But in the next moment, Orochimaru's gaze shifted to the massive scallop-like shape behind him.
His brows furrowed.
"This is… the giant clam of the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu?"
Suspicious, Orochimaru immediately summoned Ten Thousand Snakes.
Puff!
A cloud of white smoke burst forth, and a massive purple serpent appeared beneath Orochimaru.
"Oi! (#`O′) Orochimaru! What made you think of summoning me out of the blue?!"
"I thought all of you were dead. As usual, I expect a hundred human sacrifices as payment."
"Don't worry. When this is over, I'll feed you something very special. Now get moving."
Hearing that, the snake's interest was immediately piqued. If even Orochimaru said it was something good, it had to be exceptional.
Carrying Orochimaru on its head, it charged straight toward the massive clam.
A beast this large? It had to be delicious!
With a growl, it opened its fanged maw and chomped down on the shell.
But the next moment, a piercing jolt of pain shot through its fangs.
"ZRAAAH—!"
The giant snake roared in agony, writhing violently and smashing the surrounding trees. Its tail swept across the clam, pushing it back dozens of meters.
"What the hell?! What kind of clam is that?! That shell's harder than chakra-reinforced steel!"
Orochimaru let out a low chuckle.
"That's the summoning beast of the Second Mizukage. You won't be biting into that so easily."
But then, a spiraling vortex of space twisted open above the clam.
From it stepped a man in an orange spiral-patterned mask—Uchiha Obito, flanked by the traitor Hokuroko.
And standing with them were none other than the reanimated forms of the Second Mizukage Hōzuki Gengetsu, the Second Tsuchikage Mū, and the Third Kazekage—his true name never revealed, but his legacy known to all.
"He actually found them…"
Orochimaru had once attempted to retrieve the bodies of those two legendary shinobi, but the ninja world was vast, and their deaths had left no trace. Not even their villages, Kirigakure and Iwagakure, knew their exact burial sites—only empty cenotaphs remained.
And yet the Akatsuki had succeeded.
At the same time, Uchiha Hikaru, Tsunade, Uchiha Saya, Mei Terumi, and others who had rushed at full speed were the first to arrive at the battlefield outside Konoha's south gate.
The instant Hikaru laid eyes on Obito, he didn't hesitate to provoke him with mockery.
"Yo~ Look who it is. Our good doggie Tobi-nii~"
"So you finally learned. Can't win solo, so you brought a whole circus this time, huh?"
"Facing three Kage-level shinobi… ooh, I'm shaking in fear." (≖ ͜ʖ≖)
"But too bad… we've got numbers too."
With that, Hikaru summoned SWORD into his right hand, planted a foot against the Konoha wall, and glared down at Obito with arrogant defiance.
Rasa and Ōnoki, who had originally hesitated to join the fight, now felt their blood pressure spike.
Seeing the bodies of their former mentors clad in enemy colors was a humiliation they couldn't bear.
"You bastards from Akatsuki!" Ōnoki roared. "What the hell did you do to my teacher?!"
"You dared attack Sunagakure and now you've defiled our Kazekage?!" Rasa bellowed. "I'll crush you all!"
No matter how cunning or divisive they were among themselves, not even they could watch their mentors' corpses be desecrated like puppets on a battlefield.
It was obvious—they were dead. Their eyes dull, their bodies cracked, their flesh waxy and lifeless.
Orochimaru stepped back toward Hikaru and addressed the furious Kage beside him.
"They've been revived with Impure World Reincarnation. You can't kill them—they'll just regenerate. You'll need sealing jutsu."
"They're not themselves anymore. They're just weapons now."
Ōnoki and Rasa's fury doubled.
Without another word, Ōnoki activated the Light-Weight Boulder Technique, lifting himself into the air, while Rasa flew on a platform made of gold sand, heading straight into battle.
Even Mei Terumi, who had no deep bond with Hōzuki Gengetsu, couldn't stomach seeing her predecessor controlled like this. With fury in her eyes, she leapt down from the wall, forming hand seals.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Thick acidic vapor spewed from her mouth, melting through dozens of White Zetsu and nameless reanimated shinobi around her in seconds.
Now, the battles began:
Fifth Mizukage vs Second Mizukage
Fourth Kazekage vs Third Kazekage
Third Tsuchikage vs Second Tsuchikage
Only Raikage A was left behind, standing awkwardly.
Uchiha Hikaru glanced at him sidelong.
"Everyone else jumped in. What's your excuse?"
"I bet they were trying to summon your old man. But I guess they couldn't—probably because you're still alive. Too many Iwagakure died already, so maybe they're saving him for later."
"If you don't fight now, next time they'll bring your father to beat the crap out of you."
That did it.
Crackling blue lightning surged from A's entire body.
"Hikaru, you really do know how to push my buttons. That's why we're good brothers."
"No way I'm just standing around!"
"Then let's go."
"Hell yeah!"
Hikaru immediately activated Stage Four Susanoo, lifting A into the massive hand and cocking his arm back like a pitcher ready to throw a fastball.
"You ready, my good brother?"
A, catching on to the plan instantly, grinned wildly.
This speed might even surpass his father's Hell Stab: One-Fingered Assault!
"HAHAHA! Born ready!"
"Give it everything you've got!"
"Sword! Time for the ultimate assist—rocket mode!"
"Okay~ But you better reward me after the fight~"
"There'll definitely be a reward."
As his weapon spirit, Sword had always demanded some affection in return.
With a pampered hum, black mist swirled across the back of Susanoo's right arm, transforming into two glowing thruster-like appendages.
Susanoo bent its knees, twisted its waist, and reared its arm back.
The thrusters roared to life, spewing blue-white chakra flames and adding monstrous propulsion to the throw.
Hikaru seized the moment and hurled his arm forward—
"This blow shall pierce the heavens!"
A became a bolt of blue lightning, rocketing toward the giant clam like a comet.
But even A, mid-flight, began to panic.
He hastily retracted his extended index finger—at this speed, even his father's Hell Stab would shatter bone.
So he twisted his arm, placing his reinforced elbow forward, his chakra flaring to its peak.
"Liger Bomb Style: Flying Thunder Elbow Smash!!"
—BOOM!
-------
Send Power Stones
Bonus Chapter at 150 Power Stone
Second Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones
---------------------
Join my Patreon and get access to 50+ early chapters before anyone else! 🔥
https://www.patreon.com/UK21
Your Support is Truly Appreciated 🫂