Chapter 166 158: Trap

With a flash of lightning, the Third Raikage's massive, over-two-meter-tall physique performed a movement at that moment that contradicted his burly build, nimbly dodging Orochimaru's Wind Release Ninjutsu.

The next moment, an endless swarm of snakes rushed forward again, using their physical bodies to restrict the Third Raikage's movements.

However, this did not have any effect.

Lightning exploded once more, but this time, the electricity was no longer the blue lightning from before; it was tinged with a pitch-black hue.

The swarm of snakes writhed and died in droves.

Orochimaru, who had been following behind the swarm of snakes attempting to launch a sneak attack with Wind Release, was forced to retreat and dodge, instead using his Ninjutsu to neutralize the black lightning.

This was the Black Lightning Secret Technique developed by the Third Raikage himself.

In the original timeline, only Darui learned this secret technique, which earned him the "Lightning" tattoo on his shoulder, led to him being groomed as a key successor, and made him the sole heir to this technique after the Third Raikage's death.

"Konoha Village truly is full of talent. The name Sannin is well-deserved. It's one thing to have produced White Fang, but to have two more like you, plus that Uchiha student of yours who can hold off my son—it really is enviable."

The Third Raikage held his head high, chest puffed out, stepping over the charred snake carcasses covering the ground, and looked at Orochimaru with an expression of admiration.

Every Konoha Ninja he mentioned could be nurtured as a treasure in Kumogakure, yet Konoha had produced so many in just a single Ninja World War.

Konoha's depth of talent truly made the Third Raikage feel envious, jealous, and hateful.

"Raikage-senpai is truly worthy of his reputation. If Teacher Sarutobi were here, he certainly wouldn't be as disheveled as I am."

Orochimaru spat out the Kusanagi Sword, looking at the Third Raikage with a wary expression.

This guy's strength was too great, and he had no weaknesses to exploit, which truly left him at a loss.

He had already exhausted all his tricks and could only barely hold off the Third Raikage.

"That's right. Compared to that teacher of yours, you are indeed a bit weaker. Although I cannot defeat you, it won't be that easy for you to stop me."

Right in front of Orochimaru, the Third Raikage raised a finger once again.

"At the very least, you cannot block this move!"

The next instant, dazzling lightning converged once more, shifting from blue to white, almost becoming tangible, streaking across the battlefield like a meteor.

Orochimaru's eyes shifted; he pulled back and opened his mouth, spitting out several condensed wind bullets.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

This time, the Third Raikage did not dodge.

The wind bullets, capable of piercing metal and splitting stone, crumbled and disintegrated under the Lightning Release that should have been countered by it, as if they didn't exist at all.

Extreme sharpness, extreme piercing!

This was the Third Raikage's strongest spear!

Even if the Third Hokage himself were here, he would have to temporarily avoid the brunt of this move.

Orochimaru could only flee in disarray again, dodging into the distance.

However, the Third Raikage's momentum did not wane, and he charged straight toward the distance.

After seeing his destination, Orochimaru anxiously shouted out, "Watch out!"

Just as his words fell, the spear of lightning had already crossed to the other side of the battlefield.

This was the battlefield where Karai and the three elderly heads of the Ino–Shika–Chō were located.

Orochimaru was suppressed by the Third Raikage, Uchiha Gen was stalemated with the Fourth Raikage A, and here, Karai was being beaten to the point of imminent danger.

If he couldn't wait for reinforcements, he would be forced to retreat.

"We've been prepared for this!"

The Nara Clan Head changed his hand seals, and a large amount of shadows instantly spread out from under his feet, turning into spikes that shot toward the Third Raikage like a thicket of thorns.

His shadow spikes were naturally insufficient to break through the Third Raikage's defense, but the Third Raikage was unwilling to easily touch these shadow spikes.

Once contacted, even he would be bound by the shadows, at which point the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu would invade his mind, trapping him in endless crowd-control skills, and he would be forcefully dragged here, falling into the trio's rhythm.

"Wushi!" the Nara Clan Head shouted.

The Yamanaka Clan Head beside him immediately reached out and cut a thread he was stepping on.

The other end of the thread was quietly blending into the shadows beneath their feet, concealed by the shadow secret technique.

The next second, the endless shadow spikes dissipated, turning into a mesh of wires wrapped with exploding tags, densely covering the area around the Third Raikage.

They had long anticipated that others would try to come and provide support, so they had secretly buried them underground via the Nara Clan Head's shadow, waiting for someone to come so they could trigger it.

The strength of the three of them was sufficient to suppress Karai, and with two others there to help, the Yamanaka Clan Head still had some spare energy to pull off these little tricks.

They knew how strong the Third Raikage was; while Orochimaru's strength was good, he might not be able to hold off the Third Raikage indefinitely.

And as for the young Uchiha Gen, although they knew he had previously fought both Karai and the Fourth Raikage A, they truly weren't entirely reassured.

After all, the Fourth Raikage A was a god-speed type Ninja; if he were truly willing to abandon Uchiha Gen and come over, there was a significant possibility he could break through.

And if the Third Raikage and the Fourth Raikage A didn't come over, these actions wouldn't be a waste.

He had a backup plan, only the target would be switched to Karai, striving to pull off a big trap; if they could take him down in one fell swoop, that would be even better.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Explosions rang out one after another, kicking up flames that soared into the sky, attracting the attention of everyone on the battlefield.

A mushroom cloud rose leisurely amidst the explosions.

For this strike, they didn't even know how many exploding tags they had prepared; no matter how strong the Third Raikage's defense was, it would be enough to give him a hard time.

"Sandaime-sama!" Karai struggled out from the thick layers of rubber that had shielded him from the aftermath of the explosion, his bloodshot eyes wide as he exclaimed in shock.

"I'm fine, Karai."

A dull voice came from the sky-filling smoke and dust, causing the expressions of the three elderly heads of the Ino–Shika–Chō to involuntarily change.

"How has this guy's defense become so terrifying?" The Akimichi Clan Head couldn't help but feel a twinge of toothache.

However, when the smoke cleared, the three couldn't help but soften their expressions slightly, breathing a sigh of relief.

The surface of the Third Raikage's body indeed hadn't suffered any serious injuries, but the trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth indicated that under this earth-shaking explosion, he had still sustained internal injuries.

Although his strongest armor hadn't been broken, it didn't mean that the Third Raikage himself wouldn't get hurt.

"No, there were still some results. His surface defense is strong, but no matter how tough his internal organs are, it's impossible for them to remain unaffected," the Yamanaka Clan Head said in a deep voice.

At this moment, Orochimaru had already caught up, and after noticing the commotion on this side, the Fourth Raikage A no longer cared about being entangled with Uchiha Gen, paying the price of taking a slash just to rush over at high speed.