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Manji stood still in the middle of the battlefield, his eyes locked on the Eight-Clan Alliance. He didn't move or threaten them, but the air felt cold and silent under his stare.
The eight clan leaders stood at the front of their army, their faces pale.
"We're finished... We're completely finished..."
Only now did they realize how badly they had miscalculated. They had challenged an existence no mortal should ever have challenged.
But none of them had become leaders by being kind or hesitant. Each was a ruthless warlord who had fought for his place during the Warring States Era. Now that things had gone this far, they knew giving up would only mean death.
Their only option was to fight with everything they had and hope there was still a slim chance to survive.
The pressure on the battlefield felt as heavy as a mountain. Shinobi across the alliance shook all over. Their knees buckled, their teeth chattered, and their weapons trembled so much that some could barely hold on.
Many found it hard to breathe under the force coming from Manji.
"Damn it!" The Shimura clan leader suddenly roared. He drew a kunai from his waist and drove it into his own thigh without hesitation.
The blade cut deep into his leg. Pain shot through him, and sweat covered his forehead, but the shock helped him focus. He pulled the kunai out, tossed it away, and turned to the panicked army, shouting with all his strength.
"STOP COWERING! WE HAVE THE ADVANTAGE IN NUMBERS, AND HE STANDS ALONE! NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL THE SAGE OF SIX PATHS MAY BE, HE CANNOT SLAUGHTER EVERY MEMBER OF EIGHT GREAT CLANS BEFORE EXHAUSTING HIS CHAKRA!"
The Shimura leader swept his arm across the vast formation behind him.
"I want to see how he plans to fight an army that rules this land!"
His desperate words broke the silence. The other clan leaders snapped out of their daze, and some of their despair faded.
He was right. They were not alone.
Behind them was the combined strength of eight of the shinobi world's top clans. No matter how strong their enemy was, they couldn't just give up and wait to die.
They had all lived through the Warring States Era. None of them were weak.
Even a trapped animal will fight back.
"That's right!" the Uzumaki clan leader shouted, clenching his fist. "Why should eight great clans fear one man? Half of the shinobi world's greatest fighters are gathered here. Even if his strength surpasses our understanding, we still have the right to fight for our lives!"
His words brought back some of the alliance's courage. The shinobi who had been shaking now gripped their weapons tighter. They were still afraid, but now desperation and fierceness showed in their eyes too.
No one who survived these times was innocent. Many of these shinobi had killed dozens or even hundreds during the endless clan wars.
At the front, Uchiha Gen and Senju Shima looked at each other. Doubt showed in their eyes, but then turned into determination.
Regret wouldn't help them now. If they ran, they would die. Fighting was their only chance, even if it was slim. No matter how hopeless it seemed, they had to risk everything.
As soon as they decided to fight, the powers of Indra and Asura inside them started to stir.
Suddenly, both powers left their bodies and rose into the sky, searching for their next hosts.
Gen and Shima suddenly felt empty. Their chakra slowed down, as if something important was gone, but they didn't know why.
They didn't realize that even fate had left them.
..............
Battle was about to erupt.
Manji gripped the Six Paths Sword tighter. More Truth-Seeking Balls appeared behind him, one after another, as if he was about to unleash an attack that could wipe out the whole battlefield.
The Sarutobi clan leader gritted his teeth, bit his thumb, and slammed his palm against the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Enma!"
A burst of smoke appeared, and Enma stood there, clearly drunk.
The Monkey King had just left Manji's birthday party. His face was still red from drinking, and he swayed as he looked around.
"Lord Enma, I need your help. Our opponent is... somewhat powerful," the Sarutobi leader said through clenched teeth.
"Hey, Sarutobi brat. Looks like you've gotten yourself into trouble again. Let me see what kind of monster you picked a fight with this time..."
Enma looked at the battlefield, still acting indifferent and drunk.
His words stopped the instant he saw Manji.
"WHAT??" Enma's eyes went wide. Every hair on his body stood up, and the shock made him sober up instantly.
The Sarutobi leader mistook his reaction for fear of the opponent's strength and barked, "I know he's powerful, but this is an order! Let's go, Enma! Transform into the Adamantine Staff!"
Before he could finish, Enma drove a foot into his chest and sent him tumbling across the ground.
"HELL NO!"
"You've lost your mind! I'm Enma, not the White Ape King! Ask your ancestor Sarutobi whether he would ever point me at that man!"
The dazed Sarutobi leader pushed himself upright and shouted, "Enma, you're dismissed! I'm terminating our contract! Besides, the founder of the Sarutobi Clan died centuries ago. How am I supposed to ask him anything?"
Enma's expression stiffened.
"Don't worry. You'll be meeting him soon."
He folded his arms and added, "Also, I terminated our contract before you did."
Enma then turned toward Manji and bowed with complete respect.
"Grand Sage, would you prefer me to help restrain these traitors?"
Manji pointed toward the distance. "Go home. This matter does not concern you."
"Yes, Grand Sage!"
Relief showed on Enma's face. He disappeared in a puff of smoke before anyone could say anything else.
The Sarutobi clan leader stared at the spot where his summon had been, his face going pale.
"You're leaving? What are we supposed to do??"
On the other side of the formation, the Akimichi clan leader pulled out a red pill and prepared to swallow it.
"Damn it. Let me take a couple of soldier pills and blow this guy apart!"
The Nara clan leader reacted before the pill reached his mouth and seized his wrist.
"Something is wrong. Don't move yet. When I give the signal, we're getting out of here."
As the alliance's strategist, he understood what Enma's reaction meant. Instead of letting the Akimichi leader rush in, he started looking for a way out.
Before he could act, the Uzumaki clan leader strode to the front.
"Don't be afraid, everyone! I have the Reaper Death Seal. Against anyone but a sage, I can't be beaten. Even against a sage, I can trade my life for his!"
His words made the alliance feel relieved.
"That's right! I nearly forgot the Uzumaki Clan still had that trump card!"
"With you here, we have nothing to fear!"
"Lord Uzumaki, for the sake of the eight clans, charge!" The shinobi around him cheered, hoping he would go instead of them.
The Uzumaki leader stood firm, ready to take Manji down with him. He made the hand signs and used his clan's forbidden technique.
"Reaper Death Seal!"
An enormous phantom figure appeared behind him.
A cold presence swept over the battlefield as the Shinigami appeared in its most terrifying form, holding a blade in its teeth and its pale robes floating in the air. It got ready to strike its target with the same unstoppable power it had used before.
Then it saw Manji.
"..." The Shinigami's eyes went wide. Its whole body jumped in shock.
Of all the people it could have faced, it had taken a contract against its own creator.
This was bad.
It should never have taken this job.
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