“What in the world…”
“…is happening?”
The eyes of the Cloud shinobi reflected an endless sea of fire.
A blazing inferno surged toward them.
Scorching heat crashed against their faces like a tidal wave.
Fear filled every expression.
They had never seen a Fire Release technique of such terrifying scale.
“Damn it…”
Kakui, however, had seen something similar before.
Many years ago.
Back during the Warring States Era.
At the time, he had merely been a subordinate following behind Kinkaku.
And the man who wielded flames on this level had also come from Konoha.
His name was—
Uchiha Madara.
A chill ran down Kakui’s spine.
This could not continue.
Absolutely not.
Staring at the apocalyptic firestorm rushing toward him, the veteran commander finally made up his mind.
These freakish Konoha brats could be left for Kinkaku and Ginkaku to handle.
His priority now was survival.
Having reached his decision, Kakui squeezed every last drop of chakra from his exhausted body.
The giant rhinoceros beetle beneath him responded immediately.
Its enormous horn slammed into the earth.
CRACK!
CRACK!
The already devastated battlefield split apart even further.
New fissures spread across the ground.
Then, just as before, the summon beast relied on its overwhelming strength.
With a violent heave, it tore an enormous slab of stone from the earth and raised it like a shield.
The sea of flames arrived moments later.
The stone barrier was instantly engulfed.
The intense heat baked the rock.
Cracks rapidly spread across its surface.
Sharp popping sounds echoed continuously.
The giant beetle trembled beneath Kakui.
No matter how powerful it was…
Fear of fire remained an instinct deeply engraved into every insect’s bloodline.
Yet Kakui refused to release the summon.
Instead, he stared through the inferno.
Waiting.
Searching.
Looking for the perfect opportunity to retreat.
Unfortunately for the rest of the Cloud shinobi…
They weren’t nearly as fortunate.
The battle was taking place inside a valley.
The terrain funneled all the flames together.
For those lacking Earth Release or Water Release techniques, it was a nightmare beyond imagination.
The geography itself became a death trap.
There was nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
They could only watch helplessly as the inferno drew closer and closer.
Then came the screams.
The desperate cries.
The agonized wails.
One after another.
Consumed by fire.
Swallowed by the blazing tide.
Within moments, the battlefield had transformed into a living hell.
“The destructive power…”
Senju Bu couldn’t help muttering.
“It’s unbelievable.”
He and the surviving Konoha shinobi stood behind Baku.
Watching Danzō and the others unleash devastation upon the battlefield.
A strange mixture of melancholy and pride surfaced within his heart.
The younger generation had truly grown.
The waves behind were already overtaking those before.
Perhaps…
This was why Lord Tobirama had chosen to remain behind without hesitation.
To leave hope to the next generation.
To pass the torch forward.
That was the true meaning of the Will of Fire.
The other Konoha shinobi felt the same.
As they watched Danzō standing proudly atop Baku’s head, commanding the battlefield like a young war god, many found themselves remembering the youthful days of Hashirama and Tobirama.
For a moment, the images overlapped.
The future of Konoha no longer seemed uncertain.
Even Hiruzen couldn’t help clicking his tongue.
“Your chakra reserves have become absolutely ridiculous.”
Though he had been mentally prepared, the reality still shocked him.
This combination technique wasn’t new.
He and Danzō had practiced it many times before.
After all, Wind Release and Fire Release were a perfect match.
Yet never—
Not once—
Had it reached this scale.
This level of destruction.
This degree of overwhelming power.
In fact, the technique had become so massive that even Hiruzen alone couldn’t maximize its effect anymore.
Kagami’s assistance had become necessary.
Faced with Hiruzen’s amazement, Danzō merely replied calmly:
“Chakra is the union of physical energy and spiritual energy.”
“The stronger your Will of Fire…”
“The greater your chakra naturally becomes.”
“I see…”
Hiruzen scratched his head.
Beside him, Kagami did the same.
Both men nodded thoughtfully.
At that very moment, they silently resolved to return home and reread Tobirama’s notes on the Will of Fire at least ten more times.
Surely there had to be some secret hidden within them.
Of course…
The truth was far less inspirational.
Despite the composed expression on his face, Danzō was nowhere near as relaxed as he appeared.
Maintaining continuous bombardment for so long had placed enormous strain on him.
And the combined technique they had just unleashed?
That attack had consumed nearly everything he had.
For the first time since arriving on the battlefield—
Even Danzō could feel exhaustion creeping into his body.
Even with the Senju Physique and the empowerment of the Tree of Fortune, the burden was becoming difficult to bear.
Fortunately, the results were worth it.
Kakui’s Cloud force had suffered devastating losses.
For the foreseeable future, they wouldn’t be able to organize any meaningful offensive.
Danzō turned his gaze back toward the battlefield.
As time passed, the raging inferno gradually subsided.
The entire valley had been scorched black.
The surrounding cliffs cracked under the relentless heat, shedding chunks of stone that crashed onto the ruined ground below.
The corpses scattered across the battlefield had been reduced to ash by the blazing flames.
The air reeked of smoke and burnt flesh.
A grim silence settled over the battlefield.
Then Danzō narrowed his eyes.
“It seems our enemy is more stubborn than expected.”
His gaze fixed upon the center of the battlefield.
The enormous stone barrier that had once stood there had long since melted and collapsed beneath the sea of fire.
In its place stood a massive bulging mound.
“Him…”
Hiruzen’s expression darkened.
He immediately understood what Danzō was implying.
Without hesitation, he pulled Enma’s transformed staff free and prepared to strike.
But before he could move—
BOOM!
The mound exploded apart.
A gigantic shadow burst from the rubble.
Wings spread wide.
The enormous rhinoceros beetle shot into the sky.
And Kakui—
The feared Cloud commander—
Didn’t even bother with a final threat.
He fled.
Straight toward the heart of the Land of Lightning.
Leaving behind countless wounded Cloud shinobi staring blankly in disbelief.
Danzō couldn’t help clicking his tongue.
“He just ran?”
“That’s practically a Kumogakure tradition at this point.”
Several nearby Konoha shinobi struggled not to laugh.
Hiruzen, however, frowned.
“Should we pursue him?”
As one of the Kinkaku Unit’s core commanders, Kakui was an extremely valuable target.
Capturing him would be a major victory for Konoha.
Danzō simply waved a hand.
“No need.”
The wind brushed across his face.
His posture slowly straightened.
His eyes grew brighter.
Sharper.
More focused.
Then—
His expression hardened.
He extended his left hand forward.
Two fingers pointed toward the horizon.
His right arm drew back.
Like an archer pulling a bowstring.
The gesture looked absurd at first.
Yet nobody laughed.
Because everyone could feel it.
A terrifying amount of chakra was gathering.
Wind Release chakra surged from Danzō’s body.
Compressing.
Condensing.
Spinning.
A brilliant arrow formed within his hand.
The projectile rotated at such speed that the surrounding air distorted.
Guided by the battlefield map within his mind, Danzō locked onto the rapidly retreating target high above.
Meanwhile…
Kakui was accelerating away from the battlefield.
His mood had finally begun to improve.
“Those damned Konoha brats…”
“Just wait.”
“Next time, I’ll skin them alive.”
Kneeling atop the giant beetle’s back, he gripped the massive black horn in front of him.
Hatred burned within his eyes.
Still…
He eventually exhaled in relief.
At least he was alive.
Thinking back on Danzō’s relentless barrage of techniques made his teeth ache.
That kid was an absolute monster.
But so what?
No matter how strong Danzō was, he couldn’t stop a flying enemy.
That aerial mobility was precisely why Kakui had survived countless battlefields.
Whenever things turned bad—
He flew away.
Simple.
Effective.
And today would be no different.
A cold smile appeared on his lips.
Once Kinkaku killed Tobirama Senju and ascended as the Third Raikage, Konoha would inevitably fall.
These little brats were only enjoying temporary success.
Nothing more.
With that thought, Kakui casually glanced backward.
And met Danzō’s eyes.
Those cold, predatory eyes resembled a hawk locking onto its prey.
Far below, Danzō maintained his archery stance.
Then he spoke.
“Wind Release: Spiral Arrow—”
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
“Release.”
The moment the word left his mouth—
The arrow flew.
Every last drop of Danzō’s remaining chakra had been poured into that single attack.
The projectile vanished instantly.
A hurricane erupted in its wake.
It crossed nearly a thousand meters in the blink of an eye.
Only then did Kakui’s instincts finally scream in warning.
His pupils contracted.
The arrow was already in front of him.
And only now—
Only now—
Did the deafening shriek of torn air reach his ears.
A piercing scream so violent it felt capable of shredding eardrums.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
By the time he heard it—
Death had already arrived.
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