Both villages' forces had deliberately pulled back from the battlefield where Yuto and the others were fighting.
After all, this level of combat was far beyond what ordinary shinobi could intervene in.
Though they kept their distance, that didn't mean they weren't watching closely.
When the Konoha shinobi saw their Hokage and the others seal the First Mizukage Yuto inside a barrier, excited expressions spread across every face.
"So what if the First Mizukage Yuto is strong?"
"He's up against the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato, the Fifth Hokage Tsunade — every Hokage in history — along with a host of other powerhouses!"
"How could the First Mizukage Yuto possibly win against that?"
Excited voices rose continuously from the Konoha ranks.
Nara Shikaku and the others at the front of the Konoha formation also heaved a heavy sigh of relief at the scene in the battlefield's center.
The oppressive weight that had pressed down on them for so long was largely dispelled.
Looking at the scene inside the barrier.
Such terrifying and relentless explosions showed no sign of stopping. With the force multiplying continuously, not even Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara could emerge unscathed from something like this.
The veteran jonin like Nara Shikaku were certain of one thing.
Given the current situation, they didn't need the Hokages to defeat Yuto outright.
Just pinning him down would be the most favorable outcome for Konoha's battle lines!
In contrast to the jubilant Konoha forces, every face on the Hidden Mist side was twisted with fury.
"Those Konoha bastards! Using such despicable tactics!"
Ringo Ameyuri's face burned with anger, her Lightning Blades creaking under the force of her grip.
"Ranmaru is mad too! Ranmaru wants to go help Lord Yuto!"
The childlike face of the young Ranmaru also displayed unconcealed rage as he spoke in his muffled voice.
The rest of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's eyes gleamed with equal coldness as they tightened their grip on their respective blades.
Kimimaro and Haku didn't speak, but a dangerous aura surged from both of them.
Right at that moment, a graceful figure leapt over the rear ranks and landed at the front of the group.
At the sight of this newcomer, everyone froze for an instant before their faces filled with respectful deference.
"Lady Mizukage!"
"Lady Mizukage!"
Terumi Mei turned to face the Seven Swordsmen and the others behind her, her bright eyes calm and composed.
"Now is not the time for you to act recklessly!"
"The battle over there is in Lord Yuto's hands. I trust he won't have any problems."
"But this battlefield — ours — must be won!"
Terumi Mei let out a cold snort, sweeping her gaze across the Swordsmen with an edge of authority in her voice.
Then she turned her attention from her subordinates to the two clashing armies at the center.
A powerful aura befitting a supreme warrior radiated from her body.
"Everyone, fight with everything you have!"
"Let these Konoha scum see that the Hidden Mist Village has more than just Lord Yuto!"
Terumi Mei's eyes flashed with icy determination as she roared at the top of her lungs.
At her command, Ringo Ameyuri and the others fell briefly silent before explosive auras erupted from each of them.
"Lady Mizukage is right!"
"What we need to do right now is crush these Konoha bastards!"
Lightning crackled around Ringo Ameyuri's body, her voice thick with unconcealed killing intent.
"Heh heh. Let's show these Konoha punks what we're really made of."
Hoshigaki Suigetsu rolled his shoulders with a series of sharp cracks.
As they spoke!
Ringo Ameyuri, Momochi Zabuza, Chojuro, Hoshigaki Suigetsu, Kimimaro, and Haku all stepped forward as one and shouted:
"Sage Mode!"
"Sage Mode!"
"Sage Mode!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Terrifying surges of chakra erupted from each of them. The unique energy of Sage Mode linked them together, forming a unified wave of overwhelming power that spread outward in every direction.
Almost the very next instant!
All six vanished from their positions, becoming invisible blurs as they tore into the Konoha battlefield.
Carrying the power of the Curse Seal, Ranmaru let out a battle cry and charged in right behind them.
Left standing in place, momentarily stunned, were only Hoshigaki Kisame and Hyuga Neji.
"Is this what Lord Yuto meant when he said they hadn't gone all out?"
Hyuga Neji's face held a trace of astonishment as he murmured to himself.
The Sage Mode that Ringo Ameyuri and the others had just used was something Hyuga Neji could clearly perceive — their strength had jumped by an entire tier.
This kind of power...
It was overwhelming!
Beside him, Hoshigaki Kisame wore a similarly stunned expression.
"These guys have been hiding their true strength all along!"
Kisame's mouth twitched. He felt a surge of dissatisfaction, but more than that — a burning excitement.
Though he didn't fully understand what Sage Mode was, Kisame could tell it was a power that could be cultivated.
Terumi Mei had clearly noticed the expressions on Kisame and Neji's faces, and she easily guessed what they were thinking.
"This power, called Sage Mode, requires a very special environment to cultivate."
"Creating that environment is quite troublesome. Originally, Lord Yuto used the Three-Tails' chakra to simulate it."
"The two of you returned to the village later, so you missed the training sessions with Lord Yuto."
Terumi Mei spoke softly, then shifted her tone:
"If we conquer Konoha this time, learning Sage Mode will become much easier."
Her words carried a clear implication.
Kisame and Neji's faces fell at her first words, disappointment evident in their expressions.
But when they heard what followed, both their eyes lit up simultaneously.
"If that's the case, then I can't wait."
Kisame let out a low, rumbling laugh. He stomped the ground hard and his massive figure surged into the battlefield.
Neji said nothing, his expression serious, as he moved to follow Kisame into the fray.
Seeing how eager they were, Terumi Mei allowed herself a faint smile and shook her head slightly.
"All Hidden Mist forces — attack!"
"Conquer Konoha!"
Terumi Mei's expression hardened once more. Leading the Hidden Mist forces, she charged into the battle herself.
Meanwhile, back at the battlefield where Yuto was engaged.
The explosions within the Four Red Yang Formation continued unabated.
Trillions of explosive tags detonated without end. The sheer magnitude of the blasts was now causing cracks to appear in the Four Red Yang Formation itself.
And with that first crack came countless more, rapidly spreading across the entire barrier.
The four users — Uchiha Itachi, Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru — naturally sensed the barrier's deteriorating state before anyone else.
"At this rate, the Four Red Yang Formation won't hold for another three minutes."
Orochimaru ran his tongue across his lips, his voice low and measured.
Senju Tobirama's gaze remained locked on the interior of the Four Red Yang Formation as he spoke in a flat tone: "Then we hold it until the very last moment!"
The Mangekyo Sharingan in Uchiha Itachi's eyes spun rapidly, but even so, he couldn't see anything clearly through the barrier.
"With this level of relentless, compressed explosion and the enormous energy it contains, even if the First Mizukage Yuto can absorb some of it, he could only absorb a portion at most, right?"
"Against this kind of power... perhaps Yuto has already been blown to pieces?"
Namikaze Minato stared into the Four Red Yang Formation with lingering unease, speaking in a subdued voice.
At Minato's words, Senju Tobirama shot him a cold, dismissive glance.
"You've never fought Yuto in person, so you have no idea just how terrifying this man truly is."
"If Yuto really had been blown to pieces, that would be the worst possible outcome. This man cannot be killed."
"Our goal is simply to wound him. The more severe, the better — but he absolutely must not die."
Senju Tobirama's voice was ice-cold. As he spoke those words, a trace of helplessness flickered in his eyes.
If Yuto could actually be killed, Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Madara wouldn't have settled for merely sealing him all those years ago.
Three minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
And the entire Four Red Yang Formation was now covered in a dense web of cracks.
"Pull back!"
Jiraiya's expression turned serious as he swiftly called out to Itachi, Minato, and Orochimaru.
The moment he spoke!
All four vanished from their positions, retreating to the rear. The Four Red Yang Formation shattered with a deafening crash.
Senju Tobirama, who had been standing by, quickly formed a "Release" hand seal.
This halted the Ephemeral Explosion Tags from continuing their detonation.
Without the barrier's confinement, further explosions would serve no purpose.
With no barrier to contain them.
Towering flames erupted from within, and searing dust and ash shot skyward. A terrifying shockwave swept in all directions, carrying a wild, violent energy.
Nearby, Sarutobi Hiruzen — who had already been preparing — swiftly formed hand seals.
"Wind Release — Divine Wind!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen unleashed a powerful gale from his mouth, directed at the battlefield's center.
Wherever the hurricane passed, the billowing dust, ash, and flying debris were scattered outward, clearing the air.
Soon, the scene at the explosion's epicenter came into full view.
A pitch-black, enormous crater appeared before everyone first.
The crater was dozens of meters deep. The surrounding soil had completely vanished, transformed into crystalline particles as hard as grains of sand.
The air was thick with an indescribable, acrid stench of burning.
But compared to all of that, every pair of eyes was fixed on the very center of the crater.
There stood a figure, its body charred black.
"To survive something of that magnitude... and still not be dead!"
Tsunade, Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Itachi, and the others sensed Yuto's chakra signature and their faces simultaneously registered shock and deep dread.
At that moment.
The horrifying, charred-black figure that was Yuto stirred slightly.
Pieces of burnt flesh and muscle sloughed off his body like a porcelain doll breaking apart, faintly revealing desiccated organs beneath.
Everyone present couldn't help but widen their eyes at the sight.
But Senju Tobirama's eyes lit up instead, a rare excitement creeping into his voice as he shouted: "Now's the time! Move!"
As soon as the words left his mouth!
A streak of white light streaked across the sky from above, hurtling downward at incredible speed.
It was none other than the soul of Kato Dan, who had been hiding in the shadows all along.
Spirit Transformation Technique!
In the blink of an eye, Kato Dan's soul appeared directly above Yuto.
At the same time, Sarutobi Hiruzen made his move, dropping into the deep crater at tremendous speed, racing toward Yuto.
"I never imagined such a convenient ninjutsu would exist after my death."
"Kato Dan — you don't need to seize control of Yuto's body. Just hold onto his soul!"
Senju Tobirama's eyes blazed with brilliant light as he called out to Kato Dan's rapidly descending soul.
Kato Dan's soul nodded as he flew toward Yuto. In the corner of his vision, he glanced at Tsunade, a trace of tenderness in his gaze.
It's a shame we barely had a chance to talk after being reunited.
But for Konoha's sake, it was all worth it. Congratulations on becoming Hokage, Tsunade!
That thought flashed through Kato Dan's mind as his soul plunged directly into Yuto's body.
At the same moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already landed at the bottom of the crater.
Even as he descended, his hands were already rapidly weaving seals.
His face alight with fierce determination, he roared: "Yuto! Today, the grudge between Konoha and Kirigakure ends once and for all!"
"Come with me to hell!"
Snake — Boar — Ram — Hare — Dog — Rat — Bird — Horse — Snake!
"Forbidden Jutsu — Dead Demon Consuming Seal!!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen clasped his hands together and let out a thunderous cry.
An indescribable, soul-rending aura rose from behind Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The massive Shinigami — visible only to the caster and the target — slowly materialized behind him.
The colossal spectral figure let out a low, eerie laugh as its massive hand lunged straight toward Yuto.
There was no resistance whatsoever. The Shinigami's hand passed directly into Yuto's body.
Only when he saw this did the tension on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face begin to ease, a faint smile forming on his lips.
Standing on the outer perimeter, Senju Tobirama and the others couldn't see the Shinigami, but they could see Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression.
"It worked!"
Namikaze Minato, who understood the jutsu well, broke into a smile as he turned to Senju Tobirama with certainty.
Only at this moment did everyone present let out a heavy, collective sigh of relief.
In just those brief moments, it had felt as though an entire century had passed.
But inside the crater at that very moment.
The Shinigami's arm was slowly withdrawing from Yuto's body.
When Sarutobi Hiruzen saw the soul being pulled out, the triumphant expression on his face froze.
"This is impossible!!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face twisted with disbelief, his entire body trembling as he spoke.
In that instant, a terrible realization dawned on him.
The soul the Shinigami had extracted from Yuto's body belonged to Kato Dan — not Yuto!
[
Dear Readers,
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