The howling wind,
It seemed as if it had become the only sound in the world.
The moon-white blade's gleam shimmered faintly as Kyo stood his ground, unmoving.
Yet, the Raikage still lay amidst the distant rubble, a clearly visible gash across his body...!
"R...Raikage-sama!!!"
In the distance, the Kumogakure's intelligence Shinobi witnessing this scene were instantly struck with horror, their faces turning pale as ash.
'Th-This...'
'How is this possible...?!?'
'The Fourth Raikage-sama... was actually defeated by someone...?!'
'I-Impossible!!'
The few of them immediately gritted their teeth, and without a moment's hesitation, simultaneously leaped forward, rushing quickly towards Raikage!
The Raikage was the strongest pillar of Kumogakure. If something truly happened to him here, the consequences would be unthinkable!!
As they rushed forward, their expressions were incredibly grim.
Meanwhile, the other Shinobi observing the battle were even more dumbfounded, staring fixedly ahead, completely frozen in place!
'What... just happened!?!'
'The enraged Raikage's full-power attack... was forcibly interrupted by this Kitsune Ogre using just his left hand?!'
'Furthermore... he couldn't even evade using his high-speed movement from Lightning Release Chakra Mode?!'
'Hissss...'
Countless people began to suck in cold breaths, feeling a chill run down their spines!!
Everyone knew of the Raikage's immense strength.
Yet, none had expected...
That before the overwhelming power of this Kitsune Ogre, the Raikage's strength... would appear so fragile and weak!!
At this moment, the most shocked were, naturally, the few from Konoha!
Whether it was Kakashi and Guy, or Danzo hiding away, or the several Anbu's members who had been lazing around watching...
At this instant, they were all dumbfounded!
The sudden shift in the battle situation, like a rollercoaster plummeting, nearly severed their train of thought, leaving their minds blank!
Not long ago, when they saw the Raikage descend upon the battlefield with such overwhelming force, they were naturally very anxious.
After all, the Raikage's strength was unparalleled, and it was highly possible he would overpower Konoha in this skirmish and seize all the Sharingan!
If that happened... Konoha would be at a complete disadvantage!
But now,
No one could have imagined it!
Even the unmatched Raikage, before this Kitsune Ogre, still couldn't last more than a few exchanges!!
'Just how terrifying... was his true strength...?!'
Danzo's aged face was tight with tension, his eye wide with fury.
'I completely... miscalculated!!'
And at this moment,
Those also miscalculating the situation were, of course, the masked man lurking in the shadows!
When he saw the lightning on Raikage defeated with a single slash, his heart instantly clenched, freezing him in place!
"Th-This...!?"
'This monster's strength... had already reached this level...?!?'
'Even A, hailed as the Blue Lightning Raikage, couldn't hold out for more than these few exchanges...!?'
'What's going on-?!?'
The masked man's face immediately darkened, his gaze flickering.
Without a doubt, the current situation... had exceeded expectations.
Originally, he planned to follow Kyo's suggested plan, waiting for the Kitsune Ogre to exhaust himself before launching a surprise attack.
But now... "exhausted"?
Don't be ridiculous!
That Kitsune Ogre was acting like he was on some kind of drug, showing absolutely no signs of fatigue!
He could probably fight all day, right?!
Thinking this,
The masked man's gaze also briefly flicked towards Kyo beside him.
He had originally wanted to see his grave expression as well.
But unexpectedly!
At this moment, Kyo actually still had a calm expression as he looked down, his gaze composed.
There was even a faint smile at the corner of his mouth!
"...Huh?"
Seeing this, the masked man was momentarily stunned.
'Wait...'
'What's going on...?'
'After witnessing the Kitsune Ogre's overwhelming strength, this guy Kyo... can still smile?!'
'Is there something wrong with him!?'
'Could it be...'
'This guy is confident he can fight the Kitsune Ogre to a draw???'
Thinking this,
The masked man's mind stirred slightly.
Then, he immediately switched his tone to that of the trainee Tobi, leaning close to Kyo and asking:
"Eh? Kyo-senpai... were you smiling?"
"But the enemy seems incredibly strong, senpai. Are you really confident... you can match him?"
The masked man asked with a slightly skeptical tone.
Earlier, Kyo had mentioned the topic of fighting to a draw,
At that time, the masked man had naturally been somewhat convinced.
But now, having witnessed more of the Kitsune Ogre's power, he couldn't help but start to doubt-
Whether Kyo was just bragging...
Hence his question.
As his words faded,
The Gigai Kyo snapped back to reality, looking at the masked man before him. He suddenly raised his eyes slightly and said with a very casual, light laugh:
"Heh, strength like that, and you call it incredibly strong?"
"Let me put it to you this way: No matter how strong the Kitsune Ogre is, I can still show you a fifty-fifty fight. Believe it or not?"
"..."
'Like hell I believe it!!'
'This has absolutely got to be bragging, right?!!'
The corner of the masked man's mouth twitched slightly, and then, he decided not to speak further.
He realized,
Sometimes, conversing with Kyo was a form of torture.
Then, he turned his gaze back down to the battlefield below.
...
And at that moment,
The three Kumogakure's intelligence Shinobi had also quickly arrived beside the Raikage amidst the rubble, looking on anxiously.
Sure enough, on the Raikage's chest and abdomen, a vivid gash was startlingly apparent!
But at that moment,
The Raikage hadn't lost consciousness!
Instead, he was gritting his teeth slightly, placing his hand over his abdomen, using his own Lightning Release Chakra to quickly stop the bleeding!
"!?"
Seeing this, the few Kumogakure's Shinobi were all astonished.
'Th-This...'
'As expected of the Raikage-sama... his physical resilience is too terrifying...'
'Even when injured to this extent, he can still use his own Chakra to stop the bleeding!'
And just then,
The Raikage's bleeding control process was also complete.
He paid no attention to the Kumogakure's Shinobi beside him, slowly rising again from the rubble, staring intently at Kyo with utmost gravity.
After a long moment of silence, he lowered his gaze and spoke in a deep voice:
"Hmph, not bad... brat, I acknowledge your strength."
"Whether in power, speed... or precise judgment, you are worthy of being the Kage of any Shinobi Village."
"However..."
"I'm very curious, just what kind of power is it that you possess... A Kekkei Genkai, or a secret technique?"
"Enlighten me-"
Raikage asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
As the first person to physically withstand his Lightning Release attack and inflict such damage on his body,
Raikage naturally became intensely curious about Kyo.
Hearing this,
The surrounding crowd was momentarily confused...
'At this time, he suddenly starts probing for information...?'
However, some also had flickering eyes.
'No, that's not it.'
'It wasn't just to ask for information; simultaneously, he was secretly stabilizing his Chakra and internal injuries... As expected of the Raikage.'
And at this moment,
Opposite the Raikage, unknown to everyone,
Upon hearing these words, beneath Kyo's mask, a slight grin spread across his face.
'Heh, finally someone asked that question.'
'Good thing,'
'It wasn't too late.'
'It fits perfectly with the subsequent plan...'
Thinking this,
Kyo deliberately raised his chin, smiled, and intentionally amplified his voice, speaking clearly:
"Heh..."
"It seems someone has finally started to notice my secret technique."
"Truly keen observation."
"However, I'm sorry."
"According to the rules of our [Las Noches], we are not permitted to reveal too much information about the ancient secret technique scrolls to outsiders..."
"Otherwise, we would be reprimanded by our Lord."
Kyo said loudly, as if afraid those nearby wouldn't hear.
"-?!"
However, as soon as these words were spoken, in an instant... the entire scene fell into dead silence!
Raikage nearby, Danzo in the distance, and the masked man Obito lurking in the shadows... at this moment, all were instantly stunned!
'Wait!'
'What did he say?!'
'Las Noches...?!'
'Ancient secret technique scrolls?!'
'Lord?!'
A series of brand new terms instantly shattered everyone's worldview!
The whole place was as silent as if frozen!
'Th-This...'
'How is this possible...?!'
'This Kitsune Ogre, possessing such terrifying strength, actually hails from an organization called [Las Noches]?!'
'And on top of that... there is even a Lord above him??!'
'With strength as immense as his, he is still bound by others?!'
'Hisss...'
Everyone was stunned!
This answer was completely beyond anything they had imagined!
Moreover,
What intrigued them even more,
Was a crucial piece of information the Kitsune Ogre had just mentioned – the ancient secret technique scrolls!
'Could it be...'
'That all these strange powers he now possesses come entirely from those ancient secret technique scrolls?!'
"!!"
Realizing this, countless bounty hunters felt their hearts contract instantly, blood rushing irresistibly!
'Th-This means... as long as we find a way to get our hands on these secret technique scrolls, we... could also become this strong?!'
Many bounty hunters had originally given up hope of competing for the Sharingan.
But this intelligence about [ancient secret technique scrolls] inadvertently revealed by the Kitsune Ogre,
Instantly captured their full attention!
Everyone's gaze, at this moment, was fixed intently on Kyo ahead,
Burning with intensity!