To this day, no one who’s taken that attack has survived.”

“That Uchiha kid is done for!”

But just then—

Three flaming shuriken streaked across the night sky, carving a dazzling arc of brilliance!

In an instant, they closed in on the Third Raikage.

A pensive glance from A, paired with a slight raise of his brow, followed.

"Shuriken techniques? Against me? Useless!"

However, just as he prepared to swat the incoming shuriken away like mere flies—

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The three shuriken collided mid-air, rebounding as A’s hand moved to intercept. They whizzed past him, glinting ominously as they sliced through the night.

“*Ninjutsu: Phoenix Fire Dance Technique!*”

Uchiha Satsuna’s face twisted into a determined sneer. His hands blurred as they formed the seals for the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, followed by an additional Tiger seal for an advanced application.

This jutsu, inherited from the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, had been passed down to Uchiha Satsuna by Uchiha Shinji after rigorous combat training. Shinji had joked, "The Third never said I couldn’t teach this to others, so why not share it with the Uchiha clan as a community benefit?"

Satsuna, highly skilled in both shurikenjutsu and shadow clone techniques, refined the original jutsu to better suit the Uchiha. This refinement birthed the Phoenix Fire Dance Technique, a lethal evolution.

Initially intending to teach this to Uchiha Shinji today, Satsuna found it unexpectedly useful in the current battle!

In mere moments—

The three shuriken that had flown past the Third Raikage multiplied, splitting into two, then four, then eight.

Before long, the night sky blazed with their fiery glow!

Each shuriken, wreathed in flames, spun furiously, lighting up the heavens.

And in the blink of an eye—

They transformed into a torrential rain of fire, tracing chaotic, unpredictable arcs through the air as they hurtled toward A's back!

"Is this guy aiming for Bee?!"

A frowned deeply. He moved as though to intervene, but then, as if recalling something, let out a cold snort.

"Underestimating Bee? A mistake. This technique won’t threaten him!"

However—

As he turned to look at Killer Bee, the younger ninja had already begun countering. Partial-tailed beast transformation summoned a tentacle of the Eight-Tails to shield himself, blocking the fiery onslaught of Phoenix Fire shuriken raining down.

In that moment, two kunai shot silently from the darkness, weaving through the chaos to reach Satsuna’s fallen companion—Uchiha Shinji—who lay in the dirt, unmoving, his condition unknown.

Satsuna took a deep breath, raising his hands. His thumbs and index fingers crossed before pulling taut.

The wires attached to the kunai tightened in an instant, yanking Uchiha Shinji into the air and back toward the Konoha ranks at incredible speed.

He was trying to snatch Shinji right under the Third Raikage's nose!

Witnessing this, a vein throbbed on A’s forehead as his temper flared.

“Another diversion tactic! These Uchiha…”

His eyes darkened with fury, and a cruel smile crept onto his face.

The Heavenly Transfer Jutsu hadn’t dealt him a fatal blow, but it had injured him enough to prevent him from immediately killing that Uchiha brat with his Hell Stab: One-Finger Assault Spear.

This delay had allowed Uchiha Shinji to escape death and brought the battle to its current chaotic state.

Already enraged, A had grown tired of the Uchiha clan’s cunning and underhanded methods.

"Perfect timing. My body’s recovered enough."

His icy gaze swept over the Konoha ranks as he took a deep breath.

"Let’s finish this with one move—taking out every single one of you in the process!"

At that moment—

The air grew stiflingly tense.

A mournful wind howled through the battlefield as ominous clouds churned overhead. Streaks of pale lightning flashed across the sky, their brief brilliance illuminating A’s expression—a cold, unrelenting resolve.

The Third Raikage slowly raised his hand, pointing it directly at the Konoha ranks.

His sharp gaze locked onto Uchiha Shinji’s retreating figure, crossing through the boy to fix on the white-haired, one-eyed elder manipulating the wires.

"CRACK!"

A deafening clap of thunder boomed as A raised a single finger.

Massive arcs of lightning converged at his fingertip, forming a blinding spear of pure energy—the legendary "Strongest Spear" of the ninja world!

“*Hell Stab: One-Finger Assault Spear!*”

(To be continued...)