In an instant, under the shocked gazes of countless people, the terrifying Tailed Beast Bomb, radiating a destructive aura, suddenly stopped just before striking them.
It seed as though sothing had stopped it.
The next mont, dense black markings appeared around the space where the Tailed Beast Bomb had halted. Minato, a master of the Flying Thunder God Technique, exclaid in astonishnt:
"Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder Technique!"
Before them stood Uchiha Shirou, his expression solemn. The Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly as chakra was consud at an alarming rate. The terrifying Tailed Beast Bomb was gradually being devoured by space itself.
At the sa ti, the specialized kunai in his hand was also consud by space.
This was a flaw caused by his lack of proficiency in space-ti ninjutsu. To perform this technique, he had to expend a precious, custom-made kunai each ti.
"Space-ti ninjutsu!"
"This is the Second Hokage's..."
As the terrifying Tailed Beast Bomb was completely swallowed, a trendous explosion erupted in the distance the next mont. The shockwave swept across the battlefield, leaving the Konoha shinobi both shocked and deeply relieved.
ROAR!
At that mont, a furious bellow echoed as Uzumaki Kushina, now in her Four-Tails form, let out a deafening roar. A freshly ford Tailed Beast Bomb in front of her was launched toward the Kumo Shinobi.
With overwhelming montum, as the light from the Eight-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb still illuminated the heavens, another devastating explosion erupted in the distance.
The violent shockwaves swept across the battlefield, demonstrating the destructive power of the Tailed Beast Bomb, far surpassing any other ninjutsu.
"Did... did we succeed?"
"How could anyone survive such an explosion?"
The Konoha shinobi stared at the distant battlefield in disbelief. So wondered if they had succeeded, while others doubted whether the Kumo Shinobi had any ans to counter such destruction, especially without space-ti ninjutsu.
However, Shirou, observing with his Mangekyo Sharingan, slowly shook his head.
"No, we didn't succeed. The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki of the Kumo Shinobi managed to block it at the last mont. Now that the Kumo Shinobi are retreating and scattering, we've missed our chance."
Hearing Shirou's words, Kushina let out a frustrated snort and began to withdraw her Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak.
"Next ti! Next ti, they won't be so lucky."
The twin explosions of the Tailed Beast Bombs had blown away the dark clouds, revealing a bright full moon in the night sky.
At that mont, Shirou turned to look at his comrades who had survived the chaos of the shifting war. Raising his arm high, he shouted:
"We've won!"
The next mont, the once-despairing Konoha shinobi let out triumphant cries, born of surviving against all odds.
"Victory!"
"We've won!"
"Haha, we can go ho now..."
Amidst the cheers of victory, countless Konoha shinobi smiled in relief, venting their pent-up emotions. Even the usually serious Hyuga Hiashi allowed himself a rare smile.
Living ant hope, and that was worth everything.
"Shirou, look at how everyone is looking at you now."
Tsunade, who had been a fearless presence on the battlefield, now stood behind Shirou with a smile. When Shirou turned back, he saw the smiling faces of both Mikoto and Kushina.
For a mont, his gaze wavered. Tsunade, seeing this, smiled even more brightly. She had not misjudged him—her intuition was as sharp as ever.
Shirou's unique charisma, especially when he declared his Will of Fire, had captivated countless shinobi.
Wasn't the First Hokage like this in the past? Although his ideals were naive, this type of Hokage, who stood at the forefront to protect everyone and possessed imnse strength, was soone they were willing to follow.
Because such people were the most reliable! At the very least, they didn't have to fear betrayal from behind.
This was human nature!
"Shirou, I knew you could do it."
Kushina was the most excited. Hokage! If Uchiha Shirou beca Hokage, who would dare say anything bad about her? Who would dare oppose the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki being with Shirou?
She even began imagining herself as the wife of the Hokage, full of pride. However, she suddenly glanced cautiously at Tsunade, muttering in her heart, Even a second wife of the Hokage is still the Hokage's wife. That's still impressive.
"Shirou, I'll always stand behind you!"
Uchiha Mikoto stood quietly behind Shirou, her gentle voice filled with admiration. To her, it was Shirou's ambitions that made him so attractive.
Shirou, looking at his three won and the gazes of the others, fell into a mont of thought.
Hokage?
No! My ambitions don't stop there!
"Tsunade, my ambitions and vision aren't limited to sothing as small as Hokage!"
With the proud smile unique to the Uchiha clan, Shirou gazed at the full moon in the night sky, reaching out his hand as if to touch it. A smile of pure ambition appeared on his face.
"My goal is to beco the God of the Shinobi World, standing shoulder to shoulder with the moon!"
"The God of the Shinobi World? You dare to dream!"
Tsunade's laughter echoed as she watched Shirou reveal his ambitions, his magnetic presence captivating her. With a smile, she nodded:
"But I believe you can achieve it!"
To Tsunade, Shirou's ambition to beco the God of the Shinobi World was rely a desire to follow in the footsteps of her grandfather, the First Hokage.
To beco the second person to establish the rules of the shinobi world.
But only Shirou himself knew how vast the world truly was.
"I believe no one in the entire shinobi world can stand in your way, Shirou."
Tsunade brushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear, smiling warmly. But Shirou turned back, chuckling softly as he shook his head with determination.
"No, it's not just . No one will be able to stop us!"
At that mont, Tsunade's heart trembled. Her smile widened, realizing that even amid the intense stimulation of awakening his Mangekyo Sharingan, Shirou still placed importance on her and the others.
...
anwhile, the Kumo Shinobi retreated swiftly under the rain.
"Lord Raikage!"
Seeing the Third Raikage cough up blood, his bodyguards beca alard. But the Third Raikage rely wiped the blood from his mouth and raised his head with a resolute expression.
"I'm fine. But Konoha's genius shinobi is overwhelming. Among the elders, there's Sarutobi and Danzo; among the new generation, there's the blonde with Flying Thunder God, The Uchiha, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and the already formidable Sannin..."
Thinking of Konoha's terrifying pool of talent, the heavily injured Third Raikage couldn't help but feel both shocked and wary. Konoha was too powerful!
Today's battle did not make him overconfident. Even though he had beaten Sarutobi and Danzo in close combat, the barrier had limited their ninjutsu capabilities.
If it were an open battlefield where Sarutobi could fully unleash his Five Nature Transformations, the combined strength of his and Konoha's forces would be far more terrifying. It would rival the Raikage's battlefield prowess.
"Spread the word across the ninja world about the events of today! Konoha has broken their promises and blatantly violated the peace of the ninja world… There must be no concealnt of the Kumogakure Collapse Plan, especially regarding intelligence on Konoha's powerful ninjas.
Not only will we not hide it, but we will exaggerate it and broadcast it across the ninja world. At the sa ti, in my na, as the Third Raikage, I will call for a Four Kage Summit with Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure. Konoha's threat is enough to bring disaster to the entire ninja world."
The battle today had made the Raikage realize the terrifying potential of Konoha's geniuses. No matter how strong he was, there was only one of him in the Kumogakure. Even his son could only be considered the second strongest.
It seed that even the combined forces of the four great ninja villages could barely rival Konoha's foundation of strength.
"Father, Killer Bee was gravely injured earlier while protecting everyone. Also, our defenses in the Land of Hot Water have nearly completely collapsed."
At this mont, the future Fourth Raikage, A, spoke with a pained expression. However, upon hearing this, the Third Raikage A revealed a determined smile.
"Killer Bee already possesses a complete heart. I believe he will undoubtedly beco the strongest and most perfect jinchūriki in the history of the Kumogakure. As for the failure at the frontlines…"
When he said this, the Third Raikage revealed a cold smirk.
"A temporary loss ans nothing. Issue the order to abandon the frontlines in the Land of Hot Water. We, the Kumogakure, will retreat entirely and defend the Land of the Lightning!"
"What?!" Not only was the future Fourth Raikage A shocked, but many of the Kumo ninjas also showed the sa expression.
"Lord Raikage, while we have lost many of our positions, we haven't truly been defeated, especially with you, Lord Raikage…"
As the unyielding voices echoed, the Third Raikage suddenly coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. Amidst the crowd's cries of alarm, he grinned fiercely and coldly.
"If even you think this way, what about the other ninja villages in the ninja world? With today's battle achievents and the bravery we Kumo ninjas demonstrated, when this spreads across the ninja world, all the great ninja villages will be awed by our valor.
But at the sa ti, they will also dread Konoha's terror. To be able to defeat and crush us under such circumstances, even forcing us to abandon our positions in the Land of Hot Water—what do you think the other ninja villages will do?"
As the Third Raikage's voice echoed, the future Fourth Raikage A seed to understand sothing. He suddenly realized and said:
"I understand, Father. You intend to make the entire ninja world recognize Konoha's threat and terror. This way, the Four Kage Summit will proceed even more smoothly, and it might even beco an opportunity for the four great ninja villages to join forces and attack Konoha.
Even that old fox Onoki from Iwagakure won't dare make plans to use us to weaken Konoha first. Instead, he'll choose to ally with us and attack together."
Seeing his son's growth, the Third Raikageshowed a gratified smile. However, the next mont, he coughed up another mouthful of blood, which made the future Fourth Raikage A's expression turned grim.
"dical ninjas! How is my father's condition!?"
The accompanying dical ninjas hurriedly reported with heavy expressions.
"Lord Third Raikage's body has been pushed far past its limits after consecutive intense battles. He also suffered from Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchūriki's Wind Release technique, which has already reached ultimate-level power.
According to our analysis, this technique transforms wind-nature chakra into fine needles that directly attack human cells. If Lord Raikage hadn't decisively pierced the ground with his Hell Stab to evade the continuous damage…"
Hearing the dical ninja's professional analysis, the future Fourth Raikage A frowned and interrupted with a stern voice:
"Get to the point!"
"The point is, this ultimate-level Wind Release technique caused severe damage to Lord Raikage's cells. Although he avoided injuries to his internal organs by evading in ti, he still suffered serious wounds. Ironically, the lightest injury is his severed arm.
Because treatnt was administered promptly, there was no major blood loss. Lord Raikage now needs to rest and recuperate, and it will take at least half a year for him to recover fully."
When everyone heard this report, many of the Kumo ninjas were shocked. Their Lord Raikage had never suffered such severe injuries, not even when he fought the Eight-Tails.
However, upon hearing about his injuries, the Third Raikage did not show anger. Instead, he laughed heartily.
"I first fought Konoha's Third Hokage Sarutobi, Danzo, and even that Flying Thunder God brat's ambush. Then I led the Eight-Tails to intercept Konoha. Who dares say I lost this battle? Who dares say that we Kumo ninjas are inferior to Konoha?!"
The Third Raikage's arrogant laughter inspired the Kumo ninjas, who all showed excited expressions.
That's right! With such battle achievents, no one in the ninja world could match them.
The Kumogakure had not been defeated!
Instead, they had shattered Konoha's undefeated myth!
...
In the 45th year of Konoha, the Third Hokage Sarutobi launched an ambush against the Third Raikage at the border. The Kumogakure Collapse Plan spread across the ninja world, along with the details of everything that happened here.
The ninja world was shaken!
On the frontlines, Elder Chiyo, commanding Sunagakure's forces, burst into an excited smile upon receiving a scroll from the Third Raikage.
"Haha! The Sage of Six Paths must be watching over us! Konoha is digging its own grave!"
Elder Chiyo laughed joyfully. Ever since Sunagakure's Third Kazekage went missing, their village had beco a laughingstock in the ninja world, forced to retaliate against Konoha in desperation.
The other ninja villages had been waiting for them to deplete Konoha's strength, but Konoha's recent actions had dragged itself into the mud instead.
Ebizō, standing nearby, was initially shocked after reading the intelligence, but his expression quickly turned serious.
"The Third Raikage is terrifying, but Konoha is even more terrifying!"
Chiyo, well-acquainted with her brother's deanor, snorted coldly in jealousy and bitterness.
"Indeed, Konoha's foundation is too terrifying. In just this battle alone, they've revealed more than five ninjas who can fight at Kage-level strength!
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, the Flying Thunder God-user Minato Namikaze, and the Slug Princess—we already knew about her strength from the Second Ninja War, but she's grown even more powerful. Then there's the genius Uchiha Shirou and the Nine-Tails jinchūriki…"
The more Chiyo spoke, the darker her expression beca. Nearby, Ebizō's face also grew more serious as he nodded.
"There's also Jiraiya and Orochimaru. Konoha now openly has seven Kage-level ninjas, not to ntion the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, who can control the Four-Tails state. Konoha's strength is utterly terrifying!"
Sarutobi, Danzo, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Uchiha Shirou, and Minato Namikaze—seven Kage-level ninjas, with two of them possessing the Flying Thunder God space-ti ninjutsu.
At this mont, even Chiyo, a veteran of the Second Ninja War, felt overwheld. Sunagakure, which had struggled since the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, could barely field two ninjas capable of fighting at Kage level: Rasa and Pakura. Compared to Konoha, the gap was obvious.
"But this ti, Hiruzen Sarutobi has truly embarrassed himself on the world stage!"
Though Konoha was strong, Chiyo didn't miss the opportunity to mock them. Her gloating smile made Ebizō shake his head.
"The Third Raikage is indeed incredibly strong, but based on this intelligence, it's clear Konoha underestimated the Third Raikage's power while overestimating their own. Especially in the barrier, they placed themselves in unfavorable terrain…"
Examining the detailed descriptions in the intelligence, Ebizō shook his head gravely. What worried him even more was Konoha's imnse strength. Who could say they didn't have additional hidden Kage-level fighters?
"The Four Kage Summit! Spread this intelligence across the ninja world. I don't believe Onoki and Kirigakure can sit still any longer!"
Chiyo laughed coldly. Everyone had been scheming to make Sunagakure deplete Konoha's forces, but now that Konoha had revealed even a fraction of its strength, everyone would be stunned.
Konoha, with so many Kage-level ninjas, was too great a threat!
PS: My Pakura-chan was ntion!
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