Chapter 1007: Yamanaka Houji vs. Madara!
Chapter 1007: Yamanaka Houji vs. Madara!
"A dragon returns to the sea, but the sea does not welcome me, Jiraiya?"
"Tch, a two-faced hypocrite!"
"Nonsense, I'll scatter your corpse and soul to the winds!"
...
Watching as Jiraiya, one of the strongest in the village, was brutally beaten by the two powerful red-haired stick-wielders, Tang Ping muttered under his breath.
When watching the anime, it's easy to be drawn in by his personal charm, but in the real Ninja World, it's hard to face him directly.
Because he possesses the infamous 'Chiming Shuangbiao' trait of the Hokage-style.
It's as if no matter how much Konoha does wrong, he can forgive them, but if anyone dares to target Konoha, it's unacceptable.
Does he really think Konoha is the darling of the Ninja World?
No!
Well, it seems like it is... So, never mind.
As the beloved 'child' of the Sage of the Six Paths, Konoha was indeed the favorite of the Ninja World.
However, this preferential treatment has been weakened, if not eliminated.
Konoha was once the center of the Ninja World because of the Sage's favoritism.
But now, Tang Ping is even dragging the Sage down with him, so how could he not deal with a mere Konoha?
From the beginning, he has been planning, and now, he has finally caused their great dam to crumble by a tiny ant's hole.
Quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes!
If he had used brutal force all at once, the Sage of the Six Paths would have surely intervened.
The thing is, Tang Ping didn't go all out; instead, he slowly and steadily weakened Konoha, not finishing it off in one go but chipping away at it over time.
Under his various undermining tactics, Konoha directly lost its status as the center of the Ninja World.
Therefore, the infamous Chiming Shuangbiao's confidence has long since diminished.
As a result, killing Jiraiya is as easy as killing a chicken, with no significant impact.
Among the Kage in the Allied Forces, even Otsutsuki and A can survive, but Jiraiya must die.
Because only then can he take over Konoha.
For this, Tang Ping has been preparing for a long time.
Tsunade!
With her, taking over Konoha will be effortless.
Unless the remaining villagers choose to protect the village with their lives, even with the deepest hatred, they will have no choice but to surrender if they have an excuse to do so.
Of course, Tang Ping wouldn't mind if they chose to resist to the death.
He won't be merciful when facing a stubbornly resistant enemy, thinking of conquering or showing mercy.
Annihilation is the goal! With Reiyo Country's current strength, eradicating Konoha from the Ninja World is not a difficult task.
And wiping out Konoha is actually a good thing.
At the very least, there's no need to worry about them causing trouble.
So, Konoha's fate is sealed; it's just a matter of whether they surrender and change allegiance or resist to the end and face complete annihilation by the Solar Flare Army.
Now that Jiraiya is dead, it means the next phase of the plan can begin.
But not yet; it will have to wait until after the great war.
Tang Ping ranted a few words about Jiraiya before shifting his focus to the other side.
Compared to the suspense-less battle on Jiraiya's side, the main event was on the other.
Yamanaka Houji has always devoted himself to Taijutsu training, and in terms of determination, he is no less than Kaito. With longer training time and more resources, he aspires to become the pinnacle of Taijutsu.
Now is his chance!
If he can showcase his efforts in this situation, he can prove that he is not weaker than Kaito in Taijutsu and deserves to be a teammate of the Reiyo leader.
He feels a significant mental pressure.
As a member of the legendary 404 Squad, aside from the divine abilities of their leader, Tang Ping, just the strength of Hyuga Aikotsuki is enough to overpower him.
Outsiders may not know, but Yamanaka Houji has been aware of Hyuga Aikotsuki's overwhelming strength from the start.
Even in terms of raw power, Tang Ping might not necessarily be stronger than her.
Compared to his two ultimate-level teammates, he is only at the strong shadow level, so the pressure is immense.
And reaching this level has consumed a vast amount of resources.
It's not that he's weak; it's because he specializes in one area.
A Taijutsu specialist!
With all his efforts focused on this field, his strength growth is naturally slow.
However, when coordinated with powered armor, his combat power can match the ultimate level of the shadow.
Do you think the strong shadow level is weak?
In the original plot, the strong shadow level is not weak; at the very least, it's at the Five Shadow rank.
But in the current Ninja World with Tang Ping, only the ultimate level can be called 'T1' level, so this strength is indeed somewhat weak.
However, if one specializes in the Eight Gates, their strength takes on a whole new level.
Everyone knows that this forbidden technique is a "power amplifier."
The ultimate strength unleashed depends entirely on the user's foundational abilities.
During the decisive battle in the original plot, Kaito's strength should have been at the Kage rank level, although his status as an elite Jonin does not necessarily reflect his actual power.
If he were truly an elite Jonin, he wouldn't have the qualifications to be Kakashi's sworn enemy.
When Yamanaka Houji, a strong Kage-level ninja, utilizes the Eight Gates, his power becomes even more terrifying than Kaito's.
"The 7th Gate, Open!"
At this moment, he opens the Eight Gates all the way to the 7th Gate of Shock.
Boom!
A blue chakra radiance erupts from his Powered Armor.
Powered Armor!
Having used it for many years, it has become an integral part of his body, allowing him to utilize the Eight Gates without hindrance.
Unfazed, Yamanaka Houji executes the Taijutsu technique associated with the 7th Gate.
"This aura..."
Madara gazes at the figure who has intervened in his battle with Hashirama, his initial anger giving way to calm as he senses the extraordinary strength of his opponent.
Even after becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Madara's former sworn enemy, the Heavenly Hashirama, is no match for him. But now, the appearance of someone as powerful as Hashirama piques Madara's interest, and he can't help but focus on Yamanaka Houji.
"Leslie Cheung (Dokutora)!"
Yamanaka Houji wastes no time and immediately executes the Taijutsu technique associated with the 7th Gate.
As for deliberately avoiding learning the complementary Taijutsu to showcase his innate talent, that's just sheer stupidity.
If the path has already been paved by those before you, why insist on taking the less-traveled road and suffer unnecessarily?
Such foolishness is rare in the Ninja World.
Roar!
With a roar akin to a tiger's, a colossal air tiger materializes.
Several dozen meters tall!
Far more powerful than Kaito in the original plot.
The size of the tiger signifies its might.
Dokutora's technique involves compressing air and releasing it instantly, essentially firing an 'air cannon.'
The more air compressed and the greater the compression, the more powerful the attack.
The roar is the sound of the air being compressed by terrifying force.
Facing such an obviously formidable attack, Madara does not evade; instead, he seems eager to face it head-on.
As for Hashirama Senju?
After fulfilling his role in the diversion, he is immediately controlled by O and moves to the side.
Support!
Although Hashirama can speak, O will not grant him freedom, and with the other Impure World Reincarnation bodies gone, O can focus entirely on Hashirama, manipulating him at will.
Thus, the current situation is a one-on-one confrontation between Madara and Yamanaka Houji.
Countless eyes are fixed on them.
Boom!!
A Dokutora strike hits Madara, who is wielding the Six Paths Sage Staff, his Grudge Orb transformed into a shell-like defensive shield.
"Haha, this is it! This is what makes me feel the thrill of battle!"
Experiencing the terrifying power of Dokutora, Madara bursts into laughter.
No wonder there's the 'Four Mad Laughers: Wild Laugh' joke—in battle, the Uchiha truly go wild.
Whoosh!
Madara is blown away.
At the same time, the thin layer of defense formed by the Grudge Orb deforms like bubbles.
"How come!"
"What a terrifying attack!"
"This strike is at least at the apex of ultimate shadows!"
...
Various thoughts arise in the minds of the Allied Shinobi Forces' powerful ninjas who witness this scene.
Earlier, Madara, familiarizing himself with Rikudo-level power, 'played' with them, allowing them to witness the invincibility of the Grudge Orb.
Any ninjutsu that lands on it causes no reaction.
But now...?
They are unaware of the Grudge Orb's nature, which is why they don't understand.
Any ninjutsu is incapable of breaking through the Grudge Orb's defense and will be nullified, a privilege of its design.
However, Dokutora, stunning and miraculous as it is, is a genuine Taijutsu technique, unaffected by the Grudge Orb, allowing it to directly blow Madara away.
(End of Chapter)
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