War Correspondent

Just like that, Uchiha Izuna headed to the Land of Earth, Senju Tobirama to the Land of Lightning, Uchiha Madara to the Land of Wind, and Senju Hashirama to the Land of Water.

Land of Lightning, Kumogakure.

Countless afterimages flashed rapidly across the sky.

Senju Tobirama was taking on the First Raikage, along with the pseudo-Jinchūriki Kinkaku and Ginkaku, all by himself.

"I never expected you to be this powerful.

I thought that, other than Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and I would be invincible in this world."

The First Raikage stood two meters tall, his body surrounded by Lightning Release Chakra, his hair standing on end like a Super Saiyan's. He watched Senju Tobirama with a serious expression.

"Hmph! He's just a little faster, that's all!" Ginkaku said, unconvinced.

"Exactly. If he weren't so fast, he wouldn't stand a chance against the three of us." Kinkaku's expression was cold, and he watched Senju Tobirama warily.

Kinkaku: Yellow hair, two horns sticking up from the top of his head, and six whisker-like markings on his cheeks. He wore a purple short-sleeved shirt beneath a white Kumogakure jōnin vest. The character for "gold" was tattooed on his arm, and he carried the Golden Canopy Rope, Banana Palm Fan, and Amber Purifying Pot.

Ginkaku: Gray hair, two horns sticking up from the top of his head, and six whisker-like markings on his cheeks. He wore a purple short-sleeved shirt beneath a white Kumogakure jōnin vest.

"The First Raikage is known as the strongest ninja in the Land of Lightning. He's certainly powerful.

"But Kinkaku and Ginkaku, they say you two brothers are descended from the Sage of Six Paths and can freely wield his five ninja tools. You gained Nine-Tails Chakra by eating the Nine-Tails' flesh and earned the title 'The Two Lights of the Cloud.'

"But in my eyes, you're nothing special!

"Without the Sage of Six Paths' tools, you're barely stronger than ordinary elite jōnin."

Senju Tobirama's expression was icy.

If not for the Six Paths Tools, he would have killed Kinkaku and Ginkaku in an instant.

"Is that so?

"Then you don't use your Space-Time Ninjutsu, and I won't use my tools. Let's see who's stronger!"

Kinkaku sneered at Senju Tobirama.

"Fine," Senju Tobirama replied calmly.

"Here I go! Tailed Beast Transformation!"

Kinkaku shouted. Dark red Tailed Beast Chakra appeared over his body in an instant, and six long, blood-red tails emerged behind him. His eyes remained lively; he showed no sign of losing his reason to the Tailed Beast Chakra.

Ginkaku, standing beside Kinkaku, transformed into the same form.

"Come at me together!"

Senju Tobirama's gaze fell on the three of them.

Even with Kinkaku and Ginkaku's strength raised to Kage Level, his expression didn't change.

"Hahaha! As long as you don't use your Space-Time Ninjutsu, I refuse to believe you can beat three Kage-level fighters!" the Raikage laughed.

Sage Mode!

Senju Tobirama closed his eyes, then opened them fiercely. Dark markings appeared around his eyes, and golden Senjutsu Chakra radiated from his body.

He entered Sage Mode in an instant.

Boom!

Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and the Raikage attacked Senju Tobirama at the same time.

The ground shattered beneath their feet.

A flash of golden light streaked past.

Senju Tobirama appeared in front of Kinkaku.

He threw a punch, and a sonic boom rang out.

"What?!"

Kinkaku was startled.

Water Style Rasengan!

Senju Tobirama held a blue Water Style Rasengan in his hand. As Kinkaku stared in panic, he slammed it into his back.

Boom!

A tremendous force sent Kinkaku flying. He crashed into a massive boulder behind him, shattering it on impact.

"Big brother!"

Ginkaku was stunned. He hadn't expected Senju Tobirama to be so fast even without using Space-Time Ninjutsu—faster than the Raikage, in fact.

"Your opponent is me!"

At last, the Raikage reached Senju Tobirama.

The two exchanged countless blows in an instant, while Ginkaku could only support the Raikage from the side with Tailed Beast Bombs.

Without the Six Paths Tools, even in Tailed Beast Mode, Kinkaku and Ginkaku were only about as strong as ordinary Kage-level ninjas.

Otherwise, the First Raikage wouldn't have subdued them. Besides, the two of them weren't yet the Kinkaku and Ginkaku of the Second Raikage's era.

"Damn it, this can't go on!"

"The Raikage is no match for him," Kinkaku said, his face grim.

Kinkaku wasn't using the Six Paths Tools, and Senju Tobirama wasn't using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The gap between them hadn't narrowed. It had grown even wider.

Water Style: Heaven's Weeping!

Senju Tobirama spat countless water needles at the Raikage at high speed.

"Not good!"

Feeling the immense Chakra, the Raikage's pupils contracted. His purple Lightning Release Chakra Cloak quickly gathered around his chest, and a sphere of lightning enveloped his entire body.

Before Senju Tobirama's eyes, the water needles were all deflected by the Raikage's Chakra.

"You used that technique to block my Heaven's Weeping!"

"Then try this—Water Style: Water Blade Slash!"

Senju Tobirama channeled Water Release Chakra into a kunai. It glowed with Water Release Chakra as he brought it down from above, slashing toward the Raikage.

"His speed—so fast!"

The Raikage could see Senju Tobirama, but he was already struggling to react.

Just then, Kinkaku and Ginkaku made their move.

"Senju Tobirama, get inside my gourd!"

Kinkaku tossed a three-inch red gourd into the air. It expanded as it flew, turning into a three-meter golden gourd in the blink of an eye.

Senju Tobirama's heart skipped a beat. The golden gourd in the sky had caught his attention. Facing one of the legendary tools of the Sage of Six Paths, he couldn't afford to be careless.

"I knew you'd eventually use the Sage of Six Paths' tools."

Senju Tobirama had been prepared for this move from Kinkaku and Ginkaku. With a thought, he vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Kinkaku and Ginkaku then unleashed the various abilities of the Amber Purifying Pot, Golden Canopy Rope, Seven-Star Sword, and Banana Palm Fan, attacking Senju Tobirama.

"Submit, Golden Canopy Rope!" Ginkaku shouted.

Senju Tobirama suddenly felt his body briefly go limp. His movements halted.

"Be cursed, Seven-Star Sword!" Kinkaku shouted, drawing his sword and swinging.

Lightning Style: Roaring Thunder!

The Raikage released a sharp lightning lance from his mouth. A ten-meter bolt shot toward Senju Tobirama.

Rumble!

After the explosion,

the battlefield fell utterly silent, as if time had stopped.

The three of them could hear even one another's breathing.

"Is he dead?" Ginkaku asked uncertainly.

"Even if he isn't, he definitely can't fight anymore," Kinkaku said.

"Exactly. After taking a hit from that move of mine, even Senju Hashirama would be seriously injured, if not dead. Senju Tobirama is no exception," the Raikage said confidently.

"Hello, everyone. I'm a war correspondent.

"This is the battlefield in the Land of Lightning, where the fastest man in the Ninja World faces off against the Land of Lightning's strongest, the First Raikage, and the Two Lights of the Cloud."

Suddenly, Otsutsuki Yuhao's voice rang out across the battlefield.