"Finally lost your patience, have you?"
At that moment, a calm voice echoed through the chaos.
Senju Mori stood before the barrier, his hands weaving through seals at incredible speed as vast chakra surged through his body.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
The towering tsunami did not appear from thin air—it erupted from the raging river beside the battlefield, pulled free from its riverbed by ninjutsu as though a primordial beast had broken the shackles of the earth.
Using a natural water source not only saved a tremendous amount of chakra, but amplified the Water 'Release's power to a truly terrifying level.
The water did not aim solely at the Raikage in front—it surged outward from Senju Mori as the center, flooding in all directions. Wherever the roaring waves passed, stone overturned and trees were uprooted.
Only the Konoha camp directly behind him remained untouched, protected under the barrier. Everywhere else transformed instantly into a vast marshland.
Dozens of Kumo shinobi who had been charging toward Mori didn't even have time to react before the unstoppable flood swallowed them. Their screams were drowned out by the thunderous roar of surging water.
Senju Mori did not stop.
His hands moved even faster—so fast they blurred beyond recognition—and he called out once more:
"Wind Release: Vortex!"
Instantly, the airflow above the battlefield grew violent and unstable.
Countless visible streams of blue-tinted air gathered as if pulled by an invisible hand, funneling downward into the newly formed water basin.
The once-settling water churned again—not in ordinary waves, but as if something were forcefully stirring and twisting it at impossible speed!
Clusters of small whirlpools formed on the surface, dragging down floating debris and unfortunate Kumo-nin. With more and more Wind chakra pouring into them, the whirlpools expanded rapidly—merging—
Until finally, a colossal water tornado connecting the murky waters to the darkened sky exploded into existence, drawing horrified gazes from every direction.
"Combination Ninjutsu: Hurricane Torrent Technique!"
This was no longer simply ninjutsu.
It was a man-made natural disaster.
Its massive body consisted of swirling muddy water mixed with shattered stone, splintered wood, and the helpless silhouettes of Kumo shinobi.
Raging wind pressure was its soul, screaming with ear-splitting intensity as it tore everything nearby into the sky—only to crush or fling it away mercilessly.
It was like a monstrous beast summoned from chaos, rampaging under Senju Mori's direction—slowly sweeping across and grinding through the densest part of the Kumo formation…
And after the Third Raikage had blasted away part of the three stone walls, the sealing formulae upon them could no longer hold.
Without the seals to reinforce them, the walls became no sturdier than ordinary rock—they were shredded into enormous chunks and swept into the sky by the raging typhoon.
Moments later, as the water tornado gradually subsided, the terrain had been completely transformed.
The area where three stone fortifications once stood was now an open battlefield riddled with ponds, shattered boulders, and countless severed limbs.
Senju Mori stood at the edge of the mud-soaked battlefield, his robes whipping wildly in the storm.
He gazed silently at the hellish scene before him—and at the brilliant golden lightning charging toward him in fury. Raising a hand, he swept it downward and spoke in a voice that rang across the entire battlefield:
"Attack!"
Behind him, the massive transparent barrier dissolved.
From within the Konoha encampment, the long-rested main forces surged outward like a bursting dam, charging straight into the devastated Kumo army with lethal momentum.
...
The battle entered its fiercest stage from the very first moment.
Konoha shinobi flooded the battlefield from both flanks, brandishing kunai and blades as they clashed head-on with the ferocious Kumo-nin.
The golden streak of lightning that the Third Raikage, A, had transformed into completely ignored all the Konoha shinobi in its path. His target was unmistakably clear—he shot straight toward the only person standing still: Senju Mori.
"Despicable brat! I'll crush you into dust!"
At this moment, A felt a surge of unprecedented power.
Gathered on his fingertip was not only dense Lightning Release chakra, but all the pent-up fury he had accumulated ever since stepping into the Land of Frost:
The agony of losing countless comrades…
The shock and anger of falling into vicious traps…
The frustration of ordering a forced assault…
And now—an overwhelming craving for a brutal, cathartic battle!
As countless memories flashed through his mind, A curled his fingers one by one, leaving only his index finger extended straight—pointed like a spear directly toward Senju Mori's heart.
"Hell Stab — One Finger Nukite!"
A roared as he thrust his right hand forward. The brilliant lightning flared—
But the expected sensation of piercing flesh never came.
Splash—
Senju Mori's figure shattered like a reflection in water, dissolving into a pool of clear liquid.
"Aaaahhhh—!"
A threw his head back and howled, consumed by rage. The anger that should have been released instead surged back into his chest.
He whipped around, bloodshot eyes scanning the battlefield—
And immediately saw something that nearly made his eyes burst with fury.
Senju Mori's hateful silhouette reappeared, bursting from the ground beside a group of Kumo-nin.
""Earth Release: Earth-Splitting Technique."
With one hand pressed to the ground, the earth split apart as though torn open by an invisible giant hand. A massive abyss yawned open, and nearly twenty Kumo shinobi fell straight down before even managing a scream.
The crack slammed shut a moment later, burying all their fear, struggle, and traces of life—leaving only a thin, unremarkable seam in the earth to mark what had happened.
"Bastard!"
A roared, charging like a bolt of thunder—but Mori had already sunk back into the ground, disappearing completely.
Soon, another tragedy unfolded in a different corner.
Senju Mori emerged silently from an ordinary-looking puddle. Around him, more than ten Kumo shinobi were wading through water, locked in fierce close combat with Konoha fighters.
"Water Release: Raging Stream."
Mori flicked his fingers, weaving two special hand seals in an instant.
From what had been harmless water barely reaching one's calves, countless thin, razor-sharp water blades formed instantly—like invisible scalpels slicing precisely across the legs and ankles of the Kumo shinobi.
"Ugh—aaahhhh!"
The sharp crack of bones and agonized screams erupted together. The Kumo shinobi collapsed in the bloody water, losing balance instantly—and were swiftly finished off by the nearby Konoha shinobi.
"Is hiding like a rat all you can do?! Hokage!"
A shouted furiously, but he no longer charged blindly at Senju Mori. He scanned the battlefield, locking his gaze on the several remaining clusters of Kumo shinobi.
He would predict Mori's next move—
And strike faster than ever before.