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'So humiliating,' A clenched his teeth and slowly stood up. His movements were deliberate, not because he was injured, but because he was analyzing what had just happened.
'Her attacks are too powerful for someone of her build, and her speed…' He struggled to admit it, 'her speed might be the same as mine.'
While Maki's strength was outstanding, the main reason the Fourth Raikage had been sent flying was that he hadn't expected such speed or power. It was shameful for someone of his experience, but he had underestimated his opponent, however, in the end, he didn't even have a scratch on his body.
People thought it was the Lightning Cloak that provided protection, but in reality, it was A's natural durability that made him nearly impervious to damage. The lightning Cloak simply amplified A's defenses.
'This fight won't be as one-sided as I expected,' A thought, taking a step toward Maki, the lightning covering him intensifying. 'I need to use my advantage in strength and durability.'
The Raikage disappeared in a flash as he charged toward Maki, who stood in a ready stance, waiting.
The moment A appeared beside Maki, his kick was already in motion, aimed at her waist. However, when his leg reached her, it met only an afterimage. Maki was no longer there, she had already moved to the side and was counterattacking. Samehada once again struck A, but this time, he blocked the attack.
The blade devoured the chakra it came into contact with, bruising A slightly. But for the Raikage, this kind of damage was like a tickle.
The two S-rank shinobi paused for a moment, as if for dramatic effect, before showering each other with barrages of punches and kicks. Each attack was met with a counterattack, and the cycle repeated.
"Are they even humans?"
"Who the hell is this girl? How can she fight on equal terms with the Raikage?"
"Lord Raikage will win. This stalemate is just temporary."
"Lady Maki has already defeated one S-rank and she'll do it again!"
Meanwhile, Kiri, Takimura, and Kumo shinobi were also locked in battle. The ongoing duel between their leaders was a source of motivation and hope, well, except for the Kiri ninjas, who had no one to root for. They wanted the Raikage defeated, but they also feared that if Maki was strong enough to kill A in a one-on-one duel, then the Mizukage wouldn't have as easy a fight as they had thought.
Maki was slowly being pushed back. A was better in close combat because, unlike Maki, he could take a few hits. She, on the other hand, had to dodge or block everything A threw her way. While Maki's defenses weren't exactly easy to pierce, they paled in comparison to the Raikage's near-impenetrable durability.
'Alright, I need to change the pace of the fight,' Maki thought, considering her options. 'Let's try attacking and retreating continuously. I think my speed is superior, so I must use that as much as possible.'
She immediately kicked A in the stomach, using the momentum to backflip and increase the distance between them.
'She's trying to increase the distance.' A immediately understood and charged toward Maki, but the fraction of a second delay was enough for her to regain the initiative.
This time, Maki refused to get stuck in an exchange of punches and kicks. She would attack, retreat, and attack again. It was a vicious tactic designed to slowly wear A down.
'The problem isn't just her speed and strength,' A thought as he finally landed a kick on Maki, forcing her to retreat. 'That damn blade is absorbing my chakra. I'm supposed to have the advantage in durability, but my chakra consumption is much worse than hers.' A's eyes darted to the blade Maki was holding. Samehada was like an unfair advantage, providing Maki with the last trump card she needed to win this fight.
'It seems the only way I can win this is if I go all out and try to finish her with one attack,' thought A. His preferred fighting style wasn't about using techniques that cut but instead mauled and tore apart. He rarely relied on this technique, but Maki was simply too difficult an opponent.
Maki was about to charge again when she noticed a shift in A's chakra. For a moment, the Raikage's chakra flared up insanely. But soon, it stabilized, becoming more controlled yet far more violent. Even the Lightning Cloak's form had changed slightly and A's stance was almost entirely different.
'Something's off. I need to be careful,' Maki thought as A charged at her. It felt like he was wielding a spear in his hand, aiming to pierce her.
A had extended three fingers, lightning chakra coating them. The concentration of chakra was so great that it extended well beyond his fingers, forming a sharp, focused point.
'Looks like he's going all out,' Maki analyzed. Unlike other nintaijutsu users, Maki's power came from her Suijingan. The boost in her strength was directly proportional to the amount of chakra the Suijingan deflected back. So, when she pumped more chakra into it, her Predator's Pact's strength would also skyrocket. The downside was that her chakra consumption would increase exponentially. However, the fight had only just begun a few minutes ago, and neither Maki nor A were even close to their chakra limits.
As Maki was about to pump more chakra into her Suijingan, A, who had been charging at her, suddenly disappeared.
'Shit, he can increase his speed further?' Maki's eyes narrowed, expecting him to appear any moment now. She regretted not being faster, but it was too late. The Raikage appeared right in front of her, his fingers just a few inches away from her left shoulder. He was aiming for her heart.
Maki twisted her body, narrowly avoiding the fatal attack, but her shoulder was still pierced. She didn't stop, though. Swinging her right leg, she hit A from the side, sending him flying as he was still mid-motion and had no footing to hold him in place.
"Ugh!" Maki exclaimed in pain. Her left arm now hung uselessly at her side. 'Just one mistake, and I'm left without an arm,' she cursed inwardly. Even her increased regeneration wouldn't be enough to heal such an injury quickly.
'Winning this fight now is probably imposs…' Maki's thoughts were cut off when she felt Samehada crawling up her right arm. She could tell the blade wasn't trying to harm her, so she let it be. Samehada kept moving until it reached her back, forming a tight, kusari-like armor that merged with her upper body completely.
'Since when can you do that?' Maki knew Samehada could merge with its owner, but no matter how many times she tried, she couldn't make it work. Now, the blade had merged with her of its own will. But that wasn't the most important thing - her left arm was rapidly healing. The speed was so insane that, in just a second, it was as good as new.
'This fucking blade,' A thought, truly angry as he saw Maki's shoulder, which he had destroyed by catching her off guard, heal instantly. 'She'll never fall for that move again, and even if she does, she can heal it instantly…' He was at a loss for words.
'Fuck this. I'll win no matter what happens,' the Raikage transformed his anger into determination and was about to charge when Maki's chakra exploded. The calm flow that had covered her body before was now violent and chaotic. Her chakra levels kept rising until they reached such a height that A could swear it was comparable to his own.
'She's a beast through and through,' A thought, smiling faintly. He wasn't going to let Maki finish preparing her technique. He charged with his hand extended again, but this time, Maki didn't wait. She also moved, disappearing from A's sight.
Their movements were now impossible to track, even jonin-level shinobis struggled. Both A and Maki kept disappearing and reappearing, flickering across the battlefield as they pushed their nintaijutsu to the limit.
A appeared, his right hand with three fingers extended, nearing Maki's throat. However, it simply passed through an afterimage. Maki had once again sidestepped, counterattacking with her right hand. Now that Samehada was merged with her, Maki could finally use her taijutsu instead of kenjutsu, which wasn't the fighting style she was most comfortable with.
The punch landed, sending A flying, but before that, he also managed to hit Maki with his elbow, sending her flying as well. Both of them crashed into the ground in opposite directions, killing several unfortunate shinobi who happened to be in their way.
Soon, they both shot up, preparing to launch another wave of attacks. They were evenly matched. A had the advantage in strength and durability, while Maki had the advantage in speed and chakra levels, thanks to Samehada.
<<<>>>
"It's confirmed that Kiri and Takimura are working together against Kumogakure. It's also confirmed that Maki Takime is now an S-rank shinobi," Shikaku said nonchalantly. However, his words shocked everyone in Konoha's council, especially Hiruzen.
'That girl is now an S-rank?' Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly. 'She wasn't even close to that level when I met her, and according to Jiraiya, she was an elite jonin during the negotiations.' He was impressed, but more than that, the old fox realized the threat Takimura posed.
'I'm sure the kid Itachi fought also has the potential to become S-rank. They have at least two more young shinobi at the elite jonin level and one confirmed S-rank. This potential is outrageous for even a great village, let alone such a small settlement.' Hiruzen forgot to mention that it was outrageous for any village other than Konoha. The Hidden Leaf was spawning S rank nins like they were not a big deal, and even now, they had two shinobi under fifteen with confirmed potential to reach the S-rank level - Shisui and Itachi.
"Lord Jiraiya, what should we do? Are we going to sit and wait even now?" Tsume asked. After the humiliation she suffered the last time, she was much more restrained when expressing her opinions.
"Our position remains the best. We don't have to be hasty," Shikaku answered instead. "Even if Takimura has an S-rank, it changes nothing. The intel we received says that Yagura is heavily injured, at the very least, he's injured enough to require help from Takimura and hasn't made any appearance since his fight against Zabuza forces. So, the Land of Water hasn't become stronger." He paused, waiting to see if anyone wanted to take over. The lazy Nara would gladly let them, but no one spoke up.
"Iwa and Suna might attack us if we make a move now. I'm sure they are worried that if both Kiri and Kumo weaken, their own strength won't be enough to keep us in check. So, let's wait and continue training our shinobi and preparing them for war. I would also suggest asking Lady Tsunade to return," Shikaku finished, leaning back into his seat and getting comfortable.
<<<>>>
Kaoru had just finished sabotaging half of the ships when the rain started. Drop by drop, the rain transformed into a storm, as if the sky had opened up.
'Shit, why couldn't it wait for a few more minutes?' Kaoru thought as he kept controlling the water underneath continuously just to maintain the balance. It was putting a heavy strain on his chakra reserves, but he had no other choice. He could see several Kumo shinobi approaching, so he couldn't risk moving on the ships.
'I'm glad I didn't bring the others. Unlike me, they can't see their movements,' Kaoru thought. Thanks to Suijingan's visual abilities, he could easily avoid incoming Kumo ninja while completing his task.
The glow from his eyes brightened yet again as he formed tentacles underneath another ship and pierced its hull.
'Let's hurry up and finish this in under five minutes,' Kaoru confirmed that the water wouldn't enter the ship just yet and flickered toward the next target.
**
A/N -
I hope you are enjoying the fight between A and Maki. Let me know what you think about Maki & Samehada's new form. Should I develop it even more?
Reminder - Break Tomorrow!
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