Just as Izuna was about to be sealed, a voice rang out behind him...
"Hmph! Useless trash, get out of here! If my brother and Konoha didn't still need you, I wouldn't bother saving you!"
"Tobirama Senju!!!" he roared in fury, then swiftly vanished.
The smile still lingered on the general's face.
Three kunai shot through the air in a triangular formation. As Tobirama finished three hand seals, they suddenly multiplied into more than twenty.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
In the next instant, the samurai's blade flashed like a white snake flicking its tongue. Its edge scraped against the kunai, scattering sparks as he knocked them all down!
"Bastard! You dare underestimate me?"
But in a flash, Tobirama appeared beside the general, sword in his right hand, and raised it for a sweeping slash.
Something's wrong! He glimpsed the complete lack of panic on his opponent's face, and alarm bells screamed behind him.
Whoosh!
His figure vanished again. Immediately afterward, the Taijutsu expert appeared, swinging a fist at the spot Tobirama had just occupied.
A single punch caved in the ground, showing strength no weaker than Tetsuhiro's.
After his attack missed, the man pushed off the ground and gave chase.
An extreme contest of speed unfolded beside the general, though he probably wasn't enjoying it much.
Whenever Tobirama prepared to attack the general, the Taijutsu expert followed close behind. Whenever Tobirama tried to face that man head-on, the general destroyed the nearby kunai.
His opponent was so fast that he seemed close to catching up. Tobirama didn't even have time to form hand seals.
Unable to take out their leader, Tobirama could only stall. After several exchanges, he deduced that his opponent was using a secret technique to forcibly overdraw his body's reserves and increase his strength. It couldn't last long.
Meanwhile, the Konoha ninja had gained the upper hand.
The battle would be over in no more than seven minutes!
After his fighter unleashed a string of fierce attacks, the general's pupils suddenly contracted as he realized what Tobirama intended.
He immediately controlled his living puppet and activated the next stage.
The man's face twisted as he stood there and roared, "Gate of View-open!"
A powerful current of chakra swept his hair upward, making him look like a "black-haired Super Saiyan."
Is he staking his life on this? Tobirama desperately wanted to teleport away and avoid the onslaught, but Konoha's elite stood behind him, and his brother was waiting ahead for his support.
I can't retreat!
Dark Stealth Technique!
The instant he formed his hand seals, the man kicked toward him through a burst of smoke.
Fortunately, Tobirama had shortened the hand-seal sequence and successfully cast the technique.
The general and the man instantly lost their sight. Forced to aim the kick by feel, the man gave Tobirama just enough room to dodge.
But the moment Tobirama charged toward the general, his opponent attacked him with pinpoint accuracy!
Damn it! Brother, I can't help you anymore.
Crack! The sound of shattering bones rang across the battlefield...
Huh? Why doesn't it hurt? Tobirama immediately looked over.
Two enormous blue chakra arms had barely managed to block the enemy.
"Aren't you supposed to be fast? Get the hell out of here!" Izuna's eyes brimmed with mockery. Fortunately, he had arrived in time.
Tobirama had sent him to another part of the battlefield. The more Izuna thought about it, the angrier he became. After venting his fury there, he returned.
As soon as he arrived, he saw Tobirama being overwhelmed by that man.
"Heh. I thought you were so impressive. Looks like you're no better than me."
Izuna had originally intended to enjoy the show, but if the caster died, he would be stuck in the Pure Land forever, unable to help his big brother again.
After wrestling with himself for a while, he swallowed his disgust and reluctantly saved that bastard, throwing his own words back at him.
"Hmph!" Tobirama didn't argue. He swiftly hurled shuriken at the general and teleported again.
This time, the general's guard scattered the shuriken with Wind Release.
But that wasn't Tobirama's aim. He only wanted to confuse the enemy.
His real target was the Sealing Squad!
Screams rang out one after another as he swiftly cut down those capable of sealing.
"Damn it! Stop him!" The general had just moved to control the Taijutsu expert when Izuna caught the man in a crushing grip.
Though the two were sworn enemies, they could only grudgingly cooperate for the sake of their brothers and clansmen.
Both thought at the same time, This is the last time!
With his opponent occupied, Tobirama swiftly darted toward the general!
Along the way, he also unleashed Water Release-Hard Vortex Water Blade!
He created a swirling vortex of water from his mouth, compressed it into a water javelin, and fired it at the general!
The samurai guard stepped in front of the general, placed a hand on his sword hilt, and gathered all his chakra into that hand.
Secret Tachi Technique-Cut!
The chakra-infused tachi unleashed such a powerful slash that it actually deflected Tobirama's most destructive Water Release attack!
The water javelin landed deep in the forest and erupted into a massive waterspout, effortlessly destroying the trees.
Tobirama wasn't upset. His hands kept moving.
Water Release-Wave-Riding Strike!
He quickly created a vast expanse of water ahead, submerged himself, and glided rapidly through it.
All the while, he continued forming hand seals...
Over on the other side, Susanoo had been shattered many times, and Izuna himself had been reduced to nothing but a head.
Yet Izuna held on. As long as his eyes weren't blind, he could still use Susanoo!
He kept swearing all the same.
"You damned Senju bastard, hurry up!"
Before he finished speaking, his opponent smashed Susanoo apart again.
"You..." Izuna's vision went black.
This time, his opponent had destroyed his head outright. Only half his body remained, slowly regenerating.
Without hesitation, the man turned back to reinforce the general.
At that moment, Tobirama's hands suddenly shot out of the water and dragged the general under.
By the time the samurai guard noticed, it was already too late. He recklessly leaped into the water.
The general struggled desperately as well, and the two remained locked in a stalemate for a while.
Then chakra suddenly burst from the general's armor, forcing open a little space. Seizing that opening, he thrust his chakra-infused tachi backward into Tobirama's body...
Pop! Tobirama dissolved into flowing water and vanished beneath the surface.
"A Water Clone? How cunning."
By then, the guard had arrived too, and the two swam upward with their guards raised.
They had thought their opponent would never let such a good opportunity slip by, but nothing happened.
When they surfaced, they saw corpses scattered everywhere. Only when the general spotted one particular body did he understand why.
"Damn it! He tricked me! That onmyoji is dead! How am I supposed to answer to the Daimyo?" His face twisted as he charged at Tobirama in fury.
"Die, you damned rebel!"
Tobirama curled his lips and said disdainfully, "The world's greatest parasites are about to be wiped out. My brother will bring the age of the Daimyo to an end. Surrender and follow us into a new future!"
The general spat. "Ridiculous. You don't even realize you're about to die."
"What?"
"Die!"
Tachi Sword Technique-Z Slash!
The slash stirred a gust that swept the loose hair off the general's forehead, revealing an old, unhealed wound above his brow-a scar left when he defeated a subordinate of the Daimyo of the Land of Earth.
It was proof of his loyalty to his Daimyo!
But Tobirama paid no attention to such trivial details. He figured the Konoha ninja were nearly finished.
Using Flying Thunder God, he repeatedly evaded the pair's pincer attacks. As long as he had enough kunai, he could still fight!
Except against certain freaks.
Sure enough, the Taijutsu expert seized the moment as Tobirama dodged and kicked him again, smashing him to pieces!
Crack!
Tobirama's entire body burst apart?
But the scattered flesh and blood suddenly turned into seawater and splashed onto the ground. Another Water Clone.
This was his other approach: using Shadow Clones to hold the enemy back!
The man immediately began destroying everything around him-the ground, trees, rocks, puddles...
The more desperate he became, the more satisfied Tobirama felt as he hid beneath the water.
Eventually, the man's movements slowed. Blood began seeping from all over his body, and he collapsed without even getting a chance to use his final trump card.
Tobirama didn't grow careless. He continued using Water Clones to keep the general and his guard occupied.
He stalled until Izuna arrived, and until the Konoha ninja had nearly finished clearing out the samurai.
Only after calling the Sealing Squad over to take the man's body away did Tobirama reveal himself and try once more to persuade the general.
But the two remained obstinate. They gave no answer and fought fanatically to the last, until the others joined forces and killed them.
"Everyone, take a head count! Leave a small group to clean up the battlefield. The rest of you, follow me to launch a surprise attack on the Daimyo's Mansion!"
"Yes!"
Just as Tobirama led his squad halfway up the mountain,
a Perfect Susanoo swiftly appeared within the city surrounding the Daimyo's Mansion!
Great numbers of tree roots also grew all around it.
Have they run into a troublesome enemy too? Tobirama suddenly remembered the general's earlier words: "Ridiculous. You don't even realize you're about to die!"
He silently prayed, Brother, I hope you're all right...
Before you continue