Chapter 120– The Storm Before the Silence
The wind whistled through the battlefield, carrying with it a heavy atmosphere.
In the desert plains near the ruins of the Wind Country border, an eerie silence briefly filled the air, broken only by the mechanical screech of joints and metal as Scorpion's puppet—the Third Kazekage—emerged from the sand like a reaper of death.
"This is... the Third Kazekage?!" Tsunade's eyes narrowed, her fists subconsciously clenching.
Jiraiya, crouching low in a defensive stance, observed the chakra threads running behind Scorpion. "That puppet… doesn't just look lifelike. It feels alive."
Across the battlefield, the massive chakra of the Eight Tails buzzed like a low drumbeat, yet Yao seemed completely relaxed, sitting atop a rock and eating candied chestnuts with one hand. "Tch… and here I thought there'd be some excitement."
Deidara hovered above the sands on his clay bird, laughing maniacally. "Katsu! You'll see true art today, you fossils of Konoha!" With a flick of his hand, dozens of clay spiders leapt out.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions lit up the horizon in flashes of orange and white. Sand was flung into the sky like waves crashing during a storm.
Tsunade winced, shielding her eyes from the grit, while Jiraiya launched a barrage of oil bullets to protect their position. "They're trying to wipe us out before backup arrives."
"Hmph… what a joke." Tsunade scoffed, but deep down, she was tense. She hadn't fought on a battlefield like this in years—not since the last Great Ninja War.
On the opposing side, the Third Kazekage puppet raised its arms, launching a stream of black sand laced with chakra-enhanced poison. The air shimmered with the deadly particles as they darted toward the Konoha trio.
Jiraiya summoned a toad to block it, but even the sturdy summon let out a painful croak as the sand dug into its skin.
"Damn, that's no ordinary poison…" he muttered.
Meanwhile, the dried persimmon Kisame stood still, his Samehada wrapped across his back like a sleeping beast. His shark-like eyes scanned the area, but he didn't move.
Strangely, something inside him trembled.
He didn't show it, but there was a pressure—an aura—that had been lingering since this battle began. It wasn't coming from Deidara or Scorpion.
No.
It was something else.
Someone else.
"This place…" Kisame murmured, voice low, "…feels like a stage set up for a god to arrive."
Suddenly, a tremendous crack echoed from above. The clouds tore open as a thunderous gust swept through the desert.
Everyone froze.
Even Deidara's clay bird paused in midair as if tethered by fear.
BOOM!!
Without warning, a beam of light—no, pure chakra—pierced through the puppet of the Third Kazekage. One second, it was there… the next, it was nothing but ash.
"W-What?!" Scorpion took a step back, stunned. "My puppet!"
Tsunade's eyes widened.
Jiraiya's mouth opened slightly. "…It can't be…"
Even Yao finally stopped chewing.
At that moment, a powerful ripple spread across the battlefield.
Swish!
From the sky, descending like a phantom wrapped in shadow and wind—
Uchiha Yuta.
Wearing the Hokage robe bearing the kanji for "Fire," his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan glowed crimson under the dim desert sun.
He landed lightly beside Tsunade and Jiraiya.
"Hokage-sama…" Tsunade whispered. Her knees nearly buckled, but she stood tall. This was her ally. Her leader.
Jiraiya smiled, a heavy breath escaping his lips. "Took you long enough."
"I had to make an entrance," Uchiha Yuta said calmly, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
Deidara flinched. Scorpion gritted his teeth. Kisame's hand twitched on Samehada's handle.
And the Eight Tails?
He dropped his snacks.
The king had arrived.
The storm had come.
And the battlefield would never be the same again.
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