When the first rays of morning sunlight fell over Hokage Rock, Tetsuhiro and Madara were already riding in a carriage toward Daimyo City.
On the surface, they claimed they were going to "beg forgiveness," but secretly, they had Tobirama and Izuna lead teams behind them, ready to set an ambush in the hills outside the city.
After a long, jolting journey, they finally reached Daimyo City...
Only after the commander guarding the city completed a series of checks did the gates creak open a crack.
When the two stepped out of the carriage, a broad corridor and a magnificent main hall stood before them.
Two servants escorted Madara and Hashirama into a side hall, while the five Anbu were left outside to await orders.
Tetsuhiro and Madara cautiously left the hot tea untouched and simply waited patiently.
Even as the sun set, no summons came.
Suddenly, flocks of birds scattered from the hills behind the city, alerting them that something was wrong.
Madara said grimly, "We've been exposed. Let's fight our way over there now!"
With that, he kicked through the side door and charged toward the main hall...
In the dense woods behind the city.
Izuna sliced open the throat of the samurai in front of him, then twisted aside to evade an attack. Surrounded by samurai, he slapped explosive tags onto his own body, right before their horrified eyes...
Boom!
Izuna exploded in an instant, taking those unlucky bastards with him, while his own mangled body slowly restored itself.
Under the moonlight, the sight was especially horrifying.
Yet the densely packed samurai kept fighting their way toward them, utterly unaffected.
At first, Tobirama and the others had followed the agreed plan, preparing to wait for the signal before launching a surprise attack on Daimyo City.
But after night fell, large numbers of armored samurai suddenly appeared nearby, seemingly searching for something.
After assessing the situation, Tobirama and the others concluded that the enemy had probably detected them with a secret technique.
They immediately ordered every team to activate the backup plan and do everything they could to hold the enemy down.
"This is the perfect chance to test our clansmen's strength!"
At Tobirama's command, a series of pops immediately rang out around the battlefield.
Bursting out of white smoke, Senju Toka led the Senju clansmen in summoning three giant toads, three giant snakes, and four giant slugs, which attacked the enemy with their enormous bodies and various techniques.
This was one of the benefits Tetsuhiro had given those who worked hard to improve their strength. Each of them coordinated with their summons to unleash combination techniques!
Water Release scattered the enemy, swamps restricted their movements, Earth Release trapped them, and massive boulders crushed down upon them.
After spitting at the enemy, the slugs split apart to heal the wounded.
And that wasn't all. Seeing the Senju Clan shine, the village's other clans recalled the recently introduced military merit system.
They refused to be outdone. These were all merits waiting to be claimed-ninjutsu and benefits!
Inuzuka Wolf merged with his beloved dog-Inuzuka Style: Man-Beast Transformation!
When the white smoke cleared, he had become a giant, two-headed white dog!
Secret technique-Fang Over Fang!
His body spun rapidly, forming an enormous tornado that swept toward a group of samurai...
Screams followed wherever he passed, leaving a trail of shredded corpses.
Aburame Shimura's goggles flashed as he seized the opportunity to unleash his secret technique-Insect Sphere!
A vast swarm of insects surged from his loose coat and rushed toward three samurai.
Though they slashed desperately, it was all futile. Soon, the insects covered and restrained them.
With a rustling hiss, the insects crawled through gaps in their armor and bit through their skin. They attacked their eyes and burrowed into their bodies through their noses and ears to feed. All the samurai could do was watch as their chakra and flesh were devoured bit by bit.
The gruesome sight was enough to make anyone's scalp crawl.
Hyuga Steel Plate activated his Byakugan, scouting and providing support from a distance.
The air cracked like thunder, and a samurai's armor caved in ahead-the power of Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!
Kagami Uchiha instantly activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, controlling enemies with genjutsu while occasionally sweeping through them with Fire Release and shuriken.
Shimura Danzō summoned Baku, whose appearance, especially his long trunk, resembled an elephant's. His mouth acted like a powerful vacuum cleaner, holding the enemies in place while Danzō finished them off with Wind Release.
Fighting beside him was Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was summoning a little monkey.
"Enma, transform!"
Bang! The little monkey turned into a long staff at his command, and Hiruzen swung it as he stood in front of Danzo.
Konoha gradually gained control of the battle.
Just then, the general from the Daimyo's Mansion shouted, "Elite squad, wipe them out!"
Hundreds of well-equipped samurai charged out from behind him. They activated their Chakra Armor and flew into the air, their chakra extending the reach of their blades and sharpening their edges.
"Damn it!" Seeing his clansmen die in battle, Izuna regretted his carelessness.
He roared in fury, blue chakra pouring out of his body and gradually forming a massive skeleton. The skeleton then took on a human shape and donned armor. With just one sweep of its right hand-
Where the blade flashed, armor tore apart like paper, and blood mist fell amid severed limbs.
Susanoo? The general from the Daimyo's Mansion immediately ordered, "Use the siege crossbows!"
Three siege crossbows appeared on the high ground, each loaded with a massive bolt bearing an enormous explosive tag!
"Ready-fire!" The enormous bolts howled toward Izuna...
Before he could react, one pierced his shoulder.
Boom!
The enormous explosive tag was astonishingly powerful, actually blasting apart his second-stage Susanoo.
An ordinary ninja might have died on the spot, but Izuna was now practically invincible.
In moments, his body returned to its original state, and he successfully activated his third-stage Susanoo.
"Impossible!" The general's face darkened. "That hit him just now-damn it!"
Before he could issue another order, Susanoo began swinging its blade, sending corpses tumbling wherever it passed.
Of course, the enemy did fight back, but their attacks barely mattered. It was also nearly impossible to escape the enormous blade's reach. A single strike left over eighty dead or wounded.
The elite squad's captain immediately ordered his men to scatter into groups of five and attack the Konoha ninja.
With that, Izuna could only charge toward the enemy general inside Susanoo...
"Hahaha!" He laughed wildly and shouted, "I'll leave you running around like headless flies!"
Seeing this, the general formed a hand seal toward the man beside him.
The man immediately rushed at Izuna.
"Ridiculous. An insignificant ant thinks he can topple a tree?" Izuna's eyes brimmed with mockery.
But as the man approached, he noticed something was wrong. His rigid face bore vacant eyes without a trace of emotion, making him seem almost inhuman.
Suddenly, blue chakra enveloped the man's entire body.
He seemed to call out, "Gate of Pain-open!"
Before Izuna could process it, the man vanished!
"What? He's gone? Where is he?" His Mangekyō Sharingan scanned his surroundings, but he could find no trace of the man.
"Above you!" Hyuga Steel Plate's voice rang in his ears. This was the secret technique Yamanaka Kazuo had cast at the start of the battle, allowing every word to reach its intended recipient precisely.
But the enemy was too fast. Susanoo had only just raised its hand when the man went straight for its head.
Royal Foot First Form!
Combining the force of his fall with his own speed, he delivered a full-power downward axe kick from high above.
Crack! Susanoo was renowned for its absolute defense, yet this single blow actually split its head open!
Shocked, Izuna immediately unleashed Fire Release-Dragon Flame Song Technique!
Four fire dragons pursued the man relentlessly.
Seizing the opportunity, Izuna continued toward the general's position.
He reached it in just three strides, and Susanoo immediately slashed downward.
But a cold voice sounded behind him. "Gate of Limit-open!"
At that moment, he couldn't afford to worry about anything else. He was immortal anyway.
Yet the man actually kicked Susanoo's enormous sword aside with a single blow?!
Royal Foot Second Form!
It wasn't over. The enemy vanished again in a flash.
Boom!
There was no time to react. This time, the man smashed straight through Susanoo's defenses, sending Izuna hurtling toward the ground like a human cannonball.
The general immediately shouted, "Sealing Squad, move! Seal him with everything you've got!"
While his body was still recovering, Izuna's fighting strength and mobility were far below their previous levels. This was one of the drawbacks of Impure World Reincarnation.
The enemy had prepared specifically to exploit this very moment.
Sealing formulas immediately wrapped around Izuna, and regret filled him as he struggled.
He regretted letting down his big brother, the Uchiha, and Konoha, and deeply regretted his earlier carelessness.
My big brother still needs me. The Senju's plot hasn't been exposed yet. I can't leave now!
"Ah!" The sealing formulas had already crawled up to his neck.
Just then, the voice he least wanted to hear suddenly sounded behind him...
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