"For a long time, many people have believed that history is written by the victors. They use this as an excuse to act recklessly, trampling upon everything."
Upon the massive starry canopy of the galaxy, Shiraishi stood on the moon base, gazing down at the shinobi world below. A rare trace of emotion stirred within his eyes.
The death of Onoki symbolized that Sunagakure's grand enterprise of unifying the shinobi world had finally taken a critical step.
The very first of the five great villages had fallen, and with this as a starting point, a completely new era had begun.
Standing truly at the apex of the shinobi world, Shiraishi could not help but feel a lingering sense of loneliness creeping in.
"But in my view, only a true victor possesses the grace and sufficient strength to write the history they genuinely wish to create, rather than recklessly altering and fabricating it."
Shiraishi stood facing an ancient stone tablet. Inscribed upon it was the history known to the Otsutsuki clan—the grievances, entanglements, and historical evolution between the two brothers, Hagoromo and Hamura, and Otsutsuki Kaguya.
The people of the moon had completely recorded the history of the surface world, writing it into a chronicle of war belonging to the shinobi world.
Schemers, the ambitious, idealists, and pragmatists—all sorts of people had been active in this shinobi world, yet they had never stepped out of the historical chapters written by the Otsutsuki family.
Even Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were merely the chakra reincarnations of the Sage of Six Paths' two sons. Although Hashirama possessed a broad enough mind to end the chaotic Warring States period, he forgot the sheer wickedness of human nature.
In factual reality, even Madara Uchiha was a naive idealist. Throughout his entire life, he had arrived at the same destination as Hashirama through a different path—both fought to create a peaceful world.
Compared to them, Shiraishi did not harbor such far-reaching ideals. Completing the integration of the shinobi world during his lifetime to confront the future invasion of the celestial Otsutsuki clan was precisely what he intended to do.
I will record my own actions, exactly as they are, upon this brand-new stone tablet.
Some could turn history into a magnificent, surging chronicle of struggle; others could turn history into a blood-soaked melody of conspiracy. What would my choice be?
Shiraishi knew deeply that what he needed to face was not just the current layout of the shinobi world, but the layout of the future. The seeds he had sown in the other three worlds were also fast approaching the time to blossom and bear fruit.
The colossal energy cannon on the moon was currently undergoing its next round of charging. Once completed, it would blast straight toward Kumogakure Village.
Compared to Iwagakure Village, Kumogakure's resistance was far more violent, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki's whereabouts remained completely unknown.
As one of Shiraishi's core split bodies, Hagoromo Masato was currently accompanying the Raikage, informing the Fourth Raikage Ay of the latest intelligence regarding Iwagakure Village.
"Lord Raikage, Iwagakure Village has surrendered."
"Hagoromo Masato, come with me to Bee's side."
The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki?
Clearly, the current situation of Kumogakure Village was not looking good, so the Raikage had no choice but to unleash the Jinchuriki's combat power.
Onoki had fallen in battle, and the Daimyo of the Land of Earth along with the entire Iwagakure Village had surrendered, symbolizing that the Shinobi World War had entered a pivotal juncture.
The collapse of the Land of Earth caused the pressure on Konoha's side to skyrocket, which completely snuffed out any hope the Land of Lightning had of receiving reinforcements.
Uchiha Kaede, alongside the entire Akatsuki organization and Sunagakure's Western Army Corps, was directly flanking the Land of Lightning from the direction of the Land of Earth.
Standing upon the highest peak of Kumogakure Village, the Fourth Raikage, Ay, gazed into the distance toward the advancing Sunagakure army.
Dark-skinned and possessing pale yellow hair, his physical build was exceptionally robust. He usually wore a white cape, and both of his shoulders were tattooed with a green, shuriken-style emblem.
Wearing a broad belt and heavy bracers, he possessed an impetuous and impulsive personality. However, Hagoromo Masato was in no rush to make a move.
The Raikage before his eyes, protected entirely under his Lightning Style armor, possessed a level of speed and defensive power that could be considered formidable.
His close-quarters combat prowess was the absolute strongest in the entire village; he consistently triumphed through sheer speed in battle, moving as swiftly as a streak of blue lightning.
Although Hagoromo Masato had never clashed with the Raikage, his wariness of the man's Lightning Style physique had prevented him from finding a suitable opportunity to strike.
Arriving at an even higher, isolated peak outside Kumogakure Village, the Raikage stood side-by-side with Hagoromo Masato.
"I can understand Onoki's mindset. Back when my father fought desperately against tens of thousands of Stone shinobi, he must have harbored the same thoughts—simply because we all lead our respective villages in the name of a Kage."
Hagoromo Masato, who had been continuously searching for Killer Bee's chakra without receiving any response, did not seem to catch the true underlying meaning behind the phrase "we all lead our respective villages in the name of a Kage."
After the Third Shinobi World War ended, the conflicts had persisted, and his father, the Third Raikage, had exhausted his life force to protect the village and died in battle. Ay had been deeply grief-stricken by this event, subsequently inheriting the mantle of Raikage.
In his capacity as Raikage, he vowed to hold the village and nation, inheriting his father's will. He had ordered his sworn brother, Killer Bee, to enter the Unraikyo to begin training with the Tailed Beast Bomb, vowing never to let an enemy touch him.
He subsequently issued a strict ban forbidding Bee from leaving the village, instructing him that if an enemy invaded, he should simply crush them from afar using the Tailed Beast Bomb...
The Raikage's protective strategy toward Killer Bee was the exact reason why, even up to this point in the Shinobi World War, the Eight-Tails' whereabouts remained a mystery.
Even Hagoromo Masato, stationed deep within Kumogakure's internal ranks, could not detect Bee's trail. However, with Sunagakure's total offensive imminent, Masato believed that Killer Bee would inevitably show up in the village.
"Bee isn't coming back. Hagoromo Masato, you can give up on that notion."
Suddenly, the Fourth Raikage spoke coldly, causing the atmosphere on the scene to grow instantly tense. Hagoromo Masato's expression shifted, only to see a domineering aura of blue electricity erupt violently from the Raikage's body.
The Raikage noticed?
"Jiraiya of Konoha once sent a letter to me, stating his suspicion that there might be some form of hidden connection between the Mizukage of Kirigakure and the Kazekage of Sunagakure—he even listed that individual from the Uchiha family as a suspect."
As the Raikage spoke up to this point, the electrical currents flashing across his body intensified continuously: "During the battle that brought down Iwagakure Village, Onoki kept muttering a specific name before his death.
Coupling that with Uchiha Kaede joining forces with Sunagakure without any prior signs, it gave rise to a certain thought in my mind."
A thought?
At this moment, the Fourth Raikage shrouded his entire perimeter with electrical currents, utilizing the specialized Lightning Style Armor that enhanced both density and speed while fully activating the body's cells!
Lightning Style Chakra Mode!
Lauded as the pinnacle of Lightning Style, by concentrating Lightning Style chakra across the entire body, the user cloaked themselves in chakra and lightning.
This activated the physical body, enabled the use of Lightning Teleportation, and massively bolstered defensive capabilities. Simultaneously, the lightning bursting within the body could accelerate nervous system transmission speeds.
With a heavy punch incoming, Hagoromo Masato simultaneously unleashed the exact same Lightning Style Chakra Mode around his form, electrical currents coiling about his perimeter as he traded a punch head-on with the Fourth Raikage!
"So, Lord Raikage, you suspect me based purely on such groundless deductions?"
The Raikage let out a fierce roar: "Your origins are far too suspicious! Furthermore, the very first location where you surfaced back then was Kirigakure Village.
If we integrate that with Jiraiya's deduction, then it is highly probable that you are a specialized clone constructed by the Kazekage!"
The light of the blast flashed across the entire summit. While the golden light on Hagoromo Masato's body gleamed, a specialized sealing barrier formation suddenly manifested below. Masato's brows knit together; it seemed this sealing barrier did not structurally resemble a creation of Kumogakure Village.
Shedding his usual disguise, Hagoromo Masato held his staff, unique golden text characters and runes surfacing on his forehead: "Raikage, I never expected that beneath your rugged exterior, your mind would be more meticulous than anyone else's."
Confronted by the chakra continuously erupting from Masato's body, the Fourth Raikage laughed wildly: "By now, the entirety of Kumogakure Village has already secretly relocated, retreating into the deeper territories of the Land of Lightning!
That giant cannon of yours up in the sky will probably blast nothing but an empty village!"
Accompanying the Raikage's words, countless White Zetsu emerged from one side of the summit. Subsequently, a dim, blood-red shadow slowly entered the battlefield, an aura specialized to Ryuchi Cave's Sage Transformation releasing from its form.
The dark, double-sided freak caused Hagoromo Masato to grow increasingly vigilant.
Yakushi Kabuto?No, this isn't Yakushi Kabuto!
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