The news of this victory was quickly sent back, and Natsuki immediately flashed over to take Neji, Shino, Onoki, and Yamato away.
Then, no one knew who started it, but the story spread, and before long all three divisions of the army knew.
The Hyuga clan's Tenseigan Heavenly Ninja had used a single Kaiten (Rotation) to directly bat away four Bijuu Dama (Tailed Beast Bombs), and had even scared the Rinnegan-wielding Obito into fleeing with his tail between his legs!
Once this news came out, it immediately caused an uproar throughout the entire army.
Everyone knew that the Hyuga was an ancient clan, one of Konoha's great families, and that their Byakugan and Jūken (Gentle Fist) were famous across the shinobi world.
But that was about it. After several shinobi world wars, there were very few truly renowned Hyuga, and the clan's reputation mostly rested on the high strategic value of the Byakugan, something other villages coveted.
This time, however, the name of the Tenseigan shocked the shinobi world.
Where did the Tenseigan come from? It was an evolution of the Byakugan!
And the Tenseigan was also a sage's eye, in no way inferior to the Rinnegan. Its unleashed power had directly bounced back the Bijuu Dama. How could that not be considered outrageous? As expected of the Hyuga clan!
For a time, the story spread like wildfire, and the army's morale soared as a result.
Within the army, the Hyuga clan members could not help but strut a little. Their Heavenly Ninja was, of course, incredible. He had literally knocked four Bijuu Dama back in one go. In the entire history of the shinobi world, how many people could say they had done that?
So clearly, the Hyuga really were the strongest clan!
When Hiashi heard the news, he was so excited that his eyes filled with hot tears. He had always known that Neji would one day lead the clan to a new era of glory.
Now, in the midst of this great war, that moment had finally come. The Hyuga's renown had once more climbed to the very peak of the shinobi world.
Hinata was also truly happy for Neji. "As expected of Neji-nii, he's amazing. I can't embarrass Neji-nii either, so I have to work hard too!"
On the other side, Obito returned to the base in the Land of Rice Fields, covered in dust and in a rather sorry state.
Kabuto and Madara were naturally still there, and they had already heard of Obito's "battle record." For the moment, both of them watched this defeated stray dog with relaxed leisure.
Madara didn't bother to be polite. "This is your strategy? Go capture some feudal lords as bargaining chips and manage to make yourself look like that in the process?"
Obito was furious. "That Tenseigan is completely ridiculous. He actually bounced away four Bijuu Dama, and his abilities are similar to the Rinnegan's. I couldn't take advantage at all!"
"Heh, that's you being useless. Don't blame the Rinnegan."
Madara mocked him. "From what I know, Neji's Tenseigan has only been awakened for a few years, yet he has already combined its power with Jūken (Gentle Fist) and created such a powerful technique. Calling him a genius wouldn't be an exaggeration.
You? You used to be dead last in your class. You only became a little competent after my training, but your brain still hasn't opened up. How could you possibly beat someone like that?"
Madara naturally looked down on Obito.
The reason he had picked Obito as his heir in the first place was precisely because this dead-last loser was both stupid and naïve, which made him incredibly easy to manipulate.
He hadn't expected that stupidity to become such a major flaw: this guy actually thought that just having the Rinnegan made him invincible. As if it were that simple.
You needed to develop truly powerful techniques with the Rinnegan to become invincible. This guy had just copied Nagato's Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push) and Bansho Ten'in (Universal Pull) and played around with the Six Paths of Pain, thinking everyone would fear him, when in reality he was laughably weak.
So Natsuki could beat him. Neji could beat him. It felt like anyone could beat him.
If he'd just taken some time to properly develop the Rinnegan, he would never have been this weak!
If you fully exploited the Rinnegan's power and used Tengai Shinsei (Heavenly Obstruction Shaking Star), you could drag down whole meteorites. Could the Tenseigan do that?
In the end, it all came back to this dead-last loser being useless!
Madara couldn't be bothered to waste more words on Obito and went straight to the point. "Right now, the situation on the battlefield is extremely unfavorable for us. Because so many Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) bodies have been sealed away by Natsuki's girlfriend using the Rikudō Ningu (Six Paths Tools), and because White Zetsu is weak, we're not gaining any advantage at all. We have to change our tactics, or we're just going to lose at this rate."
Obito said sourly, "And how do you want to change them?"
Madara grinned, completely arrogant. "Simple. I'll step in personally. These so-called allied shinobi forces are nothing but flocks of weak chickens."
Obito immediately poured cold water on him. "You think you're that strong, but have you considered that Natsuki is also that strong? Last time, you were basically evenly matched with him. If you think you can just do whatever you want on the battlefield, you're wrong. And if Neji with the Tenseigan joins the fight as well, you'll be even more on the back foot."
"Hahahaha! I'll die laughing!"
Madara let out a wild laugh. "Who have I, Madara, ever been afraid of? In this world, the only one who can truly contend with me is Hashirama, that so-called 'Hashi-mama'. The Tenseigan may be powerful, but it hasn't been awakened for long and can't have that much real force behind it yet. Natsuki is strong, but his chakra is limited. How could I possibly lose? If I feel like it, these allied shinobi forces are nothing but flocks of weaklings to be crushed."
You could call it confidence, or you could call it arrogance.
But he did, indeed, have the right to be arrogant.
Perhaps just as he said, only Hashirama could truly suppress him. The allied shinobi forces were nothing but flocks of weak chickens in front of him.
"Madara-sama, should we at least wait for Black Zetsu to bring back more information before you make a move?" Kabuto thought it would be safer to wait a bit.
"No need. Petty details."
Madara replied with utter confidence. "The alliance has deployed its forces in the western reaches of the Land of Lightning and set up their main camp in the east, right near the southeastern coastline. I'm certain the jinchuriki are hidden farther behind that main camp, probably on some hidden island somewhere. It won't be easy for Black Zetsu to pinpoint their location.
But as long as we smash the alliance, it won't matter. Someone will know exactly where the jinchuriki are. We can simply ask them then."
Hearing this, Kabuto no longer objected.
This was the "Shura of the Shinobi World," with an energy stat of 190, and on top of that, he was an Edo Tensei who didn't fear death. He could play however he wanted, so whatever.
"In that case, it's my turn. Next up, tatakae."
The Third Division was the unit blocking the western border of the Land of Lightning. It was also the main land-based defensive line, responsible for intercepting enemies coming from the Land of Rice Fields.
At the moment, though, all the White Zetsu had already been wiped out, and the Edo Tensei squads were nowhere to be seen.
So this could be considered a temporary victory.
In truth, Kakashi felt very relieved. Back then, when Natsuki formed that special operations squad with him, Sasuke, and Neji to support Kumogakure, they had specifically taken down the three Edo Tensei Kage that Kabuto had brought: the Third Raikage A, the Second Tsuchikage Mu, and the Second Mizukage Gengetsu. Those three were still sealed and hadn't re-entered the battle.
If they hadn't taken those three out in advance, today's fight would have been a brutal slog.
And it wasn't just those three. There had also been the Sound Five, Deidara, Kakuzu, and Sasori; all of them had been sealed ahead of time as well, which was why they didn't have to face so many troublesome enemies now.
"We really do owe Natsuki and that little heavenly couple a lot for this. Otherwise, I have no idea what we would have done."
Kakashi couldn't help but smile, but in the next second his smile froze.
He looked toward the solitary figure walking toward them from the distance. His face grew extremely grave, and he immediately gave the order: "Quick! Send word to headquarters. Madara… is here!"
(End of Chapter)
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