Lightning Plow Hot Knife
Seeing the Fourth Raikage, Ay, take the lead in attacking, C and the others sprang into action immediately.
This was no longer a situation that could be resolved through words.
The earlier attack by Yamanaka Kaze had clearly been an assassination attempt on the Raikage.
"Things aren't what they seem!" Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. Though he had already guessed the truth in his heart, Yamanaka Kaze was still a Konoha shinobi. He couldn't just stand by and watch him be killed by Raikage Ay.
"Too late!"
Ay ignored Sarutobi's plea. In his eyes, manipulating Darui was a far graver offense than even an attempt on his own life.
If something like that could be overlooked, he would be unworthy of the title of Raikage.
"Understood!"
C responded at once. "Lightning Style: Thunder Illusion – Lightning Pillar!"
C wasn't just a sensory-type shinobi—he was also a skilled user of genjutsu and medical ninjutsu. This was precisely why Ay referred to him as his left hand.
A brilliant flash of electric light filled the entire room as C activated the technique. The sudden flare wasn't just a method to obscure vision—it was a carefully layered genjutsu trap.
The range of this jutsu was vast, and anyone touched by the lightning was subject to the illusion.
"You, Yugito, Darui—move!"
C kept his voice low as he coordinated with his allies. Their mission: subdue Sarutobi Hiruzen and cut off his defense.
As for Xu Fan—yes, his power and chakra reserves were remarkable, and his attitude quite arrogant—but C believed strongly that, in the shinobi world, intelligence and tactics trumped raw strength.
Even the most powerful ninja could be rendered helpless if caught in a well-executed genjutsu.
C had absolute confidence in his technique.
As long as Yugito and Darui could pin down Hiruzen, Yamanaka Kaze would be doomed.
Meanwhile, Ay—trusting C, Darui, and Yugito to hold off the Hokage—once again accelerated with high-speed movement to pursue Yamanaka Kaze directly.
Suddenly, a terrifying roar shook the room. A violent burst of chakra surged outward.
Hiruzen's eyes widened in horror. He hadn't expected Ay to bring a jinchūriki with him.
And yet, standing before him, the jinchūriki Yugito Nii—the Two-Tails' host—unleashed a dense crimson chakra cloak, complete with feral claws aimed at his throat.
Darui followed up with Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet, aiming to pin Hiruzen down and create an opening for Yugito's charge.
At the same time, C maintained the genjutsu with his bright lightning illusion.
It was a formidable coordinated assault, enough to make even the Third Hokage falter.
Had it been any other shinobi, they likely would have died instantly.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
Hiruzen, eyes tightly shut to avoid genjutsu interference, swiftly formed hand seals and slammed his hands to the floor.
A circular wall of rock erupted around him with a thunderous crash, shielding him on all sides.
Darui's water dragon shattered against the wall, while Yugito's attack barely cracked the stone.
Though their combo had failed to bring Hiruzen down, their true goal had already been achieved—they had stalled him long enough.
Enough for the Fourth Raikage to catch up.
The dazzling light from C's illusion began to fade, the room gradually returning to normal.
Ay's hand, crackling with lightning chakra, aimed to smash into Yamanaka Kaze's throat—
But it stopped short.
Something had caught his arm mid-strike.
A tree root.
"Wood Style...?!"
Yamanaka Kaze stared in disbelief.
As a member of the Foundation, he was privy to far more secrets than the average shinobi.
He knew Ay's strength—his legendary speed, his ability to go toe-to-toe with Namikaze Minato during the Third Great Ninja War.
To stop an attack from that man...
It shouldn't have been possible.
"Lord Raikage!"
C gasped in disbelief. Darui, Yugito, Mifune—and even Ay himself—were stunned by what they saw.
"My attack… was stopped?"
Ay's eyes darted toward the source.
There, standing next to Hiruzen, was Xu Fan.
C, Darui, Yugito, and Mifune turned to him in unison.
Even Hiruzen, as the rock wall crumbled, saw the truth.
"Even Ay's full-force blow was blocked…"
He was stunned. He had known Xu Fan could use Wood Style—but this level of proficiency?
Wood Style wasn't invincible. Ay's sheer speed and power should have overwhelmed it.
It should have been impossible to form hand seals fast enough to block.
"Wood Style..."
Ay muttered, staring at Xu Fan. He yanked his arm free from the wooden restraints.
"So... you're a member of the Senju clan?"
"The farce ends here," Xu Fan said calmly, scanning the room full of shocked faces.
"You call this... a farce?"
Ay scoffed. He understood now why Xu Fan had such confidence—why he dared to stand tall before him.
But possessing Wood Style didn't make him Hashirama Senju.
The First Hokage—the God of Shinobi—was unmatched.
Even if Xu Fan's growth posed a future threat to the Hidden Cloud's position, Ay now had justification to act.
Even if Mifune objected, it would be meaningless.
No—
He wouldn't just kill Xu Fan.
He'd take him back to Kumogakure.
Let the scientists study this bloodline limit.
They had failed to obtain the Byakugan.
But now... they had something better.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Plow Hot Knife!"
Ay let out a thunderous roar as Lightning Release chakra surged through his body.
The floor cracked beneath him as he blasted forward like a bolt of blue lightning.