Chapter 7: This Era Does Not Belong to Kirigakure, It Belongs to Konoha!
"Cough… cough…"
Blood poured endlessly from Yuto's mouth.
In his current state, even without the attacks of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama, he would not last much longer.
That was why the two of them did not rush to strike again. Who knew what other tricks Yuto might still be hiding? If he launched a desperate counterattack before death, unlike him, they did not possess an immortal body.
The two waited. They waited for Yuto to kill himself.
They understood his ability of undying regeneration well. It was terrifying, nearly unsolvable, but not quite as invincible as others believed.
With an entire room full of intelligence gathered, and Konoha's brightest minds analyzing it, they had identified key details.
For example, Yuto's immortality. Though seemingly flawless, it had a subtle weakness.
After Yuto died, it took one to three seconds for his resurrection to complete. The time seemed to depend on the severity of his injuries.
If they struck him down, Madara and Hashirama could layer seal upon seal in those seconds, trapping him in an endless cycle of death.
He might not truly die, but it would be no different from death.
Madara and Hashirama were waiting. Yuto, too, was waiting.
"You two… really think… you can win…"
Yuto gasped heavily, his voice trembling with pain. He nearly rolled his eyes white from the agony.
At his words, both Madara and Hashirama frowned. Beneath the hoarse weakness, they had caught a thread of confidence.
"Madara," Hashirama said.
Madara gave a small nod. Whatever scheme Yuto had left, it did not matter. A dead man could not carry it out. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun violently once more.
He intended to cast genjutsu again, to end Yuto for good.
Boom! Boom!
Just then, two thunderous explosions erupted from the distance.
"Ice Style—Frozen Dominion!!"
"Shikotsumyaku—Dance of the Early Fern!!"
Two fierce shouts echoed from behind Yuto.
The once mild air turned frigid in an instant. Sheets of ice swept across the battlefield, freezing everything in their path.
At the same time, countless sharp bones erupted from beneath the frozen ground, merging with the ice to form a crystalline forest of bone and frost.
Each bone glistened like steel, hard and unyielding.
Hashirama and Madara's brows twitched. With a light step, both leapt high into the air to evade.
"The Yuki clan's Haku Bairen, and the Kaguya clan's Takekiri Yoru," Madara said coldly, glancing at the two figures who appeared beside Yuto.
These two, along with their clans, were Yuto's staunchest supporters. Their arrival was no surprise to him.
Yuto looked at the enormous jars the two carried, each covered in talismans, and a faint smile spread across his face.
"Bairen, Yoru, I'll trouble you both."
"Lord Yuto, let us fight at your side in the battles ahead!"
Bairen's voice rang firm, his expression unwavering with determination.
Despite his feminine-sounding name, Bairen was no woman, but an old veteran.
Yuto waved a hand and took one of the man-sized jars, its surface covered in sealing scripts.
"You two must leave immediately. The battle to come is beyond what either of you can take part in."
Yuto's tone was deadly serious.
"But…"
"My lord…"
Bairen and Yoru's faces both turned anxious.
"Leave at once. This is an order from me as Mizukage. In all of Kirigakure, only you two stand as kage-level strength. If anything were to happen to you, the village would fall into unprecedented turmoil."
Yuto cut them off sharply, his voice carrying an authority that left no room for refusal.
The two stiffened, for in his words they heard the weight of a final farewell.
They wanted to argue further, but Yuto's single glance silenced them instantly.
Gritting his teeth, Bairen grabbed Yoru's arm and pulled him away at speed.
"Why are we retreating? We might still create an opening for Lord Yuto!" Yoru snapped, shaking free with anger.
"Do not forget, our lord cannot die. Even if he falls today, Yuto will return. Perhaps you and I will not live to see that day, but Kirigakure will. Our duty now is to safeguard the village, to gather strength, and when he returns, stand beside him to unify the shinobi world."
"This is not only my resolve—it is Lord Yuto's will, and the plan agreed upon by Kirigakure's council long before this battle!"
Bairen's voice rang with an uncommon weight and gravity.
Yoru's body trembled. Could it be… Lord Yuto had long foreseen that Konoha would move against him?
———
At the center of the battlefield!
Yuto's eyes burned with a feverish light as he tore every seal from the jar in his hands.
Roar!
A surge of violent, bloodthirsty chakra erupted skyward.
"No! He means to call upon the Three-Tails' power!" Madara's expression faltered, then twisted in alarm.
Hashirama's eyes widened in the same instant, his shout booming: "Stop him!"
"It's already too late!"
Yuto's face split into a fierce grin as the beast sealed within the jar stirred awake, its power flooding outward.
This era may not belong to Kirigakure—it may belong to Konoha.
But so what? Even knowing the outcome, Yuto would still defy the heavens to fight!
(End of Chapter)