A remnant of the Uchiha Clan?
And judging by his attitude, he had clearly come for the Third. He was even hostile toward the Senju Clan. This guy was probably here to cause trouble!
Just as everyone tensed up and the atmosphere grew charged, the Ten-Tails beneath the boy suddenly went berserk again. It seemed either enraged by the boy's icy aura or unwilling to remain suppressed. Its enormous head jerked up, and one massive tentacle lashed out with earth-shattering force, reaching for the boy standing atop it. Its black claws gleamed coldly, ready to tear him to pieces in an instant.
"Watch out! Get out of the way!" Naruto Uzumaki cried, his heart leaping into his throat. Golden chakra surged around him, and he started forward to rescue the boy. Even if he couldn't understand what the boy had said, and even knowing how powerful he was, Naruto couldn't stand by and watch a child die.
However, faced with the Ten-Tails' fatal strike, the boy remained utterly calm. His expression didn't even flicker.
He simply raised his right hand, palm facing down.
"Takamagahara!"
The boy's voice was cold and low, utterly devoid of emotion, yet it carried an absolute authority that seemed to rise above heaven and earth. The instant the words fell, it was as if time itself had stopped across the battlefield.
The Ten-Tails' rampaging tentacle froze in midair. Its enormous body went perfectly still, as if bound by a paralysis technique. The violence drained from its crimson, slit-pupil eyes, leaving only vacant bewilderment. Even the black chakra swirling around it stopped flowing, like ink turned solid.
Then the boy's eyes changed. His calm pupils turned crimson in an instant. Three black tomoe spun rapidly, merging and evolving until they formed a strange pattern of nine tomoe encircling his pupils—the legendary pinnacle of ocular jutsu—
The Nine Magatama Sharingan!
The crimson light in his eyes cut through the battlefield's smoke like tangible blades, falling across every face and sending a bone-deep chill through them.
His dark red robe stirred without a breeze, and his long black hair whipped wildly around him. His chakra surged, even more violent and concentrated than before, forming an invisible pressure that nearly stopped the Allied Shinobi Forces below from breathing.
The boy slowly lowered his right hand, then lightly tapped the Ten-Tails' rigid head with the tip of his foot. As if walking on level ground, he took one step after another until he stood directly above its head.
He lowered his gaze slightly, his Nine Magatama Sharingan fixed on the ground. His eyes were as cold as an ancient, bottomless pool, and the killing intent and fury welling within them seemed ready to spill over. His voice was quiet, yet everyone present heard it clearly, as though he were delivering one last warning to someone below.
"What is it, old man? Too afraid to come out of hiding?"
He paused, his fingers curling slightly. His tone brimmed with undisguised scorn and cruelty, every word like a poisoned blade.
"I'll give you one last chance. Come out right now and devour the Ten-Tails again. Maybe then you'll have enough strength to stop me."
As his words fell, his chakra surged again. The Ten-Tails' rigid body began to tremble faintly, as if overcome by terror.
"If you don't..." The boy's voice turned ice-cold. The light in his Nine Magatama Sharingan blazed brighter. "I'll drag every last one of you vermin hiding in the shadows out into the open, one by one, and tear you limb from limb!"
He bit down hard on the last few words, every syllable steeped in deep-seated hatred and determination. The air seemed to freeze around him, and even the howling wind fell silent.
Everyone below was completely frozen, their faces filled with shock and fear.
Naruto Uzumaki's mouth hung open. Golden chakra rippled uncontrollably around him as he stared at the Nine Magatama Sharingan in the boy's eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. What kind of ocular jutsu was that?
How could a single sentence make the berserk Ten-Tails freeze in place and even tremble with fear?
Hashirama Senju's expression was grave. His Sage Mode chakra was already stretched taut, and beads of sweat dotted his forehead. He stared fixedly at the boy, his wariness at its peak. This kid's power was far more terrifying than he'd imagined!
Not only did he possess far more chakra than Hashirama, but the power of his ocular jutsu had completely overturned Hashirama's understanding of Ninjutsu!
Sarutobi Hiruzen's aged body trembled slightly. As he watched the killing intent in the boy's eyes, a nameless unease and guilt rose within him. Was the "culprit" the boy spoke of—the "old man"—referring to him?
And who were the people hiding in the shadows?
Tobirama Senju furrowed his brows, his stern face heavy with concern and caution. He instinctively put a hand on the ninja tool pouch at his waist, his Water Release chakra ready to erupt at any moment—
The boy's target was clearly neither the Ten-Tails nor the Allied Shinobi Forces, but someone hiding in the shadows. But who was that person, and how should they deal with this mysterious boy of unfathomable strength?
The battlefield fell utterly silent. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the boy atop the Ten-Tails, their hearts filled with shock, fear, and confusion.
The boy remained calmly poised atop the Ten-Tails, his Nine Magatama Sharingan fixed on the ground. His killing intent, like tangible black mist, shrouded the entire battlefield as he waited for someone in hiding to respond.
The boy's ruthless declaration echoed above the battlefield for a long time. The crimson light of his Nine Magatama Sharingan remained fixed on the ground, and his killing intent hung over the gathered shinobi like a frozen abyss, making it hard for them even to breathe.
The Ten-Tails remained rigid, its enormous body trembling faintly, as if afraid of the boy's fury—or wary of the unknown presence about to appear.
Just then, a soft, pale golden radiance suddenly spread across the ground, slowly expanding to cover the center of the battlefield.
The light was warm and sacred, a stark contrast to the boy's icy killing intent and the Ten-Tails' aura of destruction. In an instant, it dispelled some of the battlefield's gloom and oppression.
"What is this...? Whose chakra is this?" Naruto Uzumaki instinctively clenched his fists. Golden chakra stirred faintly around him, and his eyes were filled with confusion and caution.
This chakra was immense, yet exceptionally gentle—far beyond any power he had ever encountered. It was even deeper and more profound than Hashirama Senju's chakra, carrying an awe-inspiring presence that seemed to come from the very source of heaven and earth.
Hashirama Senju's pupils contracted sharply, and his Sage Mode chakra tensed in an instant. An expression of disbelief crossed his face. "This presence... It feels ancient, and it carries the power of life and creation. Who could it be?"