Any Chance I've Already Grown Strong?

On the eve of the deadline, the Fourth Raikage walked alone toward the Konoha camp.

When Ensei Uchiha received the report from the sensor ninja, he was a little surprised.

He really hadn't expected the Raikage to have the nerve to trespass alone into the enemy camp.

Had the entire Kumogakure forgotten the news that the Third Raikage had been surrounded and killed some time ago?

"Come on. Let's go see."

Ensei Uchiha called to Shikaku beside him, making no attempt to ask for his opinion.

Shikaku Nara smiled wryly and shook his head. After giving Ibiki Morino a few instructions, he followed Ensei Uchiha.

Having an eleven-year-old child serve as a battlefield commander looked like a joke no matter how you saw it.

But Shikaku Nara couldn't voice any objections. If Ensei Uchiha didn't speak up, Konoha couldn't command a single Uchiha anymore.

When the Fourth Raikage saw Ensei Uchiha in person, he found it hard to believe, even though he already knew the boy's age.

If this brat in front of him was like the Fourth Mizukage, whose body merely looked like a child's, that would be one thing. But if he really was only eleven...

He had to find a way to kill him in the cradle.

With that thought, the Fourth Raikage covered himself in Chakra and lightning, then charged at Ensei Uchiha at full speed without warning.

At such close range, even Minato Namikaze...

Just as the Fourth Raikage's lips curled into a faint smile, his punch was blocked by a puppet in the shape of a young girl.

The girl-shaped puppet had appeared without warning. Its material was incredibly hard, unlike anything that should exist in the Shinobi World.

"Space-Time Ninjutsu?"

Fighting through the sharp pain in his fist, the Fourth Raikage didn't hesitate and immediately followed up with another move.

Guillotine Drop!

The name was a bit of a mouthful, but from the way it looked, the move seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary kick while using Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

Its effect, however, was surprisingly powerful.

Zero-Two Model was slammed straight into the ground, and its shoulder appeared to have sustained extensive damage.

After only two moves, the newly modified Zero-Two Model was out of the fight. It seemed its combat strength had weakened a little.

Still, Ensei Uchiha was quite satisfied that it had withstood two full-power attacks from the Fourth Raikage.

Looking at Ensei Uchiha, who was only a short distance away, the Fourth Raikage's face twisted into a cruel smile.

But the next moment, that smile froze.

"Poof!"

As a cloud of white smoke burst open, the Fourth Raikage's face slowly turned livid.

"Are all Raikage... this dishonorable?"

Ensei Uchiha appeared again, walking over from the direction of the Konoha camp.

Seeing him, the Fourth Raikage knew he had lost the initiative. He snorted and canceled his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

"Think the old man's despicable, brat? Let me tell you, this is the real Shinobi World."

The Fourth Raikage looked furious. It was hard to tell whether it was because his sneak attack had failed or because Ensei Uchiha's face remained so calm.

Shadow Clone was such a useful technique.

Even Kaguya Otsutsuki couldn't see through the real body. It was a technique that made him incredibly happy.

"Despicable is a bit much. I just think you're kind of stupid."

Ensei Uchiha's calm statement nearly made the Fourth Raikage lose his temper all over again.

Kumogakure had very little information about Ensei Uchiha. They only knew he had apparently awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and possessed talent greater than Madara Uchiha.

"Hmph. The old man's seen plenty of geniuses. But a genius who can't grow up is worth nothing."

The Fourth Raikage issued a threat.

Perhaps, in his eyes, this wasn't just a threat. It was a statement of fact.

No matter what Ensei Uchiha had been like before, after today, most of the forces in the Shinobi World would be waiting for him to die, even if the Fourth Raikage failed to kill him.

If the stakes were high enough, another Fourth Shinobi World War would break out. The four hidden villages and countless other forces lurking in the shadows would all descend on Konoha at once.

The Shinobi World had no need for the God of Shinobi.

"Can't grow up? Any chance I've already grown strong?"

"Enough. Let's stop wasting time."

"I'm here to claim the compensation I'm owed. If Kumogakure can't pay, then shall we go to war?"

Ensei Uchiha spoke slowly, with a hint of anticipation in his voice.

"Impossible. My bottom line is that we act as if this never happened and both sides withdraw their troops."

The Fourth Raikage refused without hesitation.

"I see. What a shame..."

"For Kumogakure..."

Ensei Uchiha pointed at the sky. A crimson beam shot from his fingertip and exploded overhead.

The next moment, the ground began to tremble slightly.

The Fourth Raikage seemed to realize what was happening. He formed hand seals and used an unknown jutsu, probably to alert the Kumogakure shinobi behind him.

Soon, the tremors grew stronger and stronger.

The Fourth Raikage thought Konoha had sent out the Nine-Tails. After all, there were few beings in the Shinobi World besides the Tailed Beasts capable of causing such a commotion.

Before long, a figure finally burst out of the distant forest. It looked like some kind of irregular beast, and its body gave off an extremely violent Chakra.

The first, the second, the third...

As more and more beasts charged out of the forest, the Fourth Raikage's expression grew terribly grim.

Only now did the Fourth Raikage understand why Konoha had sent only jonin this time.

Only jonin could move freely through such a massive stampede. The genin, and even many of the Chunin, would be nothing but targets amid a beast tide of this scale.

He had to get back as soon as possible and tell all the Earth Style users to reshape the terrain. If these Ninja Beasts were allowed to charge all the way through, the war was all but lost.

Watching the Fourth Raikage hurry back, Ensei Uchiha unhurriedly leaped onto the back of the beast at the head of the stampede.

"I didn't expect these troublesome scraps to be so useful on the battlefield."

The beasts he'd released were all failed specimens from his research into Natural Energy for the Ninja Cat Clan.

They had originally been cloned using extremely crude methods, and had also been tainted by violent Natural Energy that was difficult to remove. That made them a real pain to dispose of.

He couldn't just toss them somewhere at random. Although they were all rejects, they still contained a considerable amount of Senjutsu Chakra.

Careless disposal could expose his techniques and cause unnecessary trouble.

That was why, before setting out for this war, Ensei Uchiha had prepared thoroughly. He had obtained a batch of supplies from Hiruzen Sarutobi and made a few minor modifications to these failed Natural Energy experiments.

Once modified, the rejects had been transformed into disposable weapons.

But to make these weapons unleash their full power, he still needed a special jutsu.

"Earth Release: Hardening Technique!"