Chapter 77 – Desperate Situation (I)
At this moment, Ryuya had already been blasted dozens of meters away from the head of the giant serpent, his body covered in patches of skin charred by high-temperature Lightning Release.
"I'm fine! Guy, be careful—it's Darui of the Raikage's guard squad from Kumogakure!"
Brushing off the burnt remains of his clothing, Ryuya stared grimly at the three figures rushing toward them and issued a warning.
Darui's Lightning Release (Raiton) and Storm Release (Ranton) had indeed struck him head-on, inflicting severe damage and nearly preventing him from evading Darui's fatal blow.
In that instant, Ryuya realized the situation had turned dire.
Darui, Samui, and C were all members of the Fourth Raikage's personal guard. Why would they suddenly appear here?
This was far too excessive for what was supposedly just a supply depot.
With that thought, Ryuya turned his gaze toward the burning stockpile in the distance.
A bitter smile crept across his face.
The flames were still raging, yet the shinobi of Kumogakure paid them no attention whatsoever.
Clearly, the supplies had only been bait.
Supported by Guy, Ryuya rose to his feet. Feeling the state of his body, he immediately formed hand seals.
Moments later, the charred portions of his flesh began to slough off rapidly, while fresh muscle regenerated beneath.
This was a forbidden Body Activation Technique optimized through his bio-chip calculations.
In just over ten seconds, Ryuya's body had completely recovered.
Swoosh—
Nearby, Kakashi appeared, supporting Shisui, arriving at their side.
Seeing Ryuya fully restored, Kakashi, Shisui, and Guy all showed undisguised shock—but none of them asked questions.
Cloud shinobi were already closing in from all sides. This was not the place to talk.
Roar—
Not far away, the giant serpent in its Cursed Seal Level Two state let out a furious roar, its massive tail smashing toward Darui.
After enduring the earlier black lightning attack, the serpent had suffered minor injuries as well.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amid a series of explosive crashes, Darui and the other two were forced into an awkward retreat.
Faced with the serpent's overwhelming offense and defense, they had no immediate countermeasure.
"Don't get arrogant, beast!"
After several relentless assaults, just as the serpent continued its pursuit, a streak of lightning split the night sky, accompanied by a thunderous roar.
"It's Lord Raikage!"
The surrounding Kumogakure shinobi cried out in delight.
Boom—
A piercing sonic crack tore through the air as a figure wrapped in silver Lightning Release chakra flashed into view, appearing above the serpent in an instant.
Lightning Release: Lariat!
Bang!
With a deafening explosion, the right arm of the Fourth Raikage slammed into the serpent's skull.
The massive body was driven several meters into the ground by the sheer force of the blow.
Violent shockwaves swept up clouds of dust, ravaging the surroundings.
"I'll deal with you first, beast!"
Without pause, the Fourth Raikage gathered an immense concentration of Lightning Release chakra into his right leg and brought it crashing down.
This was his Nintaijutsu technique—
Lightning Release: Guillotine Drop!
If this strike connected, even the serpent's formidable defenses would not withstand it.
"Release!"
Not far away, Ryuya's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he formed hand seals and canceled the summoning contract.
Bang!
White smoke billowed.
The ground trembled violently under the Raikage's crushing blow, but the serpent's enormous body had vanished.
The Raikage's speed had been too fast—Ryuya hadn't had time to react before the serpent was forced to take the first hit head-on.
Against an opponent whose speed and power had reached their peak, the serpent's massive size was merely a liability.
All of this happened within seconds. Before the dust had even settled, several pale-blue chakra spheres shot toward the four from the distant slope.
In the valley stood Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, manipulating Mouse-Tail Ball Orbs to bombard them.
After several desperate Body Flickers, Ryuya and the others barely avoided the assault, forced together at last.
When they landed, Kumogakure shinobi had already encircled them within a hundred-meter radius.
Ahead stood the Fourth Raikage and Yugito, each commanding one side.
On the other flanks were Darui, C, Samui, and numerous veteran jōnin, leading large forces that sealed off every escape route.
At this moment, ANBU Squad Eleven was completely cornered.
"Hah… Kumogakure really thinks highly of us," Ryuya said with a wry shake of his head.
No one would have imagined that to deal with just four ANBU operatives, Kumogakure would mobilize forces of this magnitude—even dispatching the Fourth Raikage and the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.
"You of Konoha's ANBU Squad Eleven have already done enough to be proud. Surrender quietly," the Fourth Raikage declared from atop a slope, looking down at them.
This battle had inflicted far greater losses upon Kumogakure than he had anticipated.
Precisely because of that, he was determined to eliminate them here.
Even before reaching full maturity, these four were already terrifying. Given more time, Konoha might produce one or two shinobi comparable to the Fourth Hokage.
That was something the Raikage would never allow.
Faced with such despair, the four exchanged bitter smiles.
The situation was even harsher than they had imagined.
Who could have predicted Kumogakure would deploy such a lineup just for them?
Cough…
Blood trickled from Kakashi's mouth as he stepped forward.
"Use your final means. Fight to the death."
As he spoke, his hands formed seals in sequence—Rat, Horse, Monkey, Horse, Hare.
Chirp—Chirp—
In an instant, a sharp, piercing sound like a thousand birds crying rang out.
"I'll take the Raikage!" Guy declared, stepping forward with blazing battle intent.
"Gate of Shock—Open!"
A massive blue aura erupted from his body, blasting away everything nearby.
The overwhelming pressure drew everyone's attention.
"The Eight Gates Formation…"
The Fourth Raikage's expression turned solemn.
C's face paled.
ANBU Squad Eleven truly had no weak links.
Already, three of the four had displayed terrifying power.
"Ha!"
Without giving Kumogakure time to think, Guy launched himself forward, charging straight at the Fourth Raikage.
Kakashi, his right hand blazing with lightning, dashed toward Darui and the others.
In this hopeless battlefield, Kakashi's only thought was to expend the last of his strength—to take down at least one elite Kumogakure jōnin for Konoha.
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