'Left hand? Who does he think he's looking down on! Still... I could gain something.'
"Meow! What are the benefits?"
Takeshi rubbed his paws together. 'This old guy is generous,' he thought. 'If the price is right, I won't just fight him, I would visit Kumogakure and fight his son too.'
"We can talk benefits later," the Third Raikage said, his voice a low rumble. "Enough talk. Let's fight."
"Don't back out later, meow!"
Takeshi's eyes lit up. He shot off the table and out of the tent. Kakashi and Rin were just arriving as he zipped past.
"What's going on?" Rin asked.
"A fight," Kakashi answered calmly.
From his eyes, though, it was clear he was looking forward to the battle between Takeshi and the Third Raikage. After all, the Third Raikage was undoubtedly the most skilled Lightning Release user in the world right now.
Guy and Obito had already gone out for their early morning training, so they were none the wiser and wouldn't be there to watch.
Tsunade, for her part, was happy to let them fight right here. 'If they destroy a few tents,' she mused, 'the Third Raikage will be paying a heavy price.'
"We'll fight outside."
The Third Raikage pointed a thick finger toward the open ground. He'd been seriously injured already, he wasn't about to make the same mistake again. He vanished in a flicker of movement.
While his Lightning Release: Thunder Armor was primarily defensive, it didn't mean the Raikage was slow. He might have seemed it next to Takeshi, Minato, or his son Ay, but he was far faster than Tsunade, let alone Kakashi, Rin, or a Yugito without the Two-Tails chakra.
Within a few breaths, both he and Takeshi were positioned in the clearing outside the camp.
Takeshi knew he couldn't use his Rasenshuriken in a taijutsu spar, but he didn't care. He was short on Points, and no matter how tough the Third Raikage's defense was, he was confident he could make the man hand over some points.
'If I can't beat you, I can definitely annoy you.'
"Good," the Third Raikage boomed, his beard seeming to bristle with energy. "A true test of strength. No one interferes. I'll deal with anyone who does."
Even in Konoha, his presence was overwhelming.
"Raikage-sama, you can do it!" Yugito cheered.
"Go for it, Takeshi!" Tsunade shouted with a grin. "If you're in a pinch, aim for his right hand! His right hand still can't handle chakra!"
"How could you say that!" Yugito glared at Tsunade. "That's completely dishonorable! And you're his doctor!"
It was too much. Yugito's face flushed with anger, which only made Tsunade happier. The girl's indignation reminded her of when Shizune had first started traveling with her. Back then, Shizune would get that same look on her face whenever she gambled or drank too much.
'Hmph. Shizune isn't nearly as cute anymore.'
Rin chuckled quietly. Tsunade loved to tease people, but she was always reliable when it counted.
"So fast," Kakashi murmured.
Rin looked up just in time to see the fight erupt.
Takeshi hadn't used his Expansion Jutsu, instead using his small size to weave around the towering Raikage. His claws, sharp as razors and coated in a thick layer of ice, dug at his opponent, rendering the lightning crackling off the Thunder Armor almost useless.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!* After a rapid exchange, the two broke apart.
"Invigorating!" the Third Raikage roared, his left hand chopping down like a blade toward Takeshi's face.
His speed wasn't on par with his son Ay's, but his perception was sharp and the power behind his hand-blade was immense, sealing off nearly every path of retreat. But Takeshi, seeing the attack coming, disengaged from the close-quarters fight.
He took a few steps back, then opened his mouth and spat a jet of water. It wasn't a simple bullet, but a blade of water under extreme pressure. The Third Raikage dodged instantly.
But the stream of water curved, tracking him.
A second later, another jet of water erupted from a different angle, and both streams slammed into the same point on his body.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!" Tsunade exclaimed.
The jutsu was notoriously difficult. Besides Tobirama Senju, almost no one had used it in combat. She never imagined Takeshi could not only learn it, but...
'Honestly,' she thought, 'his talent is just ridiculous. He doesn't just learn human ninjutsu, he modifies them to suit his own body. Most shinobi can't even do that.'
"That cat..." Yugito muttered, forcing herself to look away. "But the power is incredible."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He was getting used to being shocked by Takeshi, but he was more focused on the fact that even a jutsu like that couldn't seem to threaten the Third Raikage. The man's defense was terrifying.
Just then, Takeshi's form blurred. He reappeared right in front of the Raikage, now grown to the size of a large dog. His size had increased, but his speed had somehow accelerated with it.
The Third Raikage had no time to react. A powerful kick sent him flying.
*Boom! Bang! Boom!*
The Raikage was tossed into the air like a ragdoll, helpless against the onslaught. With monstrous strength, taijutsu, and the Flying Thunder God, Takeshi unleashed a relentless offensive that gave him no room to counter.
After a thorough beating, Takeshi's tail stiffened into an iron hammer. The fur on its club-like tip bristled, each strand hardening into a sharp spike infused with potent Wind Release chakra. He swung it in a wide arc, smashing it down on the Third Raikage.
*BOOM!*
The Raikage's right shoulder buckled, the joint visibly deforming as his arm was dislocated.
"Invigorating! So manl-"
He laughed, preparing to strike back, only to see the black cat winding up for another combo.
'Does he think the same trick will work twice?' he thought. 'Breaking through my left hand's defense won't be so easy.'
But the final blow this time was different.
The Third Raikage looked up to see Takeshi's four paws in the air, creating four spheres of chakra. In a dizzying display, the four spheres merged into two, and then the two fused into one massive, unstable Rasengan.
"That's... absurd," Kakashi breathed, his eyes wide. He couldn't grasp the mechanics, but he could see with his own eyes that the resulting sphere of chakra was dangerously volatile.
"Raikage-sama!" Yugito cried out, sensing the terrifying power in the attack. She started to rush forward, but without the tail beast chakra, she was powerless to help. It would be a pointless sacrifice.
"You're being reckless, Takeshi!" Tsunade yelled. She launched herself forward, separating the two combatants in a flash.
*CRASH!* The Raikage was slammed into the ground, leaving a deep crater.
Takeshi was sent tumbling in the other direction, hitting the earth with a rumble that kicked up a massive cloud of dust.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down Tsunade's forehead. The jutsu was too unstable. She'd intervened because she could see Takeshi himself was struggling to control it, he was running purely on instinct. If she'd let him actually hit the Third Raikage with that, he could've died... it would have been a diplomatic disaster.
The Third Raikage, however, was filled with regret. Another new ninjutsu. He felt he could have blocked it. If no one had interfered, he might have been able to push his limits. Not since his fight with the Eight-Tails had he felt so alive, even though he'd been on the receiving end of the beating today without landing a single hit.
"Meow... No more fighting." Takeshi's Sage Mode chakra was spent, and he knew when to call it quits. He'd landed two full combos and dodged every one of the Raikage's attacks.
That last Rasengan had been an impulse, and it had been incredibly difficult to control. Still, with the Raikage's monstrous defense, it probably wouldn't have seriously injured him anyway. If he went down that easily, he never could have fought the Eight-Tails to a standstill.
"Again! I'm not finished yet!" the Raikage bellowed.
"Meow, no, no. I'm afraid I might actually kill you," the black cat said, waving a dismissive paw. His expression clearly said, 'You're too weak. I'm done with you.'
"Tsunade, you shouldn't have interfered!" the Third Raikage grumbled. He had finally started to figure out the cat's patterns. The creature relied on explosive bursts of power, but his energy would gradually wane. He just had to endure the storm.
"You couldn't beat him anyway," Tsunade said, clearly taking Takeshi's side. "Even if you did get the upper hand, it would only be because you outlasted him with that defense of yours. Aren't you ashamed, using such a strategy against a cat?"
Tsunade was clearly biased.
Takeshi was pleased. The Raikage was not. That was the best possible outcome. Plus, Tsunade's excuse gave the Raikage no room to argue.
"Yes, Raikage-sama," Rin added with a helpful, innocent smile. "Takeshi is only a little over one year old. He may be a Jonin, but he's still very young."
'Is that how it works?!' Yugito thought, stunned. 'In human years, a cat that old is an adult!'
"You're not ashamed to use an exhaustion tactic on a one-year-old child?" Tsunade pressed on. "If Onoki heard about this, he'd probably laugh so hard he'd throw out his back. You want to be the laughingstock of the entire shinobi world?"
'Laugh so hard he'd throw out his back... what a vicious tongue,' Takeshi thought, mentally applauding her. It was no wonder he and Tsunade got along so well. Her every move was perfectly in sync with his own thinking.
"Fine, fine! No more fighting!" the Third Raikage roared, throwing his hands up in frustration. He'd been having the fight of his life and felt like he was about to turn the tables, only for his opponent to declare victory. That wasn't how this was supposed to work.
He was annoyed, but Takeshi was ecstatic.
He glanced at his system panel. He'd gained over eight thousand Points last night, and today, the Third Raikage alone had coughed up another two thousand.
'Double enjoyment,' Takeshi purred. 'No... with the benefits, it was triple. Perfect!'
He thought for a moment. He didn't have a talent for Lightning Release, so even if the Raikage personally taught him Hell Stab or Thunder Armor, he couldn't learn them. It would be better to give the opportunity to Kakashi.
After considering it, he said, "You will teach Kakashi your Lightning Release: Thunder Armor and your Hell Stab."
"Are you dreaming?" the Raikage scoffed. "The spirits of Kumo's past Raikage would strike me down with lightning if I gave away our village's jutsu for a single spar. Ask for something else."
"Meow. Then just the Thunder Armor."
'He really just haggled for half, didn't he?'
The Third Raikage stared at Kakashi for a few moments, a flicker of recognition in his eyes. He recalled hearing about this boy, a Lightning Release prodigy from Konoha, the son of the White Fang. He studied Kakashi with renewed interest.
After a few seconds, he spoke. "You, boy. It seems Konoha doesn't suit you. They don't even have proper Lightning Release jutsu. Come to Kumo. Not only will you learn our techniques, but I'll make you the Fifth Raikage."
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Tsunade snapped, glaring at him. Poaching one of her shinobi right in her own camp?
The Raikage coughed. "The Thunder Armor is out of the question unless he joins our village. However... if he has questions about Lightning Release, I can offer him some guidance."
"Deal," Tsunade agreed instantly. "Kakashi, you're with him for the next few days."
"Meow!" Takeshi chirped, seconding the proposal. He then extended a paw toward Kakashi and pointed at the massive crater in the ground.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. Thank you, Takeshi. Thank you, Raikage-sama," Kakashi said, bowing to each of them. He then cheerfully performed a hand sign and used an Earth Release jutsu to fill in the pit their battle had created.
The Third Raikage stroked his beard, a distinct feeling that he'd just been swindled washing over him.
===============
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