Chapter 33: Starting Tomorrow, You Are the Raikage

At this moment, the Raikage stood on the brink of defeat.

A deep burn scar ran across his left shoulder, exposing bone. His Lightning Release Armor, worn from prolonged combat, had been shattered by Jiraiya of the Leaf.

The remnants of the Cloud ninja forces trailing behind him were all badly wounded and bloodied. The mission had not only failed to meet its objective but had also resulted in devastating losses. A total disaster.

Darui's right arm was fractured. His makeshift bandage, wrapped hastily during the retreat, was already soaked in blood. Without proper treatment, he might never wield a blade again.

The only one relatively unscathed was Killer Bee, his half-broken sunglasses still clinging to his nose. Though his ribs had been cracked by Guy's straight punch, such injuries were negligible for a Jinchuriki. Even so, he was in no mood to rap.

This was a complete loss, both in manpower and dignity.

They didn't know when Konoha's pursuit would catch up. The air was heavy with tension and despair.

The Raikage's face was grim. He knew he had walked into a trap, but now was not the time to dwell on regrets.

He glanced back. His subordinates had lost all fighting spirit, trudging along like defeated dogs.

He needed to boost morale, or they'd never make it back.

"Bee. Give me a verse," the Raikage rasped, his voice like gravel grinding against stone.

Killer Bee blinked, surprised. Behind him, Darui looked up, cradling his broken arm as blood leaked from the bandage.

"Big Bro, you…"

"I said rap!" the Raikage roared, slamming his fist into the cliffside. Rock crumbled under the blow, debris cascading to the ground.

His eyes swept across the survivors. "Are the shinobi of Kumogakure going to crawl back home like whipped dogs?"

Killer Bee spat and suddenly ripped off his broken sunglasses. Slapping his thigh to keep rhythm, he let out a raspy shout that echoed through the canyon:

"Yo! Rock bottom ain't the end, nah nah!"

"Kumo's soul lives on, yeah yeah!"

"Broken blades, battered vests? Who cares, fool!"

"Raikage-sama clears the path, tool!"

"We'll storm back to the Land of Lightning, yeah yeah!"

Back in the village, no one had ever appreciated Killer Bee's rap. But here, it lifted the gloom that had settled over the squad.

One loss didn't mean the village was finished. Kumogakure would not fall from a single defeat. Their Raikage had bled with them, suffered beside them. As long as he stood, there was still hope.

Seeing morale rise even slightly, the Raikage suddenly threw back his head and laughed, the sound startling birds from the trees above.

Darui, enduring the pain, asked, "Raikage-sama, why are you laughing?"

The Raikage raised his hand, pointing to the canyon cliffs. "I laugh at that fool Hiruzen Sarutobi and that witless Jiraiya. Had they stationed an ANBU squad here, we'd all be captured like rats!"

The path ahead led through a narrow, treacherous gorge, flanked by towering cliffs on both sides. Were he in Konoha's shoes, he would have laid an ambush here to trap the enemy in this death corridor.

"Let's move. We return to the Land of Lightning. After we regroup, we'll give those Leaf shinobi a fair fight!"

He laughed heartily.

Even in defeat, the Raikage's spirit remained unbroken. Truly a formidable man.

His laughter still echoed in the canyon as the battered Cloud shinobi began to rally.

He stepped into the gorge first, leading his men toward the border.

But just as the last of them entered the pass 

Boom!

The cliffside behind them exploded, massive boulders raining down like a storm. In the blink of an eye, their escape route was buried.

"Ambush!" Darui shouted, but his voice was drowned out by a series of thunderous blasts.

From the cliffs above, hundreds of explosive tags detonated in unison.

"Earth Style! Rock Collapse!"

"Fire Style! Great Fireball!"

Countless ninjutsu rained down from the heights, slamming into the Cloud shinobi ranks.

Voices echoed from above, but no enemy was visible. The canyon trembled from the chain explosions, rock crumbling, smoke billowing into the sky.

"Scatter!" the Raikage roared. Lightning Armor flared around him once more. With a single punch, he shattered a falling boulder before it could crush his men.

When the barrage finally stopped, the already exhausted Cloud forces had suffered even more losses.

"Well, Raikage. We've been waiting for you."

A lazy voice drifted from the far end of the canyon.

Through the lingering smoke, a silver-haired figure emerged with one hand in his pocket. His forehead protector was lifted, revealing a crimson Sharingan gleaming in the shadows.

Kakashi Hatake, one of the Leaf's elite "Five Generals."

"Damn it! You Konoha scum set us up!" the Raikage cursed furiously. While he accused them of cowardice, he simultaneously charged forward, trying to break through.

"This is your grave, Raikage!" shouted another voice from behind.

It was none other than Might Guy, the thick-browed Jonin of the Leaf.

His unit had been tailing the Raikage's retreat the entire time, carefully maintaining distance to form a pincer attack with Kakashi's team at the right moment.

Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, the Raikage had no choice but to lead a desperate breakout.

When they finally broke through Kakashi's encirclement, the Cloud suffered even more casualties.

...

Only a handful of Cloud ninja remained.

The Raikage stared at the dozen or so survivors, a deep sorrow settling over him. When they had marched out from Kumogakure, their hearts were full of hope and fire.

Now, the Land of Fire threatened to become their grave.

And who knew what lay ahead?

The Raikage took another Lightning Blade to the lower back from Kakashi and staggered. He was growing weaker under normal circumstances, that Sharingan brat couldn't even break his defense.

He was a tiger cornered by dogs.

Now he understood Konoha's strategy: wear them down with constant pursuit and attrition until they collapsed. Bleed them slowly, and finish them off with minimal losses.

Hyena tactics. The enemy commander was ruthless.

Closing his eyes briefly, the Raikage made a hard decision.

He looked at them all, eyes sharp like lightning.

"Someone needs to stay behind."

The air was thick with the stench of scorched earth and blood.

His voice was low but unwavering, like a dull blade cleaving through silence.

No one spoke. The heavy silence seemed to freeze the moment in time.

Darui's broken arm hung uselessly at his side, blood dripping from his fingertips into the dust. Killer Bee narrowed his eyes behind broken glasses. The Eight-Tails stirred restlessly within.

The Raikage didn't explain. He didn't need to. They all understood. In their condition, if no one covered the retreat, none of them would escape this country alive.

Killer Bee was about to speak, ready to take on the burden and bid his brother farewell.

But Darui stepped forward faster.

"I'll do it." His voice was steady.

"Raikage-sama, take the others. My Storm Release can still"

The Raikage raised a hand and cut him off.

His voice was quiet but commanding.

"Starting tomorrow, you are the Raikage."

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