As long as one is human, it's impossible to completely give up on one's emotions.
This was especially true for someone with Kamishiro's experiences. He was even less likely to be bound by the rules of ninjas or the ninja world.
Therefore, his thought process was very different from a standard ninja. His actions sometimes seemed entirely whimsical, and honestly, they were. When making certain decisions or choices, his personal preferences heavily influenced his judgment.
Sometimes it looked irrational, but in reality, it made the most sense.
That was exactly why he had belted out that battle cry just to honor Kushina's joke.
Practically speaking, even if he wanted to hide his identity, it would be extremely difficult. This kind of thing would be exposed sooner or later anyway.
Looking back, the Hidden Cloud had once orchestrated a kidnapping incident when Kushina was young. Considering the timeline, the Raikage who gave that order was almost certainly the guy currently stuffed inside Kamishiro Hagoromo's scroll.
It was a cycle steeped in massive irony. The person who ultimately killed the Third Raikage really was Kushina's disciple.
Regarding Kamishiro Hagoromo's method of identifying himself... Kushina Uzumaki was actually quite famous, but she was famous for being the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Because of this, Kitsuchi didn't immediately register who Kushina was... But looking at the ninja in front of him—who refused to state his own name but threw his teacher under the bus to take the heat—he felt completely baffled.
What was the meaning of this? A frame-up?
Kamishiro Hagoromo's words continued: "Since I've already dropped a name, I can't just run away like a coward now..."
He sounded like he was talking to himself.
He had completely changed his mind. He didn't want to just run away anymore. Not only was he not going to run, he was going to cause a scene.
Kushina's disciple killing the Raikage wasn't enough. Next, he was going to brawl with an army of nearly ten thousand enemies. He was going to make his teacher famous enough to be engraved in the history of this world.
Therefore, there was no need to continue the expected villain-hero banter.
Kamishiro held two purple spherical pellets between three fingers, then smashed them fiercely into the ground!
Purple smoke instantly billowed into the air—first, pop a smoke bomb to obscure his silhouette.
He wasn't the Third Raikage. His defense wasn't even in the same stratosphere. Therefore, he absolutely did not want to draw concentrated enemy fire. If ten or more ninjas fired ninjutsu at him simultaneously, he would definitely be in for a rough time.
"Watch out, the enemy is trying to escape!"
Hidden within the smoke, Kamishiro Hagoromo could hear Kitsuchi's voice. Escape? Heh. He still had a weapon of mass destruction he had never used before. This was the perfect venue for a field test.
Kamishiro Hagoromo let both hands hang naturally by his sides. Two arcs of electricity flashed across his palms, leaving a shallow cut in the center of each.
Blood instantly began to flow.
Then, his next move was...
Summoning Jutsu!
Summoning Jutsu!!
Summoning Jutsu!!!
The roar of wild beasts rang out!
The purple smoke was instantly violently disturbed by massive figures!
The thundering footfalls of a charge caused the very earth to tremble!
Kitsuchi knew the big boys were coming out.
"They are giant Summoning Beasts! Stop them!"
The Two-Horned Rhino! The Splitting Hound! The Cloven-Hoofed Ox!
The three giant Summoning Beasts charged out of the smoke in three different directions at equal angles!
Massive in size, radiating sheer brutality, and with their wild natures completely unrestrained, the Summoning Beasts instantly crashed into the enemy formation.
To completely lock down Summoning Beasts of this size was, in a certain sense, not much easier than locking down the Raikage. This wasn't something Kitsuchi could stop just by shouting an order.
A rising Earth-Style Wall was instantly smashed into fragments by the impact of the Two-Horned Rhino!
The Earth Spears suddenly shooting up from the ground were nimbly dodged by the Splitting Hound!
The Earth Shore Return was blasted away and then trampled into dust by the Cloven-Hoofed Ox!
The Summoning Beasts naturally weren't as powerful as the Raikage, but with their sharp fangs and claws, bloodshot eyes, and brutal slaughter, the sheer terror fierce beasts inflicted upon humans far exceeded that of a human with higher combat power.
This should be enough to keep these Hidden Stone ninjas busy for a while, right?
Kamishiro Hagoromo had just thought this when he immediately realized things were going south!
After issuing that order, Kitsuchi completely ignored the Summoning Beasts and charged straight toward Kamishiro Hagoromo.
The smoke bomb hadn't completely dissipated, and Kamishiro Hagoromo's exact location was still unclear. Since that was the case, he'd just crush the entire area!
Two massive boulders erupted from the ground on both sides of Kamishiro. Due to their immense size, they appeared to move slowly, but they were actually incredibly fast!
The smoke rushed rapidly through the narrowing gap. In an instant, Kamishiro Hagoromo felt as if he had been unknowingly stuffed into the bottom of a narrow canyon.
Then, with a deafening "Boom," the two boulders slammed shut!
Earth Style: Mountain Smash!
It was said that if scaled up enough, this jutsu could squish even a Tailed Beast into a meat sandwich. Squishing Kamishiro Hagoromo to death would probably be as easy as squishing a bug, right?
The caster, Kitsuchi, probably didn't think so, because just before the jutsu closed, he saw a flash of lightning.
First it flashed within the gap, and then it instantly enveloped the entire rock dome!
It was like a lightbulb with a bad connection, flickering randomly, until suddenly, the moment power connected, a massive surge of current ran through it, making it blast out a blinding, overpowered light.
And then... it exploded.
Amidst the piercing screech of chirping birds, the mountain of earth shattered.
Kamishiro Hagoromo had not been squished flat. He was completely unharmed.
Seeing his jutsu fail, Kitsuchi didn't hesitate. He immediately charged forward immediately!
A furious punch!
Unfortunately, he had plenty of power but lacked agility. In his Lightning Style state, Kamishiro Hagoromo easily dodged the strike.
Boom!
Kitsuchi's fist, reinforced by a petrification jutsu, smashed into the ground, causing a massive crater and widespread collapse as if backed by monstrous strength!
By now, even more ninjas were charging toward Kamishiro Hagoromo!
Considering the sheer number of enemies, it was impossible for the Summoning Beasts to tie them all up, even with the Splitting Hound already actively splitting!
Then it was time to clear the board again!
The lightning faded, and Kamishiro Hagoromo instantly switched modes!
Tiger-Ox-Monkey-Rabbit-Rat-Boar-Rooster-Ox-Horse-Dog-Tiger-Dog-Tiger-Snake-Ox-Monkey-Rabbit!
Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!
Building a lake? Kamishiro could do that too. Wasn't it just a matter of burning enough chakra?!
...Okay, that almost burnt him out to death.
A roaring torrent, carrying the explosive sound of rushing water, surged outward with Kamishiro Hagoromo at the epicenter.
The men in the front were swept away by the current, while the Hidden Stone ninjas in the rear, trying to maintain their encirclement, began collectively casting Earth Style ninjutsu, very thoughtfully intercepting Kamishiro Hagoromo's Water Style!
Earth counters water, after all!
As a result, Kamishiro Hagoromo and the Hidden Stone worked together to create a massive, bathtub-like lake hovering right above the terrain... It was quite a successful collaboration.
Kitsuchi charged again. Kamishiro did not activate his Lightning Style.
"Practically speaking, I actually did you guys a favor, right? I cleared the path to the Hidden Cloud. I think your absolute priority right now should be pushing your invasion forward. Wasting time on me is pointless."
Dodging gracefully, Kamishiro Hagoromo offered this seemingly reasonable suggestion.
Acting as if he couldn't hear the deafening roars of his own Summoning Beasts.
About that... didn't you technically throw the first punch?
Which was exactly why Kitsuchi completely ignored him.
Standing on the water's surface naturally restricted the use of Earth Style, so Kitsuchi switched to attacking with nintaijutsu.
But at this moment, Kamishiro Hagoromo switched to Fire Style.
Fire Style: Great Flame Flower!
Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet!
Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!
Searing heat stacked upon searing heat, causing steam to billow wildly.
First water, now fire. What exactly was Kamishiro Hagoromo planning?
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