Although Darui and Akatsuchi had been blasted violently away, Ning Feng did not immediately pursue them.
Instead, with a single Flying Thunder God, he appeared on the other side—at a secluded corner.
In that corner, Darui and Akatsuchi were hiding quietly, beads of cold sweat the size of beans rolling down their foreheads.
As the ace combatants of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, their sensitivity to life and death was extremely sharp. The instant the Kumogakure ninja exploded earlier, both of them had sensed a mortal threat and fled here at once.
What they could not understand was what exactly Uchiha Feng had done to unleash such terrifying explosive power.
Could it be that Uchiha Feng had long ago planted countless explosive tags on the Kumogakure ninja!?
However, before the two could analyze Uchiha Feng's methods any further, they saw him appear above them, looking down from on high.
"Uchiha Feng!"
Darui and Akatsuchi's expressions changed drastically.
According to the intelligence they had obtained, Uchiha Feng was not supposed to possess any sensory abilities—so how had he discovered them so quickly!?
With no time to think further, Darui and Akatsuchi acted at once.
"Storm Release: Laser Circus!"
"Earth Release: Rock Golem Technique!"
In an instant, dazzling white lightning burst forth from Darui's palm, illuminating the gloomy sky as brightly as day. The next moment, the white lightning shot toward Ning Feng at a speed almost approaching that of light itself.
At the same time, Akatsuchi spewed out massive chunks of earth, rapidly forming enormous boulders that sealed the two of them inside.
As expected of the right-hand men of their respective Kage—their reaction speed was simply astonishing.
Ning Feng did not charge straight in. Instead, he rapidly formed hand seals.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
The next moment, countless Ning Fengs rushed toward the two from all directions, only to be instantly annihilated into clouds of smoke by the white lightning.
Darui's technique was no ordinary jutsu. As a trump card of Kumogakure's elite, it was not only faster than typical Lightning Release techniques but also capable of rapid homing—like guided missiles.
In the original story, Darui had relied on this very technique to bypass hostages taken by Ginkaku, curving around to kill him, and later using the same method to strike Kinkaku from an unexpected angle.
Thus, under Darui's control, Ning Feng could only counter it cleanly with multiple shadow clones.
Whoosh!
After evading Darui's fierce assault, Ning Feng used Flying Thunder God again, appearing right in front of the earthen mass created by Akatsuchi.
As one of Iwagakure's guards, Akatsuchi's defensive abilities were terrifying to the extreme. In the original story, he had used this technique countless times to help Ōnoki escape mortal danger.
Unfortunately for him, no matter how powerful his defense was, it had met its natural nemesis—Ning Feng, who possessed Explosion Release.
"Worthy of Uchiha Feng. But even so, not even your Susanoo may be able to break through my defense!"
Akatsuchi's eyes gleamed coldly.
Behind Akatsuchi's protection, Darui once again rapidly formed hand seals.
"Storm Release: Thundercloud Wave!"
At that moment, a massive thundercloud appeared in the sky out of nowhere. Lightning flashed within the cloud, its brilliant light repeatedly illuminating the dark heavens. The next instant, countless bolts of lightning rained down toward Ning Feng.
One could clearly see that the lightning summoned by this Storm Release technique was pitch-black, like black flames, its power terrifying and overwhelming.
Yet, in the face of their combined attack, Ning Feng did only one thing.
He lightly injected chakra into the earthen mass created by Akatsuchi.
Akatsuchi, who had been calm and calculating just moments earlier, instantly felt Ning Feng's chakra—and his face changed dramatically.
"You—how can you possibly wield Explosion Release!?"
"You—you possess two kekkei genkai!? Th-this is impossible!?"
In panic, Akatsuchi hurriedly dragged Darui away from the earthen structure.
Sure enough, in the very next instant, the earth detonated violently. Amid a deafening roar, it exploded into countless fragments, as if it had never existed at all.
At the same time, Nagato, Deidara, and the others—who had been waiting quietly for Ning Feng's signal—appeared in a flash and unleashed their techniques.
Under Ning Feng's precise control, Darui and Akatsuchi were knocked unconscious and tightly bound by Nagato and Deidara.
"Not bad."
Looking at the unconscious Darui and Akatsuchi, Ning Feng's lips curved slightly.
Sometimes, keeping them as hostages was far more valuable than killing them outright.
These two would become one of Akatsuki's key bargaining chips in its future rise.
As Ning Feng thought this, Deidara and Nagato's admiration for him deepened even further, their eyes filled with reverence.
"Let's go."
With a flash, Ning Feng headed straight into the depths of the Hidden Rain Village.
With figures like Akatsuchi and Darui removed, it wouldn't take long to find Konan and the others.
Of course, although Ning Feng had achieved stunning results this time—eliminating Gari, capturing Darui and Akatsuchi—his victory was largely due to superior intelligence and his understanding of the enemy.
Against experts like Darui and Akatsuchi, if they had possessed full knowledge of his abilities, the outcome of the battle might have been very different.
In the original story, even someone as powerful as Pain had fallen due to a lack of intelligence—let alone Uchiha Feng.
His path to becoming stronger was still far from over.
Just as Ning Feng was thinking this, several sharp whistling sounds rang out as countless Iwagakure jōnin surrounded him and the others.
However, when the leading Iwagakure captain saw that even Lord Akatsuchi had been captured, his face changed drastically. He immediately ordered the Iwagakure ninja to open a path, fearing that if they hesitated, Akatsuchi would be killed on the spot.
Meanwhile, the Rain Village ninja who had been hiding throughout the village also watched in shock, their expressions changing repeatedly.
Many of them quickly grasped the situation and, with a clang, threw their weapons to the ground.
No one here was a fool.
The moment Uchiha Feng captured Iwagakure's commander Akatsuchi, the battle was already over.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
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