Chapter 61: The Third Raikage

"Silence."

The cat was prepared to "die" inside Nataji and sleep within nature for a few years. That wouldn't be too bad, would it?

Hanma was currently very close to Natai and had a deeper perception of the Shukaku's chakra within him.

"That's way too much!"

"That damned tanuki didn't get completely consumed by this monster, did it?!"

"Damn tanuki, can it still be revived after losing so much chakra?!"

As Yuyue sealed itself, the tailed beast chakra that supported Natai disappeared, and Natai's pupils began to dilate.

Hanma sighed gently, his large hand calmly stroking her back to ease her spine.

The intense pain from the broken spine stimulated her sympathetic nerves, secreting a large amount of adrenaline, making Natai regain consciousness again.

This was a unique emergency method in the ninja world, a secret known only to Hanma.

Hanma breathed a sigh of relief; it was good she wasn't dead. He still had things to discuss with the Two-Tails.

Lowering his tone, he spoke as softly as he could imagine during the final negotiation with the Two-Tails:

"I mean no harm. I just wanted to see you."

"In the legends of the ninja world, the Two-Tails has always been hailed as the most beautiful tailed beast."

"."

As he continued, he fell silent on his own.

Given the current situation, nothing he said seemed to have much meaning. The Two-Tails probably wasn't an idiot.

Maybe only Naruto's irresistible charisma could dispel the Two-Tails' doubts at this moment?

"Zizz Zizz Zizz!"

A furious thunderclap abruptly rang out, followed by a thick hand enveloped in lightning, thrusting rapidly toward Hanma's chest.

For a rare moment, Hanma's expression grew serious.

As a taijutsu master, he could perceive the enemy's power and speed just from this sound.

The one who came, did not come with good intentions.

Hanma forcefully threw Natai onto the ground, raising his own hand to meet the attack.

"Boom!!"

Two massive forces collided, producing a deafening crash.

With narrowed eyes, Hanma assessed the opponent, while the opponent assessed him too. For both, the previous collision hadn't been taken to heart.

It was an uncle, about the same height as Hanma, with light yellow hair, tanned skin, and bulging muscles.

The person who attacked Hanma was the Third Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village.

At this moment, the Third Raikage looked even more robust compared to the edo tensei state in Hanma's memory, with piercing eyes firmly fixed on him.

"Younger Konoha ninja, give me some face, please. The child from our Hidden Cloud Village got lost in Konoha's forest, please excuse her."

Hanma, filled with questions, stared at the Third Raikage's light yellow hair and silently ridiculed him in his heart:

"You're not a red-haired Uzumaki. How did you activate the powers of a face fruit?"

Hanma gave a slight smile, glanced at Natai on the ground, and replied:

"Third Raikage, I've long heard of your name. I didn't expect you to come to Konoha alone as a guest?"

The Third Raikage also smiled, waving his thick arm as a team of Hidden Cloud ninja emerged from the woods.

Hanma squinted, his heart slightly startled; this was a squad of formidable people. He sensed another tailed beast's chakra.

Among the team from the Hidden Cloud Village, there were many familiar faces to Hanma, many of whom appeared even in the finale.

The son of the Third Raikage, the future Fourth Raikage, Dodai, and the current jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails were all in the team.

Hanma, calculating the combat power on both sides, sighed slightly in his heart.

If a conflict broke out with the Hidden Cloud, they probably wouldn't hold much advantage on their side.

"Minato will handle the Third Raikage's son and Dodai."

"Kakashi's father will face the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."

"The main issue would be Tsunade and the others' injuries, which are tricky to deal with."

Hanma coughed, looking at the Third Raikage, switching to a sincere smile, and said:

"Oh, your request for face, of course, I would oblige. After all, you're a senior taijutsu master."

A fun fact, the last ninja Hanma called a senior, saw their village recently blown to bits.

Hanma pointed at Natai on the ground, heavily sighed, and said:

"Our Uchiha clan, originally migrated from the Land of Lightning, should have been in frequent contact with you much earlier."

"Look, wasn't it their own kin who was hurt? It's truly embarrassing."

The Third Raikage felt a wave of disgust but forced a strained smile.

Hearing that the Two-Tails had intruded into the Land of Fire, he had hurriedly led a group from the Hidden Cloud to reclaim Natai.

"Natai, still lacking experience, to step into such an obvious trap."

With a heart filled with disappointment, the Third Raikage sighed.

The Third Raikage squinted, also calculating the combat strength of the ninjas present.

Beneath his rough exterior, he possessed an extremely meticulous mind.

"If I face Uchiha Hanma, it'll be challenging to conclude the fight swiftly."

"B, in his current state, is too unstable. If he relies on the Eight-Tails' power, he'll likely go berserk. Bringing him along was just for show."

"Dodai and the others, facing Kakashi's father, will find it very tough."

The two hulking men exchanged fake smiles, with the Third Raikage courteously saying:

"It's alright, ninjas from our village need to face consequences if they're unruly."

"But, she has already been punished adequately. Allow me to take her back."

Hanma nodded, extending a hand, gesturing to the Third Raikage.

Two sturdy hands tightly clasped together.

Hanma and the Third Raikage simultaneously increased their grip, neither willing to let go first, causing the atmosphere to grow tense.

As the grip strength continuously increased, both Hanma's blood and the Raikage's chakra began to surge.

The Third Raikage's chakra crackled fiercely with electricity in the air.

Hanma's thick blood aura floated, exuding killing intent.

The sheer presence of the two caused the ground to crack with deep fissures.

The Hidden Cloud ninjas, faces filled with fear, had never seen anyone contest the Third Raikage's strength like this.

What started as a handshake transformed into a life-and-death struggle between these two warriors.

Tsunade's group arrived just in time to witness this scene.

Jiraiya widened his eyes, turning to Tsunade with a deadpan expression:

"As an old friend, I still suggest you find a different boyfriend. This guy is becoming less and less human."

Before Tsunade could respond, Orochimaru calmly interjected:

"Hanma-kun surpasses that frog from Mount Myoboku in every way."

With Tsunade's group approaching, the Third Raikage and Hanma looked at each other and simultaneously began to ease their grip.

Both were filled with inner caution, their thoughts echoing each other:

"This guy, what formidable strength!"

"This brat, his strength exceeds mine!"

(The chapter ends here)