In the end, the commander of the Allied Forces formed by the Five Great Villages was still the canon's Fourth Raikage. There was no helping it. With Musashi not entering the bouts, the Kazekage, the Tsuchikage, and Pitou—who had not fully recovered—were indeed a notch below the Raikage in pure power.
Especially now that the Raikage's arms were intact; with Lightning Release boosting his cellular activity, his speed outstripped Pitou's by a fair margin.
Gaara and the Tsuchikage each fought to a draw, and while Pitou hadn't fully regained her strength, she could not be underestimated. At minimum, even now she ranked among Kage-class elites.
After her fight with the Raikage, Pitou was delighted. As a Chimera Ant, she relished combat. Don't be fooled by how well-behaved she seemed in front of Meruem—once she fought, she was absolutely feral. Unlike Gaara's former bloodthirst, she simply enjoyed fighting.
Or rather, battle delighted her—so long as the gap in strength wasn't too large. But once Meruem's interests were involved, Pitou was a different creature. So were Youpi, Pouf, and the rest. It was etched into their bones.
Excluding Musashi, the result among the other four Kage was: the Raikage took first, Pitou second, and the Tsuchikage, limited by age and stamina, tied with Gaara for third.
Compared with the Raikage's lightning-amplified speed and taijutsu, Pitou's abilities looked downright uncanny to the others. The Naruto world had never heard of Nen, but given the plethora of oddball Kekkei Genkai, no one dared claim to know them all. Pitou's Nen could be hand-waved as an unfamiliar bloodline technique.
For the aged Tsuchikage to hold out this far was no small feat. Dust Release lived up to its title as a Kekkei Tōta surpassing Kekkei Genkai.
Think of the Third Hokage who died at Orochimaru's hands. In achievements, the "Professor" eclipsed the Tsuchikage living off his legacy; Dust Release, after all, was inherited from a predecessor Tsuchikage.
But in old-age battlefield performance, the Third Tsuchikage had the edge—he endured into the Fourth War era and fought Madara alongside the other Kage—unlike the Third Hokage felled by Orochimaru, regardless of whether the Third held back then.
"What a tedious farce. Well, Sasuke, Naruto—those are the so-called Kage of the villages. If you had to face them, can you handle it?" After the commander was chosen and the summit recessed, back at their quarters Musashi asked Naruto and Sasuke.
Protagonists really were unbelievable creatures. In this short span, Naruto and Sasuke had grown again—by no small margin. Even Musashi, whose power felt like a cheat code, felt the pressure.
Compared with Naruto, Sasuke's gains were more limited. For Sasuke to take another leap, he needed Itachi's Mangekyō—an eye transplant.
But once he obtained the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, his power would be beyond discussion. If they really fought, Musashi would pay a price to put him down.
How strong would Sasuke be if he could use Mangekyō without count? Sadly, the canon route to EMS wasn't in the cards for Musashi—he had no brother to swap eyes with.
Even so, Musashi's eyes were steadily evolving toward an eternal Mangekyō—but along Indra's line, the Sage's son.
Indra never swapped eyes—his brother was Asura.
"The Kage aren't all that. The escorts for the Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage aren't worth mentioning—the strongest is still a cut below Kakashi-sensei. That Mizukage's red-skinned giant bodyguard—I can't see through him. He feels extremely strong, at least on par with those Kage. Of the Kage, the Kazekage isn't worth discussing; the Tsuchikage's techniques are strange, but he's old. Musashi-nii, with your strength, those two shouldn't be a problem. I haven't seen the Mizukage fight, so it's hard to judge, but she's strong. One thing is odd: her moves are very similar to Naruto's taijutsu." Of course they were—both were taught by Meruem; one by his own hand, the other by a clone.
"As for the Raikage—he's got something. His speed didn't feel much slower than Naruto's Flying Thunder God. He's tricky. If they have no deeper trump cards, I'm confident I can beat them," Sasuke concluded. His take was subjective; he'd only watched, not fought. And even vying for commander, the Kage weren't showing their bottom cards. These were surface assessments.
"Not bad. At your current level, Sasuke, the Tsuchikage and Kazekage are indeed beneath you—but beware the Tsuchikage's Dust Release. It's stronger than ordinary Kekkei Genkai. Pity its wielder is old. The Raikage is no slouch. He looks rough and hot-headed, but he's clear-headed—don't let the look fool you. His taijutsu is no joke—simple, brutal, and incredibly fast. Not an easy foe. How about you, Naruto? What's your take?" Musashi wiped the blade of the demon sword Muramasa as he spoke.
"Ahaha, pretty much the same as Sasuke!" Naruto scratched his head and grinned. He only showed that side to those he truly respected—his true nature.
"But there's one thing I see differently."
"Oh? What's that?" Not only Sasuke—Musashi was curious.
"That Mizukage's red-skinned giant bodyguard—he's no ordinary guy. He gives me a really dangerous feeling. Sometimes I feel like he might actually be the strongest one there. It's just a feeling, but he's definitely not simple. Even you, Musashi-nii, might take a hit from him. I think he's the one to watch." As expected of the canon's protagonist—sharper than the deuteragonist.
He'd sensed Youpi's formidable strength.
"What? Naruto, you're joking, right? I agree he's no pushover, but there's no way he's stronger than Musashi-nii." Before Musashi could speak, Sasuke jumped in. Though Itachi still loomed higher in Sasuke's heart, he wasn't made of stone. He knew who treated him well and who didn't.
"Meh… it's just a feeling." Naruto rubbed his nose.
"Easy. Naruto's right—that guy's strength isn't beneath mine. But don't worry—the Mizukage's side won't be our enemy. You might even fight shoulder to shoulder." Naruto and Sasuke both started, then looked at Musashi with a touch of awe. As expected of Musashi-nii.
"Right, Sasuke—about what we discussed. Have you decided? You understand the situation now. I cast him out of the clan, but he's still someone you must face. And for your strength to grow further, you have to see him." Musashi's gaze was steady. Under his influence, Sasuke wasn't as ruthless or cold as in canon. But when it came to Itachi, he was deeply conflicted.
Itachi—respectable in some ways. But to the rest of the Uchiha, a traitor and spy. From Sasuke's vantage, even more complicated.
"I'll go see him. Some things have to be settled." At the mention of Itachi, the air grew heavy.
Naruto opened his mouth, then shut it—he didn't know what to say.
"It's not just Sasuke—Naruto, you too. Are you ready to meet your parents?" Some things needed closure—the sooner the better. But the Fourth Hokage had been killed by Meruem's true body, his soul dispersed, and even the other half of the Nine-Tails in Minato had been taken by Meruem.
So—was Minato's soul fragment still in Naruto's belly? Canon suggests yes. Even with the main body reaped by the Reaper Death Seal, Minato still appeared within Naruto—implying the fragment in Naruto was independent, a remnant sustained by chakra that would fade when spent. Whether that Minato would affect Naruto—judging by Naruto's current state, any effect would be small. Rather than leave that time bomb buried, better to deal with it once and for all.
(End of Chapter)
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