Is it possible that I've already grown up?

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

When Ensei Uchiha received the report from his sensory ninja, he was somewhat surprised.

He truly had not expected the Raikage to be capable of such a reckless act as trespassing into an enemy camp by himself.

Could it be that the entire Kumogakure had forgotten the news of the Third Raikage being surrounded and ultimately falling in battle not long ago?

"Let's go take a look."

Ensei Uchiha beckoned to Shikaku Nara beside him, showing no intention of seeking anyone's advice.

Shikaku Nara shook his head with a wry smile, gave a few instructions to Ibiki Morino, and followed behind Ensei Uchiha.

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

Yet, Shikaku Nara could not raise any objections, because if Ensei Uchiha did not speak up, Konoha could no longer command a single Uchiha.

When the Fourth Raikage saw Ensei Uchiha with his own eyes, although he had long known his age, he still found it hard to believe.

If the brat before him were like the Fourth Mizukage, merely possessing the physique of a child, that would be one thing; but if he were truly only eleven years old...

He had to find a way to nip him in the bud.

Thinking this, the Fourth Raikage covered his entire body in Chakra and lightning, charging at Ensei Uchiha at full speed without any warning.

At such close range, even Minato Namikaze...

Just as a faint smile touched the corner of the Fourth Raikage's mouth, his lunging fist was blocked by a puppet that looked like a young girl.

This girl-like puppet had appeared without warning, and its material was incredibly hard, not resembling anything that should exist in the Shinobi World.

"Space-Time Ninjutsu?"

Enduring the sharp pain radiating from his fist, the Fourth Raikage did not hesitate for a second, immediately following up with his next move.

Guillotine Drop!

The name was a bit of a mouthful, but in terms of execution, it looked like nothing more than a standard kick performed while in the Lightning Chakra Mode.

The effect, however, was surprisingly powerful.

The body of Zero-Two Model was smashed directly into the ground, and its shoulder area appeared to have suffered massive damage.

In just two moves, the newly modified Zero-Two Model was forced out of the fight; it seemed its combat capability had weakened somewhat.

But being able to withstand two full-power strikes from the Fourth Raikage was enough to satisfy Ensei Uchiha.

Looking at Ensei Uchiha, who was within arm's reach, a cruel smile appeared on the Fourth Raikage's face.

But the next moment, that smile froze.

"Poof!"

Accompanied by a burst of white smoke, the Fourth Raikage's complexion gradually turned livid.

"Raikage... is this how you lack martial virtue?"

Ensei Uchiha's figure walked over once again from the direction of the Konoha camp.

Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage knew he had lost the initiative and couldn't help but snort coldly, deactivating the Lightning Chakra Mode on his body.

"Think I'm despicable? Brat, let me tell you, this is the real Shinobi World."

The Fourth Raikage's expression was grim, whether because his sneak attack had failed or because of Ensei Uchiha's calm face, it was hard to tell.

The Shadow Clone technique really was incredibly useful.

A technique that even Kaguya Otsutsuki could not see through was truly a delight.

"I wouldn't call it despicable, just a bit stupid."

Ensei Uchiha's calm statement nearly caused the Fourth Raikage to lose his composure once again.

Intelligence on Ensei Uchiha was scarce in Kumogakure. They only knew that he was suspected of having awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and possessed talent even greater than Madara Uchiha.

"Hmph, I've seen plenty of geniuses. But a genius who doesn't live to grow up is nothing."

The Fourth Raikage issued a threat.

Perhaps, in his eyes, this was not just a threat, but a statement of reality.

Regardless of what Ensei Uchiha had done before, after today, even if he failed to kill him, the vast majority of factions in the Shinobi World would be waiting for Ensei Uchiha's death.

If the stakes were high enough, a Fourth Shinobi World War would break out, and the four major villages along with countless other dark forces in the Shinobi World would swarm to attack Konoha.

This Shinobi World did not need a God of Shinobi.

"Doesn't live to grow up? Is it possible that I have already grown up?"

"Enough, let's skip the nonsense."

"I am here to demand my compensation. If Kumogakure cannot pay, then shall we go to war?"

Ensei Uchiha spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation.

"Impossible. My bottom line is that this matter be treated as if it never happened, and both sides withdraw their troops."

The Fourth Raikage chose to refuse without the slightest hesitation.

"Is that so? What a pity..."

"For Kumogakure..."

Ensei Uchiha pointed his finger toward the sky, and a crimson beam of light shot from his fingertip, detonating high above.

The next moment, the earth began to tremble slightly.

The Fourth Raikage clearly realized something; he formed hand seals to cast an unknown ninjutsu, likely to alert the Kumogakure shinobi behind him.

Soon, the tremors in the ground grew increasingly intense.

The Fourth Raikage assumed that Konoha had deployed the Nine-Tails, as few things in the Shinobi World could cause such a massive disturbance besides a Tailed Beast.

Before long, a figure finally burst from the distant dense forest, appearing like some sort of irregular beast, its body radiating an extremely violent Chakra.

The first, the second, the third...

As more and more beasts surged out from the forest, the Fourth Raikage's expression turned exceptionally grim.

Only now did the Fourth Raikage understand why Konoha had dispatched only Jonin for this operation.

Only Jonin could move freely amidst such a massive beast tide; those Genin, and even many Chunin, would be nothing more than targets in a stampede of this scale.

He had to return as quickly as possible to order all Earth Style users to alter the terrain; if these Ninja Beasts were allowed to charge forward unchecked, this war would be all but lost.

Watching the Fourth Raikage rush back, Ensei Uchiha leaped unhurriedly onto the back of the lead beast.

"I never expected that some difficult-to-dispose-of scraps would actually be so useful on the battlefield."

These released beasts were all byproducts Ensei Uchiha had discarded while researching Natural Energy for the Ninja Cat Clan.

Originally cloned through extremely crude methods and contaminated with volatile Natural Energy that was difficult to purge, these scraps had been a headache to deal with.

He couldn't just dump them anywhere; even though they were rejects, their bodies still contained a significant amount of Sage Mode Chakra.

Disposing of them carelessly would not only risk leaking his own techniques but could also cause unnecessary trouble.

Because of this, before departing for this war, Ensei Uchiha had made ample preparations, obtaining a batch of supplies from Hiruzen Sarutobi to perform some minor modifications on these Natural Energy research rejects.

Once the modifications were complete, these former scraps were transformed into disposable weapons of mass destruction.

But to make these weapons unleash their true power, a special ninjutsu was required.

"Earth Style: Hardening Technique!"