“Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!”
A deep voice echoed across the battlefield.
Then came the wind.
A storm powerful enough to shake the entire valley.
“Vacuum Sphere?”
Kakui turned his head in confusion.
“What kind of low-level jutsu is th—”
His words abruptly stopped.
The expression on his face froze.
Because what appeared before him was not a normal Vacuum Sphere.
Nor was it even remotely close.
A gigantic sphere of compressed wind hurtled through the battlefield.
Its diameter stretched well over ten meters.
Perhaps twenty.
It looked less like a ninjutsu and more like a miniature natural disaster.
That’s a Vacuum Sphere?!
Even a Great Vacuum Sphere isn’t that ridiculous!
For the first time, genuine shock appeared on Kakui’s face.
He instinctively wanted to dodge.
Unfortunately—
The giant rhinoceros beetle beneath him was simply too large.
The attack had been timed perfectly.
There was no escape.
The colossal sphere slammed directly into the summon beast.
BOOOOOOM!
The compressed wind chakra spun at terrifying speed.
The beetle’s armored shell screeched as countless invisible blades ground against it.
The sound was so sharp that it made everyone’s skin crawl.
Then the Vacuum Sphere exploded.
A violent hurricane erupted outward.
The giant beetle’s massive body was lifted from the ground and hurled away.
Its enormous bulk carved a deep trench through the battlefield.
Only after crashing into a nearby cliff did it finally stop.
Cracks immediately spread across the rock face.
Large boulders rained down.
The entire valley trembled.
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
The Cloud shinobi stared blankly.
“The Lord Beetle…”
“Was sent flying?”
Disbelief filled their faces.
This was Kumogakure’s largest summon beast.
A living war machine.
Within the village, only the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails surpassed it in size.
Combined with Kakui’s Lightning Release enhancement techniques, it was a monster capable of altering the course of entire battles.
Yet now…
It had been blown away in a single attack.
Who?
Who could possibly have done something like that?
The smoke and dust swirling across the battlefield slowly parted.
Six figures emerged from within.
One after another.
Danzō.
Hiruzen.
Torifu.
Koharu.
Homura.
Kagami.
The moment he recognized them, Senju Bu’s expression changed.
But it wasn’t joy.
It was worry.
Deep worry.
“Why are you still here?”
His voice rose immediately.
“Why didn’t you leave?”
Then he looked around.
Searching.
Expecting to see one more familiar figure.
“Tobirama-sama?”
Danzō didn’t attempt to soften the truth.
“Sensei stayed behind.”
“He drew away the brothers by himself.”
The battlefield grew quiet.
Before anyone could react, Danzō continued.
“Before he left…”
“He entrusted the position of Hokage to me.”
Even though Senju Bu had already suspected as much, the confirmation still struck him like a hammer.
His pupils contracted sharply.
Tobirama had faced the Kinkaku Brothers alone.
And before leaving, he had passed on the title of Hokage.
That could only mean one thing.
Tobirama Senju had already accepted death.
The Second Hokage had gone to his final battle.
A heavy silence descended.
Yet Senju Bu was no ordinary shinobi.
He was a veteran who had survived the Warring States Era.
A man who had witnessed countless deaths.
After only a few moments, he forced himself to accept the reality.
The grief remained.
But there was no time for it.
His gaze hardened.
“If that’s the case…”
His tone became noticeably sharper.
“Then why are you here?”
“If Tobirama-sama entrusted the village to you, your first priority should be returning to Konoha.”
“If something happens to you now…”
“Wouldn’t his sacrifice be meaningless?”
The concern in his voice was genuine.
As far as he was concerned, Danzō was now the future of the village.
The future Hokage.
Risking himself here made no sense.
Danzō met his gaze calmly.
Then answered.
“It is precisely because Sensei entrusted the position of Hokage to me…”
“…that I had to come.”
He looked toward the exhausted Konoha shinobi scattered across the battlefield.
The wounded.
The dying.
The men and women who had fought to protect them.
Then he spoke firmly.
“I came to bring our comrades home.”
The simple sentence left many of the surrounding shinobi stunned.
Even Senju Bu found himself momentarily speechless.
Without waiting for a response, Danzō turned toward Koharu.
“Koharu.”
She immediately straightened.
“Do everything possible to treat the wounded.”
The command was clear.
The rescue mission had begun.
And for the first time since the barrier collapsed, hope appeared in the eyes of the trapped Konoha shinobi.
Danzō slowly turned toward the battlefield.
His gaze swept across the sea of enemy shinobi before he spoke in a calm, measured tone.
“As for the battlefield…”
A faint killing intent flickered in his eyes.
“We’ll take it from here.”
Hearing that, Hiruzen casually rested the Adamantine Staff across his shoulder and flashed Senju Bu a confident grin.
“Leave it to us, Senior.”
The others also readied their weapons and stepped forward without hesitation.
Prepared to fight side by side.
Watching their backs, Senju Bu found himself momentarily dazed.
The scene felt strangely familiar.
Long ago…
He and his comrades had once stood behind Hashirama-sama in much the same way.
Following him into battle.
Following him into impossible odds.
So this is why you entrusted the future to these youngsters…
Tobirama-sama…
While the Konoha shinobi exchanged words, movement suddenly came from a pile of shattered rock nearby.
A gigantic figure slowly rose to its feet.
It was Kakui.
The commander rolled his shoulder and glared at them with obvious irritation.
“You damned Konoha brats.”
His eyes were filled with malice.
“Are you really that eager to join Tobirama Senju in the Pure Land?”
The six newcomers weren’t strangers to him.
They were Tobirama’s disciples.
Kumogakure’s intelligence division had gathered extensive information on each of them long ago.
Talented?
Certainly.
Dangerous?
Without question.
But after being hunted relentlessly by the Kinkaku Force and surviving the earlier ambush, they should all be heavily wounded.
Their strength should be only a fraction of what it normally was.
More importantly—
There were only six of them.
His side still had over a hundred shinobi.
One hundred against six.
The advantage was obvious.
A vicious smile spread across Kakui’s face.
“Warriors of Kumogakure!”
He raised his hand.
“Attack!”
“Tear these Konoha brats apart!”
A deafening roar erupted from the Cloud ranks.
The morale that had faltered after the giant beetle’s defeat immediately surged back.
The battlefield shook with their battle cries.
“Tch.”
On Konoha’s side, Torifu Akimichi clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Acting all tough just because it’s big.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Soldier Pill.
In terms of size, the Akimichi Clan had never feared anyone.
However—
Before he could swallow it, Danzō’s hand stopped him.
“I’ll handle this.”
Torifu blinked.
Danzō stepped forward.
Then pressed his palm against the ground.
Countless tadpole-like sealing symbols spread outward from his hand.
The markings expanded rapidly.
Like an enormous spiderweb.
Covering the battlefield.
Hiruzen’s eyes widened.
“That’s…”
“A Summoning Technique?”
The others immediately retreated several steps.
They knew enough about Danzō to recognize what was coming.
The next moment—
BOOOOOOM!
A massive pillar of white smoke erupted from the ground.
The explosion of chakra sent dust and debris flying in every direction.
As the smoke gradually cleared, an enormous beast appeared.
Its appearance was bizarre.
It possessed the trunk of an elephant.
The eyes of a rhinoceros.
The tail of an ox.
And the powerful limbs of a tiger.
Its body was covered in orange-red fur.
Its long trunk swayed gently before releasing powerful gusts of wind.
The legendary dream-devouring beast of myth.
Shimura Danzō’s strongest summon.
Baku.
The moment the giant creature appeared, Senju Bu and the surrounding Senju shinobi unconsciously swallowed.
A single thought crossed their minds.
Who exactly is the real Senju here?
Everyone knew a basic rule of summoning techniques.
The larger the summon beast…
The greater the chakra required.
Size and chakra consumption were directly linked.
Yet Danzō had endured days of pursuit, numerous battles, and severe injuries.
And he could still summon something this massive.
Just how terrifying were his chakra reserves?
The Senju shinobi weren’t the only ones shocked.
Even Hiruzen and the others, who had grown up alongside Danzō, looked stunned.
Ever since becoming Hokage…
His chakra seemed limitless.
As though it could never run dry.
Could it really be possible?
Had he somehow gained the favor of the God of Shinobi himself?
Naturally, Danzō had no idea what everyone else was thinking.
At that moment, he was busy communicating with Baku.
As someone who knew the future and understood Danzō’s abilities inside and out, he had already figured out the optimal fighting style.
Wind Release mastery.
Average taijutsu.
A newly acquired Senju physique.
And chakra reserves that bordered on absurd.
The answer was obvious.
A few moments later, Danzō straightened.
His hands began forming seals.
At the same time, Baku understood its master’s intention.
The giant beast raised its trunk toward the sky.
Then inhaled.
The pull was monstrous.
Air from across the battlefield rushed toward it.
The surrounding atmosphere twisted into a visible vortex.
Countless streams of wind converged inside Baku’s body.
Under Danzō’s control, the compressed air was then channeled into a single point.
A gigantic sphere formed before him.
Rotating at unbelievable speed.
The pressure alone distorted the surrounding air.
It was many times larger than the Vacuum Sphere that had sent Kakui’s summon flying.
A true monster of compressed wind chakra.
Danzō’s eyes narrowed.
Then he unleashed it.
“Wind Release: Great Vacuum Sphere!”
Want faster updates?
Send those stones my way—the more, the merrier.