Chapter 355: Cataclysm
Five minutes later.
Under Tonbo Tobitake's systematic integration, a gargantuan bow and arrow materialized above the Allied Forces. The arrow was locked onto the Ten-Tails' position.
"Ready to fire at any moment."
The soldiers of the Alliance looked up at him with expectant eyes, while the other Kage stood poised to provide immediate support.
Roar!
But before they could finish imagining the end of the war, a horrific mutation occurred. The heavens and the earth changed color. The sky turned into a chaotic swirl of dark clouds, crackling with lightning and thunder. The earth groaned and buckled as if a giant dragon were turning over beneath the surface.
The Hurricane Celestial jutsu was forcefully dismantled, dissolving into the air. Heavenly lightning raged and the earth rolled in violent waves.
Rumble!
The phenomenon rippled out from the battlefield across the entire continental plate. The Land of Frost, the Land of Hot Springs, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Fire, the Land of Rice... all territories near the battlefield experienced varying degrees of cataclysm. Natural energy was inverting, disrupted by a power that had suddenly surged beyond control.
Konoha.
"What's happening? Tenyu, did you find anything?"
Konohamaru was patrolling the village when a sense of profound unease washed over him. He immediately sought out Tenyu, who possessed superior sensory abilities.
"Nature is wailing... the ecology is shifting..." Tenyu tried his best to articulate his sensations.
In his perception, the chakra in the very air was rioting. Normally, the trace amounts of chakra distributed within nature were too minute for him to sense, but now, they were screaming.
Konohamaru frowned. "I'm afraid something has gone terribly wrong on the battlefield. Seriously, why won't the Hokage let us go to the front?"
"Just keep patrolling," Tenyu replied, knowing they were helpless to change the tides. "We have to make sure no enemies slip in during the chaos."
In a Hidden Dimension.
Jigen opened his eyes. He sensed the upheaval, but because his body could not yet fully sustain the power of the Karma, he was forced to return to sleep to continue the repair process.
"Soon... Ten-Tails..."
Mount Myoboku.
"The gears of destiny are turning. Hagoromo, the threat to the Shinobi world... the final setup."
Gamamaru stood before his crystal ball, watching the shifting images on the surface.
Shikkotsu Forest.
In this damp, misty region, rows of green vegetables grew in defiance of the humidity—plants that were usually finicky grew lushly here. Amidst the greenery, a colossal slug lay elegantly on the ground. Vast amounts of natural energy surrounded Katsuyu like a thick fog, flowing in and out in a rhythmic, breathing pattern.
Suddenly, she felt the violent fluctuation of natural energy. "I hope the old toad's prophecy is correct."
Ryuchi Cave.
"Grandmaster, the Land of Ancestors has no one left seeking the power of Sage Arts. Why don't we move?" Tagitsuhime licked her lips.
The entrance to Ryuchi Cave was randomly projected by the White Snake Sage; it currently sat in the ruins of the former Land of Whirlpools. But these days, strong ninjas were too scarce. Since moving there, not a single person had come to challenge the trials.
The White Snake Sage's eyes flashed with images of the front lines. "Stop worrying about eating humans for now. If the Ten-Tails isn't sealed by those ninjas this time, the three of you might have to take the field yourselves."
"Ah? Can those ninjas actually handle it? Honestly, wouldn't it be better if the Three Great Sages stepped in?" Tagitsuhime was worried. She knew how weak most ninjas were; in a thousand years, the number of people to pass the Ryuchi trials could be counted on one hand.
"Don't underestimate them," the White Snake Sage said, puffing a ring of smoke. "There is one fellow among the ninjas whose ability is formidable. I don't know why he chooses to hide his full strength, but combined with Hagoromo's contingency plans, it will be fine."
The Sage's ability, Subtle Light of the Soul, allowed its mental waves to travel freely across the world. Only specialized barriers or pocket dimensions could block its perception. Everything—Tonbo Tobitake's self-taught Sage Mode and his high-level jutsu—was within the Sage's sight.
Whoosh!
"What is going on?!"
Temari and Motoi, leading the reinforcements, were suddenly halted by the world-ending weather. Lightning fell from the sky.
Rumble!
Several ninjas were turned to ash before they could even react. Panic set in. They were forced to stop to deal with the lightning, but then the ground itself began to churn.
"Lord Motoi! The ley lines are flipping! Heaven and earth are in chaos!" An Iwa ninja, sensitive to the earth, realized this wasn't just a simple jutsu. The very crust of the planet was shifting.
Bang! Bang!
"Dammit! What is happening at the front?!" Ninjas were being buried alive by the rolling earth. The power was far greater than anything tens of thousands of Earth Style users could produce.
Splash!
Huge floods and tsunamis surged forward, threatening to swallow the world.
"Oh my god!" Suigetsu, following Orochimaru, stared at the wall of water in horror. A wind so strong it threatened to peel the skin off his face followed close behind.
Orochimaru licked his lips as he felt the power radiating from the distance. "What fascinating power."
"Lord Orochimaru, stop being 'fascinated' and let's worry about surviving!" Suigetsu was terrified of the lightning strikes.
"Don't move."
A giant white snake lunged out of the flood and swallowed Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo whole.
Boom! Boom!
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Super Beast Scroll!"
In a single instant, the Allied Forces took devastating casualties. Being at the center of the battlefield, they were hit the hardest. The jutsu Tonbo had been maintaining was shattered the moment the earth flipped.
If they fell to the ground now, they would be swallowed by the churning rock. But the elite quickly reacted. Massive trees erupted from the ground to provide footing for the survivors. Tsunade summoned Katsuyu to heal the wounded, and Tonbo used Wind Style: Updraft to catch those falling into the abyss.
"I am inferior to it," Tonbo thought, looking at the source of the chaos.
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