Just as the shinobi of Umigakure were being pushed back by the overwhelming numbers of Kumogakure ninja, reinforcements suddenly arrived—dozens of figures dressed in black appeared behind them.
But these newcomers weren't dressed in ninja gear. They wore tailored black suits.
Their weapons weren't kunai either—they were sleek, pitch-black pistols.
While deftly dodging the attacks of Kumogakure's shinobi, they fired back with precise bursts from their handguns.
In an instant—
The sound of gunfire, which had just died down not long ago, rang out once more across the city.
"Cipher Pol agents…" Fujin muttered under his breath, a complicated expression flashing across his face.
Most shinobi disliked dealing with these black-suited agents.
And yet, given how outmatched they currently were on every front… they had no choice but to keep their dislike to themselves.
"Who the hell are these guys?!"
On the other side, the Kumogakure ninja were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of so many black-clad agents.
What's more, their strange mix of rapid Taijutsu and pistol attacks was unlike anything they had seen before. The agents would rush in at lightning speed—then unleash a brutal combo of punches and kicks.
Their strength and speed were on par with elite hand-to-hand ninja. Kumogakure was clearly being outmatched in close combat.
Left with no other choice—
The Kumogakure ninja began to retreat, trying to gain distance and rely on coordinated Ninjutsu attacks.
But those agents either disappeared with some strange high-speed movement technique or counterattacked with a slash in the air.
And just when the Kumogakure ninja tried to regain composure—Bang! —they'd suddenly get shot.
In the blink of an eye—
White and black forces clashed within the city of Rōran, quickly reaching a stalemate. The fighting grew even fiercer, even bloodier. With each passing moment, more lives were lost.
...
Western District of Rōran.
"Who the hell are you people?!"
The Third Raikage was in hot pursuit of the elusive Tengen, who continued dodging with ease.
The two figures, both blindingly fast, weaved through the air—sometimes one chasing and the other fleeing, sometimes clashing in midair before breaking off to resume the chase.
Naturally, the Third Raikage knew he couldn't let himself be led around by the nose.
Yet every time he tried to go after another of the Umigakure shinobi, his opponent would bombard him with flashes of blades and sonic attacks—and loudly proclaim that he was just heading outside the city to find other Kumogakure ninja to spar with.
As a result, the Raikage had no choice but to remain entangled with Uzui Tengen.
He had already experienced the man's strength firsthand. At first, he had seemed no more than a powerful elite jōnin. But once this strange Sound Release ability had manifested, it became clear that no ordinary jōnin could deal with him.
And then there was the mysterious technique that turned his entire body pitch black, allowing him to effortlessly block Lightning Release attacks.
Plus, those twin explosive blades he wielded—capable of causing massive detonations.
Someone like that rampaging through their ranks would be devastating, even if they managed to kill him in the end. It would be a bloodbath, just like what the Raikage himself could unleash if he charged into enemy lines.
Despite his rough and hot-headed appearance, the Third Raikage cared deeply for the shinobi of his village.
"I already told you—we're Root shinobi under Danzō-sama's command! If you don't believe me, go ask Konoha!" Uzui Tengen called out with a grin, attacking as he ran.
"Bullshit!"
The Third Raikage roared in fury, bristling the moment his opponent dared to mention 'Root'.
"Konoha doesn't have explosive blades like those! Or Sound Release! And there's not a drop of chakra in your entire body!"
"Hmm."
Uzui Tengen dodged another lightning-fast strike using Observation Haki and a shave-like step technique, creating distance once more before replying calmly: "Danzō-sama is wise. He replicated Kirigakure's explosive blades."
"As for the Sound Release—that's my kekkei genkai. And the lack of chakra? That's because I was never any good at ninjutsu, so I focused exclusively on swordsmanship and taijutsu. Got any more questions?"
The Third Raikage paused, eyes narrowing as he stared at Uzui Tengen in suspicion.
Because... it actually kind of made sense.
He'd never met anyone who focused solely on swordsmanship and taijutsu—hell, even the samurai from the Land of Iron trained with chakra. But this man's capabilities certainly aligned with what he claimed.
Most importantly, the Raikage knew that pure taijutsu training could indeed rival ninjutsu.
He himself had trained his body to its utmost limits. Not only could he fight tailed beasts head-on with brute strength, but his skin and muscles were so tough they rivaled steel.
Ordinary weapons or ninjutsu barely scratched him.
But in the entire shinobi world, no one else had reached his level of taijutsu. The pain of the training alone was beyond what most people could endure.
Still, no matter what he thought deep down, the Raikage kept a stern expression and said coldly, "But my gut's telling me—you little bastard are lying!"
"Then go ahead and say it—who do you think we are?" Uzui Tengen shot back.
"…"
The Raikage was left speechless.
Yeah—if they weren't from Konoha, then what faction could they possibly belong to?
Kirigakure?
No way. They'd always had the smallest number of shinobi. No chance they'd send this many forces into the Land of Wind.
And if the goal was just to take that Rōran queen, a jōnin-led squad would've sufficed.
Just then—
The sudden eruption of heavy gunfire drew the Raikage's attention again. With one sweeping glance, he spotted a massive group of black-clad figures pouring in like a tide.
His expression darkened.
"So you've been hiding this many people… What is your true objective?"
At the same time, he cursed the shinobi of Sunagakure in his mind—what a bunch of useless lumps of iron! Nearly a thousand enemy shinobi had infiltrated the country, and they hadn't noticed a thing!
As for Rōran…
He didn't even see it as worth mentioning.
"Third Raikage, do you really plan to keep fighting? The situation is pretty clear by now. I admit I can't beat you—but you can't catch me either. So how about we call it even?"
Uzui Tengen once again offered the suggestion.
With his Observation Haki's perception and predictive capabilities, as long as the speed difference wasn't too overwhelming, he could avoid most of his opponent's attacks.
Tengen also relied on the merits he'd earned in the Zero Magic World to exchange for a Paramecia-type Soundwave Fruit. This ability allowed him to amplify any sound he produced.
On top of that, all the explosive sounds generated by his Sound Breathing techniques were drastically amplified, becoming powerful enough to block the Raikage's Four-Finger Nukite.
Of course, the most devastating technique remained his Sonic Energy Cannon, formed by turning a roar into pure concussive force.
Even the Third Raikage, after taking a direct hit from it once, never dared to face it head-on again. The violent vibrations and sheer noise could partially penetrate his Lightning Release Armor.
Uzui Tengen was now quite grateful to have the power of the Soundwave Fruit. Without it, relying solely on his former strength from the Zero Magic World, he wouldn't have been able to last this long against the Third Raikage.
"Hmph. I still have three thousand shinobi outside. More than enough to wipe out all your men!"
The Third Raikage scoffed, convinced that the black-clad ninja he had seen so far represented the full extent of Tengen's forces. To him, continuing the fight would only end with the total annihilation of his opponent.
However, there was still something that puzzled him.
Both the black-clad shinobi who had appeared earlier and the new ones seemed to rely solely on illusory sword techniques and taijutsu.
"But don't forget, this is the Land of Wind. You've already fought a battle with them. When do you think the Sunagakure shinobi will arrive?"
Uzui Tengen asked with a calm smile.
As expected—
The Third Raikage frowned. He was well aware of this risk. That was why he had originally ordered his subordinates to wrap things up quickly. Who would've thought things would drag on until now?
What he didn't know was that Sunagakure was a threat to Uzui Tengen's side as well.
In fact, they were potentially a bigger threat than the Kumogakure shinobi in front of them. After all, this was Sunagakure's home territory—they could mobilize far more ninja, and those ninja were far better suited to desert combat.
Still, that didn't stop Tengen from using the specter of Sunagakure to intimidate the Third Raikage.
In truth—
Roughly one kilometer away, behind a sand dune, the shinobi of Sunagakure had already arrived. They were watching the battle through binoculars, assessing the situation.
At the same time—
A massive force of 3,000 Sunagakure shinobi was marching steadily toward Rōran.
However, their mission wasn't to protect Rōran—much less trap the Kumogakure forces in the desert—but to drive the Third Raikage out as quickly as possible.
Their commander was none other than Rasa.
Though not yet the Kazekage, he was a man with the prestige to rival one—and the only person in Sunagakure capable of going toe-to-toe with the Third Raikage!
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