Chapter 260 – The First Raikage's Recklessness
That's right.
Unease had settled like a shadow over everyone.
To many of the present shinobi, the Fifth Hokage—Uchiha Rinen had already transcended into something of a myth. A legend still living in the ninja world.
And now, this mysterious screen had appeared—its origin unknown. That alone made everyone extremely nervous.
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"Is he really the Fifth Hokage…?"
A rare look of solemnity appeared on Uchiha Madara's face as he muttered,
"What exactly is he trying to do? Is this… a television broadcast?"
Of course, what he didn't say out loud was this:
When he had attacked the giant floating screen earlier, he had felt it—a chilling, deathly pressure from the screen itself.
He had a terrifying hunch:
If he tried that again… he might be erased entirely.
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"…Tch."
Uchiha Obito, masked and watching from the side, shook his head, his tone sardonic.
"Seriously? This is what happens when the Three Great Villages decide to march on Konohagakure?"
He sneered. "A giant floating screen appears? What is this, a joke? Some scientific gimmick?"
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Compared to everyone else's wariness, Orochimaru was the only one who didn't seem nervous.
On the contrary—he was excited.
He stuck out his tongue with an almost childlike fascination.
As a true scientific maniac, this kind of mysterious tech piqued his curiosity.
After all, not just any screen could tank an attack from Uchiha Madara.
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"Tch… I don't buy it."
At that moment, the First Raikage growled, baring his teeth.
"We're here to destroy the Hidden Leaf, and this Fifth Hokage and Uchiha act like gods dropping hints from the sky? I've had enough."
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"Not convinced?"
Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, smiled and teased,
"Well then, why not go hit the screen yourself?"
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The First Raikage scoffed.
"You think I won't?"
He turned to Hashirama with narrowed eyes.
"You were stronger when you were alive. But now? We're both reanimated corpses. What's there to be afraid of?"
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With that, he gathered his chakra, his body sparking violently as he entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
CRACKLE!
In the next instant, before anyone could stop him, the First Raikage shot into the sky like a thunderbolt, fist raised—aimed directly at the screen above.
The atmosphere tensed. Every shinobi in the area turned their attention upward.
Would he really strike it down?
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"Ding."
"Anyone who offends the screen will be erased permanently. Reincarnation will be denied."
The moment the cold, mechanical voice echoed through the air, the First Raikage's body froze—mid-air, mid-punch.
He was… stuck. Completely immobilized. Trapped as though space itself had locked around him.
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"W-What?! What is this?!"
Panic rose in the Raikage's eyes.
He tried to move, to twist free—but the spatial seal was absolute. His powerful Lightning Chakra Mode felt useless, like a child trying to escape from a giant's grip.
For the first time in a long while, he felt fear.
He had thought: "I'm reanimated. Even if I die, I'll just be brought back again."
But now? The screen was threatening something worse:
True erasure. Soul destruction. No Pure Land. No second chance.
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I should've just stayed quiet, he thought bitterly.
Now I'm completely screwed.
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BOOM.
A sudden burst of light engulfed him.
The next moment, the First Raikage was simply… gone.
No scream. No resistance. His reanimated body turned to ash on the spot.
His soul was visibly absorbed into the massive floating screen—sealed away for eternity.
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SILENCE.
A chill swept over the battlefield.
Everyone—shinobi from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Otogakure, and even the reanimated Hokage—stood frozen in place.
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"He's gone…?"
"The First Raikage… was killed?"
"Not just killed. His soul was absorbed—he can't even be reincarnated again!"
"This is insane… What the hell is that screen?"
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For several moments, no one spoke. Then—
GASPS.
From the likes of Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Minato Namikaze, Hatake Sakumo—all of them reanimated legends—came the same reaction: stunned disbelief.
Even they were shaken.
Because the implication was clear.
Whoever created that screen… has the power to erase souls permanently.
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