Boom! Boom! Boom!
Buildings collapsed like blocks of wood as the three figures clashed fiercely, leaving destruction in their wake.
Mei Terumī leaped forward, chasing after them, but could only watch as Yagura and Utakata, clad in their Tailed Beast Chakra Cloaks, were repeatedly struck and sent flying by the towering figure.
Two against one, yet they couldn't even suppress their opponent.
However, the battle was gradually moving out of the village.
Mei quickened her pace, abandoning the pursuit. Instead, she took a different route to exit the village ahead of them.
As the battle reached the outskirts, Mei launched a surprise attack from behind, spitting out a large quantity of viscous fluid that enveloped the Susanoo.
"Now's the moment!"
Within Utakata, the Six-Tails roared in encouragement.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Six chakra tails formed by the Six-Tails shot out, piercing through the sticky liquid and binding Susanoo tightly.
Meanwhile, Yagura opened his mouth, forming another Tailed Beast Bomb.
Seeing this, Mei's face lit up with hope.
But just as the Tailed Beast Bomb was nearing completion, a piercing sound broke through the air. Black rods descended from above, piercing through three of Yagura's tails.
Yagura howled in pain as the Tailed Beast Chakra surrounding him rapidly dissipated, and the forming Tailed Beast Bomb disintegrated.
"Who's there?!"
Mei snapped her head upward and saw a figure descending from the sky. The figure wielded a black rod, impaling Yagura, who had reverted to human form.
"Mizukage-sama!"
Mei shouted as she leaped forward, forming hand seals.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
A water dragon surged toward Nagato.
Nagato casually struck Yagura's hands with two more black rods, pinning him down. Then, with a simple gesture, he raised his right hand.
Boom!
The water dragon exploded midair, and Mei was sent flying by an invisible force.
After disposing of the troublesome Mei, Nagato turned his gaze down toward Yagura.
Yagura looked up at him, his voice filled with anger. "Rinnegan... damn it..."
Nagato's expression remained cold. "It seems you've tasted pain, but it appears you still don't understand it."
"Perhaps you can only grasp your own pain, unable to comprehend mine."
At that moment, seeing Yagura captured, a group of Mist-nin who had refrained from joining the battle now charged in.
"Mizukage-sama!"
"Save the Fourth Mizukage-sama!"
The Mist-nin shouted in desperation.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Obito had already broken free from the Six-Tails' chakra tails binding him. With two swift strikes, he pinned Utakata to the ground amidst the ruins.
Roar!
Utakata roared, his tails wrapping around the enormous chakra blade in an attempt to pull it out.
Susanoo took a step forward, planting its foot on Utakata's head. "The power of the Six-Tails is nothing special after all."
Their gazes locked, and Obito activated his genjutsu, taking control of Utakata.
On the other side, Nagato ignored the Mist-nin's cries and mercilessly thrust a black rod into Yagura's heart.
Yagura's eyes widened as blood spurted from his mouth.
Such a fatal wound was difficult to heal, even with Tailed Beast Chakra.
What's more, the Tailed Beast Chakra had already been suppressed by the black rods.
Watching Yagura's life fade, Nagato immediately summoned the King of Hell, which swallowed Yagura whole.
This ensured that the Three-Tails would not reincarnate elsewhere.
Furthermore, Nagato could easily resurrect Yagura if necessary.
"Hey, you! What have you done to the Fourth Mizukage-sama?"
"Hand him over now!"
The first Mist-nin to reach Nagato roared in rage.
Nagato effortlessly dodged the attacks, his tone indifferent. "Angry? Hurt?"
"Then continue to feel that pain."
He flickered behind the Mist-nin, and with a thud, pierced the ninja's heart with a black rod.
Meanwhile, a staggering Mei Terumī watched in horror as Yagura was devoured by the strange summoning. Her pupils contracted.
"Those eyes... Rinnegan?"
"What kind of power is that?"
"Damn it..."
Mei bit her lip hard, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
The Fourth Mizukage had been freed but was immediately captured again. Even Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, had fallen under the control of the Sharingan wielder.
Watching her comrades charge forward one by one, only to fall one after the other, Mei was filled with deep regret.
"Shūichi... I know you're here!"
"Please, save the Hidden Mist Village..."
Mei bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. "I'm willing to..."
Before she could finish, a sigh echoed in her ear.
Shūichi appeared beside her, speaking calmly. "People tend to overestimate their strength and judgment. That is the greatest obstacle to progress."
"Never act beyond your capabilities, and never place too much hope in outsiders."
"Have your people fall back."
Mei wiped her tears and nodded quickly. "Understood!"
She leaped away to carry out his instructions.
By this time, Ao had arrived with a large group of Mist-nin from within the village. However, Mei intercepted them, halting them at the edge of the battlefield's ruins.
"Is that..."
Ao squinted into the distance. "Shūichi Hoshita... the God of Shinobi!"
Many Mist-nin gasped in shock. "Why is he here?"
"Is he an enemy?"
"How can we possibly fight an enemy like that?"
Mei, her tone heavy with sorrow, explained, "No, he is not an enemy. He is an ally—someone both Zabuza and I invited here."
"The Sharingan wielder is a man from Konoha, controlled by the Rinnegan user."
The Mist-nin were stunned. The information was overwhelming.
The Third Mizukage had almost certainly died at Shūichi Hoshita's hands.
And now a Mangekyō Sharingan wielder was revealed to be under someone else's control.
"Then... are we just supposed to stand by and watch?" one Mist-nin asked.
Ao responded, "Battles of this magnitude are best left alone. It's too dangerous to intervene."
"Focus on keeping an eye on Utakata. If an opportunity arises, we'll save him from their grasp."
The Mist-nin nodded in agreement. "Understood!"
...
In the midst of the battlefield, Uchiha Obito and Nagato stood face to face.
From beneath the ground, Black Zetsu emerged, silently crawling onto Obito's body.
"Be cautious. He might dispel the genjutsu on the Six-Tails' jinchūriki. For him, that wouldn't be difficult," Black Zetsu warned.
Obito replied indifferently, "I know."
"Nagato, take the Six-Tails' jinchūriki first!"
Utakata began retreating, and Nagato immediately summoned the King of Hell once more.
Boom!
Shūichi suddenly vanished from where he stood, reappearing beside Utakata. With one hand, he forced Utakata into the ground, breaking the genjutsu in an instant.
Obito spun around sharply. "Flying Thunder God Technique! So, you had already marked the jinchūriki?"
The Six-Tails' chakra slowly dissipated from Utakata's body as he stood up weakly. "Thank you!"
Shūichi nodded. "Go back to Mei's side."
"Understood!" Utakata leaped toward Mei and her group.
Neither Obito nor Nagato tried to stop him. They both understood that unless they defeated Shūichi, it was impossible to accomplish anything.
"No wonder they call him the new God of Shinobi," Ao remarked in awe.
"In an instant, he rescued the Six-Tails' jinchūriki. What should we do next?" he asked, turning to Mei.
All the Mist ninja looked to Mei Terumi for guidance. With the Fourth Mizukage gone, she was now the strongest among them.
Mei stared at the three figures ahead and said firmly, "Summon every ninja capable of combat. If an opportunity arises, we must at least assist that man in taking one of them down."
"Ao, I'm counting on you."
Ao nodded solemnly. "Understood!" He quickly departed to gather reinforcements.
Meanwhile, Nagato raised his hand.
Shinra Tensei!
Boom!
The ground cracked apart as an invisible force sent Shūichi flying backward.
Obito's Susanoo, in its towering tengu-armored form, materialized. With twin swords in hand, it slashed at the airborne Shūichi.
In response, a golden chakra enveloped Shūichi's body. Violet lotus blossoms bloomed around him as his form blurred, deftly dodging the Susanoo's chakra blades. Reappearing above the construct's head, he activated his Hive Shield for protection and enhanced his body with Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique.
Encased in rock, Shūichi's fist smashed down violently.
Boom!
The head of the Susanoo shattered upon impact.
"What?" Obito's eyes widened in disbelief. His Susanoo had been broken by Shūichi before, but never so effortlessly. What's more, this version of his Susanoo was far stronger than before.
As the Susanoo crumbled, Obito landed and retreated while forming hand seals.
Bomb Blast Dance!
Combining Kamui with Fire Release, he unleashed a swirling storm of flames that roared toward Shūichi like a rampaging dragon.
Shūichi activated Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique, making his body nearly weightless. At the same time, jets of scorching Scorch Release energy erupted from the pores of his Hive Shield, propelling him forward with bursts of fiery rings.
He passed straight through the storm of flames.
"What?!" Obito, shocked once more, immediately made his body intangible, allowing Shūichi to phase through him harmlessly.
Nagato then launched his counterattack:
Banshō Ten'in!
The gravitational pull yanked Shūichi toward Nagato. In response, Shūichi applied Ultra-Added-Weight Rock Technique, slamming himself into the ground and resisting the pull.
But this was part of Nagato's plan. Immobilizing Shūichi was enough.
From behind, Obito's Susanoo reformed. Twin blades slashed down once again.
Shūichi's body began to expand. Twin dragon heads grew from his shoulders, while two additional arms sprouted from beneath his own. With these arms, he intercepted and held the Susanoo's blades in place.
At the same time, his Star God Form grew to match the Susanoo in size. Despite having his back to the Susanoo, Shūichi used his extra arms to seize the construct, immobilizing it.
The dragon heads turned to face Obito within the Susanoo, unleashing a searing attack:
Flame Dragon Breath!
A beam of intense heat sliced through the Susanoo's head, splitting it in two. At the last moment, Obito escaped with his intangibility, retreating swiftly.
"So powerful!"
"It's no wonder they call him the God of Shinobi!"
"Even Lady Mei's kekkei genkai couldn't break through his defenses, yet this man has shattered them multiple times!"
"But what is Obito's ability? Why can he evade attacks like that? Is his body really intangible?"
"It must be. I've never heard of a Uchiha having such a power!"
The Mist ninja buzzed with shock and confusion.
"Wait, what's that?" one Mist ninja suddenly shouted.
Everyone turned to look. Mei Terumi's pupils shrank.
"Wood Release...?"
"The Rinnegan wielder can use Wood Release too?"
Enormous ancient trees, as thick as dragons, surged forward like tidal waves, flooding toward Shūichi's position.
The sheer scale of the technique left the Mist ninjas stunned, gulping nervously.
"This level of power... It's truly on another dimension!"
"How are we supposed to resist such a massive jutsu?"
An experienced Mist ninja couldn't help but mutter, "This level of Wood Release... it must be on par with the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama!"
Someone murmured in disbelief, "Wood Release is supposed to be a secret technique only Hashirama possessed. How is it appearing now?"
Mei Terumi swallowed hard, then clenched her teeth. "You all stay back; I'll go assist him!"
Ignoring the calls from the Mist ninjas behind her, Mei leapt forward into the encroaching sea of trees. At the edge of the forest, she spat a torrent of corrosive liquid, which sizzled and began to dissolve the trees rapidly.
However, the trees continued to grow relentlessly, her efforts hardly making a dent.
Unwilling to give up, Mei gritted her teeth and cast another technique, this time using Skilled Mist Jutsu to expand the coverage. Yet, the trees kept advancing, unaffected by her efforts.
Nagato noticed the "ant" disrupting his technique and redirected a portion of the trees toward her. They coiled and engulfed her, closing in with alarming speed.
Despite her agile movements and continuous jutsu, Mei was eventually overwhelmed by the unrelenting growth of the trees. Her face turned pale.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion tore through the area, shattering countless trees.
Shūichi appeared beside Mei. "It seems you didn't take my warning seriously."
Mei flushed with shame. "I... I just wanted to help. After all, you're fighting against two powerful enemies."
Shūichi brought his hands together, and golden chakra enveloped him. In an instant, it transformed into a towering golden figure with three heads and six arms.
Mei stared upward in a daze.
"It seems you have no understanding of how powerful I really am."
Shūichi floated into the air, landing at the golden giant's brow. Suddenly, Mei felt herself lifted into the air and placed beside him.
From the distance, Uchiha Obito, who had just activated his Susanoo again, looked at the golden figure in disbelief. "Susanoo?"
"How is this possible?"
Black Zetsu's eyes narrowed sharply. "No."
"This isn't Susanoo. He's created something entirely through his own abilities that mirrors its form and function."
"Honestly, this man has already surpassed the Senju Hashirama."
Obito was stunned.
Black Zetsu urged, "While Nagato is keeping him occupied, take the Six-Tails Jinchūriki now!"
Obito snapped back to his senses, nodded, and rushed toward Utakata.
"He's coming for the Six-Tails!"
"Protect the Jinchūriki!" the Mist ninjas cried out in alarm, fear gripping their hearts.
Ao arrived with reinforcements just in time to see Susanoo bearing down on them. Without hesitation, he commanded, "Use Water Release to create a favorable terrain and engage him with all you've got!"
With leadership established, the Mist ninjas began casting Water Release jutsu under the direction of their captains, forming a vast lake and manipulating the water to obstruct Susanoo's advance.
Meanwhile, the golden figure Shūichi had created was enveloped in the Hive Shield, transforming it into a massive stone giant.
As the encroaching trees surged again, the surface of the stone giant became covered in Wood Release tendrils, with a wooden dragon coiling around its body.
"You... You can use Wood Release too?" Mei gasped in disbelief.
"It's not particularly difficult." Shūichi smiled faintly.
The dragon heads of the Star God opened their mouths, unleashing Flame Dragon Breath. The scorching beams of heat swept across the advancing forest, cutting it down with precision.
Not stopping there, the six arms of the giant moved, conjuring massive Scorch Release: Vacuum Blades.
Boom! Boom!
The Star God strode forward, its movements swift and decisive, easily carving through the Deep Forest Emergence summoned by Nagato. As the flames surged in its wake, the forest turned into a raging inferno.
Watching his technique obliterated, Nagato formed a seal.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
Two massive wood dragons burst from the ground, one engaging the wooden dragon coiled around the Star God, while the other wrapped itself around the giant's body.
Nagato rose into the air, extending his palms toward Shūichi.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Almost simultaneously, the Star God severed the wood dragons with its six vacuum blades and collided with the repelling force of the Almighty Push.
BOOM!
The deafening explosion shook the battlefield.
At the epicenter of the clash, the impact generated a devastating shockwave. Trees shattered, flames extinguished, and the resulting windstorm swept outward, obliterating everything in its path.
Mist ninjas battling Susanoo were caught in the gale, blown away, while the lake they had created was completely evaporated.
By Utakata's side, Ao's expression changed drastically. "This is bad!"
"I'll handle it!" Utakata stepped forward, the chakra of the Six-Tails surging around him.
Ao shouted, "Utakata, you're no match for him!"
"Run!"
But Utakata remained firm. "I've spent most of my life unhappy, but I can't stand by while so many of my comrades risk their lives for me."
Comrades.
For the first time, he saw the Mist ninjas as his comrades.
Ao was stunned. Watching Susanoo approach after the storm's aftermath, he gritted his teeth. "Then we'll fight together!"
At that moment, a massive figure loomed before them.
Crash!
The ground trembled violently, nearly toppling Ao.
The Star God had moved into position, shielding them from Susanoo.
Boom!
Six Scorch Release Vacuum Blades slashed down, forcing Susanoo to stagger backward.
Underneath his mask, Obito's lips twitched, his competitive spirit ignited. Clenching his teeth, he formed a seal.
Moments later, Susanoo expanded further, sprouting wings as its chakra solidified completely, giving it an unprecedented physical form.
"Perfect Susanoo!"
Shūichi's eyes gleamed with interest. He smiled. "Obito, you've grown a lot. To think you've mastered the Perfect Susanoo so quickly."
At this moment, the Perfect Susanoo towered over the Star God.
Mei gasped in astonishment. "That wasn't his limit earlier?"
Clap!
Shūichi brought his hands together. Entering Sage Mode instantly, he summoned a massive Wood Release structure beneath the Star God, raising it higher and higher.
Mei looked down in awe, only to see an enormous entity taking form at an incredible speed.
The once-massive Perfect Susanoo now seemed diminutive in comparison.
Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands – God of the Heavenly Stars!
(End of Chapter)
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