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"Ramoi, is your squad on purge duty today?"
"Yes, and it's in area A3."
"A3 area for purge duty? Last time, Ilan-senpai's squad encountered trouble there, and I heard their bodies were returned, victims of the Leaf's Raijin."
Hearing that his friend was assigned to such an ill-fated location, the Cloud ninja immediately became worried.
"What will you do if you encounter the Leaf's Raijin?"
"If, if it happens, it happens. Even if I die, I won't let him look down on the resolve of a Cloud ninja!"
Ramoi's face was determined, though his tone and legs trembled slightly. As an average chūnin, he had been hearing about the Leaf's Raijin slaughtering numerous people these days, sending many bodies to the border of the Land of Hot Water.
Even the corpse collection units hadn't gone for a few days, and the bodies had piled up like a small mountain.
Three thousand Cloud ninja have died over this period, a total of three hundred ninjas, a number that even made the Third Raikage grind his teeth in frustration.
"Otto brother, is there any way to change the mission?"
After thinking for a while, Ramoi still couldn't overcome his fear. He wasn't afraid of death, but dying at the hands of the Leaf's Raijin seemed pointless; so many had died by his hand over the months, and nothing had changed.
"The missions are already assigned, what else do you want?"
"What are you guys talking about?"
A commanding voice startled them, and when they turned around, they saw A of the A and B combination. The ninjas panicked a bit and quickly responded, "We... said nothing!"
A glanced at them, then warned, "Complete the mission properly. In the Cloud Village, we only recognize death in battle, even I am not an exception!"
He had overheard Ramoi wanting to change his mission and initially wanted to severely punish him to teach him the consequences of desertion.
But A reconsidered. Fear of the Leaf's Raijin wasn't unique to Ramoi. Over the past three months, over a hundred bodies had been returned, and rumors of the Leaf's Raijin as a grim reaper's scythe hanging over the Cloud ninja's necks had spread. Punishing Ramoi wouldn't change the overall morale.
A headed towards the Raikage's tent, knowing they needed to change their approach quickly.
Inside the Raikage's tent, along with his father, were two other Jōnin, who had been following the Third Raikage for a long time and held nearly as much authority in the village as a village elder.
"Father, we can't keep going like this. We should initiate the final battle."
A spoke directly to the Third Raikage, "Our sensory ninjas are inferior to those of Leaf Village in terms of bloodline and secret techniques. We've been dragged around by them this whole time. That Uchiha bastard's reputation is only growing. If this continues, even if we start a decisive battle, we'll be at a disadvantage."
In the past few months, over four hundred Cloud ninja had died compared to an estimated two hundred from Leaf.
The death ratio was over 2:1; continuing like this, the Cloud would be slowly bled dry by that Uchiha bastard.
And since their sensory ninja couldn't match Leaf's Byakugan and other secret techniques, they couldn't even locate that Uchiha bastard.
Once, A and Killer B had tried using another Cloud ninja squad as bait, but once they were slightly out of range, that squad was killed by the Uchiha bastard within minutes, and he even escaped right in front of them.
Afterward, A and Killer B hurriedly pursued, but thankfully, Killer B's inner Eight-Tails warned them just in time, or they would have been surrounded by Leaf ninja.
"Wait a moment, A."
The tent fell silent for a while before a Cloud ninja entered, holding a report from the Cloud Village, and handed it to the Third Raikage, "Raikage-sama, this is a message from the village elder."
"Hmm, I see."
The Third Raikage read it and then passed it around. It eventually reached A.
It was intelligence from the Land of Rice Fields. Stone ninja had tentatively attacked with three hundred ninja, but were repelled by Sasori, who killed many of them.
And the village elder had already sent reinforcements; even if the Stone ninja increased their forces, he wouldn't let them cross the Land of Rice Fields.
"Let's prepare for the final battle as A suggests."
The Third Raikage's voice was firm, his fists cracking with determination: "We must take down Konoha in the final battle, A, keep an eye on Killer B, and watch out for that move from Uchiha Yōichi."
He was referring to the jutsu Yōichi used to break his arm, which had a penetrating power even more terrifying than a Tailed Beast Bomb. If Killer B transformed into the full Eight-Tails, he was likely to be hit by it.
This time, A needed to protect Killer B and engage that Uchiha bastard, preventing any disturbance to Killer B.
"I understand, Father."
"After continuous probing, we can almost pinpoint the Leaf camp. Our ninjas' sacrifices will not be in vain."
Another Cloud Jōnin spoke, noting they had gradually narrowed down the possible locations of the Leaf camp after marking fifteen areas and continuously sending squads for purge and scouting missions.
"Go prepare, A. Let out all your pent-up rage on the battlefield."
"I understand, Father."
A was ready to teach that Uchiha bastard a lesson.
Meanwhile, at the Leaf side, the situation was the complete opposite.
The longer time dragged on, the higher their morale soared. Recently, mission squads even chased after Cloud ninja to kill, all because of the Leaf's Raijin in that battlefield.
Thanks to Uchiha Yōichi, Cloud ninja were scarce around their camp. Any stray Cloud squads that slipped through were quickly dealt with.
In the tent, Kurenai peeked in but only saw Yugito and sighed, "Yōichi-sensei isn't here again."
Then, speaking to the silent Yugito, she said, "Haven't you figured it out yet? You should just follow Yōichi-sensei honestly. He's usually easy to talk to, but when he gets angry, no one can stop him."
"I'm serious. Last time I didn't complete a mission, he hung me from a tree and then with a whip—"
"Do you really want to be beaten like that?"
Kurenai was animatedly speaking when she suddenly heard a familiar voice at the door, causing her face to stiffen.
Then, seeing a calm Yōichi, Kurenai quickly acted cute, "Yōichi-sensei, I was just trying to persuade her."
"Persuasion is useless. She doesn't have a choice."
His words made Yugito flip over in anger, but seeing Yōichi's face, her chest heaved with fury before she lay back down.
She had cried enough over the past few days and had secretly vowed not to cry anymore.
Unable to return to the Cloud Village and lacking the courage to kill herself, Yugito remained in Yōichi's tent, occasionally walking around the camp but largely confined.
"Forget Yugito for now. What you just said, do you want me to treat you that way in the future?"
"Heh, Yōichi-sensei, I have a mission. I'll head out now!"
With that, Kurenai hurriedly ran past Yōichi, who didn't stop her. His recent experimentation with ninjutsu had drained him, and he needed to rest.
After the Master of Dreams ability disappeared, Yōichi had his shadow clone secretly return to Konoha to bring out the starstone.
For the past three months, during every break, Yōichi would leave the camp to a secluded area to absorb the starstone's chakra.
Other than raising his body temperature, absorbing the starstone's chakra offered no other benefits. Even if it radiated a bit during absorption, it would dissipate afterward.
The Star ninja had cultivated for hundreds of years, and the Third Star Shadow, who lived during the Warring States Period, was even older than Hashirama. He also absorbed starstone chakra with no issues.
Moreover, Yōichi had personally experienced the enhancement of the Sharingan's chakra by the starstone. Although most of the starstone's chakra had been absorbed by Godzilla, a small portion was absorbed by his Sharingan.
After three months of daily absorption, his three tomoe linked together last night, evolving into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Intense emotional changes are one method for the tomoe to advance to the Mangekyō, but not the only one; the Sharingan is a type of chakra produced in the brain, corresponding to changes in the eye organ.
Rather than being mere changes in the eyes, it's more about the stimulation of this unique chakra.
Thus, even without the Sharingan, the ability to use Susanoo after awakening the Mangekyō remains, though the release of dōjutsu requires the eye organ.
The chakra of the starstone and the Uchiha clan's unique chakra are somewhat related, allowing Yōichi's Sharingan to strengthen upon absorbing the starstone's chakra.
Three months of absorption directly advanced his Sharingan to the Mangekyō.
After the Sharingan evolved into the Mangekyō, Yōichi's chakra also enhanced, roughly doubling from before.
With the advancement from the three tomoe to the Mangekyō, Yōichi also discovered the two Dōjutsu residing in his eyes.
His left eye housed Ishimikumari.
His right eye housed Yamarinomikoto.
The right eye, symbolizing the deity of everlasting life, had the power to eliminate death. Anything it gazed upon thrived, representing the deepest desires of Yōichi.
The left eye was more akin to harboring a disaster god, with powers similar to a curse, rapidly weakening an enemy's body. Yōichi could precisely control which body part was affected.
There was also a third Dōjutsu, Susanoo.
He tried using Susanoo last night; instantly, a ten-meter-tall half-skeleton of Susanoo formed outside his body. As Yōichi increased his chakra output, the skeletal Susanoo gradually became armored.
However, he quickly deactivated Susanoo as releasing large amounts of chakra was painful, though tolerable for him.
The Raiton Chakra Mode already required continuous chakra release, so Yōichi was accustomed to it, and armored Susanoo was within his endurance.
Still, frequent use of Susanoo put a significant strain on the eyes. Without actual experimentation with integrating Hashirama's cells, Yōichi decided to minimize its use.
In the dream space, Mina had experimented with integrating Hashirama's cells over two hundred times, eventually devising three plans.
Now, they just needed to obtain Hashirama's cells in reality. However, Hashirama's remains were well-guarded by Konoha, likely accessible only to the Hokage and top village officials.
Once back, Yōichi planned to find an opportunity. He already had the synthetic method for Hashirama's cells; now, he just needed the cells themselves.
"Yōichi-dono!"
Someone outside the tent called, and Yōichi sat up and walked out. The messenger ninja, seeing Yōichi, quickly said, "Commander has summoned all Jōnin to assemble."
"Understood."
Yōichi responded and headed to the command tent.
Soon, all Jōnin gathered at Sakumo's tent, though four were missing—not because they hadn't come, but because those four Jōnin had already died on the battlefield.
"Now that everyone's here, I'll get straight to the point. The Cloud ninja are launching a major attack. It seems they've discovered our camp and are now heading this way," Sakumo said with a grave expression. "At least a thousand men, and we don't know if the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki is among them, but we can't let them get close. That's why I've already ordered the ninja corps to assemble here to stop them!"
As he spoke, he pointed to a spot on the map, a slope that had been chosen as the defensive position because it was an excellent spot for staging a defense.
"All mission teams are disbanded to join the ninja corps, except for the teams of Yōichi, Sarutobi, and mine. Imamura-kun, you might need to take command."
Sakumo continued, maintaining only three Jōnin teams, each composed of six Jōnin and several outstanding Chūnin.
These three Jōnin teams were tasked with countering the more powerful Cloud ninja, such as the Third Raikage and the A and B combination. If these formidable opponents breached into the Leaf's ninja corps, it would result in a horrific slaughter.
Imamura nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, Sakumo-kun."
"Yōichi-kun, about the Two-Tails..."
"I've taken precautions; the Cloud won't get a living Two-Tails Jinchūriki."
Yōichi stated, having left a Flying Thunder God seal on Yugito and arranged for people to watch her in the camp. If the Cloud managed to rescue her, they wouldn't escape his pursuit.
"That's good to hear. Everyone, be careful on the battlefield."
With those words from Sakumo, the final battle was set to begin.
————————————
"Shizune, wait here for me; just wait for my return."
"Lady Tsunade, where are you going? The ship leaves in three hours."
"Tickets or whatever don't matter; we're not short on money now. If it expires, we'll just buy another!"
Tsunade said, planning to leave. Ever since that Uchiha brat left, she felt a weight on her chest, as if a stone was pressing down.
"It's all because of that brat. Why did he tell me such things, making it impossible to relax even while traveling."
After all, it was the village her grandfather founded. She decided to go back and have a look. If things got really bad, she could ask the slugs for help. This was the most Tsunade felt she could do.
(End of Chapter)
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The Cloud ninja's massive mobilization, with thousands of ninja heading to the battlefield, was impossible to conceal.
The Leaf village employed various scouting techniques, including sensor ninjas, the Yamanaka clan's Mind Body Transmission technique for controlling birds to monitor in real time, and the Byakugan to observe from long distances.
While it was impossible to monitor every Cloud ninja squad, once a large Cloud force invaded the Land of Fire, the news was certain to be relayed back immediately.
The Leaf ninja arrived at the battlefield first and prepared everything in advance. Although ninja warfare didn't involve firearms, trenches were still essential for effective defense against ninjutsu by providing cover in deep pits.
However, Yōichi questioned this method. "Why not develop firearms?" he thought. True, mid and high-level ninja could evade bullets, but the main forces in ninja wars were low and mid-level ninja, with high-level ninja being quite rare. Moreover, once caught under gunfire, even mid-level ninja would struggle to escape without using powerful jutsu for defense.
Pain's Asura Path had used missiles to kill numerous ninja. Although the ninja world's development of firearms wasn't slow, their actual deployment was limited.
The Cloud Village even secretly researched chakra cannons, which proved dazzlingly powerful when unveiled, having a range even wider than the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Soon, Yōichi's senses detected the approaching Cloud forces.
A member of the Yamanaka clan sitting beside Sakumo suddenly opened his eyes and reported, "The bird I was controlling flew too low and has been spotted. However, I only saw the Third Raikage; I didn't find anyone resembling the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."
It was easy to recognize the Third Raikage. Yōichi had described the features of the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, but the Yamanaka couldn't spot them in the short time available, suggesting the Cloud might have hidden him.
Sakumo responded, "I'll handle the Third Raikage. But if the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki doesn't show up, they're probably planning to attack our forces with the Tailed Beast Bomb."
Despite the Third Raikage's broken arm and Sakumo's proficiency in wind-style jutsu, he was confident in containing the Raikage but was concerned about the Eight-Tails.
"If they don't want to come out, we'll force them to!" declared Yōichi decisively. "Prepare for the Tailed Beast Bomb now, but the Cloud may not be able to handle me."
With his Sharingan evolved to the Mangekyō level, enhancing his perception and genjutsu abilities, along with doubled chakra and lightning-fast speed and reflexes, Yōichi was as formidable as a tailed beast to the Cloud ninja.
As the Cloud forces drew closer, within a kilometer now, Yōichi suggested, "Sakumo-senpai, we should strike first. He who acts first is in control."
Both Yōichi and Sakumo were adept at avoiding small-scale jutsu through their speed, though large-scale jutsu posed more of a challenge.
"Agreed," Sakumo concluded after a moment of thought. They needed to draw the Third Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki away to another battlefield; leaving them be would lead to heavy casualties for the Leaf ninja.
Amidst the intensifying thunder, Yōichi's body surged with electricity, lightning wrapping around him in a crackling aura. This was many Leaf ninja's first time seeing the Leaf's Raijin in action, just the chakra mode alone being a technique worth learning for a lifetime.
With a blast, he shot forward like a sudden current, speeding towards the Cloud forces.
Sakumo had already briefed his team to follow up, and he too charged towards the Cloud ninja camp.
"There's the Leaf's Raijin! He's charging at us!" A fearful shout echoed through the Cloud camp, followed by a command to attack, unleashing a barrage of shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags towards Yōichi.
However, with his enhanced dynamic vision from the Sharingan and the speed from his Raiton Chakra Mode, Yōichi easily evaded these attacks.
When he closed to within forty meters, a Cloud ninja shouted, "Use jutsu!" Several front-line Cloud ninja began forming seals to release jutsu to block Yōichi.
But the lightning around Yōichi surged violently as he pushed his chakra flow to its limit. The front-line Cloud ninja couldn't react in time, only seeing a flash of lightning before two of them were cut
down across the neck by Uchiha Yōichi as he sped past them.
"Kill him!" Enraged that someone dared to charge alone into their formation, several Cloud jōnin shouted, determined to slay the infamous Leaf's Raijin then and there.
However, if Yōichi were so easily killed, the Third Raikage would have succeeded long ago. His three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, surveying every move around him.
With his enhanced dynamic visual perception, the movements of the Cloud ninja appeared to him as if in slow motion, making it easy for him to anticipate and counter their attacks.
In a mere moment, he had closed in, and his Raijin sword—crackling with lightning—pierced through hearts, sliced off heads, and dodged incoming kunai with minimal movements, a testament to his heightened reflexes and speed.
As he moved, every kill left a scorched mark, thanks to the electrical discharge from his blade.
As he advanced, one brave yet reckless Cloud ninja attempted a surprise attack from behind, aiming a heavy strike with a sword.
Clang! The blade struck Yōichi, but upon contact with the electrically charged aura surrounding him, it shattered into pieces.
"Who are you calling weak?" Yōichi sneered, grabbing the Cloud ninja's neck and effortlessly crushing it. He then swiftly attached an exploding tag to the body and kicked it back towards the enemy lines.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
With his body radiating intense heat, Yōichi unleashed a massive wave of fire that transformed into a devastating inferno, incinerating any Cloud ninja unable to escape its wrath.
"Damn it, stop him!" someone yelled from behind. Yōichi turned to see 'A', the future Raikage, leap down from above with his fist raised, aiming a powerful blow at him.
With a thunderous crash, their fists collided, sending a shockwave through the area. The force of the impact created a crater beneath Yōichi's feet, but his robust physique ensured he remained largely unharmed.
"Heh," Yōichi chuckled coldly, staring down the Raikage with a gaze that promised death. "If that's all you've got, then you're going to die here today."
"What did you say?" A was infuriated, but as he prepared to strike again, he caught sight of Yōichi's Sharingan, which was unlike any other, bereft of its usual tomoe.
Ishimikumari activated.
For the first time, Yōichi deployed his Mangekyō Sharingan technique against an opponent as formidable as the future Fourth Raikage. His left eye wept blood due to the strain.
A suddenly felt his body weaken dramatically; his chakra slowed, sapping his strength and almost paralyzing his limbs.
"I told you, you're going to die."
As Yōichi spoke, he drew his Raijin sword and aimed for A's neck.
At that critical moment, a massive tentacle swept in, wrapping around A and attempting to drag him away.
Although A was rescued, the tentacle was severed by Yōichi's swift strike.
"Big brother, what's wrong?"
Killer B appeared, his voice laced with concern, not even in the mood for his usual rhymes given the gravity of facing such a powerful adversary.
"My body suddenly went weak. It wasn't genjutsu. His Sharingan is special...be careful," A cautioned, trying to recover.
"No worries, I won't go full Eight-Tails against him, but Gyūki will help me," B declared, as he began to transform, enveloping himself in a reddish chakra cloak that formed a skeletal structure and six chakra tails.
"Brother, let's drive him off the battlefield. It's disadvantageous for us to fight here."
"Alright, B. Let's make sure he dies here today!" A's strength returned, his body crackling with renewed electrical energy.
"Two against one? Let's see how it goes," Yōichi said calmly, readying his Raijin sword as he crouched slightly.
Meanwhile, Sakumo had successfully drawn the Third Raikage away, ensuring that neither side would let their high-level fighters wreak unchecked havoc on their forces.
As Yōichi's initial assault had already claimed the lives of over forty Cloud ninja, the battlefield was tense with anticipation for the next move.
Imamura , seeing Sakumo depart, shouted, "Attack!" Immediately, Earth Release techniques opened the way, followed by a barrage of shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags raining down on the Cloud camp.
(End of Chapter)
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