Sometimes victory isn't decided by killing your opponent… but by making them admit defeat.
The Raikage's hair shot straight upward.
The maximum state of Lightning Release Armor.
Souma narrowed his eyes.
He had asked Guy to fight precisely for this moment.
To observe the Raikage's body in its strongest condition.
Unfortunately, he couldn't use the Sharingan-analysis tool.
That would be far too obvious.
The Raikage might immediately drag him into the fight.
But sensory perception alone was enough.
Souma quietly observed every detail.
Then his eyes flickered with surprise.
In this state—
The Raikage's speed was impossible to track with normal vision.
Only sensory techniques could clearly follow his movements.
His lightning chakra.
His muscles.
His physical output.
Everything had reached the absolute peak of his body's limits.
This was already close to Souma's own maximum combat state.
Lightning chakra mode.
Extreme physical conditioning.
Lightning armor.
Combined with the Raikage's monstrous physique and chakra reserves.
The synergy was nearly perfect.
No wonder the Raikage's combat power was legendary.
But—
BOOM!
BANG! BANG!
Explosions echoed through the sky.
After activating his strongest Lightning Armor, the Raikage's speed clearly surpassed Guy's.
His attacks struck Guy far more frequently than before.
Blocked by defense?
Then hit him more times.
Right now—
The Raikage's speed truly rivaled Minato Namikaze.
BOOM!
Guy was blasted backward.
Yet at that very moment—
Guy took a deep breath.
Then his body underwent another transformation.
Souma's eyes widened.
That's…
Seven-Day Breathing Method.
Souma was genuinely surprised.
Guy had activated the breathing technique while maintaining the Sixth Gate.
Even though it was only First Activation—
The speed of his punches multiplied several times midair.
BOOM!
Each punch smashed through the air.
Shockwaves exploded outward.
The Raikage instantly sensed danger.
He twisted his body sideways.
Dodging.
But in the next instant—
A crimson glow burst into his vision.
Guy's arms spread wide like the wings of a phoenix rising from flames.
Taijutsu: Night Phoenix!
The Raikage immediately reinforced his lightning defense.
Then charged forward.
His hand formed a blade.
Lightning condensed along his palm like a razor.
Lariat Chop — Guillotine Strike!
The two attacks collided.
Fire.
Lightning.
Exploded into a dazzling blaze across the sky.
Then—
"Save them!"
Tsunade roared.
Before she finished speaking—
Souma had already vanished.
Tsunade hadn't expected the fight to escalate this far.
The Raikage clearly had no intention of holding back.
What began as a spar had turned into a life-or-death clash.
And at that moment—
Interfering would be suicidal.
Even Souma couldn't confidently stop both attacks simultaneously.
He wasn't a god.
Souma caught the Raikage as the latter staggered backward.
Meanwhile Tsunade and Lee rushed to support Guy.
While holding the Raikage steady, Souma quickly scanned his body.
The Lightning Armor had shattered.
A hollow dent was visible in the Raikage's chest.
If someone struck him with a blade now—
The Raikage would die instantly.
But Souma had no intention of doing that.
The Raikage was hot-tempered.
But he was straightforward.
Far easier to deal with than someone like Ōnoki.
Souma carefully examined the internal injuries.
Guy's strike had delivered considerable impact.
The Raikage's organs had been shaken violently.
Fortunately—
The damage wasn't severe.
Guy's attacks, even with Sixth Gate, were still primarily external-force strikes.
Not true Gentle Fist-level internal destruction.
And the Lightning Armor had blocked most of the external damage.
"Cough…"
The Raikage wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
"That guy…"
He stared at Guy in disbelief.
He had not expected Guy to reach this level.
That attack had shattered his Lightning Armor.
And—
Repeated clashes earlier had torn the muscles and bones in his arms.
He had forced himself to finish the fight.
But…
Guy should be in far worse condition.
On a battlefield—
Once he recovered slightly—
He could finish the opponent.
He turned to look.
And froze.
Guy was standing up.
"…What?"
The Raikage stared blankly.
"Hey, don't force yourself," he said.
"My Guillotine Strike isn't weak."
"And the recoil from your own technique should be massive."
The Raikage knew his own strength.
That strike could split a tailed beast's body.
Let alone a human.
But Guy—
Was actually standing.
Blood dripped from his leg.
Yet—
After examining him earlier, Tsunade said with a strange expression,
"His injuries aren't serious."
"You only cut his muscle tissue."
"Impossible!"
Samui lost her composure before the Raikage did.
In her mind—
The Raikage was invincible.
How could a Konoha jōnin survive that strike with only muscle damage?
Was this man made of steel?
Even steel wouldn't survive.
"Samui!"
The Raikage shot her a sharp glare.
"Forgive me."
Samui bowed deeply.
Atsui, meanwhile, stood frozen.
The thick-browed jōnin he had been training with…
Was actually a warrior capable of matching the Raikage.
It felt unreal.
Guy steadied himself and breathed deeply.
"I didn't expect my newly developed technique…"
"…to only cause this level of damage."
"I suppose I lost."
"No."
The Raikage shook his head.
"That wasn't your limit, was it?"
"You're incredible."
He could tell.
Guy still had something stronger.
But that level clearly belonged to life-or-death combat.
Not sparring.
Guy opened his mouth to explain—
But Souma stopped him with a subtle glance.
Guy indeed possessed the Seventh Gate and Eighth Gate.
But realistically—
Unless he opened the Eighth Gate…
The Seventh Gate might not even surpass the combination of Sixth Gate + First Breathing Activation + Chakra Armor.
Techniques like Night Phoenix—
Should normally only appear after opening the Seventh Gate.
What Souma couldn't understand was something else.
How had Guy's bones not shattered?
The impact of that collision plus the Raikage's Guillotine Strike should have crushed him.
Even with perfect evasion.
"May I come closer?" the Raikage asked.
"Of course."
Guy endured the pain.
The Raikage walked over and examined him carefully.
Then looked toward Tsunade.
"Hokage."
"Thank you."
"Please treat this honorable taijutsu warrior."
His tone was solemn.
The Raikage respected strength.
Especially someone like Guy—
Who reached this level through pure taijutsu.
"He's my subordinate."
"I don't need you to tell me to heal him."
Tsunade snorted.
She guided Guy to sit beside a tree.
Lee helped him down.
Then Tsunade began treating him with Mystical Palm Technique.
The Raikage stood silently for a while.
Then turned to Souma.
"This… is what you wanted to show me?"
"Yes."
Souma nodded.
The Raikage sighed deeply.
"I really want to kill you."
"But unfortunately…"
Souma smiled calmly.
"Though I'm only a Special Jōnin…"
"If someone tries to kill me, I'll fight with everything I have."
The Raikage rolled his eyes.
Kill Souma?
He was joking.
Even if he tried—
There was no guarantee he could succeed.
Special jōnin?
What kind of special jōnin was this?
This kid wasn't a special jōnin.
He was a ridiculously powerful jōnin.
The Raikage thought bitterly.
Then he said,
"You win."
"About the ninjutsu exchange… we'll discuss the details later."
He had understood.
The one pushing for the exchange wasn't Tsunade.
It was this fifteen-year-old monster standing before him.
"Very well."
Souma nodded.
He had expected this outcome.
The Raikage was clearly interested.
And not just in Chakra Armor.
He had also noticed the Seven-Day Breathing Method.
But that was negotiable.
The breathing technique overlapped heavily with Lightning Chakra Mode.
Even if Kumogakure obtained it, their gains wouldn't be enormous.
The price they paid, however—
Would be much higher.
In any case—
Konoha would profit.
Souma was actually eager for the Raikage to leave.
He wanted to analyze Guy's new technique immediately.
But the Raikage still looked curious.
"What was that technique earlier?"
Souma smiled.
"I call it Chakra Armor."
"…?"
Suspicion filled the Raikage's face.
Chakra Armor.
Lightning Armor.
He didn't believe for a second they were unrelated.
"Yes," Souma continued calmly.
"This technique borrowed some concepts from Lightning Armor."
"That's why I want Kumogakure's knowledge about Lightning Armor."
Souma shrugged.
"But if you think you've seen through my intentions and want to use that against me…"
"Then I can only apologize."
"Hahaha!"
The Raikage laughed loudly.
"Do I look like that kind of person?"
"These things can all be discussed."
"Now about that other technique—"
"Confidential."
Souma shook his head.
"That one comes from the Scroll of Sealing."
"I'm not authorized to teach it."
The Raikage sighed.
Little fox.
For someone so young—
He was incredibly difficult to deal with.
"Fine."
"We'll stop here for today."
Then—
Souma's voice appeared directly in his mind.
"Raikage-sama, you should let Tsunade treat you."
"Otherwise your organs will hurt badly tonight."
"It would be unfortunate if it left a lasting injury."
The Raikage glanced at him in surprise.
Then discreetly looked at Samui and Atsui.
Neither reacted.
A mental communication technique…
Interesting.
He relaxed slightly.
"Anyone interested in dinner?" he asked suddenly.
"My treat."
"You're the guest here."
Tsunade snorted.
"As host, I should be the one treating."
"Guy, you're coming too."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Guy nodded.
After this battle—
He had gained deep respect for the Raikage.
Even with Lightning Release involved—
The Raikage's taijutsu was undeniably powerful.
Especially his speed.
Just stimulating his body with lightning chakra allowed him to rival Guy's Sixth Gate + First Activation.
Such speed was incredible.
No wonder people compared him to the Fourth Hokage.
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