The Gaze of Black Zetsu

The Gaze of Black Zetsu

"You really came!"

Uzumaki Ashina hurried over, slightly out of breath, looking quite surprised at the arrival of the Third Raikage.

"You old guy still haven't died?"

Having just finished speaking with Dodai, the Third Raikage grinned. He had met Uzumaki Ashina once before.

He was from the same generation as his Grandfather. He had not expected him to still be alive.

The Uzumaki clan truly deserved its reputation as a long-lived clan.

"Outliving you certainly won't be a problem."

Uzumaki Ashina chuckled as he shot back, quite satisfied that the Third Raikage had come personally. Kumogakure's sincerity was clearly more than sufficient.

"You should focus on surviving tonight first!"

The Third Raikage sneered, not believing that the Uzumaki clan could endure tonight's battle. Even with the Bashosen's boost, their burst of power would not be enough.

His expression darkened as Uzumaki Ashina formed hand seals, opening a gateway in the Four Red Yang Formation on this side.

"The Four Red Yang Formation consumes a great deal. We can only maintain it for ten minutes!"

This was their first joint operation. Naturally, they could not let the Uzumaki clan do all the work; Kumogakure had to contribute as well.

Dodai, meanwhile, walked toward Uzumaki Ashina with an inscrutable expression. Some of the plans that followed still required the assistance of this Uzumaki elder.

"Hold formation and charge with me!"

The Third Raikage shouted to the Cloud Ninja behind him. Black lightning then flickered over his body as he charged in first.

More than a hundred jonin followed close behind, with over a thousand chunin at the rear, brutally crashing into the Kirigakure Ninja Army's formation before it had even been properly assembled.

"Third Raikage!"

Hozuki Jagetsu, looking utterly bedraggled, was stunned out of his mind at the sight of the Third Raikage charging toward them. The Uzumaki clan's earlier powerful assault had already inflicted severe losses on them, especially the Yuki Clan ninjas, who had all been beaten to the brink of collapse.

And now the Cloud Ninja Army had charged in, led by the Third Raikage himself.

How the hell were they supposed to fight this?

He might possess strength comparable to the Mizukage's, but against the even stronger Third Raikage—and one wielding Lightning Release, the element that countered him most—he had no chance of winning at all.

At that moment, the Third Raikage's reputation as the strongest was fully displayed. His body became a bolt of black lightning as he rampaged through the Kirigakure Ninja Army. Wherever Kirigakure Ninja gathered, he charged straight in. No one could withstand even a single exchange.

The Black Lightning-enhanced Lightning Release Armor and Hell Stab truly lived up to their titles as the Strongest Shield and strongest spear. With offense and defense combined, they were practically unbeatable.

The Cloud Ninja Army behind him maintained their formation as they swept through the enemy like a comb, pushing across the entire Kirigakure Ninja Army while splitting them apart and further preventing the Kirigakure Ninja from gathering to coordinate their fighting.

They had first suffered a devastating attack, resulting in heavy casualties and the depletion of vast amounts of chakra. Then they were hit by such a charge while already at an overwhelming numerical disadvantage. The Kirigakure Ninja Army had no power to resist.

The Cloud jonin gave Kirigakure's stronger fighters no chance to take them down together. They paired up to target each Kirigakure jonin, while the chunin behind them coordinated their attacks. The battle had become completely one-sided.

This was not a battle at all, but a massacre. Even the Kirigakure Ninja, who came from the so-called Village of the Bloody Mist, were on the verge of breaking down. Some went mad and charged at the Four Red Yang Formation's barrier, hoping to break out from there.

Unfortunately, they were all burned to ash. Although the chakra quality of the four Uzumaki elders was inferior to that of the four Hokage in the Fourth Shinobi World War, the difference was not too great.

Even a Tailed Beast Bomb could not hope to break open such a Four Red Yang Formation, much less these Kirigakure Ninja.

Tamura Hiroshi blended into the chunin ranks, wielding his blade to assist in the attacks. At the same time, he used six Chakra Threads to carry Explosive Tags for support, while linking his chakra to the Kaguya Phantom to gain that Good-Evil Perception ability. He remained alert for Kirigakure Ninja using Transformation Jutsu to sneak in or pretending to be dead.

It would have been fine if he had not linked with the Kaguya Phantom, but the instant he did, he alerted a hidden presence on the battlefield.

"Mother's aura!"

Black Zetsu, hidden within the earth, was stunned. He sensed Mother's aura. Though it was faint, there was no way he could be mistaken. Even his own chakra had produced a slight resonance.

Not daring to delay, he quickly moved toward the source of that sensation, eventually discovering that it came from a white-haired youth.

The closer he got, the stronger the feeling became. Once he entered within ten meters of the other party, it reached its peak.

"Hm?"

Having just cooperated with someone to stab a Kirigakure chunin to death from behind, Tamura Hiroshi seemed to sense something and turned his head. He had detected a strange, intensely powerful intent appearing behind and to his side.

But the moment he turned around, the feeling vanished.

He gave that area a puzzled glance. Finding nothing, he turned back and continued assisting in the encirclement and slaughter of the Kirigakure Ninja, focusing mainly on the Kaguya Clan ninjas. After killing them, he would step forward and use the Chakra Absorption Technique to absorb the chakra remaining in their bodies to nourish the Kaguya Phantom. Then he would seal their corpses into storage scrolls to keep them from being damaged by the battle.

That was his main purpose in coming to join the battle. The Kaguya Phantom was effectively the second Golden Finger he had created for himself, with tremendous potential. His path toward the Six Paths might very well lie with that Kaguya Phantom.

Moreover, the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku controlled bones. He had no interest in fighting with bones, only in using Shikotsumyaku to strengthen his own skeletal hardness. Combined with the Yozuki Clan's Secret Medicine, the results would surely be even better.

After absorbing the chakra of one Kaguya ninja, Tamura Hiroshi continued toward another Kaguya ninja who was being besieged.

This kind of life-and-death combat was far more tempering than his previous sparring matches with Fukai and Yozuki A. It was also a test for his will.

Black Zetsu, hidden in the shadows, saw all of this and grew increasingly suspicious.

Who was that brat?

Why did he possess Mother's chakra?

Tamura Hiroshi naturally could not notice such spying. His mind was entirely focused on collecting the corpses of Kaguya ninjas. This bloodline power originating from Ōtsutsuki Hamura was also a great supplement for the Kaguya Phantom, no weaker than Sharingan Dojutsu Power.

Yozuki A and Fukai were also nearby, specifically targeting Kaguya Clan ninjas and collecting their bodies while searching for female Kaguya ninjas.

The bones of Kaguya ninjas were one of the main ingredients in Secret Medicine. Now that he had the chance, he naturally needed to collect as many as possible, which would save him quite a bit of money.

As for female Kaguya ninjas, there was no need to say more—they represented the future.

Suddenly, Fukai looked toward his student and discovered that he had been targeted by a young Kaguya Clan ninja. Seeing that the young Kaguya was only at chunin level, he suppressed the urge to go over and assist.

Letting the boy experience a life-and-death battle on his own would benefit his growth.

On the other side, Yozuki A also noticed Tamura Hiroshi locked in fierce combat. He likewise did not interfere, merely preparing himself to provide swift support if anything went wrong.

That junior brother had no desire to become a researcher sheltered in the rear. He wanted to become strong, and both he and his father appreciated and approved of that.

And a battle of life and death was the best way to temper oneself.

Tamura Hiroshi, meanwhile, fought with excitement. This opponent suited him perfectly.

Although the other man was far weaker than Fukai and Pakura, he was still no weakling. Moreover, he specialized in taijutsu, making him the ideal opponent for Tamura Hiroshi at his current stage.

He unleashed the Monster Strength Combo Blade Technique, wielding his twin blades in an unceasing barrage of strong attacks. The power granted by the Monster Strength Technique, combined with the sharpness of the twin blades, was practically unstoppable. At the very least, his opponent's current Shikotsumyaku bones could not fully withstand it.

Furthermore, after Fukai and Yozuki A's practical guidance, his blade technique had been refined greatly and grown much stronger.

The young Kaguya wore a savage, crazed expression. He knew he was finished and had no chance of escaping. All he could do now was drag someone down with him.

Whenever the extended bone blades were severed, they rapidly regenerated. He fought as though he no longer cared for his life, utterly intent on perishing together.

Tamura Hiroshi did not stop his barrage of strong attacks. He merely used his Arm Guard and the armor plates on his body to block the enemy's attacks, taking the opportunity to test the plates' defensive capabilities.

These armor plates were most effective against physical attacks. That was precisely why Tamura Hiroshi dared to fight this young Kaguya one-on-one.

The battle here had already entered its final stage. There were not many enemies left nearby, and with Fukai and Yozuki A watching from not far away, there was no need to conserve Chakra. A true life-and-death battle would benefit him even more.