As the first rays of morning light fell upon the Hokage Rock, Hashirama and Madara had already set off for the Daimyo's capital by horse-drawn carriage.
On the surface, they used the excuse of "offering apologies," but secretly, they had Tobirama and Izuna lead teams to follow behind, preparing to set up an ambush in the mountains outside the capital.
After a long, bumpy journey, they finally arrived at the Daimyo's capital.
Following a series of verifications by the city's defending general, the city gate creaked open a crack.
When the two stepped down from the carriage, a wide, long corridor and a resplendent main hall appeared before them.
Two servants led Madara and Hashirama into a side hall, while five Anbu members were left to wait outside.
Hashirama and Madara cautiously refrained from touching the hot tea, simply waiting patiently.
Even as the sun set in the west, they had yet to receive any notification.
Suddenly, flocks of birds took flight from the rear mountain in alarm, making both of them realize something was wrong.
Madara said in a deep voice, "We've been exposed. Let's just attack now."
With that, he kicked open the side door and rushed swiftly toward the main hall.
In the dense forest of the rear mountain.
Izuna slashed open the throat of a samurai ahead, using the momentum to dodge an incoming attack. Facing the encirclement of numerous samurai, he attached explosive tags to his own body, meeting their terrified gazes...
Boom!
Izuna instantly exploded, taking those unlucky souls with him, while his own battered body slowly regenerated.
Under the moonlight, the sight was extraordinarily terrifying.
Yet the dense hordes of samurai continued to fight desperately against them, seemingly unaffected.
Initially, Tobirama and the others had planned to wait for a signal before launching a surprise attack on the Daimyo's capital, as agreed.
But after nightfall, a large number of armored samurai suddenly appeared around them, as if searching for something.
Tobirama and his group analyzed the situation, deducing that the enemy had likely detected them using some secret technique.
Thus, he ordered all teams to quickly enact the backup plan and do everything possible to hold off the enemy.
"This is a perfect chance to test our clansmen's abilities."
With Tobirama's order, a series of "poof poof poof" sounds immediately echoed around the battlefield.
Emerging from clouds of white smoke, Senju Toka led members of the Senju clan in summoning three giant toads, three giant snakes, and four giant slugs, which attacked the enemy with their massive bodies and various techniques.
This was one of the benefits Hashirama had provided for those who worked hard to improve their strength; each of them coordinated with their summoned beasts to execute combination techniques.
Water Release scattered the enemy, swamps restricted their movements, Earth Release trapped them, and boulders crushed down upon them.
After the slugs spat their secretions, they split apart to treat the wounded.
This wasn't all. Seeing the Senju clan shine so brightly, other families in the village, thinking of the recently established merit system, refused to be outdone. This was all achievement, translating into ninjutsu and benefits!
Inuzuka Rōshi merged with his beloved dog – Inuzuka Style: Human-Beast Transformation!
As the white smoke cleared, he had transformed into a two-headed, white-furred giant wolf!
Secret Technique: Wolf Fang Over Fang!
His body spun rapidly, forming a massive tornado that swept towards a group of samurai...
Screams of agony echoed in its wake, leaving behind a trail of torn corpses.
The lenses of Aburame Shikimura's goggles flashed. Seizing the opportunity, he performed his Secret Technique: Insect Jamming!
A massive swarm of insects quickly surged out from within his voluminous coat, rushing towards three samurai.
Despite their desperate slashing, it was all in vain. Soon, they were covered and restrained by the insect swarm.
With a rustling sound, the insects not only burrowed into the gaps of their armor to bite their skin but also attacked their eyeballs, crawling through their noses and ears to devour them from within. They could only watch helplessly as their chakra and flesh were slowly consumed.
This gruesome scene was utterly horrifying.
Hyūga Kōban activated his Byakugan, providing reconnaissance and support from a distance.
With a thunderous crack of displaced air, the armor of a samurai ahead caved in – the power of Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!
Uchiha Kagami instantly activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, using genjutsu to control enemies, occasionally sweeping away foes with Fire Release or shuriken.
Shimura Danzō summoned Baku, a creature resembling an elephant in appearance, especially with its long trunk. Its mouth acted like a powerful vacuum, restraining enemies, which Danzō then finished off with Wind Release.
Fighting alongside him was Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had just summoned a small monkey.
"Enma, transform!"
Poof! The small monkey instantly transformed into a long staff, which Hiruzen wielded to shield Danzō.
The tide of battle gradually turned in Konoha's favor.
It was then that the Daimyo's general shouted, "Elite squad, annihilate them!"
Hundreds of well-equipped samurai charged out from behind him, activating their chakra armor and taking flight. Their chakra not only extended the striking range of their long swords but also increased their sharpness.
"Dammit!" Izuna, seeing clansmen die, regretted his carelessness.
He let out a furious roar. Blue chakra surged from his body, gradually forming a large skeleton. The skeleton then took on a humanoid shape and donned armor. With a single swing of its right hand...
Where the blade's light passed, armor shattered like paper, and a mist of blood mixed with severed limbs and dismembered bodies rained down.
"Susano'o?" the Daimyo's general muttered to himself before immediately ordering, "Use the ballistae!"
Three ballistae were positioned on higher ground, their frames loaded with massive arrows, each bearing a large explosive tag!
"Ready... fire!" The great bolts screamed towards Izuna.
Before he could react, he was pierced through the shoulder.
Boom!
The effect of the massive explosive tag was astonishing, actually blasting apart the second-stage Susano'o.
An ordinary ninja would likely have met their end right there, but Izuna was currently nearly invincible.
In an instant, his body fully regenerated, and he successfully activated the third stage of Susano'o.
"Impossible!" the general growled, his face darkening. "I clearly struck it just now. This is bad!"
Just as he was about to give the order, Susano'o had already begun swinging its sword, bodies falling wherever it went.
Of course, the enemy fought back, but their efforts were minimal, and it was extremely difficult to evade the massive sword's attack range. A single strike resulted in over eighty casualties.
The elite squad leader immediately directed his men to disperse, forming groups of five to strike at the Konoha ninjas.
Now, Izuna could only drive his Susano'o towards the opposing general, cutting a path...
"Hahaha~" he laughed maniacally, shouting loudly, "I'll make you all run around like headless flies!"
Seeing this, the general formed a hand seal to the man beside him.
That man immediately charged towards Izuna.
"How laughable. Mere ants deluding themselves into thinking they can shake a tree?" Izuna's eyes were full of mockery.
However, as the man drew closer, he sensed something was wrong. The man's stiff face had lifeless eyes and no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. He seemed somewhat inhuman.
Suddenly, blue chakra enveloped his entire body.
It sounded like he shouted: "Gate of Injury – Open?"
Before Izuna could process it, the man vanished!
"What? He disappeared? Where?" His Mangekyō Sharingan scanned everywhere, but there was no sign of him.
"Above you!" came the voice of Hyūga Kōban in his ear. It was a secret technique used by Yamanaka Kazuo at the start of the battle, allowing every word to be accurately transmitted to the target.
Unfortunately, the enemy's speed was too great. The moment Susano'o raised its hand, the man was already striking its head.
Imperial Leg: First Form!
Using the momentum of his falling body and his own speed, he delivered a full-power axe kick from high in the air.
Crack! Susano'o, famed for its absolute defense, actually had its head split by this blow?
Izuna was greatly startled and immediately performed Fire Release: Dragon Flame Release Song!
Four fiery dragons pursued the man relentlessly.
Seizing this opportunity, Izuna advanced again towards the general's location.
He reached him in three strides, and Susano'o immediately swung its sword down.
But then, a cold voice sounded behind him: "Gate of Wonder – Open!"
At this moment, he couldn't worry about that. After all, he had an immortal body.
However, Susano'o's immensely massive greatsword was kicked aside by that man?!?!
Imperial Leg: Second Form!
It wasn't over. The man vanished with a swoosh!
Boom!
There was no time to react. This time, the man directly shattered Susano'o's defense, sending Izuna crashing into the ground like a human cannonball.
The general immediately shouted, "Sealing corps, go now! Seal him with all your strength!"
Still recovering, Izuna's combat ability and mobility were far inferior to before. This was one of the weaknesses of the Impure World Reincarnation.
The enemy had precisely targeted this window, making arrangements accordingly.
Sealing techniques immediately entangled Izuna. As he struggled, he was filled with regret.
Regret for his brother, for the Uchiha, for Konoha, and deep regret for his carelessness just now.
"My brother still needs me. The Senju's schemes haven't been exposed yet. I cannot leave yet!"
"Ah!" The sealing techniques were already creeping up his neck.
It was then that a voice he least wanted to hear sounded from behind him...
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