"This..."
Gozu was immediately stunned in place upon hearing this.
It was no secret that Uchiha Raijin had mastered the Flying Thunder God technique.
Uchiha Raijin had visited Iwagakure several times, which was something everyone in the village knew.
So, in theory, Uchiha Raijin could appear in Iwagakure at any time.
On top of that, Raijin was extremely skilled with his lightning-based techniques, making him incredibly fast.
If Oonoki wasn't in Iwagakure, there really wouldn't be anyone who could stop Uchiha Raijin.
He could lead the team to confront Raijin, but at the very least, there had to be someone capable of defending the village.
The best candidate for that role was the ninja who called himself Jigen.
But now, although no one knew what Jigen was up to, it was clear that Jigen wasn't in the village at the moment.
"So, we'll leave someone to guard the village and wait for an opportunity. This way, we can not only gain an advantage in the upcoming battle but also stretch out Konohagakure's front line," Oonoki said to Gozu.
Although the Land of Rivers seemed to have a large number of troops, to Oonoki, it looked more like they were there to escort Raijin's team.
The main focus would still be on Iwagakure.
If Iwagakure could hold its ground, the situation for Konohagakure would quickly worsen.
After all, neither Uchiha Madara nor Jigen would just stand by and watch Konohagakure and Iwagakure wear each other down in a prolonged battle.
For Konohagakure, the first battle would decide everything.
For Iwagakure, simply dragging the fight out would be considered a victory.
"To have this kind of power and still not be able to make the first move... it's so frustrating," Gozu muttered through clenched teeth, clearly annoyed.
But Gozu also had to admit that the words and decisions of Oonoki, as the Tsuchikage, were correct.
After all, he wasn't just a wandering ninja—he had family, friends, and mentors living in this village.
He couldn't just throw everything aside to go fight Uchiha Raijin.
"It's okay, I'm here now."
"Slash!"
Along with a familiar voice, the sound of thunder cutting through the air followed right after.
Gozu's face instantly changed, his focus lost for a moment.
He only had time to activate his Hardening technique.
"Ding!"
A crisp sound rang out as a scratch appeared on Gozu's body.
Blood oozed out as the pain from his back hit him, causing his expression to shift immediately.
Since gaining such power, the Hardening technique had never been broken through before.
Could it be... that Uchiha Raijin was holding back last time?
But Uchiha Raijin gave no intention of explaining himself to Gozu.
This battle was all about speed.
Taking advantage of the fact that the mysterious ninja wasn't here.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Sunagakure ninja wasn't here.
Taking advantage of the fact that Uchiha Madara wasn't here.
Using all the time available, take down this guy.
This is what it means to take them down one by one!
Raijin realized that you couldn't afford to drag things out with this mysterious ninja.
If you drag it on, it's hard to say who will end up dead in the end.
Anyway, Raijin had no way to quickly boost his power now.
So, he'd give it his all and see who had the stronger will to survive!
So...
For Raijin, one slash was always just the beginning.
Especially when facing tough, bulky ninjas like this one.
Thunder Flash·Five Lightning Whips!
Using the inertia from the first Thunder Flash, Raijin's body accelerated instantly, appearing right in front of Gozu, followed by a slash so fast it was almost a blur.
Gozu could only raise both arms, trying to block his vital points.
No matter what, the vital points in front are always more exposed than those in the back.
Front, side, back, and back to the side.
In just a blink, five cuts appeared on Gozu's body in the span of a few seconds.
Meanwhile, Oonoki, the Tsuchikage, didn't even have a chance to intervene.
It was just... too fast...
Having not seen Uchiha Raijin fight in person for many years, today, Oonoki finally realized that Uchiha Raijin was... a ninja from a completely different world now...
After all these years, the blood of Iwagakure...
you guys from Konohagakure really didn't waste it!
Standing behind Gozu, Raijin raised one hand slightly. The next moment, with a flash of lightning, an unstoppable air cannon hit Gozu directly.
"Boom!"
In mid-air, Gozu uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of blood as his body flew rapidly toward Oonoki.
This doesn't make sense...
How could I... not even have the strength to resist...
As he watched Oonoki's face grow larger in his vision, Gozu still couldn't figure out the reason.
That day's battle... I was clearly at an advantage...
What Gozu hadn't realized was that the reason he had the upper hand that day had to do with the presence of Uchiha Madara and the Sunagakure ninja, who had created a strong sense of deterrence.
"What level, what kind of thing would even dare to do this."
With a cold glance at Gozu's body flying gracefully through the air, Raijin held his sword vertically in front of his chest.
"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Blast."
Raijin muttered a few words, and golden light instantly appeared.
If one were to look down from the air at Iwagakure, they would see the Iwagakure Village's grand, gray Tsuchikage building suddenly glowing with a golden light.
The golden light sliced through the air, coming back in a counterattack.
In the blink of an eye, the seemingly indestructible Tsuchikage building shattered into pieces.
As the Tsuchikage building shattered into pieces, so did Gozu and the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
In a flash, Raijin sat on top of a mountain behind the Tsuchikage building.
His legs were casually hanging in mid-air, and a distortion in space appeared beside him as Uchiha Suisei materialized next to Raijin.
Along with Suisei, many Uchiha clan members appeared.
This time, when Raijin launched a surprise attack on Iwagakure, he only brought members from the Konohagakure police force.
Everyone was involved.
"Destroy the village."
Without looking back, Raijin simply crossed his arms, gazing down at Iwagakure Village, and spoke quietly.
"Clang!"
No one answered Raijin, only the sound of long swords being drawn filled the air.
After more than a decade of peace, Uchiha clan members showed cruel smiles on their faces.
"Not bad, you're getting stronger."
Suisei sat beside Raijin, watching as his clan members eagerly rushed down. A slight smile appeared on his face.
When he was younger, he wanted to bully his younger brother.
As he grew up, he wanted to protect him.
But now, he had to admit that his brother had become a much better ninja than he was.
It made him a little happy, but also a little melancholic.
"Hmph, Iwagakure is nothing. It's not worth mentioning."
Raijin raised an eyebrow at Suisei's words and dismissively said to him.
His mind spread out, sensing the movements inside Iwagakure Village. Occasionally, a bolt of lightning would strike to assist his clan members.
Though it was impressive to take down two top-tier powerhouses with a single wave of the hand...
And it was satisfying to wipe out an entire village with just words...
But it was also good if fewer of his people had to die.
If you have the ability and don't use it, that's just wrong.
That's how human nature works—building up slowly over time.
"You're too modest."
Suisei laughed softly at Raijin's words and silently watched Iwagakure, listening to the screams, roars, and howls coming from beneath them.
Suisei knew that in less than two hours, Iwagakure would cease to exist in the ninja world.
It was cruel, but that's how it was. In the ninja world, if you're not cruel today, someone else will be cruel to you tomorrow.
Iwagakure had also been around for decades, growing into a well-established hidden village under three generations of Tsuchikages.
But every action had consequences.
It wasn't guaranteed that death would follow, but if you couldn't even survive the first wave of retaliation, what was the point of negotiating?
Without Iwagakure, everything would belong to Konohagakure.
"You're quick to act."
A voice suddenly echoed, and Raijin looked up, seeing a mysterious ninja appear before him.
"I was worried you might show up to help."
Raijin laughed lightly and smiled at the mysterious ninja.
"You've succeeded."
Otsutsuki Isshiki raised an eyebrow, as if the massacre of Iwagakure had no impact on him whatsoever.
"Hey, can you tell me your name?"
Raijin asked Otsutsuki Isshiki.
Honestly, Raijin was curious about the name of this ninja.
They had fought several times already, and yet he didn't even know his opponent's name. That felt very improper.
"You can... call me Jigen."
Otsutsuki Isshiki replied to Raijin.
"Jigen... that's quite a nice name."
Raijin chuckled and nodded.
"Since you're here, how about giving it a try?"
Raijin stood up, slowly lifting his head, and spoke to Jigen in front of him.
As Raijin finished speaking, a purple-golden flame once again enveloped his body.
The fusion of Raijin's God Mode, Tenseigan Chakra Mode, and Sage Mode made him just as powerful as Susano'o combined with the Sand Iron Giant.
In fact, in this state, Raijin was even more concentrated in power and quicker in movement than in Susano'o.
If he wanted to, he could even fuse with the Sand Iron Giant.
But that would affect his agility, so Raijin chose not to do it.
"It's possible, but not necessary."
Even though the "seal" had been placed on the vessel he had chosen, Otsutsuki Isshiki wasn't afraid of death. At worst, his soul would stay within the seal, waiting to be revived once the time was right.
Right now, Otsutsuki Isshiki could even offer himself as a sacrifice to the God Tree, and there would be no issue at all.
But that wasn't necessary.
Overall, Otsutsuki Isshiki preferred the feeling of having everything under control.
Senjutsu was hard to gauge in terms of how far it could go.
Otsutsuki Isshiki didn't want to risk testing it, especially with his life on the line.
A space vortex appeared once again, signaling that Otsutsuki Isshiki was preparing to leave.
The best choice now was to head to Sunagakure to take control, turning Konohagakure's lightning-fast war into a war of attrition.
Only then could Uchiha Madara see an opportunity to intervene.
At that point, no matter what Uchiha Madara wanted to do, there would be a chance to act.
It wasn't about staying here and foolishly battling Uchiha Raijin to the death.
And besides, Isshiki had been quite busy recently.
Otsutsuki Isshiki knew the importance of not putting all eggs in one basket.
Even though he had a vessel he liked, considering the unknowns of Senjutsu, he wasn't going to gamble on whether he could be revived through Uchiha's process.
Winning would be fine.
But if he lost, his life would be gone.
No longer a child, Otsutsuki Isshiki didn't have the luxury of taking chances when it came to something as serious as life and death. So, he continued searching for another suitable vessel.
And he had indeed found another promising candidate.
Although the combination of the Corpse Bone Pulse and Ice Style didn't compare to the power of the Senju and Uchiha clans, it was still quite a versatile ability.
"Well, since I'm here…"
Several purple-golden Truth-Seeking Balls appeared behind Otsutsuki Isshiki, preventing his departure.
Unlike Otsutsuki Isshiki, if Raijin could kill him here, it would be a victory that would make Raijin laugh aloud even in the middle of the night.
"You're so annoying."
Otsutsuki Isshiki glanced helplessly at Uchiha Raijin, a black rod appearing in his hand.
If Otsutsuki Isshiki really wanted to leave, Uchiha Raijin wouldn't be able to stop him.
Otsutsuki Isshiki did indeed want to destroy Konohagakure and wipe out the legacy of Senjutsu.
But if he couldn't do it, it wasn't a big deal.
The Otsutsuki clan would be arriving in a few years or even a decade.
At that point, even if he did nothing, he would simply watch as Konohagakure was destroyed.
However, leaving without a fight wasn't going to be that simple.
Seeing this, Suisei's surroundings began to distort, and his figure vanished from the spot.
His younger brother had already entered combat mode, and as the older brother, he couldn't just stand by.
Since he couldn't join the fight here, he would speed up the process of destroying the village.
After finishing here, head to Sunagakure.
Once there, even if it turns into a war of attrition, there won't be a problem.
Fighting on two fronts while not having an advantage in terms of top-tier strength does create a lot of pressure.
"What's our relationship? If I'm not bothering you, then who else could I be bothering?"
With a quick movement, Raijin unsheathed the Kusanagi Sword, and his figure vanished from the spot in an instant.
"That actually makes a lot of sense."
Otsutsuki Isshiki nodded in agreement, raising his hand to point. A huge cube appeared right above Raijin's head.
Seeing this, Raijin immediately accelerated, trying to break free from the range covered by the cube.
But he didn't expect that as he moved, the cube grew bigger as well.
It felt like being held in the palm of the Buddha's hand.
Is this... a Ninja Tool or a Ninjutsu? Raijin blinked and his figure instantly disappeared from the spot.
Iwagakure Village, where Raijin had left a few Flying Thunder God marks.
"Boom!"
The huge cube crashed to the ground, making Iwagakure tremble three times.
It was clear that the cube's density hadn't decreased as it grew bigger.
(End of chapter)
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