https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-969-The-Shock-of-the-True-Senju-/13079257/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-971-The-Pinnacle-of-Transformation-/13079261/
Chapter 970: Everyone is a Spy!
Chapter 970: Everyone is a Spy!
"Haha, truly worthy of being the God of Shinobi!"
Obito quietly appeared on the battlefield, his gaze fixed on the advancing Senju.
"Obito, I've found the target!"
A White Zetsu emerged from beneath his feet.
Obito had been biding his time, not because he didn't want to act, but because he was well aware of his true objective.
The Rinnegan! That was what he truly desired; everything else was a distraction.
Even Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, Uchiha Madara, the Demon of the Ninja World, the White Zetsu Army, and the Akatsuki members were all moving to protect his true goal.
The White Zetsu had been searching for Asuma's true body and had finally located him.
At that moment, Black Zetsu emerged from the side and merged with the nearby White Zetsu to form Zetsu, disappearing alongside Obito from the battlefield.
It wasn't that the Allied Forces were unaware of Obito's threat.
In the midst of such an intense battle, they could spare some attention to him initially, but as casualties mounted and their fighting strength dwindled, it became impossible to keep a constant eye on him.
Therefore, Obito now found himself in a rare and opportune moment.
With no one watching, he could seize the chance to reclaim the Rinnegan.
The price for this endeavor was not small; at the very least, it required sacrificing a significant portion of his accumulated souls, sealing many powerful Edo Tensei warriors, and sacrificing Akatsuki members.
Indeed, one Akatsuki member had already fallen.
Deidara! He was 'solo-killed' by Kurobo and his men.
With the help of Kakashi, Shiro, Gaara, and others, Deidara's 'art' was interrupted during its execution.
Raikudo! With Kakashi, the powerful Lightning Style user, taking him down was no easy feat.
In the original story, Deidara was defeated by Sasuke.
But at that time, Sasuke didn't possess the Mangekyo Sharingan yet.
Now, Deidara was being surrounded and killed by multiple Kage-level opponents, including Kakashi, whose elemental affinity countered Deidara's, along with the assistance of Shiro and Gaara, two formidable allies. The besiegers would have to work hard to even make a dent in Deidara's defenses.
Yakura and Terumi Mei had to maintain their character arcs and prevent anyone from thinking that the two great ninja villages were slacking off, so they chose Deidara as their target.
After all, among the remaining Akatsuki members, only Obito and Zetsu were not 'insiders'.
Everyone is a spy!
Obito and Zetsu couldn't take action, so they had to target Deidara.
By defeating him, they could claim some credit for their efforts.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that the strong Mist and Sand ninjas were either bandaged or had pale complexions.
Injured!
After suffering significant losses during the recent ambush on Dougu, they could only play a minor role on the sidelines today.
Their injuries allowed them to avoid direct confrontation with Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, successfully avoiding any real battles.
If they were truly loyal to the Allied Forces, such behavior would be unacceptable.
However, both the Sand and Mist ninjas were 'spies', so it was natural that they wouldn't fight to the death for the Allied Forces.
If not for their 'character arcs', they wouldn't even bother to put on a show.
They were willing to sacrifice themselves for the Scorch Sun Nation, but not for the Allied Forces.
Nevertheless, everyone subconsciously stopped their attacks and turned their attention to the center of the battlefield, where a nearly kilometer-high Senju wood sculpture towered, its top seemingly reaching the clouds.
Everyone understood that no matter how fiercely they fought, the outcome would be decided by the battle at the center.
At that moment, the Five Kage had recovered from their shock and began to intervene.
Boom!
A hundred-meter-tall stone giant punched the Senju wood sculpture's calf, which resembled a mountain.
However, the punch had no effect, and the giant was effortlessly 'crushed'.
Indeed, the stone giant, reinforced by Earth Release, was as sturdy as granite, and it had vanished.
"Ranton: Raijin Ken!"
Ai, enveloped in black lightning, increased his speed to the limit and struck the calf with an elbow.
Boom!
A dull thud reverberated.
It wasn't that Ai didn't want to attack higher, but the target's size was simply too overwhelming.
To engage in close combat at a higher position, he would need to fly several hundred meters or even a kilometer, which was extremely inconvenient.
Compared to the stone giant, Ai's attack was less flashy but more concentrated in power, so everyone watched with anticipation to see the result.
The outcome was... ineffective.
Indeed, even with the Ranton enhancement, Ai's full-speed Raijin Ken failed to penetrate the Senju wood sculpture, let alone cause severe damage.
At most, it was a pit the size of a person, and it was recovering at a visible speed.
"How is this possible!"
Ai muttered to himself as he surveyed the battle's outcome.
His pride and confidence were shattered by this single attack.
After mastering the Storm Release and significantly enhancing his strength to enter the Super Kage level, he had kept a calm exterior, but his inner confidence and arrogance had soared, making him believe that he would never be inferior to anyone in his lifetime.
But now, the facts told him that even becoming a Super Kage didn't guarantee him a place among the top-tier in the Ninja World.
There were still incredibly powerful individuals in the Ninja World whose strength far surpassed his own.
His heart was shattered.
This phrase perfectly described Ai's state.
It wasn't that he couldn't accept defeat; even if he was overly confident, he wouldn't consider himself a match for Senju Hashirama, the 'God of Shinobi'.
What he couldn't accept was that his all-out attack had caused such a negligible impact, not even leaving a scratch.
Well, the result of his attack would have been absolutely lethal for a smaller target.
The problem was that for the thousand-meter-tall Senju Wood Sculpture, this damage was almost negligible.
However, Ai quickly recovered from his dejection.
He had seen Jiraiya's Sage Technique, Yakura's Scorching Release, and Terumi Mei's Bloodline Limit, and their destructive power was not much stronger than his own.
Finally, only Daioku, who had been continuously gathering chakra, remained without taking action.
The hopes of the Kages rested on his shoulders.
In terms of sheer power, Dust Release was undoubtedly the strongest, and no one could deny it.
Daioku flew hundreds of meters into the sky and swallowed a secret potion.
At this point, even if the potion would cause some damage to his body, he couldn't afford to care.
His chakra surged wildly, causing his originally small stature to inflate like a balloon, eventually returning to the size of his prime.
At this moment, his combat power was undoubtedly at the pinnacle of the Super Kage level.
With the Dust Release, he had always been incredibly powerful, but his body and age held him back.
Now, with the secret potion, he could briefly return to his strongest form.
Slap! His palms clapped together, and a white light representing the Dust Release glowed.
"Dust Release: Ultra Limit Stripping Technique!"
Compared to the Limit Stripping Technique, the Finger Boundary Stripping Technique was even more powerful, but it also consumed much more chakra.
At this moment, Daioku unleashed his ultimate attack.
This strike would pierce through the stars!
No matter how strong the defense, it couldn't possibly block his attack, and Daioku was extremely confident in this.
Buzz! A massive white pillar of light tore through the atmosphere and hit the right leg of the Senju Sculpture.
Yes, Daioku hadn't chosen to attack the head or any vital areas.
Although he didn't need to worry about missing his target.
But this Wood Release sculpture wasn't a living being, and its head wasn't a weak point; only Senju Hashirama, standing there, was the real target.
The problem was that Daioku couldn't be sure if it was a Wood Clone, so it was better to attack the leg, at least to impair its mobility.
The white pillar of light pierced the leg of the Senju Sculpture like a sharp sword.
As the Dust Release made contact, a green light also flashed from the sculpture, defending against the Dust Release, but it was disintegrated, and even Ai's all-out attack had only left faint traces on the wooden body, which began to 'melt' and disintegrate.
"It's working!"
"This is great!"
"As expected of the Dust Release!"
"So powerful!"
...
Jiraiya, Ai, Yakura, and Terumi Mei were all amazed by the power of the Dust Release.
As long as it hit its target, the Dust Release was truly invincible.
However, their joy was short-lived.
The areas that had been disintegrated were rapidly regenerating, fueled by an endless supply of chakra.
Wood Release!
Known for its regenerative abilities, it could continuously recover with the infusion of chakra.
Although the consumed chakra far exceeded that of the attacker, the problem was that the one providing the chakra was Senju Hashirama, the 'Chakra Ton'.
When it came to the amount of chakra, no one could match Senju Hashirama, who possessed a Sage Body and a chakra reserve surpassing even the Tailed Beasts.
Thus, a stalemate ensued between the destructive power of the Dust Release and the regenerative power of the Wood Release.
(End of Chapter)
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