On Konoha's forward battlefield, Natsuhiko and the others, including Nara Shikaku, had long since finished gathering their forces.
Two days had passed in the blink of an eye. As the atmosphere of war grew heavier and heavier, every Konoha ninja remained on high alert.
It had taken them only a day and a half to complete all transfers and deployments.
Everyone understood one thing clearly—they could not retreat any farther.
Beyond this line lay the Land of Fire itself.
For that reason, the shinobi of Konoha felt their responsibility more deeply than ever before. Perhaps the newspaper propaganda had truly done its job too well, because this time, every single person here believed they were fighting to protect their homeland.
Combined with Natsuhiko's previous two victories, morale throughout Konoha had reached an unprecedented peak. Whether mentally or physically, the shinobi were in excellent condition.
Konoha's fighting spirit was at its peak.
"Commander Natsuhiko." Hyuga Hiashi stood beside him, his Byakugan activated as he constantly observed every movement in the distance.
During this period, he had been leading the Hyuga clan in reconnaissance missions. The task Natsuhiko had given him was simple—maintain safety at all times while continuously monitoring Kumogakure's movements.
Although Hiashi still harbored certain doubts regarding some of Natsuhiko's actions, one undeniable fact remained: this deployment had ultimately benefited the Hyuga clan.
Because of that, no matter how suspicious he felt inside, he never voiced those thoughts aloud.
"Hiashi-sama, what's the situation?" Natsuhiko asked as he turned toward him.
"Kumo has completely finished assembling their forces," Hiashi replied in a low voice, his expression grave. "I can already see the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki."
His tone became even heavier as he continued.
"It probably won't be long before they launch their assault. Commander Natsuhiko, we need to prepare ourselves."
The sight of Kumo's full military formation placed tremendous pressure on Hiashi. And not just him—every Konoha ninja present likely felt the same suffocating tension.
Hiashi's report caused everyone accompanying Natsuhiko—Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and the various clan heads—to instinctively turn their eyes toward him.
Especially Shikaku.
More than anyone else, he wanted to know exactly how Natsuhiko intended to deal with the enemy before them.
Under Shikaku's strategic arrangements and Konoha's remarkably efficient execution, all of Natsuhiko's preliminary battle preparations had already been completed.
And now came the most dangerous moment.
Every decision Natsuhiko made from this point onward would determine the direction of Konoha's war against Kumogakure.
To say they felt no pressure would have been impossible.
Naturally, Natsuhiko could sense their unease, and he understood it perfectly well. After all, he had never once explained his true plan to them.
But at this point, there was no longer any need for explanations.
No amount of words could compare to personally showing them the answer.
At that thought, Natsuhiko slowly closed his eyes.
Then, when he opened them again, brilliant blue light bloomed within his pupils.
At the same time, his chakra began to tremble faintly.
Unlike before, this time Natsuhiko was using the chakra of the Jogan.
In an instant, Shikaku and the others felt an indescribable suffocating pressure crash over them. Every one of them stared at Natsuhiko in disbelief, their eyes fixed upon those radiant blue eyes.
Among the people present, only Hiashi and Shikaku had ever observed those eyes up close before. The others may have heard rumors, but they had never personally witnessed them like this.
And now, the chakra emanating from Natsuhiko was completely different from any power he had displayed in the past.
This power was far more terrifying.
Far more oppressive.
It inspired instinctive fear.
"Shikaku-sama," Natsuhiko said with a faint smile as he looked at the crowd with their varying expressions, "do you still remember what I told you before?"
"Remember it well. And whatever you do, don't forget."
His smile deepened slightly.
"Because what comes next is going to be very dangerous."
After saying that, Natsuhiko ignored everyone's reactions. With a light step, he leapt out of the trench.
His gaze locked onto the distant battlefield while chakra surged wildly through his body.
He had restrained himself for so long.
Finally…
He could move properly for once.
...
"What is this chakra…?"
Inside Kumogakure's frontline command center, cold sweat suddenly began pouring down the face of an elite sensory ninja.
Just moments earlier, he had sensed an enormous chakra emerging from Konoha's position—a chakra signature that felt both familiar and terrifyingly unfamiliar at the same time.
His expression changed drastically as he shouted at once,
"Lord Raikage, something's wrong! A massive unknown chakra has appeared on Konoha's side, and this chakra feels like—"
He forced himself to recall the details as quickly as possible. After struggling for several seconds, he finally seemed to remember something, and the color instantly drained from his face.
"Th-That's Senju Natsuhiko's chakra!"
"What?"
The Fourth Raikage, seated at the center of the command room, immediately frowned.
Just a moment ago, even he had felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
But he found it hard to believe that such power could actually belong to Senju Natsuhiko.
After all, he had fought Natsuhiko personally before. He understood very clearly how strong that man was.
But the pressure he had just felt…
How could that possibly have come from Natsuhiko?
Still, the Raikage trusted this sensory ninja greatly, which left him momentarily uncertain.
"I can confirm it, Lord Raikage," the sensory ninja said with difficulty, sweat continuing to drip down his forehead.
"Since you fought Senju Natsuhiko before, we recorded his chakra signature long ago.
"Although his chakra has always been strange and constantly changing, somewhat similar to your Lightning Release Chakra Mode…
"A person's fundamental chakra nature can never truly be altered. So I memorized his original chakra signature.
"Even though his chakra has transformed once again, I can still identify the source beneath it.
"So I'm certain—it's him!"
Beside the Raikage, Dodai's eyes flickered slightly after hearing those words.
He was equally confused.
What exactly was Senju Natsuhiko trying to do?
For some reason, an ominous feeling began creeping into his heart, as though an unseen conspiracy was quietly wrapping itself around him.
But there was no time to think further.
The sensory ninja suddenly stood up and pointed forward, his entire body trembling as he spoke.
"He's coming… that person is coming…"
The moment they heard that, the Fourth Raikage and the others immediately rushed out of the command center.
Very quickly, they found Killer B standing within the trenches.
At that moment, however, Killer B looked unusually solemn. He had completely stopped his terrible rapping, and for once, he was frighteningly quiet.
He, too, had sensed that horrifying power rippling through the battlefield.
Not only him—even the Eight-Tails inside his body seemed disturbed by it.
Following Killer B's gaze, they saw a lone figure slowly walking toward Kumogakure's army.
Natsuhiko advanced toward Kumo's position alone.
His pace was slow and unhurried, but with every single step he took forward, the aura surrounding him grew stronger.
At that moment, he suddenly felt as though he had become Uchiha Madara himself.
Through the vision of his Jogan, he could clearly see the reactions of the Kumo shinobi in the distance. Their faces were filled with confusion, vigilance… and an invisible fear they themselves hadn't fully realized yet.
And as he continued walking forward, Natsuhiko found himself gradually understanding Madara's actions back when he faced the Allied Shinobi Forces.
"Ultimately, it was basically just using taijutsu combat as a warm-up while getting familiar with the upper limits of the Edo Tensei body."
"And at the same time, crushing the enemy's psychological defenses to make the battle itself more efficient."
Natsuhiko mused silently. He felt he could take a page from Madara's playbook.
Though he didn't possess the Sharingan's exceptional dynamic vision, nor Madara's immortal Edo Tensei body and limitless chakra reserves, his Jogan combined with the Flying Thunder God technique would make it very difficult for Kumo to land a hit on him.
And on top of that, his own regenerative abilities and chakra recovery were more than enough to support this kind of battle.
Most importantly, a proper warm-up before battle would allow him to unleash his power more completely and with greater control.
Since Natsuhiko had already decided to release his full strength, then naturally, he intended to fight in the way that felt most comfortable and natural to him.
...
"The hell is that guy thinking?" The Fourth Raikage stared at Natsuhiko's distant figure as he slowly approached across the plain. Gritting his teeth, he spoke in a low voice. "Is he planning to face all of us by himself? What an arrogant madman."
"Big Brother, something's wrong with his chakra," Killer B muttered, his brows tightly furrowed. "Gyuki says the power feels strange. Familiar somehow… but he can't remember where he's sensed it before."
"Now isn't the time to discuss his chakra," Dodai interrupted immediately. "Lord Raikage, he's alone. The sensory unit hasn't detected anyone else approaching with him. This is an opportunity!"
"An opportunity…" The Fourth Raikage inhaled deeply, and a fierce light gradually emerged in his eyes.
Violent chakra instantly surged through his body.
Yet before he could even issue an order, Natsuhiko suddenly accelerated.
The man who had been casually walking moments ago broke into a light run. Upon the endless plains, his figure rapidly became clearer and clearer in the eyes of the Kumogakure shinobi.
At that moment, although Natsuhiko stood alone, his presence felt like an entire army charging forward.
In fact, he was suppressing the momentum of Kumo's massive military force all by himself.
Buzz!
Suddenly, brilliant blue chakra erupted around Natsuhiko's body.
The instant that chakra appeared, every Kumo ninja present felt an inexplicable chill crawl through their hearts.
Almost instinctively, they tightened their grip around their kunai.
Some had already begun sweating uncontrollably.
Natsuhiko's presence was simply too terrifying.
The pressure crushing down upon the Kumo forces had already reached an unimaginable level, because at this moment, Natsuhiko had fully activated his Jogan Chakra Mode.
That destructive power completely enveloped his body, making him appear unreal and almost dreamlike beneath the shimmering blue radiance.
At the same time, his aura surged to another level entirely.
Like an Asura descending upon the battlefield, he looked ready to harvest countless lives.
It was almost absurd.
Thousands of Kumo shinobi stood together in formation, yet not one of them felt even the slightest sense of security.
Natsuhiko's speed continued increasing.
And as he drew closer and closer, even the Fourth Raikage and the others found themselves affected by his overwhelming presence.
For a brief moment, they completely forgot to issue commands.
And during that split second of hesitation, Natsuhiko had already nearly reached their frontline position.
"AAAAAH!"
Perhaps the oppressive pressure had become too unbearable, because finally, one of the Kumo shinobi let out a hysterical roar from within the army ranks.
That single outburst instantly ignited the entire battlefield.
The massive Kumo force exploded into motion.
Countless shinobi roared furiously as they charged forward in unison, no longer waiting for the Raikage's orders as they surged toward Natsuhiko like a raging tide.
From above, the battlefield looked like a vast black flood swallowing the plains whole.
The difference in numbers between the two sides was so overwhelming it was almost laughable.
"Lord Raikage…"
Dodai, possessing a high-caliber mental fortitude, was the first to shake off the paralyzing effect of Natsuhiko's aura as the collective roar of his men shattered the silence.
But as he took in the scene before him, a profound, freezing dread caused the hairs on his arms to stand on end.
The sense of a hidden trap grew so thick it felt like physical smoke in his lungs. Worst of all, the army had completely broken tactical discipline; the entire main force was now entirely out of operational control.
They had thrown themselves into the open without checking their flanks or waiting for heavy support. Even though Dodai understood that this was an instinctual psychological reaction to an apex predator, the tactical implications were horrific.
"Prepare to move out." The Fourth Raikage finally regained his composure as well.
Truthfully, even he had been shaken by Natsuhiko's aura moments earlier.
But after calming down, his expression became even uglier than before.
As memories of his battle against Natsuhiko half a month ago resurfaced in his mind, he suddenly felt as though he had been deceived.
He didn't know what Natsuhiko's true objective was.
But deep down, he could already sense it—
This time, they were in serious trouble.
Unfortunately, the arrow had already left the bowstring.
And now that the entire Kumo army had already charged out…
What else could he possibly do?
Although his heart was filled with unease, the Fourth Raikage had no choice but to push forward.
...
Meanwhile, on Konoha's side, the moment Natsuhiko charged out alone, a wave of unrest spread through the army ranks.
He was their supreme commander. No one understood what exactly he intended to do, but at the same time, none of them wanted anything to happen to him.
Fortunately, before the situation could spiral further, Nara Shikaku quickly issued an order, strictly commanding everyone not to act recklessly. Only then was the restless army barely restrained.
"Commander Shikaku, Commander Natsuhiko is…" Hyuga Hiashi asked anxiously while staring at Natsuhiko through his Byakugan.
"I don't know either." Shikaku let out a long sigh.
He truly didn't know what Natsuhiko was trying to accomplish.
Or rather…
He already had a vague idea.
But every rational instinct in his mind told him that such a thing should have been impossible.
No matter how he looked at it, it was simply too insane.
Leaning forward slightly, Shikaku picked up a pair of binoculars. In truth, nearly every Konoha ninja at the frontline was already doing the same, all of them staring toward Natsuhiko's direction, eager to see what he planned to do.
But the instant Shikaku focused his gaze upon the battlefield, his expression suddenly changed.
...
"So they've all moved out already…"
Watching the massive Kumo army suddenly surge toward him, Natsuhiko was slightly surprised, but far more pleased than anything else.
Their decision to charge directly at him saved him quite a bit of trouble.
Naturally, Natsuhiko had no idea that his overwhelming presence had already crushed the psychological defenses of the Kumo shinobi.
As he looked at the enormous wave of enemy ninja rushing toward him from every direction, his expression remained incomparably calm.
In the shinobi world, numbers often determined the outcome of battle.
But there were always exceptions.
Just like what had happened in Kirigakure before.
And just like what was happening now.
Boom!
Moments later, Natsuhiko collided head-on with the Kumo forces.
And in that instant, screams erupted throughout the battlefield one after another.
Natsuhiko was like a ferocious tiger crashing into a flock of sheep. The moment the clash began, countless shinobi were already being sent flying high into the air.
Within the crowd, Natsuhiko moved like a blue phantom.
His figure was agile, elusive, impossible to follow.
One moment, he was striking down enemies in one location.
The next instant, before the afterimage of his previous movement had even disappeared completely, he had already appeared somewhere else, launching another fatal assault.
And every movement he made looked effortless.
Any shinobi who came into even slight contact with him was instantly blasted away.
There was nothing artistic or beautiful about the way Natsuhiko fought.
What made it terrifying was its overwhelming efficiency.
Every motion was simple, clean, natural, and refined to the absolute extreme.
The suffocating pressure that style created was far more horrifying than flashy techniques ever could be.
With a single punch, a Kumo ninja was launched backward violently, the terrifying force behind the strike crushing more than a dozen comrades standing behind him beneath his body.
Natsuhiko's chakra shifted slightly.
Instantly, his body vanished from where he stood.
At that very moment, a cold blade flashed through the air, cutting straight through the spot he had occupied just an instant earlier.
The ninja sword struck nothing but empty space.
Then, almost simultaneously, Natsuhiko appeared at the attacker's flank.
His right hand seized the Kumo shinobi who had attacked him, while his left hand grabbed the arm of another ninja rushing in with a kunai.
With only a slight exertion of force from both hands, the two men immediately lost control of their bodies, their arms forcibly dragged toward each other.
Shlick!
The sound of metal tearing through flesh rang out clearly.
At the same moment, both men felt a sharp pain explode in their chests.
But neither of them could even understand what had happened.
Then, before their minds could process it, another wave of agonizing pain erupted from their bodies.
In the final moments before losing consciousness, they felt themselves being hurled backward through the air.
Blood poured uncontrollably from their mouths. And the bones in their chests had already completely caved in.
The radiant blue glow within Natsuhiko's Jogan flickered faintly.
In the next instant, his figure vanished once more.
Whoosh—
Almost the moment he disappeared, another ninja blade came crashing down toward his previous position.
But before the attacking shinobi could even react, a sudden chill swept across his neck.
His body stiffened.
Then he collapsed limply onto the ground.
At the same time, Natsuhiko casually seized the fallen man's ninja sword.
In an instant, the blade became coated in Natsuhiko's terrifying chakra.
And at that very moment, he activated Sage Mode chakra as well.
Although the protection and enhancement granted by the Jogan Chakra Mode were already more than sufficient—especially when combined with the Jogan's perception and his sensory abilities—there was no reason not to make himself even safer and stronger.
In a flash, Natsuhiko's power rose to the same level he had displayed when fighting Pain before.
Without hesitation, he rushed directly into the crowd.
The ninja blade in his hand swept mercilessly toward the Kumo shinobi around him.
Moving freely through an army of thousands, Natsuhiko appeared incomparably relaxed.
No matter where an attack came from, no matter the angle, his Jogan perceived everything with absolute clarity.
And under the enhancement of the Jogan Chakra Mode, his offensive power had risen tremendously as well.
Any enemy within his attack range required only a single strike.
No fancy techniques were necessary.
One slash was enough to kill.
Within just a few minutes, countless Kumo shinobi had already fallen beneath his hands.
Combined with his overwhelming speed and the utterly unpredictable Flying Thunder God Technique, Kumogakure's forces found themselves completely unable to lock onto him with long-range ninjutsu.
...
Back at Konoha's frontline, every shinobi watching the battlefield had already gone completely speechless.
Even though they couldn't clearly follow Natsuhiko's movements—or even properly capture his figure at all—they could still see the corpses of Kumo ninja piling across the battlefield.
And amidst the chaos, they could vaguely perceive that flickering blue phantom constantly flashing through the enemy ranks.
What Natsuhiko was displaying at this very moment had utterly surpassed their imagination.
They had known he was powerful.
But none of them had ever imagined he could be this powerful.
At this point…
Could he even still be considered human?
Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, Hyuga Hiashi, Aburame Shibi, and the other clan heads who had come alongside Natsuhiko were equally stunned.
"So this was Commander Natsuhiko's plan…"
After a long silence, Shikaku finally muttered bitterly to himself.
All this time, he had constantly tried to figure out what Natsuhiko's strategy truly was.
He had even considered the possibility that Natsuhiko intended to personally crush the enemy alone.
But when Natsuhiko actually began doing exactly that, Shikaku realized he still couldn't remain calm.
He didn't know whether his shock came from the sheer simplicity of Natsuhiko's plan…
Or because the strength Natsuhiko was displaying had completely exceeded the limits of his imagination.
Perhaps it was both.
Still, one thing Shikaku understood very clearly—
He was going to have a lot of work to deal with afterward.
If Natsuhiko truly annihilated all of Kumogakure's forces by himself, then Shikaku would need to carefully figure out how to explain everything that had happened up until now.
After all, Konoha had already suffered considerable casualties during this war.
Giving the village and its shinobi a reasonable explanation would be absolutely necessary.
At that moment, Shikaku suddenly felt that once Natsuhiko became Hokage…
He himself would probably end up holding far more authority than he wanted.
Even if it was forced upon him.
...
"That damned monster!"
Watching Natsuhiko rampage freely through Kumo's massive army as though he had entered an empty field, the fury within the Fourth Raikage and Killer B finally reached its peak.
If not for the fact that Natsuhiko's speed was simply too absurd to track—and because they had initially wanted to observe the extent of his abilities—they would have charged into battle long ago.
However, after observing for so long, the two brothers realized in disbelief that they still hadn't figured out anything at all.
From beginning to end, Natsuhiko had only been using taijutsu and the Flying Thunder God Technique.
And yet, just those two abilities alone had already inflicted catastrophic damage upon Kumogakure's army.
If they allowed him to continue attacking unchecked, the morale of the entire Kumo force would collapse completely!
"Stop!"
The Fourth Raikage roared furiously before charging directly into the battlefield, searching for Natsuhiko's figure among the chaos.
At the same time, crimson chakra erupted around Killer B's body. Silently drawing his ninja blades, he followed after his brother at high speed and rushed into the crowd as well.
But what they hadn't expected was that Natsuhiko's figure suddenly flickered lightly.
In the next instant, he had already withdrawn from the center of Kumo's army.
He stood calmly atop a field littered with the corpses of countless Kumo shinobi.
A cold breeze swept across the battlefield as the thick scent of blood spread continuously throughout the endless plains.
"Warm-up's about done." Natsuhiko spoke indifferently as he gazed at the distant Kumo forces.
Soon, his eyes briefly settled upon the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
But after only a glance, he completely lost interest.
At this point, Natsuhiko simply no longer cared who his opponent was.
Strictly speaking, unless Onoki descended from the sky himself…
Or the legendary monsters buried beneath the earth were revived at the peak of their Edo Tensei states…
Or perhaps that wandering ghost who had founded the entire shinobi system—the Sage of Six Paths himself—crawled out from underground…
Then no one in the current shinobi world could stop him.
At least, for now, no one could.
Natsuhiko didn't know how long this state of overwhelming strength would last. However, he was certain that eventually, someone would begin searching for ways to counter him.
For example, Black Zetsu.
That creature understood the secrets of the Otsutsuki's power better than almost anyone else. He knew exactly how to cultivate a true monster.
In the future, Natsuhiko would probably have no shortage of enemies created through those methods.
Fortunately, Black Zetsu himself possessed almost no direct combat strength.
Otherwise, he would truly have been the greatest threat of all.
With that thought, Natsuhiko slowly withdrew his gaze.
He raised one hand before him, and the chakra within his body instantly began surging violently.
"Die!"
But to Natsuhiko's surprise, before he could fully gather his chakra, the Fourth Raikage and Killer B had already arrived before him like bolts of lightning.
Their speed forced him to interrupt his chakra buildup midway.
Natsuhiko couldn't help letting out a faint sigh.
He had finally wanted to imitate Uchiha Madara properly and unleash something spectacular.
Unfortunately, these two brothers clearly had no intention of giving him the chance.
The Raikage and Killer B moved incredibly fast. During the brief moment Natsuhiko had been distracted by his thoughts, they had already launched their attacks.
Yet in that lightning-fast exchange, their strikes hit nothing but empty ground.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted as the earth beneath them was smashed apart, forming an enormous crater.
But neither of them dared pause even for a second.
The instant their attack landed, the two brothers immediately scattered apart, frantically searching for Natsuhiko's position.
His unpredictable combat style had already worn them down mentally.
The Flying Thunder God Technique was simply too terrifying.
To their surprise, Natsuhiko didn't launch a counterattack. After teleporting away with the Flying Thunder God Technique, he merely stood at a distance, calmly watching them.
"Relax," Natsuhiko said flatly. "I'll come to you. None of you are getting away."
"Don't get cocky!" the Fourth Raikage roared furiously as he fully activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
"The only one who won't get away is you!"
"Is that so?" Natsuhiko tilted his head slightly, then chuckled. "Let's find out."
The moment his words fell, he raised one hand again.
The chakra inside his body surged wildly once more.
BOOM!
The earth began trembling violently, releasing continuous thunderous rumbles.
At the same time, Natsuhiko's body started rising higher and higher.
Beneath his feet, an enormous tree suddenly emerged from the earth.
The giant tree expanded at astonishing speed, growing wildly under the guidance of Natsuhiko's chakra until it finally transformed into a colossal humanoid figure.
The wooden giant possessed the face of a Buddhist guardian statue, yet there was not the slightest trace of mercy or compassion in its appearance.
Its expression was fierce and terrifying, like a wrathful deity descending upon the mortal world.
The sheer size and overwhelming physique of the construct seemed to proclaim its monstrous strength to everyone present.
Even standing motionless, it inspired instinctive fear.
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique."
Natsuhiko stood atop the Wood Human's head with his arms crossed, quietly murmuring the technique's name. This was one of the techniques he had learned during this period.
The Wood Human Technique possessed both overwhelming offense and defense. Even though Natsuhiko wasn't using it at its full potential, the construct already stood over a dozen meters tall.
And he hadn't even combined it with the Wood Dragon Technique.
But for now, this was already more than enough.
Besides, unlike the First Hokage Senju Hashirama, Natsuhiko had no intention of recklessly standing completely exposed atop the giant's shoulders.
For safety, he directly controlled the Wood Human while remaining inside its body.
After all, with the perception of the Jogan, he didn't suffer from the same limitation Hashirama did once hidden inside the construct.
The moment the Kumo shinobi witnessed the appearance of the Wood Human, their bodies instinctively began trembling.
What stood before them had already surpassed the limits of their imagination.
As they stared at the colossal wooden giant, an invisible pressure spread through their hearts.
The fear of death itself seemed to seep into the battlefield around them.
Just what kind of monster was this man?
Terror filled the hearts of the Kumo ninja.
And at this moment, even the Fourth Raikage and Killer B felt immense pressure.
Especially the Raikage.
Now he truly felt as though he had been played like a fool.
Back when he fought Natsuhiko, the man had never displayed anything close to this level of power.
At that time, Natsuhiko had merely seemed somewhat stronger than him and still needed to rely on the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade his attacks.
But now?
Now Natsuhiko was displaying absolute overwhelming superiority.
The realization struck the Raikage mercilessly—
Back then, Natsuhiko hadn't been fighting seriously at all.
He had been toying with him from the very beginning.
And the purpose behind everything suddenly became horrifyingly clear.
Natsuhiko had deliberately lured Kumogakure's forces onto this plain.
His goal…
Was to annihilate the entire Kumo army.
The moment he understood that truth, the Fourth Raikage's face turned deathly pale.
And at that exact moment, Natsuhiko's voice echoed into his ears.
"I told you already…"
"Not a single one of you is getting away."
...
Back at Konoha's position, the atmosphere among the shinobi had long surpassed simple excitement.
Wood Release.
Although they had seen Natsuhiko use it before, none of them had ever witnessed anything on this scale.
A giant over ten meters tall…
And even from several kilometers away, they could still clearly feel the terrifying pressure radiating from it.
How could they possibly not feel exhilarated?
At the same time, many of them were confused as to why Natsuhiko hadn't used this technique from the very beginning.
But very quickly, everyone began inventing their own explanations.
Perhaps he had delayed intentionally to prevent Kumo from fleeing.
Perhaps he had some other strategic objective in mind.
Nara Shikaku himself probably never expected that before his official explanation could even spread, people had already filled in the gaps on their own.
Watching the distant battlefield, Shikaku couldn't help sighing softly.
Wood Release…
This truly was Konoha's greatest pride.
The power capable of pacifying the entire shinobi world.
"Commander Shikaku, should we move quickly to surround the Kumo forces?"
At that moment, Hyuga Hiashi suddenly spoke, his expression filled with excitement.
"If we encircle them now, they won't be able to escape!"
"There's no need for that. They won't run… and they can't afford to."
Shikaku finally snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head with a bitter smile before calmly explaining.
"The moment they retreat, our forces can immediately advance through the Land of Hot Water. At the same time, Iwagakure's forces stationed near the Land of Iron will make their move as well.
"When that happens, both villages will invade the Land of Lightning together.
"So Kumogakure only has one option left now—fight to the death.
"Only by defeating us can they maintain enough deterrence to keep Iwagakure from advancing."
At this point, Shikaku paused briefly.
Then he slowly continued in a low voice.
"Unfortunately…"
"I'm afraid this time…"
"…is the end of Kumogakure."
...
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