"Who's next?"
Aramaki's gaze, though seemingly playful, was cold and merciless—sending a chill down the spine of every person it fell upon.
Everyone present was at least jonin level.
Because of this, they could clearly sense the overwhelming force radiating from Aramaki.
Some of those with stronger spiritual perception even vaguely saw the apparition of a ghostly green bull with crimson eyes hovering behind and above him.
"Hmph, that trash Biwa Jūzō was indeed the weakest among us, but don't think things will be that easy from now on!"
Suikazan Fuguki, the highest-ranking among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, immediately stepped forward, glaring angrily at Aramaki as he shouted.
His voice snapped many of the Kirigakure ninja out of the oppressive trance brought on by Aramaki's aura.
"Remember—our goal isn't to defeat him, but to hold him here!"
As he spoke, Suikazan Fuguki's long orange hair suddenly hardened into countless needle-like senbon.
With a sharp whistling of wind, they rained down toward Aramaki like a storm of deadly plum blossoms.
"Hmm?"
Aramaki raised an eyebrow in surprise.
The move was far too familiar.
He suddenly grinned. "Oh? I know that one too. Let's compare, shall we~~?"
In the next instant—
Aramaki's long, curly black hair suddenly lashed out, launching countless dark shadows in return.
Immediately—
As orange and black strands clashed between them, the air filled with the metallic clanging of countless impacts.
"What?!"
Suikazan Fuguki stared in shock at the black strands effortlessly deflecting his own attack, now surging toward him like a wave.
He used Body Flicker to escape the dark tendrils with ease.
Aramaki didn't pursue.
Instead, he looked at the now-stationary Fuguki and asked with a smirk, "Hey, fatty—did you use chakra in that move?"
"F-fatty?!"
Both Suikazan Fuguki and the surrounding Kirigakure ninja froze.
Then, the former's expression darkened in fury.
The latter wore expressions ranging from surprise to awkward amusement.
"Hmph, I've heard that one of Konoha's Sannin, Jiraiya, developed a similar jutsu."
"But mine is purely a taijutsu-based technique. I dare say there's no taijutsu user stronger than me in the entire ninja world!"
A hint of pride appeared on Fuguki's usually indifferent face.
"I see. I rather like you," Aramaki laughed boisterously. "I'll try to spare your life!"
But his arrogant declaration was the last straw.
"You're getting way too full of yourself, you bastard from another world!"
"Don't underestimate us! I'll blow you to pieces!"
With his explosive temper, Jinpachi immediately erupted into action.
He leapt into the air, wielding the Exploding Blade: Splash before him.
Instantly—
With the rustle of countless paper seals, rows of explosive tags unfurled like a scroll from the hilt of the blade, spreading outward from Aramaki as the center.
The moment the scroll's edge touched the surface of the water—
A chain of brilliant explosions erupted, fire and flame shooting into the sky.
Aramaki's figure was engulfed by fire and crashing waves.
But not a single person let down their guard.
A slender shadow, swift as lightning, shot out from the smoke and steam.
A sharp whistling tore through the air.
Invisible threads crisscrossed the space ahead.
As the shadow passed, a series of faint twangs echoed through the mist—like the snapping of taut strings.
Kushimaru, who had secretly set up this trap using the Longsword: Sewing Needle, quickly used a Water Clone Substitution to dodge the strike aimed directly between his brows.
"Aaargh!"
A chilling scream rang out. Everyone turned to see Kushimaru now entangled elsewhere.
Thick thorny vines had emerged from the water, wrapping tightly around his entire body.
Each thorn was nearly three centimetres long, driving deep into his flesh.
Blood poured from his wounds, and as the vines constricted further, the pain only intensified.
"Kuriarare-sama!"
Several nearby Kirigakure jonin rushed to help, attempting to cut through the vines.
But Aramaki gave them no chance.
With a sudden surge, the vines twisted violently—
Kushimaru was torn apart on the spot.
At the same time, Aramaki flickered out of view, leaving only an afterimage behind—
And reappeared directly in front of Akebino Jinin, wielder of the Kabutowari.
His towering figure loomed over the man, casting a vast black shadow.
Aramaki didn't speak a word.
But the cold, emotionless look in his eyes—like someone staring at a corpse—utterly infuriated Jinin.
"Stop looking down on me!!!"
With a furious roar, he swung his massive axe.
Wrapped in a swirling blue chakra current, the weapon came crashing down on Aramaki's glowing green hand—only for those five thick fingers to clamp down and catch the blade in place.
Rather than panic, Jinin grinned savagely.
With his free hand, he slammed a massive iron hammer down on the back of the axe.
He already knew that Aramaki had the power of wood transformation—
Immune to most forms of damage, able to regenerate from nearly anything.
But that didn't mean he would stop attacking.
At that exact moment—
Suikazan Fuguki unleashed his Samehada, Raiga sent lightning crashing down from the Kiba, and Hozuki released a chakra orb after unleashing his Hiramekarei.
And dozens of Kirigakure shinobi fired off single-target Water Release techniques from all directions.
But Aramaki didn't even flinch.
Amid a thunderous roar of surging water, the coordinated attacks fully engulfed him.
At the same time—
Jinin's scream rang out.
Blood spurted from his mouth as his entire body flew backward, doubled over in agony.
In that split second—
Aramaki's right foot had struck his chest with explosive force.
"Akebino-sama!"
Two nearby Kirigakure jonin rushed in and caught him just before he hit the water.
Meanwhile, the eyes of Suikazan Fuguki, Jinpachi, and the others remained fixed on Aramaki—
Now standing tall atop a drifting piece of wood, calmly rising from the water as his body rapidly regenerated.
"As expected… other than Sage Chakra, no attack can hurt him. What a troublesome guy... Looks like sealing him is the only option."
Standing beside Senju Tobirama, Raiga cursed through clenched teeth.
But Tobirama didn't respond.
His gaze was fixed on Aramaki's impassive face, a deep frown forming.
Something about it felt… off.
What followed was a brutal and relentless battle—
Relying solely on taijutsu, elemental transformation, and limited Wood Release abilities, Aramaki faced off alone against an elite force of nearly fifty jonin, led by Tobirama and Suikazan Fuguki.
Across the vast expanse of water, they clashed in a deadly dance.
Every ten seconds or so, a new agonizing scream echoed across the battlefield.
Several bodies slowly sank deeper into the bloodstained water.
Meanwhile, Aramaki seemed to be finding it difficult to fight off so many enemies at once.
As the battle dragged on, his body sustained damage from repeated attacks.
Although he healed each time before they could initiate any sealing techniques, the persistent onslaught gave Fuguki, Raiga, and the other Kirigakure shinobi a renewed sense of hope.
"Something's wrong!"
Senju Tobirama's expression suddenly darkened.
Amid the confused glances of those around him, he abruptly turned to stare east—toward Konohagakure.
"Hey… why isn't he coming back out?"
Raiga frowned, puzzled.
One by one, the other Kirigakure shinobi noticed it too.
"That's a clone!"
"He's already headed for the village!"
The words had barely left someone's mouth when Tobirama, his face pale with fury, vanished on the spot.
Leaving Suikazan Fuguki and the others staring at each other in stunned silence.
The ten Konoha shinobi present exchanged glances—
Then, without a word, they all vanished into high-speed afterimages, racing toward Konoha.
[Whoosh!]
A second later, Tobirama reappeared inside the Hokage's Office using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Through the wide window, he saw crimson barriers rising across the perimeter and above the skies of the village.
And at the front gate, a towering, lifelike wooden construct—nearly 100 meters tall—was pummeling the Uchiha Flame Formation barrier with its jet-black fists.
Each collision sent deafening shockwaves across the village, causing the searing red barrier to visibly tremble—
And plunging all of Konohagakure's citizens into terror.
"Rawawawa!"
"Afraid? Despairing? That's more like it!"
"Only when you etch this fear into your very souls… will you truly submit yourselves to the World Government!"
"Remember this name—I am Aramaki, the future supreme combat power of the Army Headquarters!!"
Standing proudly atop the wooden giant, Aramaki let out a wild, arrogant laugh, his voice crashing like thunder.
The villagers trembled in fear at his declaration, while Konoha's shinobi were consumed by fury.
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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
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