Chapter 206: The Collapse of the Kumogakure Front Lines! The Eight-Tails' Maximum Effort and Obito's Absurdity
"Understood..."
Izuna chuckled softly from within: "Is an arrogant two-on-one between a Jinchuriki and a Tailed Beast supposed to be impressive?"
"We are also a two-man cell..."
The 'Yata Spirit Mark' on the back of Tobirama's neck flashed, and Izuna's power surged rapidly into his limbs and bones, as if the two had merged into a single operational entity.
Tobirama's three tomoe rapidly spun, fusing into the pattern of Izuna's Mangekyou.
Compared to the black-red Tailed Beast chakra cloak of Killer B, Tobirama's body now emanated a purplish-black chakra brimming with an ominous aura. Like a phantom, or a living creature, it swirled and billowed around him.
"Mangekyou Ocular Jutsu: Dark Dominion!"
A technique that wreathes the user in a malicious aura, drastically elevating velocity, raw kinetic strength, and neural reflex speed.
Chakra flowed into Eye-Flame Maru, igniting it with a blood-like fire!
Killer B's pupils shrank. His offensive momentum did not halt, but he communicated instantly with the Eight-Tails via telepathy: "A Mangekyou Uchiha? And exogenous chakra!"
"He is a tough customer! Be careful, Killer B, his ocular power makes me uneasy..." The Eight-Tails responded rapidly: "I will funnel as much chakra to you as possible!"
The fused ocular power of Tobirama and Izuna, within the Eight-Tails' perception, bore a high similarity to Madara's. The octopus experienced a stress response just looking at him.
This was also one of the reasons why Madara did not wish to expose his identity. His public relations profile in the shinobi market could genuinely unite the Great Hidden Villages simply to resolve the threat he posed... Of course, the modern Konoha was an exception; Madara had already been rebranded as a positive historical figure within the village.
Killer B erupted with all his physical force, the seven blades rotating and dancing around him, forming an impenetrable wall of steel, attacking Tobirama from all directions!
Tobirama exhaled lightly.
Within his Mangekyou Sharingan, Killer B's velocity appeared as if in slow motion; his extreme dynamic vision captured every shred of killing intent within the blade arts.
"Kumogakure is truly brimming with talent. This kid's kenjutsu and explosive power are extraordinary..."
Tobirama narrowed his eyes. In his assessment, an ordinary Mangekyou Uchiha might be able to read the trajectory of Killer B's kenjutsu, but their physical hardware might not necessarily react in time.
"But my neural reflex speed is different. Furthermore, a certain someone is no ordinary Mangekyou..."
The sound of clashing metal rang out across the battlefield!
A blood-red blade flash cut through the air, precisely parrying the most lethal strike among the seven blades.
Immediately following, Tobirama flipped his wrist, Eye-Flame Maru tracing a bizarre arc that systematically blocked the remaining six blades. In the microsecond before Killer B could launch his next assault, Tobirama slashed directly toward his throat!
At this precise moment, the blade positioned at Killer B's knee was actually nearing Tobirama's thigh.
But Tobirama ignored it completely, because his target was a far more vital point on Killer B. Moreover, Tobirama possessed the Flying Thunder God Jutsu; executing a mutually assured destruction trade with him was not that simple.
Killer B's pupils constricted violently. He hurriedly leaned sideways to evade; the blade grazed past his neck, drawing a string of crimson blood!
"So fast!" Killer B was shocked, not daring to maintain any shred of carelessness.
The blades clashed, the sound of metal ringing together forming a continuous, deafening sequence that hurt the eardrums. Two figures danced wildly, leaving countless afterimages.
Killer B's Seven Swords Dance had been pushed to its absolute limit. Every movement was inconceivable, attacking Tobirama's vital points from every unexpected vector.
But no matter how fast his blades were, or how tricky the angles, Tobirama always anticipated his movements a step ahead, parrying precisely with Eye-Flame Maru, and immediately launching a more aggressive counter-offensive.
In less than thirty exchanges of blows, Killer B already felt an unprecedented level of operational pressure.
His raw strength was absolutely top-tier among his peers; even his older brother, the Fourth Raikage A, was silently being accommodated by Killer B in their spars. But right now, with every clash of their blades, Killer B felt the opponent's kinetic force was not inferior to his own in the slightest. The reactionary force numbed his grip.
The proprietary Monstrous Strength technique of the Senju clan!
What shocked Killer B even more was the velocity. Killer B's proud speed was actually failing to gain the upper hand against Tobirama!
From the very beginning, he had been firmly suppressed, forced to repeatedly detonate Tailed Beast chakra just to reset the engagement.
"This is the charm of the Mangekyou Sharingan in close-quarters melee..."
"No wonder Izuna's kenjutsu resembled a rabid dog; this completely slows down the enemy's movements. As long as the neural reflexes can keep up, there is no logic in losing..."
Tobirama sincerely lamented: "Coupled with the augmentation of Dark Dominion... Thank goodness that bastard had not awakened this ocular jutsu when we crossed blades back then, otherwise I would have been in massive trouble!"
Under the state of wreathed malicious aura, Tobirama even felt that Izuna could parry his Flying Thunder God Slash!
Slash!
Another spray of blood.
Tobirama took a deep breath, recalling Izuna's rabid-dog fighting style, and began to mimic it perfectly.
It was not that Tobirama was insisting on paying homage to Izuna. It was simply that for his current physical vessel and eyes, the most optimized close-quarters combat methodology was identical to Izuna's. After all, the hardware was essentially identical, and the software had been installed.
Tobirama's blade grew faster and faster, completely disregarding Killer B's attacks, projecting an absolute willingness to execute a mutual liquidation!
"Who's afraid of who!"
Killer B felt a surge of rage. The two long swords at his knees violently thrust toward the root of Tobirama's thighs, entirely abandoning his own defense against the strikes aimed at his vital points.
Because Tobirama was faster, he always attacked Killer B's most critical targets first, forcing him to abandon his offensive to defend. It was an absolute all-offense, zero-defense posture.
But Killer B had figured it out. Continuing this pattern would only trap him completely in the opponent's rhythm. Rather than defending, it was better to go all out and trade injuries! He possessed the regenerative capacity of a Jinchuriki and the Tailed Beast Cloak; as long as he avoided fatal damage to absolute vitals, trading injuries was a mathematically profitable transaction!
Killer B's eyes tightened behind his sunglasses. He ceased singing and grit his teeth. He was prepared to take a slash from Tobirama and pierce him with the dual knee-blades.
Tobirama smiled faintly, leaning his body to increase the kinetic force, and slashed heavily toward Killer B!
Blood splattered instantly!
In the nick of time, Killer B barely managed to evade the blade from his neck, stepping sideways and taking the slash on his shoulder, while forcefully thrusting the dual knee-blades toward Tobirama!
But a shocking scene unfolded.
His dual blades hit completely empty air, because Tobirama vanished from his original position.
Flying Thunder God Jutsu!
But in the next second, as the blade flashed, Tobirama flashed back in front of Killer B, bringing Eye-Flame Maru down heavily!
Upon the chest of this Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, he sliced open the Tailed Beast Cloak, leaving a deep gash that cut down to the bone!
The blade light rippled lethally as Tobirama unleashed strike after strike!
Thighs, shoulders, arms... Killer B was hemorrhaging blood everywhere!
"B, I am taking over your physical chassis, fall back!" The Eight-Tails roared, eight tails erupting from Killer B's back, forcing Tobirama to retreat.
"Alright, Eight-Tails, I'm counting on you! I didn't expect you to be so proactive today..." Killer B endured the pain and forced out the words.
Although the current Killer B could partially transform and utilize the Eight-Tails' chakra, he had not yet achieved total telepathic synchronization with the Eight-Tails. However, their relationship was far superior to standard Jinchuriki. It was just that today, the Eight-Tails could not sit still; it had to step in and play the role of the perfect Jinchuriki alongside Killer B.
Tobirama's ocular power, which in its perception was highly similar to Madara's, forced the Eight-Tails to set aside its minor frictions with Killer B and fully commit to the combat.
If Killer B were captured by an Uchiha resembling Madara, what good would come of it? It had to fight to the bitter end with everything it had!
"Tailed Beast Transformation: Second State: Half-Tailed Beast Transformation!"
Compared to Yugito Nii's form, Killer B's was far more frenzied. Not only was his entire body encased in dense Tailed Beast chakra, but two chilling white bones protruded from his elbows.
"Oh?" Tobirama narrowed his eyes: "He finally utilized this configuration, but looking at the fluidity, it is much faster than the intelligence reports indicated..."
Killer B's critical error was not entering this state—which could block most blade slashes—from the very beginning. But that was part of his combat design. Typically, one would suddenly enter Half-Tailed Beast Transformation during a stalemate. With strength, speed, and defense skyrocketing, one could rapidly execute an unadapted enemy.
But he had not expected that the rabid-dog fighting style fused by Tobirama and Izuna would stick to his body like glue, completely denying him the operational window to condense his chakra, until the Eight-Tails intervened with full force to finally break free.
"Can he innovate on the fly? Why would the Eight-Tails assist him to this extent..." Tobirama narrowed his eyes. Killer B's configuration reminded him of Shio Uzumaki.
For a pure kenjutsu or taijutsu operative, the invulnerable posture of the Half-Tailed Beast Transformation was a natural hard counter.
"Brat, those eyes of yours fill me with disgust just looking at them..."
"What is your affiliation with Madara?" The Half-Tailed Beast transformed Killer B spoke, but with the voice of the Eight-Tails.
Tobirama paused, instantly understanding. Izuna's ocular power had triggered a stress response in the Eight-Tails.
Recalling the atrocities Madara had committed—treating Tailed Beasts like livestock with zero corporate dignity, dragging them with Susanoo while endlessly mocking them...
"That explains it, that explains it..." Tobirama and Izuna spoke in a mock-sympathetic tone, appearing to empathize with the Eight-Tails: "If it were the Great Patriarch, forcing a Tailed Beast to set aside its prejudices and cooperate with its Jinchuriki against a foreign enemy is a perfectly ordinary occurrence. He could even unite the entire shinobi world!"
After all, the premier Madara-hater in the shinobi market was Tobirama.
Izuna coughed lightly. Why did this boy always speak such harsh truths? However, Izuna harbored zero suspicion, because from the very beginning, Tobirama had operated under the banner of Madara, actively rallying support at the Uchiha clan meetings and proactively opposing Danzo. His corporate persona was impeccably solid.
Now, it was perfectly normal for him to express slight dissatisfaction purely because the enemy, Madara, had rallied their fighting spirit.
"After all, Seisui is still a teenager, a bit rebellious," Izuna comforted himself.
He had noticed that even when the Uchiha clan dared not mention Madara, Seisui was the only one who disregarded public optics to openly demand the restoration of Madara's reputation. And when Hiruzen Sarutobi did restore Madara's status, Seisui ironically became less enthusiastic about Madara, occasionally mocking Madara's absurd diplomatic maneuvers while chatting with Izuna.
Izuna naturally assumed this was just adolescent rebellious psychology acting up... But in reality, it was just Tobirama losing his patience.
"Regarding that..."
"After all, Big Brother captured a massive volume of Tailed Beasts for Konoha. His methodology was somewhat abrasive, leaving behind a less-than-friendly public profile. That is unavoidable."
"That is all in the past; let us not dwell on it..." Izuna deflected.
Killer B and Tobirama stood in a standoff. Even though he was currently in this configuration and could not sustain it indefinitely, the bizarre anomalies Tobirama exhibited made the Eight-Tails hesitant to act recklessly. Mindless attacks were meaningless against an operative who commanded the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
"I can only pin him down here and hope the Fourth Raikage A can secure a breakthrough on his end..." The Eight-Tails glanced from the corner of its eye, its heart tightening slightly. The situation over there was highly pessimistic as well.
At this moment.
Fourth Raikage A and Minato clashed like streaks of blue and yellow lightning!
"What incredible velocity..."
Upon entering active combat, since he wasn't sparring with fellow villagers or Academy students, Minato ceased dropping the bizarre rhetoric he had inherited from his Grand-Sensei, and focused entirely on the duel with the Fourth Raikage A!
Flying Thunder God kunai and fists collided!
Neither side yielded an inch. Every punch and kick generated shockwaves that blasted away the terrain, kicking up a storm of dust.
The longer Fourth Raikage A fought, the more bewildered he became. He felt a disorienting sensation, as if he were fighting himself. Fourth Raikage A was certain that Minato must have cultivated a technique analogous to Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
His physical sensation, plus the faint trace of electrical current surging across Minato's skin—even though it wasn't a full Lightning Armor—was proof that his body was using lightning for comprehensive cellular activation.
"How do you possess our Kumogakure's techniques?!" Fourth Raikage A finally retreated, shouting severely.
Currently, his body was covered in scars left by the Flying Thunder God kunai. Minato's slashes, operating at maximum output, could effectively penetrate Fourth Raikage A's Lightning Armor. It merely mitigated some kinetic force, but that was irrelevant; he just needed to execute a higher volume of slashes.
In raw strength, Fourth Raikage A was a tier above Minato. But the problem was, in both speed and neural reflex, Minato outclassed him by an entire bracket. As a result, Fourth Raikage A was reduced to absorbing strikes while hunting for a window to counterattack.
Whenever he finally managed to get close to Minato, Minato simply teleported away using the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, only to return and initiate the next cycle. The overall aesthetic of the combat was virtually identical to Tobirama's engagement with Killer B.
"Why would you ask such a question..." Minato asked with intense curiosity. At present, his uniform bore only minor wrinkles from the kinetic impacts; he remained in an undamaged state.
Minato's operational style was exactly this: as long as the opponent's system could not decompile his Flying Thunder God, regardless of their skill set, they would be tagged as a non-lethal entity, resulting in a completely one-sided steamroll. Unless he encountered an exceptionally unique operative, like the Third Raikage, who could simply ignore his slashes.
"If my memory serves me, isn't Kumogakure exceptionally fond of plundering secret jutsu and bloodlines from other hidden villages? And deploying novel ninja tools..."
"What, are you the only ones authorized to execute hostile acquisitions?" Minato stated softly.
"You guessed correctly. This is an authentic Lightning Release Chakra Mode. However, I haven't fully cultivated the Lightning Armor yet, as the subsequent configurations do not align with my combat doctrine."
"However, I misspoke earlier. I didn't steal it; I acquired it by liquidating Kumogakure infiltration scouts who breached Konoha. It was extracted from their minds as a legitimate self-defense spoil of war."
Fourth Raikage A's expression turned exceedingly grim.
He naturally knew that a vanguard of elite Cloud scouts had infiltrated the major hidden villages several years ago to extract intelligence. The deployments to other villages largely proceeded without incident. Only the unit deployed to Konoha suffered total annihilation. Among them was an associate of A's, an operative highly proficient in the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. He was a highly capable asset.
"Hmph, securing it is a testament to your capability!" Fourth Raikage A held his tongue, unable to formulate a high-minded diplomatic rebuttal.
In a sense, Kumogakure's corporate values and logic were remarkably primal. Internally, they prioritized camaraderie; externally, they prioritized plunder. But fundamentally, it boiled down to absolute kinetic dominance dictating the narrative. Moral grandstanding was not a playbook Kumogakure favored.
Seeing Fourth Raikage A's posture, Minato could not help but smile. Where did this barbarian come from? Quite amusing.
"I offer you a strategic recommendation..."
"Return immediately and advise your father, the Third Raikage, to order a tactical withdrawal. Begin calculating war indemnities and the terms of surrender. This will minimize Kumogakure's casualty metrics. Continually locking your sights on Konoha yields zero positive ROI for any party."
Minato sighed. Although he did not blink when executing enemies, he fundamentally abhorred war.
He fully endorsed his Grand-Sensei Hiruzen Sarutobi's platform of peaceful macroeconomic expansion, rapidly elevating the village's market cap, and leveraging Konoha's absolute deterrence to mediate continental disputes.
"You wish!"
"The Third Hokage might be a genuinely thick-headed man who desires peace, but the foundational DNA of your Konoha contains the existence of the Ghost of the Uchiha!" Fourth Raikage A declared sternly.
"The Third Hokage is aging; how much longer can he hold the office?"
"Not to mention the Uchiha clan has now restored Madara's reputation! What they are plotting might deceive the Hokage, but do you think they can deceive the other hidden villages? Don't joke around!"
"Furthermore, a teenage Madara has now appeared!" Fourth Raikage A waved his arm, pointing at Tobirama who was currently dueling Killer B.
The Eight-Tails' vigilance and sudden intervention, combined with Tobirama's current Uchiha identity, made it blatantly obvious what the Eight-Tails was terrified of.
His speech left both Tobirama and Minato stunned.
What is the operational logic here...
"What do you mean... Are you saying Kumogakure believes Madara Uchiha's reputation was restored because the Uchiha clan is deceiving the Hokage?" Tobirama laughed, unable to resist asking.
He realized that his disciple's reputation and PR had rapidly converged with his older brother Hashirama's. If this continued, it would reach the level of a high-tier Genjutsu.
"What else? Although I don't believe 'benevolence' and 'desiring peace' are positive assessments for a Kage in the shinobi market, the Third Hokage is indeed exactly that." Fourth Raikage A spoke sternly.
"Are you trying to say that the universally recognized successor to the God of Shinobi—who released Kusagakure prisoners and chose cooperation over annexing Amegakure—would willingly validate the Ghost of the Uchiha?"
"Madara Uchiha is Hashirama Senju's nemesis. Everyone knows this!"
Minato and Tobirama exchanged a glance, both struggling to maintain their composure.
To be honest... Fourth Raikage A's logic was entirely sound. Tobirama, an Uchiha himself, and Minato, whose close confidant was Yashiro Uchiha, both knew that certain Uchiha believed Hiruzen Sarutobi even resembled a mild-mannered Madara Uchiha.
But in the eyes of foreign cartels, the narrative was completely inverted!
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you