Chapter 65: Chapter 65-A Fated Showdown!
Chapter 65
HIRUZEN SARUTOBI
Hiruzen Sarutobi had become truly old; he was amongst the oldest shinobi alive today and had seen the shift of the eras from the Warring State Period to the era of the Five Great Nations, a change led by his sensei and his brother, Hashirama Senju.
It was a step towards the establishment of peace, a step towards making sure that no young children would be forced to fight anymore. And yet the dream had failed to deliver; the conflicts between clans simply became conflicts between Hidden Villages, and the never-ending cycle of war continued.
And yet the eras were shifting once again, and this time it was not a shinobi doing so. No, this time, it was through the actions of a daimyo, an entity that held more power than one would initially think. The start of the Fourth Great War—Great war, not a ninja war for this was not truly a ninja war, and more of a political and provincial conflict had begun a year into the ending of hostilities.
And yet this war was unlike any war before it, with the Konoha, Suna, and Kiri alliance simply overwhelming their opponents, and yet rather than going for a killer strike, one aimed at the hearts of Kumo and Iwa, they had been directed to prolong the conflict, a decision he had openly debated against initially and yet with every passing day he realized the true intent behind it.
For with every passing day, the Earth and Lighting province saw their own people protesting against the war, which had devastated their economies, leading to mass starvation and rioting. It had also hampered Iwa and Kumo's ability to wage war, essentially neutralizing them in a way he had never thought possible, and yet with shinobi casualties being as low as they were, Kumogakure and Iwagakure shinobi realized the futility of their actions as well and saw that there was no path to victory for them.
"I must say, it has been an honor to serve alongside you," the young kunoichi added from the side as they stood at the edge of the cliff, and she marked another shift in the era.
She was the first kunoichi to take on the mantle of a kage, and rightly so. Terumi Mei reminded him in many ways of Tsunade and Mito-sama and was a kunoichi brimming with talent.
"The feeling is the same here. I must say, before this, I would never have thought that Kiri and Konoha would ever become allies given our history," he added, and a bloody history it was.
Kirigakure was the primary instigator of the Uzushio massacre and the bad blood between Kiri and Konoha because that was too much. And yet they were now allies, their fates entwined with each other unlike he had ever thought possible.
"There are many things that we would have thought impossible two years ago, but now they are a simple reality," she added, and he nodded.
"Still, I can see why they would call you the Professor. I doubt anyone in the..." suddenly, he perked up, stepping forward as the Mizukage beside him quietened down as well.
"It seems like it is finally happening," he uttered as he sensed the chakra signatures coming their way.
"Indeed, but this means that the fighting in the Earth Province has escalated beyond control. This is the final push we were warned about," she iterated, and indeed, a letter from Minato had come warning him about something similar.
"Get the men ready," he said as he bit into his thumb as she blurred towards the main encampment.
"Summoning Jutsu," he whispered as he pushed his hand against the ground.
"Monkey King Enma," and with a cloud of smoke, his leal summon appeared behind him.
"Is it finally time, Sarutobi?" Enma asked, and he nodded and leaned down.
"Yeah, it seems it is," he replied.
"Good, this has been a rather dry war," and with that, Enma looked up much like him as they saw their enemy flying over them, hands folded on his chest, a scar now running down the side of his face, one obtained in his fight against Minato.
"I was beginning to think I would never see you again, Ohnoki," he greeted the shinobi.
"You are far from home, Sarutobi," Ohnoki replied, and he felt him build up his chakra as he pushed his own chakra into his feet.
"Not as far as you," and with that, he saw him bring his hands together.
"Particle Style:..."
"Transform..." With that order, Enma shifted, pivoted using the staff, and jumped right into the air.
"...Atomic Dismantling Jutsu."
"Extend,"
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KUSHINA UZUMAKI
Kushina Uzumaki jumped from one tree to another, parrying attacks, dolling out attacks of her own as she fought with the Eight-Tails jinchuriki, yet despite the destruction and devastation around them, the truth was that not a single Konoha or Kumo nin had yet died from this conflict.
At this point, their fights were well-crafted dances, somewhat of a spar as she twisted and avoided a tailed beast bomb, as she retaliated with her own adamantine chains.
The Kumo jinchuriki jumped back, his body covered in red chakra that formed six tails. As their forces were exhausting, she knew that they must end this soon.
"I can feel your brother's chakra," she muttered as her expanded senses caught onto the Raikage's chakra.
"Is he coming here himself?" he asked as they entered into a Taijutsu exchange, exchanging punches; his sword clashed against her own chains as they tumbled in the forest.
"Yeah," she replied.
"Is he still set on continuing this war?" she asked.
"He is a kage, he must never show weakness, but he tires of the war as well. We just need the first domino to fall," he replied seriously, his rapping now gone as they both jumped back, their last attack leaving a massive crater behind.
BOOOM!
"That will happen soon," said the Raikage, whose speed was monstrous. In that short clash, he had managed to cover the bulk of the distance.
She took out the special kunai from her pocket and, in a swift motion, threw it straight into the air above her.
"With Brother coming here, I am gonna have to get serious," he said as he leaned down. She saw his skin turn a reddish hue until the red chakra cloak masked his facial features, and a skeletal structure appeared on his shoulder and body.
"Kurama," she requested herself and felt her own chakra shift as she felt the nine tails infuse more of his chakra into her own.
And then, as the air crackled, she felt him race towards her, and in the blink of an eye, he was right infront of him, his lightning cloak covering his body. The Raikage had only grown grumpier since his loss to Minato and had made it his mission to target her owing to her position as Konoha's jinchuriki and her relationship with the Hokage.
"I finally have you, Uzumaki," he snarled as his elbow raced towards her face, and yet she did not move an inch as she simply pushed her chakra into her adamantine chains to neutralise Hachibi and Killer Bee.
"Lateral Bolt of Pain," he screamed, yet she did not move. She simply saw a light blur past her as a kunai landed near her feet. In the next instant, she felt the air shift, and she found herself right above the Hachibi, with a very familiar blonde where she had been moments ago, with a giant blur orb of chakra in his hand.
"Rasengan!"
"Ninpo: Adamantine Prison," and with that scream, Eight adamantine chains erupted out of her back and rushed down, and pinned down the Hachibi' each one chain skewering one of its tails into the ground, as she herself landed on its head with a massive thud.
"It is over," she said as she blocked Eight-Tails chakra, immobilizing it.
"BEEE!" the Raikage snarled as he raced towards her, yet she did not budge as she saw him blur towards her once more, this time aiming a kick at her head, and yet Minato appeared beside her in a blur and blocked the kick with his hand.
BOOOM!
Much to the surprise of Raikage, who was stunned by this display of physical strength, something which was considered a weakness of Minato.
"I believe I am your opponent, Unruly Ay," Minato said as he pushed down his neck and stared the Raikage in the eye, yet this time his eyes were different. Rather than the usual blue orbs he had, this time his eyes were orange with a horizontal slit in them with an orange marking under them.
"Those eyes," the Raikage gasped as she smirked.
After all, she was not the only one who had gotten stronger.
THUNK.
The Raikage pivoted and spun around, attacking Minato with his other leg, but he blocked it as well.
BOOM!
The massive force behind the attack kicked up a storm yet Minato did not budge as he glanced back at her.
"Can you handle this?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Leave the Hachibi's jinchuriki to me," she assured him, her hands together in prayer as her chains pushed down the bijuu chakra tails, keeping the eight tails immobilized.
"Good," and with that, he shifted, and she saw him squeeze his hands, and the Raikage was forced to jump back as she heard the sound of bone cracking.
"So, you have really mastered it as well, Minato," the Raikage said as he stood straight and glared at Minato, who straightened up as well.
"The technique of that damned Toad Sage. Senjutsu," he remarked.
"This fighting is futile. You and I both know Kumo cannot win this war," Minato said.
"Retreat and surrender, for that is what is set to happen in the future anyways," he added, and the Raikage gritted his teeth and shouted.
"AHHHHH!" and his chakra cloak bulked up as lightning danced over his body.
"You dare! Hokage! I will show you the true might of Kumooo!"
0000
And in that moment, as Hokage and Raikage fought, Kushina and Killer Bee found themselves engrossed in a talk until suddenly she felt immense pain in her abdomen as Kurama rose up from its lumber, whispering menacingly.
"That Chakra. Impossible!"
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