Kamishiro Hagoromo had had the word respect ingrained in his mind. Having lived two lifetimes, at this moment, he was thoroughly and utterly respectful.
From charging single-handedly into the enemy formation until now, the Third Raikage hadn't uttered a single sound. It was just pure, unadulterated slaughter, slaughter, slaughter. This was a true machine of war.
Looking at how he utilized his Lightning Style, it was completely different from Hagoromo's own method, yet it reached another kind of zenith—a zenith that Hagoromo himself could not achieve.
It held immense reference value... though, of course, only reference value. Hagoromo probably couldn't replicate the Raikage's approach; it likely had something to do with the unique constitution of his body.
The scale of the war wasn't the 15,000 men Hagoromo had estimated, but rather 10,001.
One against ten thousand, and he was actually fighting them to a standstill. This completely exceeded Hagoromo's imagination, and he finally realized that he had still underestimated ninjas.
The so-called ninja truly possessed so many possibilities.
The Hidden Stone army had been engaging the Raikage for a full day and night. While there was no precise count, the number of Stone ninjas who had fallen at the Third Raikage's hands had already surpassed four digits.
Despite constantly drawing concentrated fire, the damage the Hidden Stone managed to inflict on the Raikage was practically microscopic.
Furthermore, judging by the intensity of the Raikage's Lightning Style, he was still brimming with energy, showing not a single sign of weakening.
In Hagoromo's mind, the Hidden Stone forces were being way too hardheaded right now. No matter how strong the enemy was, there was still only one of him.
This was the exact time to divide their forces—leave a detachment to continue gang-beating the Raikage, and have the rest of the army push straight for the Hidden Cloud. Don't forget what the actual objective of this operation was!
Regardless, ten thousand men being stalled by a single person was just too unbelievable.
...This was just Hagoromo projecting his own assumptions. He likely didn't understand what slaying the Raikage on the spot meant to the famously aggressive ninjas of the Hidden Stone.
Moreover, even if they split their forces, how would they divide them? If they left too few behind, they might not be able to trap the Third Raikage. But if they sent too few to attack the Hidden Cloud, given the Cloud's defensive systems, they would essentially be marching to their deaths, needlessly inflating their own casualties.
Therefore, the Hidden Stone's battlefield commander made the call: no matter what, they had to eliminate the Raikage first.
The Hidden Stone ninjas did not fear sacrifice. No matter the cost, the Third Raikage had to die first.
Because of this, the formation of the Stone ninjas had undergone a complete restructuring. They were arrayed like the Eight Trigrams Formation, sealing the Third Raikage tightly in the center.
The Raikage was trapped in the epicenter. The only one there who could barely exchange a couple of blows with him was Kitsuchi, whom Hagoromo had noticed earlier.
Of course, a large part of why the Raikage was acting so unstoppable was due to elemental advantages. The Hidden Stone fielded an army of Earth Style users, and many of them practically instantly yielded the moment they encountered Lightning Style.
Setting aside exactly how long the Raikage could hold out, against an organized formation like the Hidden Stone's, the Raikage's fate was ultimately sealed. But the sheer courage to face an army of 10,000 enemies head-on... he was a true badass.
Forget calling it unfair, The Third Raikage clearly intended to solo ten thousand.
Perhaps when he chose to step forward alone to halt the enemy army, he already possessed the calm resolve to face his own death?
Hagoromo had no time to study the subtle psychological shifts of a true badass. No matter how much he respected the Raikage, the man was still the enemy, and still his mission target.
So, he had to do what needed to be done.
"It's about time..."
Hagoromo took a deep breath. He knew it was time for him to make his move.
He couldn't let the Hidden Stone waste any more time on the Raikage. If his assessment wasn't wrong, during the time the Raikage bought by personally stalling the enemy, the Hidden Cloud should have rapidly adjusted their forces and established a defensive counterattack system.
Therefore, the more time wasted, the more disadvantageous it was for the Hidden Stone.
After a day and a night, the Cloud's preparations were likely more than enough to drag the Stone's invasion into a brutal quagmire... Both sides suffering heavy casualties was the absolute most favorable outcome for Konoha.
And right now, the Raikage had already inflicted bone-deep damage on the Stone army.
Somewhat roughly shoving aside the ninjas in front of him, Hagoromo began to push his way forward.
Step by step, he closed in on the center of the battlefield, closing in on the Third Raikage.
There were always ninjas around who recognized Yoshida, so seeing Yoshida actually moving forward left them completely dumbfounded.
It was one thing that this guy hadn't pissed his pants and run in the opposite direction, but was he actually walking toward the center of the battlefield?
Were their eyes broken, or was Yoshida's brain broken, having finally chosen to throw his life away?
Even Jonin were being poked to death by a single finger from the Raikage, let alone a scrub like Yoshida!
Although Hagoromo hadn't dispelled the Transformation Jutsu yet, he was no longer deliberately controlling his facial expressions. As a result, his face was entirely solemn, utterly devoid of its usual cowering timidity.
In the midst of this chaotic battlefield, he was no longer afraid of being exposed, and frankly, he couldn't be exposed even if he tried.
The further forward he went, the higher the combat caliber of the ninjas around him became. Amidst the chaos, Hagoromo silently released his Transformation Jutsu, entirely unnoticed by anyone.
He was still wearing the standard Hidden Stone uniform, with that white mask secured over his face, but naturally, he didn't have the iron gourd on his back—that would have been far too conspicuous.
By now, Hagoromo had reached the innermost ring of the encirclement. There was one ninja standing directly in front of him, and beyond that was an empty, ring-shaped kill zone.
And beyond that was the Raikage.
The Raikage was right before his eyes.
The ninja in front of him was hyper-vigilant, ready to charge forward at any given moment.
Hagoromo tapped the ninja on the shoulder, completely blatantly.
He spoke directly and rapidly:
"I'm with the Anbu. I have a forbidden jutsu I want to test to see if it can break the Raikage's defense. Please hold your position for a moment and cover me."
"..."
"Understood!"
"Good. When I give the signal, dodge to the right!"
Yes, the man agreed without a single shred of suspicion.
Because right now, Hagoromo was "one of them," and his body was already flaring with Lightning Style. That aura of pure destruction was more than enough to convey the sheer power of the incoming ninjutsu!
Maybe it really could shatter the Raikage's defense.
In truth, the Third Raikage was basically a massive target dummy; it was just that no one possessed the firepower to crack his armor. If Onoki were here, the Raikage definitely wouldn't seem so invincible. Even he couldn't just tank a shot from the Particle Style.
At this moment, he was being actively swarmed by over twenty Hidden Stone ninjas. As for the lightning flaring up thirty meters away, he saw it, but didn't pay it much mind.
First, at this distance, it was incredibly difficult for a Lightning Style ninjutsu to maintain its full power.
Second, he possessed absolute confidence in his own defense.
Hagoromo held the charge, waiting until he had a dead-center lock on the Raikage's silhouette.
And then...
Bang!
The kind-hearted Hidden Stone ninja standing in front of him burst into a mist of blood and gore like a smashed watermelon!
Hagoromo lied. He didn't give any signal whatsoever.
The blood mist obscured everyone's vision, making Hagoromo's figure behind it indistinct. But tearing straight through that crimson fog, a blinding orange beam of light instantly pierced through the Raikage's left chest... and the heart housed within.
The Super Electromagnetic Cannon actually punched straight through his body, failing to trigger an explosive effect.
Could a human body actually reach such a terrifying level of durability?
Immediately, the Raikage's combat movements ground to a halt, although the Lightning Style Chakra Mode cloaking his body was still active.
Bang!
A Hidden Stone ninja standing directly behind the Raikage also exploded.
A shower of blood rained down over the center of the battlefield.
Arcs of electricity sparked and danced across Hagoromo's extended arm.
Although it looked like a single beam of light, because he couldn't accurately gauge the Raikage's defensive threshold, he had fired a three-round burst of the Super Electromagnetic Cannon just to be absolutely certain.
All three shots struck the exact same coordinate.
This was an attack that no physical body, no matter how powerful, could ever defend against.
The battlefield fell into an absolute, deathly silence.
Hagoromo's white hair was stained red with blood. He slowly began to walk forward.
The Hidden Stone ninjas didn't make a single move.
Somehow, the Third Raikage still wasn't dead.
He slowly turned around to face the direction Hagoromo was approaching from. Blood poured from a thumb-sized hole in his chest, the edges of the wound charred black.
Then, he too took a step toward Hagoromo.
"Watch out!"
A Hidden Stone ninja actually called out to warn Hagoromo.
The Raikage walked right up to Hagoromo, raising a fist to strike.
But Hagoromo didn't even attempt to dodge.
The wind from the punch blasted his hair back, but the fist ground to a halt less than five centimeters from his face.
The Lightning Style cloaking the Raikage flickered, and then completely died out.
Hagoromo reached out, produced a scroll, and smoothly sealed the Raikage's corpse right under the noses of the entire Hidden Stone army.
When he tucked the scroll away, the Hidden Stone ninjas were still frozen in a state of utter shock.
Including Kitsuchi.
Total silence.
Just now... what the hell had just happened?
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