Chapter 408: Extermination Battle, Part V
"Oh…" Shima Sage sighed, her hidden thoughts seen through. She adjusted herself quickly this was no time for idle daydreams. Survival was at stake, and Myoboku needed every able body in action. Under the guidance of the two elder Sages, all of Myoboku's fighting toads assembled, bringing their families and prepared for evacuation, creating an impressive display of unity.
Many younger toads remained confused; to them, Myoboku had always been a peaceful sanctuary. Why was everything now thrown into chaos?
As the moments passed, Myoboku and the distant Shinobi world became increasingly visible to each other. But heading toward Madara Uchiha's direction was suicide no matter how numerous, toads were no match for such an opponent.
Leading from the front, the ancient Great Toad Sage, Gamamaru, now bore the Rinnegan in his eyes. If Hiruzen Sarutobi could be called the "Professor of Ninjutsu" for knowing a thousand techniques, Gamamaru's thousand years and scholar's hat marked him as a true Ninjutsu Master. Over the centuries, he had learned thousands of jutsu, even if many were redundant. This immense knowledge had granted him powers unimaginable to most shinobi, including the surgical skill to embed the Rinnegan in his own body.
"Animal Path: Summoning Technique!" Gamamaru's voice rang out as he summoned legions of puppet creatures to aid in the defense, hoping to reduce the loss of Myoboku's toads in the coming battle.
As Myoboku drifted closer to the Shinobi world, Gamamaru's voice boomed, "Charge!"
With an impressive leap, powered by Sage chakra, Gamamaru launched himself miles forward in one bound. "Sage Art: Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!"
Long before Naruto wielded the Rasengan, Gamamaru had perfected it, including its most destructive variations. Infused with razor sharp Wind chakra and bolstered by Sage chakra, Gamamaru's Rasenshuriken tore into the "Seal of Heaven and Earth" barrier, warping its shape.
But the damage wasn't enough.
Gamamaru frowned, surprised by how advanced human barrier techniques had become over a thousand years. This jutsu had once been powerful enough to stand against Kaguya herself.
Undeterred, he gathered chakra into his palm, this time forming a Rasengan variant laced with Lightning chakra. The spinning sphere extended and crackled into a long spear, sparking with intense energy. "Sage Art: Lightning Style: Spiral Thunder Spear!"
As the lightning infused spear clashed with the barrier, the immense power gouged a human sized hole in the barrier's wall.
"Barrier Teams Five and Six! What's going on? Fix this breach immediately, or you're all facing a military tribunal!" Nara Shikaku's commanding voice rang out as the barrier teams struggled to contain the breach. Sweat beading on their foreheads, the warriors strained to reinforce the seal as quickly as possible.
Gamamaru wasn't going to let them succeed. Pouring everything he had into another jutsu, he unleashed yet another variant of the Rasengan. Fire chakra surged through the ball of spiraling energy, glowing hot with intense flames. "Sage Art: Flame Style: Spiral Scorch Bomb!"
Gamamaru slammed the blazing Rasengan into the gap, magnifying its power into a Super Scorch Rasengan that blazed with enough intensity to weaken the barrier further.
Finally, the opening in the barrier widened into a gap over a hundred meters wide.
Though exhausted from expending such tremendous chakra, Gamamaru dropped to the ground, catching his breath. Behind him, the toad battalion, led by Shima and Fukasaku, took the opportunity to surge through the breach.
Only Gamamaru stayed behind, watching the others escape and allowing his thoughts to wander back a thousand years.
That era had no shinobi, no chakra, and the people of the Shinobi world were just beginning to explore natural energy on their path to enlightenment. Natural energy, a crucial force, was at the heart of that ancient world's progress.
Then came the discovery of the God Tree a voracious entity that drained the natural energy from the world. Its presence alone cast a shadow over the primitive civilizations of the Shinobi world. Along with the God Tree came Kaguya, a being of unparalleled power.
The great natural energy practitioners had fought against her only to meet near total annihilation. It was only then that the hidden forces of Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave rose to prominence.
Gamamaru couldn't help but smirk as he recalled his manipulation of Hagoromo, Kaguya's son. Powerful as they were, even the Otsutsuki clan could become pawns if they were led like fools.
In Hagoromo, Gamamaru had found an easy mark, someone he could steer to serve his own interests. Though Hagoromo's friendship had been genuine, Gamamaru had never hesitated to use him for the toads' benefit, even deceiving him into parting with his Rinnegan.
Watching his kind escape, Gamamaru felt his work was complete, even if he regretted his end. He wished his people well and whispered a silent farewell, eyes following the retreating toads with a bittersweet pride.
But his final moment of peace was shattered by a surge of movement on the horizon, an event so dreadful that Gamamaru's eyes widened in shock.
End of Chapter
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