"You really came!"
Uzumaki Ashina arrived slightly out of breath, looking at the descending Third Raikage with clear surprise.
"You old geezer, you're still not dead?"
The Third Raikage grinned after finishing his exchange with Dodai. He had met Uzumaki Ashina once before—an existence from the same generation as his own grandfather. He truly hadn't expected the man to still be alive.
The Uzumaki clan really did live long.
"Outlasting you won't be a problem."
Ashina chuckled as he shot back. He was extremely satisfied that the Third Raikage had personally descended—this proved that Kumogakure's sincerity was genuine.
"Let's see if you can survive tonight first."
The Third Raikage snorted. He didn't believe the Uzumaki clan could endure this night's battle, even with the Banana Palm Fan amplifying their power.
Ashina's expression darkened slightly as he formed hand seals and opened a passage in the nearby Four Red Yang Formation.
"Maintaining the Four Red Yang Formation consumes a massive amount of chakra. We can only hold it for ten minutes!"
This was their first joint operation. Naturally, the Uzumaki clan wouldn't be the only ones putting in effort—Kumogakure had to contribute as well.
Dodai, meanwhile, walked toward Ashina with an unreadable expression. Some of the next steps in the plan would still require the assistance of this Uzumaki elder.
"Hold formation—charge with me!"
The Third Raikage shouted to the Cloud ninja behind him. Black lightning erupted around his body as he became the first to rush into the battlefield.
More than a hundred jōnin followed closely behind, with over a thousand chūnin bringing up the rear, crashing straight into the Mist forces whose formation hadn't yet stabilized.
"The Third Raikage?!"
A completely disheveled Hōzuki Jāgetsu stared in shock at the incoming Raikage.
The earlier overwhelming assault by the Uzumaki clan had already dealt them devastating losses—especially the Yuki clan, which had been utterly crippled.
Now the Cloud ninja were charging in as well—and leading them was the Third Raikage himself.
How was this even supposed to be fought?
Though Jāgetsu possessed strength comparable to a Mizukage, against the even stronger Third Raikage—whose Lightning Release perfectly countered him—he had no chance whatsoever.
This was where the Third Raikage's title as "the strongest" truly manifested.
His body became a bolt of black lightning, rampaging through the Mist ranks. Wherever Mist ninja gathered, he charged straight in—no one could withstand even a single exchange.
The Black Lightning–enhanced Lightning Release Armor and Hell Stab truly lived up to their reputation as the strongest shield and strongest spear—offense and defense unified, virtually unsolvable.
Behind him, the Cloud ninja maintained tight formations as they swept forward like a massive comb, flattening the Mist army and carving it apart, preventing any coordinated resistance.
After suffering catastrophic losses and heavy chakra depletion, the Mist forces were then subjected to this relentless assault while already outnumbered. They had no room to fight back.
The Cloud jōnin denied Mist elites any chance to take them down in mutual destruction, pairing up to lock onto Mist jōnin one by one, while the chūnin supported with coordinated attacks.
The battlefield became utterly one-sided.
This was no longer a battle—it was a massacre.
Even the Mist ninja, infamous as the "Bloody Mist," were on the verge of collapse. Some went mad and charged toward the Four Red Yang Formation, desperately trying to break through.
They were all reduced to ashes.
Even though the chakra quality of the four Uzumaki elders was inferior to that of the four Hokage of the Fourth Great Ninja War, the difference wasn't that great.
A Four Red Yang Formation of this level couldn't be broken even by a Tailed Beast Ball—much less by ordinary Mist ninja.
Tamura Zairo moved among the chūnin ranks, wielding his blades to support the assault. Six chakra threads wrapped around explosive tags, assisting in coordinated kills.
At the same time, he linked his chakra to the Kaguya projection, gaining access to its Good–Evil Perception ability. This allowed him to guard against Mist ninja using Transformation Technique or playing dead.
However, the moment he established that connection, he unwittingly alerted a hidden presence on the battlefield.
"Mother's chakra…!"
Black Zetsu, hidden beneath the earth, froze in shock.
He had sensed Mother's chakra.
It was extremely faint—but unmistakable. Even his own chakra resonated slightly in response.
Not daring to delay, he followed the sensation immediately, moving toward the source.
In the end, he discovered that the origin was a white-haired少年.
And the closer he got, the stronger that sensation became. Once within ten meters, it reached its peak.
"Hm?"
Having just cooperated in stabbing a Mist chūnin from behind, Tamura Zairo suddenly felt something and turned his head.
He sensed a strange, intense presence from behind and to the side.
But the instant he looked, that feeling vanished.
Frowning, he glanced toward the area briefly, found nothing unusual, then turned back to continue the slaughter—now focusing specifically on Kaguya clan ninja.
After killing one, he immediately used the Chakra Absorption Technique to drain the remaining chakra from the corpse to nourish the Kaguya projection, then sealed the body into a storage scroll to prevent it from being destroyed by stray attacks.
This was his main purpose for joining the battle.
The Kaguya projection was essentially a second artificial "golden finger," one with enormous potential. His future path to Six Paths–level power might very well depend on it.
The Shikotsumyaku bloodline focused on bone manipulation. Tamura Zairo had no interest in fighting with bones—he only wanted to use it to strengthen his skeletal density.
Combined with the Night-Moon clan's secret medicines, the results would surely be exceptional.
After absorbing another Kaguya ninja's chakra, Tamura Zairo charged toward the next one being besieged.
This kind of life-and-death combat was far more effective than sparring with Fuka'i or Night-Moon Ai. It tempered not only technique, but will.
All of this, however, was silently observed by Black Zetsu in the shadows, his confusion deepening.
Who was that brat?
Why did he possess Mother's chakra?
Tamura Zairo was, of course, completely unaware of the gaze upon him. His focus was entirely on harvesting Kaguya corpses.
This bloodline power—derived from Ōtsutsuki Hamura—was an enormous boon to the Kaguya projection, no less valuable than Sharingan dōjutsu power.
Meanwhile, Night-Moon Ai and Fuka'i were also targeting Kaguya ninja, collecting their corpses and actively searching for female members of the clan.
Kaguya bones were a key ingredient in secret medicines. With such an opportunity at hand, they naturally intended to gather as many as possible—it would save a fortune.
As for female Kaguya ninja, the reason needed no explanation.
They represented the future.
At one point, Fuka'i glanced toward his student and noticed that Tamura Zairo had been targeted by a young Kaguya clan ninja.
Seeing that the opponent was only at chūnin level, Fuka'i suppressed the urge to intervene.
Letting the child experience real life-and-death combat alone would be beneficial for his growth.
Night-Moon Ai noticed as well and similarly chose not to interfere, merely preparing himself to intervene instantly if needed.
That junior didn't want to be a researcher protected behind the lines—he wanted to become a true warrior.
Both Ai and his father admired and approved of that resolve.
Tamura Zairo, meanwhile, was exhilarated.
This opponent was perfect for him.
Though far weaker than Fuka'i or Yakura, the Kaguya youth was still formidable—and a pure taijutsu specialist, ideal for Tamura Zairo at his current stage.
He unleashed his Monster Strength Combo Blade Technique, dual blades delivering relentless, crushing assaults.
The monstrous force from his strength technique combined with the sharpness of his blades was devastating—at least more than enough to overcome the Kaguya youth's current bone density.
And thanks to Fuka'i and Night-Moon Ai's combat guidance, his blade techniques had been refined significantly.
The Kaguya youth fought with feral desperation.
He knew he was doomed. Escape was impossible. All he could do now was drag one enemy down with him.
Bone blades shattered—then regenerated instantly—again and again, a suicidal fighting style aimed solely at mutual destruction.
Tamura Zairo did not relent.
He continued his relentless assault, blocking incoming strikes with his arm guards and armor plates, deliberately testing their defensive capabilities.
These armor plates were especially effective against physical attacks.
That was precisely why he dared to face this Kaguya youth one-on-one.
The battle around them was already nearing its end. Few enemies remained nearby.
With Fuka'i and Night-Moon Ai watching from a distance, there was no need to conserve chakra any longer.
This was the perfect opportunity for a true, uncompromising duel to the death—one that would push him forward far more than any safe sparring ever could.
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