"It's not injured?!"
Uzumaki Raiden held Sakegari no Tachi in his hand, standing in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, and whispered in surprise. His attack just now had been infused with lightning chakra, yet the girl he slashed returned to her original state in a short time, completely unharmed.
"Raiden, be careful."
"Her attack is strange!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen struggled to get up from the ground while clutching his chest. Placing one hand on Uzumaki Raiden's shoulder, he spoke with difficulty. The air cannon had appeared in front of his chest out of thin air, and even he hadn't noticed the opponent's attack method. Not knowing how she attacked, he could only offer a simple warning.
He feared that Uzumaki Raiden would be caught off guard, as just now, Raiden's shadow clone had fallen victim to the opponent's trick. Now, with his real body present, if he were struck again, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"I know. I already understand her attack method, and it poses no threat to me."
Uzumaki Raiden nodded, his voice calm and reassuring. Wrapped in the Nine-Tails' chakra, his sensory perception had been greatly enhanced, making him acutely aware of airflow. Even though the opponent's attack didn't rely on chakra, she still couldn't evade his perception.
At that moment, the loud noise in the sky suddenly ceased.
Looking up, bright cracks appeared in the previously dark night sky, with light piercing through those gaps and shining down.
Upon seeing this, Uzumaki Raiden grabbed Sarutobi Hiruzen's shoulders and hurled him toward the Thousand-Armed Buddha in Hashirama's protection. Then, clasping his hands together, a terrifying chakra surged from his lower abdomen. The tailed beast cloak around his body began to expand rapidly.
The sky had already started cracking—now was the moment to shatter it completely.
Raiden had a strong premonition that the sky covering the city was directly connected to the girl in front of him. If he wanted to defeat her, the first step was to destroy the sky itself.
"Kurama, it's our turn!"
Raiden's chakra flared violently, his pupils turning into vertical slits. As his chakra overflowed, a massive, golden fox constructed entirely of chakra materialized on the battlefield.
"The real body is here?"
Senju Hashirama, who had momentarily paused, noticed the manifestation of the Nine-Tails and looked over with curiosity.
Meanwhile, Senju Tobirama, who had been observing the battle from a distance, focused on Uzumaki Raiden. He, too, wanted to see how far Konoha's Fourth Hokage had progressed. The last time they met, Raiden hadn't shown much of his strength—after all, Hashirama and Tobirama had yet to reach their full power at that time. But now, against this "demon," Tobirama could finally gauge some of Raiden's true abilities.
Raiden's transformation wasn't finished yet. As soon as the chakra cloak took the form of the Nine-Tails, golden chakra chains extended from Raiden's back, wrapping around the massive fox's body, forming a thick golden armor over it.
With his defenses secured, it was time to launch his attack!
Thinking this, he began condensing yin and yang chakra within Kurama's mouth. Positioned in front of Raiden, the terrifying chakra sphere rapidly took shape, its surface crackling with lightning.
"He's planning to use a Tailed Beast Bomb to shatter the sky? He's that confident it will work?"
"If it doesn't…"
Watching Raiden's preparations, Senju Tobirama pondered the risks. To prevent any accidents, he swiftly threw a Flying Thunder God Kunai and moved beside Senju Hashirama, ensuring Sarutobi Hiruzen was protected.
No one could predict what would happen if the Tailed Beast Bomb failed to break through. If the explosion rebounded within the sky barrier, it could obliterate the entire city.
Tobirama was well aware of the Tailed Beast Bomb's destructive potential, and this particular attack from Uzumaki Raiden seemed far stronger than an ordinary one.
Hashirama had the same concern. He pressed his palms together, and the enormous hands of the Thousand-Armed Buddha closed, shielding everyone inside while leaving only a small gap for observation. The mechanism required no hand seals—Hashirama merely had to curl his fingers to shut the defense completely.
"Hey, hey, Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama didn't protect me!"
On the ground, Orochimaru sighed as he watched Uzumaki Raiden gathering chakra. Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen being shielded by Hashirama and Tobirama, he muttered before his body liquefied and sank into the ground.
"Gulp!"
The Tailed Beast Bomb suddenly shrank. What was once a massive sphere, dozens of meters wide, condensed into a small orb just a few meters in diameter, its energy more densely packed than ever.
Raiden raised both hands, and the chakra ball shot toward the sky. His aim was precise—he targeted the junction where two massive cracks had formed earlier from Hashirama's attack.
That had to be the weakest point!
"Boom!"
Just as the chakra ball ascended, a sudden change occurred in the girl's body.
Her previously clear skin turned red, and in the next instant, her entire form erupted—her cells expanding and multiplying uncontrollably.
"ROAR!!!"
A monstrous howl erupted from her mouth as her body swelled beyond recognition. In mere seconds, she no longer resembled a human at all.
Instead, she had become an enormous chrysalis!
"What's happening?"
Uzumaki Raiden frowned, looking toward the source of the roar. The girl had vanished, replaced by a massive, pulsating cocoon. He wasted no time—Sakegari no Tachi crackled with lightning as he hurled it toward the grotesque mass.
"BOOM!"
At that moment, a muffled explosion echoed from above. Blinding lightning illuminated the entire world.
Then came a deafening blast, followed by an immense shockwave from the sky.
The resulting air current swept across Wufang City, completely destroying the buildings beneath the explosion. Structures that once stood tall were reduced to rubble in an instant.
The explosion was so intense that even Nara Shikadai and his squad, stationed outside the city, were startled.
They had seen Hashirama's Wood Release Buddha strike the sky earlier, but that had been a direct impact, with little consequence to them. This explosion, however, was different. Even from a distance, the shockwave alone could kill them.
"Get down!"
Nara Shikadai shouted urgently, throwing himself to the ground. The others reacted swiftly, bracing for impact.
Moments later, a massive air current tore through the area, hurling debris into the sky. Shikadai watched in horror as a massive stone wall, several meters wide, flew straight toward them.
"Dammit… it's over!"
Shikadai gritted his teeth, unable to move amidst the violent shockwave. He closed his eyes, expecting the worst—
"BOOM!"
Instead of crushing them, the stone wall was repelled by a thin golden chakra barrier.
"Whose chakra is this?"
Shikadai exhaled in relief before a Hyuga ninja answered, "It's the Fourth Hokage's. I felt it when he visited the Hyuga Clan before. There's no mistake."
Upon hearing this, Shikadai's relief turned to tension.
"Even Lord Raiden has joined the fight… Just what is inside Wufang City?!"
Meanwhile, the sky above Wufang City continued cracking under Raiden's assault. The chrysalis below made a sizzling sound under the sunlight, melting away like acid dissolving flesh. Within seconds, it had turned into black sludge before vanishing entirely.
"Escaped?!"
Uzumaki Raiden stared intently at the spot where Sakegari no Tachi was embedded, disbelief written across his face. He quickly activated Kagura's Mind Eye, scanning the underground for any movement.
After searching for a long time, he found no trace of the enemy. Since the opponent had no chakra, tracking them was nearly impossible. However, during his search, he detected the hiding place of Asuma and the others. For Uzumaki Raiden, that level of protective barrier made little difference—it was as if it wasn't there at all.
"Huh?"
While still scanning for the enemy, Raiden suddenly noticed that Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama had begun to glow with white light—a clear sign that Edo Tensei was being released.
"Speaking of which… where is Senior Brother Orochimaru?!"
Raiden turned to look at Hashirama and Tobirama, who had already dropped their defensive stances. A puzzled expression crossed his face as he quickly searched for Orochimaru. Yet, after scanning for some time, he couldn't find a single trace of him.
"..."
"Could it be…"
A flicker of realization crossed Raiden's mind. He had no idea what method Orochimaru had used to leave, but now it seemed that the girl's disappearance might be connected to him.
The battle wasn't over yet—so why would Orochimaru release the Edo Tensei now?
There could only be one explanation: Orochimaru knew the battle was already over.
"Did he take her? How did he do it?"
Raiden lowered his head, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, at a distance, Hiruzen Sarutobi was bidding farewell to Senju Tobirama.
"Monkey, you have nurtured excellent talents for the village."
"Whether it's that gloomy young man, Orochimaru, or that boy, they are both truly remarkable."
"I'm very pleased."
Senju Tobirama stood beside Sarutobi Hiruzen as the white light surrounding his body grew stronger. He knew the Edo Tensei had been undone, and he would soon return to the Pure Land. Before leaving, he wanted to share a few final words with Hiruzen.
"No… I'm not a qualified Hokage, Sensei. I failed your expectations."
"Konoha has endured countless battles over the years… the village…"
Before Hiruzen could finish, Tobirama raised a hand, stopping him.
"I understand, Hiruzen. No matter what has happened, I recognize your achievements."
"Even though I haven't seen today's Konoha, I can imagine its state just by seeing him."
"For someone like him to handle Konoha's affairs, I trust the Fifth Hokage who follows will be outstanding."
"The village is in your hands—it will only continue to flourish!"
As Tobirama spoke, the white light around him intensified, and even his final words were barely above a whisper. Hiruzen watched as Tobirama faded away, his expression heavy with guilt.
"I will bring him back to the village… even if I have to break his legs, I must do it!"
Hiruzen clenched his fists, murmuring to himself.
It was obvious who he was referring to.
Among the four disciples he was most proud of—one had become the greatest shame of his life.
(End of Chapter)