Free Web NovelChapter 248: Group Photo In The Ruins Of The Raikage Building
From within the rubble came a few brief and miserable screams, the final echoes of some civilian staff or guards who had not managed to evacuate in time.
After the successful strike, Shinichi’s team showed no hesitation. With a clear division of labor, they immediately moved on to the next step.
Some followed Shinichi’s attack trajectory, continuing to pour Fire Style, Wind Style, and Explosive Tags onto the collapsed ruins, ensuring complete destruction, leaving no documents or facilities that could be salvaged.
Others quickly formed hand seals at the perimeter, unleashing large-scale Ninjutsu. Raging flames, surging water, rising earth, and howling winds intertwined into a deadly zone, effectively blocking and delaying the red-eyed Kumogakure ninjas desperately trying to charge in for revenge.
As for Shinichi himself, after destroying the main building, he did not pause at all. Turning his body, he swung the Adamantine Nyoi, now restored to its normal size, once more, carrying immense chakra and force, smashing toward the three towering bronze statues standing in the plaza behind the Raikage building.
The statues were imposing, with exaggerated, explosive muscle lines, filled with strength and oppression, silently narrating the martial tradition of the Village Hidden in the Cloud and the achievements of past Raikage.
They were the statues of successive Raikage, different from the solemn stone faces of Konoha’s Hokage Rock, yet equally bearing the glory and history of a village.
Boom!
A heavy metallic explosion rang out. Before absolute power, even solid bronze could not withstand it. The statues of the first and second Raikage snapped at the waist and crashed to the ground.
The third Raikage’s statue suffered the worst, completely shattered below the chest. The remaining upper half rolled away and, by sheer coincidence, stopped at Shinichi’s feet.
The imposing bronze head faced upward, as if gazing at the conqueror.
Seeing this, Shinichi burst into laughter. His laughter sounded especially brazen and harsh amid the chaotic battlefield. freewebnoveℓ.com
Without hesitation, he lifted his left foot and stepped on the head of the third Raikage’s statue, then shouted loudly to his team members who were busy intercepting and destroying around him: "Hurry up and come here! Time for a photo!"
As he shouted, he pulled out the Flowing Cloud Sword from his waist. The blade gleamed coldly as he skillfully carved a line of large, deep characters onto the remaining bronze torso of the third Raikage statue: "Konoha’s Shinichi battalion was here!"
The same flamboyant handwriting, the same provocative meaning.
Hearing this, the team members were momentarily stunned, then burst into even louder and more heroic laughter. Even the most calm and reserved among them could not help but grin, battle intent and exhilaration written across every face.
Four hundred and four people quickly disengaged from their respective combat positions and, as if rehearsed countless times, efficiently assembled in formation before the charred ruins of the former Raikage building.
Shinichi created a Shadow Clone that held the camera and quickly adjusted the angle, capturing the main body stepping on the Raikage statue’s head, the spirited team behind him, and the ruined Raikage building in the background, all within the frame.
The clone pressed the shutter.
Click.
The image froze. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"Hahahahaha, not bad! Really not bad!" Shinichi’s main body glanced at the camera once and burst into loud laughter.
His laughter was wanton and clear amid the roars and wails of the battlefield, like the most direct provocation.
Almost at the same moment, more red-eyed, nearly insane Kumogakure ninjas rushed in from all directions, the sound of projectiles cutting through the air mixed with furious roars.
The smile on Shinichi’s face instantly disappeared, his eyes turning cold as ice. Without even looking at the incoming attacks, he swung the Adamantine Nyoi with one arm toward the densest crowd!
Whoosh!
The staff expanded dozens of meters, carrying a scorching airwave and producing a deep roar, like an invisible wall, forcibly pushing back and overturning the front wave of charging Kumogakure ninjas.
Dust and debris were swept up, briefly obscuring vision.
"Go, go, go! Let’s retreat!"
Shinichi had no intention of further expanding the results. He was not sure whether among those following the third Raikage there was someone capable of the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
If the third Raikage were suddenly transported here, Shinichi himself might be fine, but his subordinates would suffer.
Upon hearing the order, the already prepared team members moved immediately, quickly forming orderly streams of retreat.
Acting in squads, they covered one another and sped toward the planned withdrawal route.
Shinichi automatically stayed at the rear to cover the retreat. His figure flickered as he swung the Adamantine Nyoi from time to time, the gusts of wind and sweeping flames forcing back the pursuing Kumogakure ninjas again and again.
The entire process was so fast it was dazzling. Just like when they came, the Shinichi battalion turned into fleeting shadows, quickly leaving the roaring and chaotic Kumogakure ninjas behind!
More than an hour later, a blinding bolt of lightning appeared outside the Village Hidden in the Cloud, its speed suddenly slowing as if observing the situation.
But the next second, the lightning grew even more violent, tearing through the air with thunderous force, plunging into the devastated village with even greater ferocity, and landing directly in front of the ruined Raikage building.
The lightning subsided, revealing A’s towering figure like an iron tower.
What met his eyes was still utter devastation.
Kumogakure ninjas were everywhere, busy clearing debris, alongside charred and broken beams and rubble scattered across the ground.
The three shattered bronze statues of past Raikage had been reassembled and set back in their original positions by the Kumogakure ninjas.
Though cracks remained and weld marks were still visible, at least they stood again. Especially, the engraved markings on the third Raikage’s statue had been completely polished away.
Seeing this, A’s killing intent surged even more. The rage in his chest flared along with the lightning around his body.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Just as he was about to question the situation, a crisp yet distinct sound of footsteps interrupted him.
He turned his head.
A person dressed in ordinary civilian clothing was walking through the ruins, his pace unhurried, as if taking an after-meal stroll.
A frowned at this sight. At a time like this, civilians should not be here. He was about to scold...
"A?"
The man spoke first.
A’s pupils shrank sharply. He stared at that face, at those eyes, and then a name forced its way out from deep in his throat: "Shinichi Higashino?"
"Hehe."
The man chuckled softly, his appearance gradually changing back to the face he had seen countless times in intelligence reports.
The young man stood among the ruins, morning light shining from behind him, his smile as clean as that of an ordinary child.
"I knew your subordinates would desperately erase these traces before you returned."
Shinichi’s Shadow Clone tilted its head, its gaze sweeping over the sculptures that had been re-erected but were now covered in various marks, and said mockingly, "It wasn’t for nothing that I left a clone here to wait for you. Here, catch!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Shadow Clone flicked his finger.
A photograph, like a sharp kunai, tore through the air with a clear whooshing sound, spinning as it shot towards A’s face, where he caught it.
"Then, see you in the capital."
As he spoke, the Shadow Clone vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving only a clear, laughing voice.
Shinichi wants to kill people, but he also wants to destroy their spirit!
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