Everyone on the battlefield was deeply shaken by the colossal figure before them. None of them had imagined that human power could reach such a terrifying level.
Kumogakure shinobi stood at the foot of the giant statue, staring up at the towering figure of the statue.
The young man from Konoha stood atop it like a god, high above them. A crushing sense of weakness and helplessness welled up within them, and despair gradually took hold.
Meanwhile, the Konoha shinobi were elated. Joy spread across their faces, victory was within reach.
Just as Kumogakure shinobi's morale was about to collapse, a sudden burst of blinding light erupted from the sky, dazzling everyone on the ground.
Through the Mangekyo Sharingan, Arima immediately saw the source of the light, two shinobi dressed in the garb of Kumogakure.
One had dark brown skin, long pale blond hair, and a flowing beard.
His body looked incredibly sturdy, and a character for lightning was tattooed on his right bicep.
Though he seemed only in his early thirties, the amount of chakra he held actually exceeded what Arima could produce in his body's normal state.
The other man had striking hair split into luminous white and deep green on either side. He carried a long chakra blade on his back.
What surprised Arima most was that, like Mito, this man was also a Jinchuriki of his village.
Arima looked at the two and thought.
'Judging by their appearance, these must be the ones mentioned in the intel, Taigen, candidate for the Third Raikage, and his bodyguard, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Kin.'
The two landed with a leap, alighting atop the enormous statue, staring across at Arima in confrontation.
Taigen scanned the battlefield from his high vantage point and quickly spotted the Second Raikage, A, lying unconscious at the bottom of a crater.
He also saw the fallen Kinkaku. Ginkaku, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Taigen also noticed the Konoha shinobi in the same crater, including the possibly dead Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki.
'This is worse than I thought,' Taigen mused. 'Lord Raikage seems gravely injured. I have to end this quickly.'
He turned to look directly at Arima standing atop the statue and muttered.
"So this is the Uchiha's Susanoo, and the Senju's Wood Release. This young man is no ordinary opponent."
Then Taigen shouted, "You're impressive, kid, wounding Lord A like that. But do you really think you can defeat all of us?"
Arima looked down at the two men standing on the statue's shoulder.
He didn't argue back, simply frowned and asked, "Did some black guy tell you what was going on here?"
Arima was aware that Kumogakure had a teleportation technique called Heavenly Transfer Technique, capable of instantly sending objects across vast distances.
What surprised him was how quickly that dark figure had relayed information to Kumogakure, and that these two men had managed to endure the technique's violent spatial pull with their bodies.
Taigen was momentarily taken aback. He and Kin had been training with Tailed Beast Bombs in Kumogakure when they received a mysterious scroll.
The intel had forced them to use Heavenly Transfer Technique and rush to the battlefield.
But what puzzled him was why Arima would ask about that mysterious man first.
Then Arima said something that genuinely shocked him.
"Ginkaku self-destructed under that man's control. Both Konoha and your village have been played."
Taigen didn't believe it right away, he needed confirmation from his own sources.
Still, regardless of what that mysterious figure had done, Taigen wasn't going to stand by while his comrades were slaughtered.
Kin remained silent, keeping his eyes locked on Arima, watching his every move.
Through the Eight-Tails' senses, he could feel just how terrifyingly powerful this young man was.
A look of resolve crossed Kin's face. 'I doubt I'll make it back to the village alive this time. It's a shame I won't be able to watch Fukai grow up… I can only entrust that child to Taigen now.'
Kin knew that a battle was unavoidable. On the battlefield, only fists did the talking.
Taigen turned to his comrade and brother in arms and nodded silently.
Lightning Release chakra surged around Taigen's body like hardened armor.
Kin, meanwhile, entered his Tailed Beast Mode, a crimson cloak of chakra enveloping him as his power grew rapidly.
The shinobi below, sensing the pressure from above intensify, began retreating from the area.
This battlefield was no longer one they could participate in. The upcoming clash could shake the earth and shatter the mountains. Their lives were as fragile as ants now.
Mito and the others also withdrew from the area. Before leaving, they retrieved the unconscious A and the cause of this chaos, the brothers.
Back atop the statue, Arima sat down cross-legged.
It wasn't that he underestimated the two, but judging by the aura they had shown so far, they weren't strong enough to make him move personally.
In Sage Mode, Arima's chakra could only be described as vast, easily rivaling Mito's Nine-Tails Mode.
Arima created two Wood Clones and had them both enter Sage Mode. He wanted to test the strength of these two.
Taigen and Kin were infuriated to see Arima sending just two clones to fight them.
They weren't some small-time thugs, they were among the top elite of Kumogakure. Arima's attitude wasn't just disrespectful, it was a blatant insult to their entire village.
Roaring with fury, the two launched themselves straight toward Arima's true body.
Taigen's form became a streak of blue lightning as he charged forward.
The two Wood Clones met them head-on. Though they were just clones, in terms of strength, they were no weaker than Arima's main body in its normal state.
The four figures clashed. Cracks appeared on the surface of the Susanoo armor beneath their feet.
Two battlefronts emerged, blue lightning and red glow against twin streaks of white.
Arima's physical strength might not match Taigen's, but with Mangekyo's insight, his taijutsu was more than enough to handle Taigen's high-speed assault.
Kin, on the other hand, wielded exquisite swordsmanship. His blade, infused with tailed beast chakra, vastly extended both the reach and power of his strikes.
But Arima's clones handled them with ease. His taijutsu had been passed down from his granduncle, and with the Mangekyo backing him, it was like adding more power to his arsenal.
He blocked their strikes deftly with his hands, elbows, knees, and feet, neutralizing their assaults every time.
Eventually, Taigen and Kin realized their opponent truly had the strength to look down on them. They had no choice but to go all-out.
Taigen's Lightning Release armor suddenly thickened, becoming more like a shield.
At the same time, black chakra surged into his right arm. His hand began to crackle with black lightning, transforming into a spear-like weapon.
This piqued Arima's interest. He knew many secrets about Kumogakure, and black lightning was the hallmark of the Storm Release.
He had once considered redeeming that ability through his system, but the cost, 100,000 points, had deterred him.
He had researched it extensively and discussed it with his granduncle.
Storm Release was a fusion of lightning and water chakra, combining the piercing force of lightning with the control and flow of water.
According to Tobirama, Storm Release techniques had a kind of guidance system. Outside of Konoha's three great Kekkei Genkai, this was the one Arima coveted the most.
Just as he was lost in thought, Taigen lunged forward and shouted.
"Hell Stab Four-Finger Spear!."
His four fingers closed together into a single spike of black lightning and drove toward the clone.
Caught off guard, the clone's movements were momentarily restricted.
Taigen seized the opportunity and pierced through it, turning it into a pile of shattered wood.
On the other side, Kin, unable to overpower the other clone, entered his Four-Tails state.
His consciousness was beginning to fade.
While he was still lucid, his elbow morphed with hardened tailed beast bone. He charged forward, using the Lariat technique, and sliced the clone in half at the waist.
Taigen looked at Kin with concern.
He wanted to tell Kin to hold onto his sanity, but when he saw the resolve in Kin's eyes, he swallowed the words.
He held deep respect for Kin's resolve and had already steeled himself to die here as well.
Arima was surprised to see them defeat both clones so quickly.
He knew his clones still had many techniques to fall back on, Flying Thunder God, or even various A- and S-rank forbidden jutsu.
These two had strength and courage worthy of respect. They were truly among the strongest Kumogakure had to offer.
If it had been half a year ago, even with Flying Thunder God, he might not have been able to face them. Taigen's speed under Lightning Release was on par with that technique.
"I acknowledge you both," Arima said sincerely. "If not for this war, I'd rather be friends with you."
At that moment, the patterns in his Mangekyo Sharingan began to spin. When his gaze locked onto Taigen, the man suddenly felt as if he were sinking into a swamp, unable to move.
Arima sensed the Flying Thunder God seal his clone had placed on Taigen earlier and teleported right in front of him.
Then, with a cold expression, he said, "But you've invaded Konoha. From my position... I can only send you to the Pure Land."
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