Kumogakure.
The Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
Two burly figures continually flickered through the air like bolts of lightning, weaving around and crashing into each other.
Every collision produced a rumble like muffled thunder.
Ripples spread across the vast lake below, transforming this natural landscape into something resembling an arena for battling beasts.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
...
The two bolts of lightning chased each other for a long time before the relentless crashes finally died down.
The Third Raikage panted heavily as he glared at A.
"You little brat! Is running away all you know how to do?"
"Is that how I usually teach you to fight?"
A smiled upon hearing that.
"Father, don't act like speed isn't a form of strength."
"I admit that your defense and offensive power are both superior to mine, but you're considerably slower."
"No matter how powerful an attack is, it's meaningless if it can't hit its target."
"Until you're fast enough to catch me, the initiative in any battle between us will remain firmly in my hands."
"So..." A rarely had the patience to explain this much, but he finally concluded, "As long as neither of us wins, that means I win."
The Third Raikage instantly flew into another rage.
He clenched his fist and charged at A, but A sped away even faster.
After chasing him for quite some time without catching him, the Third Raikage had no choice but to give up.
Seeing this, A immediately stopped and doubled over with laughter.
"What did I tell you? I'm not the little brat you can push around anymore."
"You damned brat! Just wait until I catch you! I'll beat you to death!"
The moment the Third Raikage finished speaking, laughter rang out above the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
"Hahahahaha..."
"Third Raikage, who made you this angry? Your brother is here to help you teach them a lesson."
The Third Raikage and A looked up and discovered that Yuzuru Uchiha had appeared in midair without either of them noticing.
The Third Raikage's eyes lit up. He immediately raised an arm and pointed toward A in the distance.
"Yuzuru, you came at the perfect time."
"This brat thinks he's all grown up now. Teach him a lesson for me."
Yuzuru laughed.
"No problem."
Before the words had even left his mouth, he vanished.
Seeing this, A immediately pushed his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to maximum output. Every strand of his hair stood on end as he raised his speed to its absolute limit.
Boom!
He was moving so fast that a sonic boom erupted the instant he launched himself forward.
But Yuzuru was even faster.
The moment A fled, Yuzuru transformed into a streak of black light and intercepted the bolt of blue lightning.
Bang!
Yuzuru lashed out with a sweeping kick, sending A flying.
A's speed might have been near the pinnacle even among those beyond the Kage level, but before a Kekkei Mōra wielder like Yuzuru, it was still far from enough.
"Damn it, Yuzuru! You actually kicked me for real?"
A clutched his chest, grimacing in pain.
Yuzuru took a single step and instantly appeared before him from a thousand meters away.
"Blame yourself for being so fragile."
"I barely used any strength, and you were already sent flying."
A was speechless at Yuzuru's mockery.
In the entire shinobi world, Yuzuru was probably the only person who could say something like that to his face.
The Third Raikage soon caught up and slapped A across the back of the head.
"You damned brat. If you ever show off in front of me again, I'll have my brother teach you another lesson."
A immediately pulled a miserable face.
"Father, that's not fair."
The Third Raikage snorted.
"I earned myself a powerful brother through my own ability. What's unfair about that?"
With that, he spread his arms and embraced Yuzuru.
"My good brother!"
Yuzuru smiled.
"Third Raikage, did that kick I landed on A look cool?"
"As impressive as ever." The Third Raikage gave him a thumbs-up before adding regretfully, "It's just a shame. It would've felt even better if I'd kicked him myself."
Hearing this, Yuzuru said, "Third Raikage, that might actually be possible."
The Third Raikage froze, then asked curiously, "What do you mean, Yuzuru?"
"The Ten-Tails clone has been completed, and we're currently searching for a suitable jinchūriki."
"You were the first person who came to mind."
Before the Third Raikage could respond, A immediately stepped between them.
"Yuzuru, how could you suggest that? The person my father despises most is a shinobi who tries to increase his strength through crooked shortcuts."
"To Father, if a power wasn't earned through bitter training and hard work, he'd rather not have it."
"That is the almost merciless standard a true powerhouse demands of himself!"
Before A could finish, someone kicked him hard in the backside.
"Screw off."
The Third Raikage cursed as he glared at A, then turned toward Yuzuru with a bright smile.
"Yuzuru, you've always been an excellent judge of character."
"My strength has indeed reached a bottleneck. I naturally can't let anyone else take this opportunity!"
A looked aggrieved.
"Uncle Yuzuru, Father's already old. Choose me instead. I desperately want to improve myself."
He then turned a pitiful gaze toward the Third Raikage.
"Father, I'm your biological son. Just give this opportunity to me."
The Third Raikage sneered.
"Opportunities are seized, not handed over through someone else's charity."
Listening to their exchange, Yuzuru shook his head with an amused smile.
These two were truly entertaining.
However, once his laughter subsided, the smile disappeared from Yuzuru's face.
"Third Raikage, there's something I need to make clear."
"The Ten-Tails clone is extremely valuable, so we haven't had the opportunity to conduct any experiments. I can't guarantee what will happen when we seal it inside you."
The Third Raikage also became serious and nodded.
"Yuzuru, I understand."
"There's no such thing as gaining power without paying a price. But fearing death has never been part of my nature."
"Since I've agreed to have the Ten-Tails sealed inside me, that means I've already prepared myself for the consequences."
Yuzuru patted the Third Raikage on the shoulder and smiled.
"Then it's settled. I'll take you to have the Ten-Tails clone sealed inside you right now."
Seeing that they were about to leave, A couldn't help asking, "Well... at the risk of saying too much, exactly how dangerous is sealing the Ten-Tails clone?"
"Ninety-eight percent..."
A's mouth fell open in shock.
"What?!"
"There's a ninety-eight percent chance that nothing will go wrong. The probability of danger is a full two percent!"
A's mouth fell open again.
"What?!"
"You think the risk is enormous too, right?"
"No..." A raised a trembling finger and pointed at Yuzuru. "You freaking..."
He was being this cautious despite a ninety-eight percent success rate.
He and Father really were the best of brothers!
Watching Yuzuru and the Third Raikage disappear, A let out a gloomy sigh.
He could already imagine how miserable his life would become once his father became the Ten-Tails jinchūriki.