Chapter 109: This is a Farewell Gift
On the vast battlefield, an unusual stillness reigned.
Despite only one figure standing in the open space, the two thousand-plus Cloud ninjas encircling him in a wide formation didn't even dare to breathe loudly, their bodies tense, their expressions wary.
Of everyone present, only the Fourth Raikage seemed completely unfazed, looking at the now-human puppet Danzo Shimura with a mixture of pity and disdain. "The dignified leader of the Root organization, a former Hokage candidate, the renowned darkness of Konoha in the ninja world, has actually become a puppet of a rogue ninja from Sunagakure, even being manipulated to use your own lost Flying Thunder God Technique. How ironic and disgraceful!"
Danzo Shimura didn't speak, only holding his sword in one hand and taking out a kunai with the other, throwing it towards the Fourth Raikage.
"Such tricks, this old man was already tired of seeing them when fighting the Fourth Hokage," the Fourth Raikage sneered. His figure, covered in blue-white lightning, appeared to teleport, like the instant movement of a space-time ninjutsu, to Danzo Shimura's left, delivering a hand chop.
Danzo Shimura vanished into thin air, appearing next to the flying kunai.
But in the next second, the Fourth Raikage reappeared beside him, his ferocious face displaying a smile that, though filled with battle intent, looked utterly savage. He said excitedly, "This old man has always been very curious, which is faster at close range, the Flying Thunder God Technique's speed or my Lightning Release Chakra Mode? Since the Fourth Hokage didn't provide an answer back then, you will continue that battle today."
"Lightning Release: Headbutt!"
With a roar, the Fourth Raikage's hand chop struck out again.
This time, Danzo Shimura didn't dodge but instead wielded his ninja sword, coated in Wind Release nature transformation, to meet the Fourth Raikage's hand chop.
Wind countered lightning. If it were just a weak Wind Release nature transformation, it might not be able to counter it, but Danzo Shimura was not only a Wind Release expert in his lifetime, Izayoi's mastery of Wind Release had also reached the pinnacle after awakening the Tenseigan.
Unless the Fourth Raikage possessed a body as indestructible as the Third Raikage's, this strike would surely tear through his Lightning Release chakra nature transformation.
Looking at the incoming strike, the Fourth Raikage remained expressionless, as if he truly intended to use his hand chop to counter the ninja sword.
Just as the two were about to collide, the Fourth Raikage's figure suddenly vanished again into thin air.
"Heavy Flow Burst!"
A loud shout came from behind. An elbow covered in metal protectors, larger than Danzo Shimura's head, gathered Lightning Release chakra and, carrying terrifying power capable of easily shattering rocks, elbowed towards the back of Danzo Shimura's head.
Danzo Shimura, with his back to the Fourth Raikage, remained in his sword-swinging posture, as if he hadn't reacted yet.
But upon closer inspection, a small section of wooden vine with special seals had grown at Danzo Shimura's feet.
Just like the Fourth Raikage's previous movement, when his elbow strike was about to hit Danzo Shimura, the latter suddenly teleported, appearing next to his arm and swinging his sword down.
The speed of this strike was extremely fast, and even the Fourth Raikage didn't react in time, instinctively changing the direction of his elbow strike to block it with the metal protector on his elbow.
In an instant, sparks flew.
The ninja sword coated in Wind Release nature transformation cut a gash in the protector, about to sink deeper and hit the Fourth Raikage's elbow when the latter suddenly vanished into thin air.
"That guy controlling Danzo Shimura from behind is a true genius!"
Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, who had arrived unnoticed, watched this scene. White Zetsu couldn't help but exclaim, "Using Wood Release to create Flying Thunder God seals... if his Wood Release mastery were a bit stronger, able to cover a wider range, this puppet would be an unsolvable existence. I wonder what Sasori would think seeing this?"
Black Zetsu didn't speak, instead releasing his terrifying senses, capable of even detecting the chakra of Asura and Indra, to search for the mysterious person hidden somewhere unknown.
After gaining nothing, he returned his gaze to the battlefield. Sensing the Wood Release aura on Danzo Shimura, he said in a deep voice, "That mysterious person is indeed connected to Orochimaru. This body of Danzo Shimura's might not only incorporate Sasori's human puppet techniques but also Orochimaru's contributions. The reason he captured Konoha's Wood Release test subjects might have been to transplant Wood Release onto other puppets, allowing all puppets to share the Wood Release's Flying Thunder God seals."
"If that's the case, then it's terrifying," White Zetsu shuddered, imagining such a scene.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the fight between Danzo Shimura and the Fourth Raikage intensified. The two were like flashes of black and blue, appearing in several different places within a second, not accompanied by deafening collisions, but constantly probing and searching for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
No matter if Danzo Shimura appeared at the location of a kunai, or if white seeds dropped from his arm, quickly growing into branches with Flying Thunder God seals and then teleporting, the Fourth Raikage could keep up with his rhythm.
Except for being caught off guard earlier, the Fourth Raikage hadn't suffered any more hidden losses and was evenly matched with Danzo Shimura.
At first glance, it seemed like a draw.
But comparing it to the fight between Minato Namikaze and the A-B combination, Danzo Shimura, who needed to utilize Wood Release, had already fallen into a disadvantage.
"Still too slow, too stiff..."
The Wood Clone, concealed by the Red Eye, sighed softly, "Although he can use Lightning Release and Wind Release nature transformations, he is ultimately just a corpse, lacking the vitality and flexibility he had in life. Against weaker opponents, he can still deliver a dimensional strike, but against opponents of the same level, this flaw is very obvious."
"However..."
The corner of the Wood Clone's mouth slightly turned up. "My trump card isn't just the Flying Thunder God Technique."
As if hearing the Wood Clone's words, the Mangekyo Sharingan in Danzo Shimura's right eye suddenly emitted a piercing red light.
The Fourth Raikage, who met his gaze, seemed to see an afterimage of an enlarged Mangekyo Sharingan, his mind wavering for a fraction of a second, his violent chakra about to break through the Mangekyo Sharingan's genjutsu.
Taking this opportunity, Danzo Shimura had already completed a one-handed hand seal, and darkness successfully deprived the Fourth Raikage of light.
Genjutsu: Dark Release Technique!
Immediately afterward, Danzo Shimura violently charged towards the Fourth Raikage, reaching out to imprint the Flying Thunder God seal on his body.
Just then, a huge octopus tentacle appeared from nowhere, binding the Fourth Raikage's body, causing Danzo Shimura's palm to press onto the tentacle, leaving the Flying Thunder God seal.
The opponent seemed to know the power of the Flying Thunder God Technique as well. After helping the Fourth Raikage block the seal, they didn't dare to linger at all. The tentacle immediately exerted force, throwing the Fourth Raikage into the air.
At the same time, with a 噗嗤 sound, the tentacle marked with the Flying Thunder God seal snapped off.
An afterimage shot into the sky, using other tentacles to catch the lightning-clad Fourth Raikage.
"It's Lord Killer Bee!"
"Great! The A-B combination is formed, we're bound to win!"
"..."
The cheers of the Cloud ninja force revealed the identity of the tentacled figure: it was the Fourth Raikage's younger brother, the Eight-Tails jinchuriki of Cloud Hidden Village—Killer Bee.
"There's no chance anymore. That mysterious person should finally make a move himself this time, right?" White Zetsu said with expectant eyes.
And Black Zetsu once again released his astonishing senses.
Obito Uchiha, who had also appeared at some unknown time, stared at Danzo Shimura's right eye and said, "The Sharingan in Danzo's right eye, is that Shisui Uchiha's Kotoamatsukami? That eye is very dangerous, we need to find an opportunity to retrieve it."
Obito Uchiha, who possessed Kamui, wasn't afraid of any ninjutsu, only powerful genjutsu.
That was why he wasn't afraid of Nagato at all but was very wary of Itachi Uchiha.
Tsukuyomi was not only powerful but might also discover his true identity, that he wasn't actually Madara Uchiha.
At that time, neither Itachi Uchiha nor Nagato would be wary of him.
And Kotoamatsukami was even more dangerous than Tsukuyomi.
Compared to that mysterious person, Obito Uchiha now wanted to retrieve this eye even more.
Hearing his words, Black Zetsu was speechless. What a fool, unable to distinguish the important from the trivial.
If Kotoamatsukami were really that powerful, that mastermind wouldn't have put it in a puppet's body.
A guy who didn't even have the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan couldn't possibly understand the power of the ultimate dojutsu.
On the battlefield, after Killer Bee caught the Fourth Raikage, he helped the latter break free from the Dark Release Technique and mocked in a rapping tone, "You fool~~idiot big brother, you're so pathetic~~if it weren't for yours truly arriving in time, you would have been instantly killed~~completely finished!"
The Fourth Raikage wasn't angry but instead said with a face full of joy, "Bee, you came at the perfect time! Let's join forces and at least leave that puppet behind."
The Fourth Raikage, who had almost been ambushed to death, no longer had any fighting spirit, only intense killing intent.
Too terrifying!
This Akatsuki organization was truly too terrifying.
Just one of Sasori's puppets had put him in such a predicament.
Even the leader of Akatsuki, suspected to possess the Sage's eyes, hadn't made a move yet.
Seeing his elder brother become serious, Killer Bee also dropped his playful demeanor, drawing two bee-stinger-like blades. Red Tailed Beast Chakra manifested around him as he said in a deep voice, "In that case, let that fool taste the power of the A-B combo!"
Watching the A-B duo, whose aura had completely changed with the addition of just one person, Danzo Shimura slowly sheathed his ninja sword. The Mangekyo Sharingan in his right eye reverted to its three-tomoe form.
Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage said in a deep voice, "Planning to escape? You have the Flying Thunder God Technique, and I can't stop you, but with this attack, your Akatsuki has crossed the line. Although our sending people to infiltrate Amegakure to gather intelligence was wrong to begin with, a warning of this magnitude is severely excessive. If you run without giving an explanation, then your Amegakure can wait for the Tailed Beast Ball bombardment!"
Obito Uchiha: "..."
Black Zetsu and White Zetsu: "..."
"This... this is too shameless, isn't it?!" White Zetsu stammered for the first time. "So, that mysterious person is once again shifting the blame for destroying Kumogakure onto us?"
"We need to tell Nagato about this as soon as possible," Black Zetsu said in a deep voice. "Although the Preta Path can absorb chakra, Kumogakure has two jinchuriki, and also the space-time type Heavenly Transfer Technique. It's uncertain if they can air-drop the Tailed Beast Ball. To avoid this situation, we must prepare countermeasures in advance."
Obito Uchiha was speechless, only feeling ashamed of himself.
He had thought that disguising himself as Madara Uchiha and occasionally appearing as Tobi was already shameless enough.
Unexpectedly, there was always someone more skilled. He finally understood the feelings of Itachi Uchiha and Nagato.
So, he was this shameless!
However, in the next second, Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu discovered that they had still greatly underestimated that mysterious person.
"Our Akatsuki will accompany you to the end!"
Only a dignified and indifferent voice echoed from the sky.
Everyone looked up.
Under the starry night sky, a figure wearing the red cloud black cloak, illuminated by the moonlight, entered the eyes of all the Cloud ninjas.
Those purple ripple eyes, like a god overlooking mortals, were devoid of emotion.
The terrifying ocular power contained within them made everyone who saw these eyes tremble in body and mind.
Without needing to speak, they all confirmed one thing.
The information Konoha had released was true.
The eyes of the Sage of Six Paths from myths, the legendary Rinnegan, head of the Three Great Dojutsu, were real!
Everyone stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at Izayoi descending like a deity.
And Obito Uchiha turned to Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, asking, "How is it?"
"Too messy," Black Zetsu finally couldn't help but grit his teeth. "Our intelligence has indeed been obtained by the mastermind. He has absorbed a large amount of chakra in advance. The chakra's aura fluctuations are now too chaotic, composed of at least a hundred people's chakra, or even more. It's impossible to record."
"Did he even consider this?" Obito Uchiha stared at the 'Deva Path of Pain' in the sky, his face under the mask filled with solemnity.
This time, he and Black Zetsu had no intention of dealing with the mysterious person at all. After all, there wasn't enough time, nor did they have the ability.
Their goal this time was to use Black Zetsu's senses to record the mysterious person's chakra aura, and then send out a large number of White Zetsu clones to search for that chakra aura, and then launch a coordinated attack to eliminate this threat in one go.
The result was unexpected. The opponent had even considered this point, absorbing a large amount of chakra in advance to change his chakra fluctuations.
What a terrifying opponent!
Izayoi looked down at the Fourth Raikage from his high vantage point, declaring war in Nagato's stead, "Attacking your strongest Kumogakure this time is to warn everyone in the ninja world that gods are inviolable! If you are not convinced, then whether it's mutual strategic strikes, all-out war, or a joint siege of Amegakure, bring it on! Our Akatsuki will accompany you to the end!"
"Of course, on the premise that... you can survive."
After speaking, Izayoi slowly spread his hands.
"Careful, everyone scatter!"
Although he didn't know what Izayoi was going to do, the Fourth Raikage's expression changed drastically, and he shouted loudly.
Killer Bee beside him entered his complete Tailed Beast Transformation without a word, using his giant tentacles to wrap around the Fourth Raikage and opening his mouth to condense a Tailed Beast Ball.
And the Cloud ninja force, having experienced the power of the meteor shower, also felt a suffocating sense of impending doom. One by one, they turned around without hesitation, either flying towards the shelters or towards other mountain peaks.
The quick-witted ninjas quickly formed hand seals and shouted, "Ninja Art: Four Violet Flames Formation!"
Some Cloud ninjas who had mastered several nature transformations fully utilized Earth Release ninjutsu, creating solid fortresses in place.
Just as multiple barriers and fortresses were formed, an indifferent voice descended from the sky.
"Feel pain, this is a farewell gift... Super Godly Push!"
Dazzling white light tore through the darkness, engulfing Kumogakure, turning all the Cloud ninjas with horrified expressions and despairing eyes into black and white figures like in a manga, and then, as if erased by a rubber, swallowed by pure white.
Boom—
A deafening explosion resounded.
Although it couldn't compare to the bombardment of the meteor shower, for Kumogakure, the lethality of the dust and mist area that instantly spread out from the mountain peaks was no less than that of the meteor shower.
These dust and mist were like the clouds during the day, surrounding the mountain body and concealing its height.
The violent tremors caused the already precarious mountain peaks to shake again.
If it weren't for the mountain's volume far exceeding the surrounding peaks, it would probably have collapsed already.
Even without collapsing, Kumogakure could no longer be rebuilt on this mountain.
After the dense dust and mist dissipated, the Kumogakure that was originally filled with large and small meteorite craters but still had a few remaining buildings had turned into a huge meteorite crater.
The giant crater had no ruins or rubble; all objects had been repelled to the outside of the crater by a regular force.
One of the five great ninja villages, and also the currently strongest Kumogakure, had completely disappeared.
(End of this chapter)
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