Akashō's slash sent the Third Raikage sliding more than a dozen meters sideways, but he immediately straightened up as if nothing had happened, rolling his neck and flashing a savage grin.
"Now that's more like it."
"Again!!"
The two moved at the same time and collided head-on.
This time, Akashō barely used blade winds. He simply gripped the Blade of Living Flesh and went at the Third Raikage in a frenzy of direct slashes, constantly aiming for his head.
That drew an exasperated, amused snort from the Third Raikage.
"Why are you so fixated on my head!?"
As he spoke, he cleanly severed Akashō's left arm.
Akashō burst into wild laughter. As his left arm regenerated, it was already swinging back, hacking at the Third Raikage's head several times in rapid succession.
"Because I feel like it. What are you gonna do about it? If you've got a problem, then kill me!"
With a sharp chop, the Third Raikage shattered the Blade of Living Flesh in Akashō's hand.
"Let's see how you cut anything without a weapon!"
But the moment he finished speaking, the broken blade in Akashō's hand regrew before his eyes, leaving him momentarily stunned.
What the hell—this blade can regenerate too? It's just like the Executioner's Blade of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
At least that sword needs blood to restore itself. What does this thing rely on?
"Watch how I cut!"
Akashō swung the Blade of Living Flesh in a frenzied storm, while the Third Raikage kept punching holes through his body.
No need to panic—this kid wouldn't die anyway.
Neither of them dodged. They simply let the other attack, standing their ground and trading blows head-on.
Within Akashō's Transparent World, he could clearly see the massive flow of chakra inside the Third Raikage.
Compared to the ninjas he had fought before, the amount of chakra within the Third Raikage was on an entirely different level—on par even with those famed for their reserves, like jinchūriki.
From before nightfall until now, the battle had been going on continuously, and the total chakra expenditure had definitely not been small. Yet he still retained nearly a third of his chakra.
According to the scroll Orochimaru had given him, a ninja's chakra is usually pre-refined before battle and doesn't naturally recover on its own.
In previous fights, the reason those ninjas could "restore" chakra when nearly depleted was simply because they were refining more on the spot as an emergency measure.
But refining chakra mid-battle is dangerous. Overdoing it could lead to death from total exhaustion—or more commonly, being completely drained and unable to extract even a trace of chakra.
So it wasn't like Akashō had once assumed—that ninjas could refine chakra endlessly.
Because of that, the endurance of the ninja power system was actually quite poor.
Except for jinchūriki and a few monsters like the Third Raikage, who possessed enormous chakra reserves.
"You dare lose focus while fighting me!?"
The Third Raikage suddenly lashed out with a sweeping kick, sending Akashō flying dozens of meters. The force behind it was even more terrifying than Han's.
Because the battlefield was littered with corpses and soaked in blood—so much that it could be described as a river of blood—when Akashō hit the ground, no dust or debris was kicked up. Only splashes of blood were forced out from the ground beneath him.
Lying on the wet, soaked earth, Akashō looked at the moon drifting toward the western sky and suddenly snapped back to awareness.
Ah… so the night is almost over.
Can't keep fighting. Time to retreat. If this drags on any longer, I'll die the moment sunlight hits me.
Sigh… every time dawn approaches, I have to stop immediately. This really is stopping at the point, in the truest sense.
Dozens of meters away, the Third Raikage was also breathing slightly heavier.
This kid's regeneration… isn't it a bit too monstrous?
They had been fighting for hours now—almost comparable to the time he had spent battling those ten thousand Hidden Stone Village troops.
Doesn't he ever get tired?
The Third Raikage checked the chakra within his body. Less than a third remained.
That might sound like a lot, but chakra isn't something a ninja can afford to run dry. Usually, once it drops to around one-fifth, they have to start refining more.
By that calculation, if the fight continued, he really might lose due to insufficient chakra.
Of course, a large portion of it had already been consumed fighting the Hidden Stone Village army. The battle with Akashō had actually used less in comparison.
But regardless, Akashō had also gone through a major battle beforehand. There was nothing unfair about their current condition.
This brat… could he really be trying to take my head?
Remembering how he had arrogantly said earlier that he would spare the kid's life if he won, the Third Raikage suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
Just as his thoughts grew complicated, Akashō sat up not far away.
"I'm done."
"Huh?"
The Third Raikage froze. Done?
"Why stop? I'm just getting warmed up," he insisted stubbornly.
"There's no point. We can't reach a result no matter how long we fight. What's the use of continuing?"
Akashō, still unaware that the Third Raikage had no real intention of killing him, did his best to act as if he truly found the fight meaningless.
He absolutely couldn't let the other man realize that he wanted to end things because he feared the sunlight.