The Hidden Rain's elite forces poured out in full, forming ranks at the village gates!
Because the challenge had been formally issued in advance, this was no chance encounter—it was a true battlefield standoff!
Half an hour later, Kabuto Yakushi arrived as promised, leading his twenty-thousand-strong army of Might Guy clones!
Both sides squared off across the inland lake encircling the Hidden Rain Village, the air so charged with tension it could snap at any moment.
At the far end of the rain-soaked horizon, a sea of green uniforms stretched as far as the eye could see.
Hashirama murmured, "The last time I saw a formation this massive was when the Senju and Uchiha first allied, and every clan rushed to join us…"
Tobirama sighed, "Too bad this time, we're the ones who are hopelessly outnumbered."
Hiruzen shook his head. "Kabuto Yakushi actually cloned this many Guys? The man's completely insane!"
Minato quipped, "Beasts of youth, mass-produced into an evil army… Let's call them the 'Youth's End: Guy's Grand Parade—Kabuto's Legion of Ten Thousand Beasts.'"
Across the lake, Kabuto's vertical pupils glimmered as he adjusted his glasses. "The lineup's just as I expected… Well then, let's begin! Win or lose, I'll carve my name into history with this!"
Whoosh!
The Youth's End: Guy's Grand Parade—Kabuto's Legion of Ten Thousand Beasts surged forward in a thunderous charge!
"They're coming…"
Naruto and Hashirama formed hand seals in perfect sync!
—Wood Release: Twin Birth of the World of Trees!
RUMBLE!
Past and present, two Gods of Shinobi joined forces, unleashing the legendary Wood Release that swept forward like an unstoppable tide!
At the vanguard, two hundred Might Guy clones leapt into formation, executing synchronized flying kicks.
—Dynamic Prelude Symphony!
CRACK CRACK CRACK!
The rampaging forest was smashed apart with overwhelming force!
Hashirama's eyes widened. "That ninja called Might Guy… is he really this ferocious?"
Naruto remained calm. "This was expected. Even if I faced this army alone, I wouldn't stand a chance…"
Konan formed seals of her own!
—Explosive Grand Flame Formation!
RUSTLE!
Dozens of explosive tags, disguised in advance, peeled up from the earth and surged toward the enemy lines!
At the rear, Kabuto smirked. "In a positional battle, traps are a given—but I came prepared…"
At the front, dozens of Guy clones vaulted high and slammed their elbows to the ground in unison!
—Leaf Boulder Drop: Meteor Crash!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground shook violently as their powerful strikes triggered the advancing explosive tags, setting off a chain of massive detonations!
As the last explosion faded, beams of green light pierced the smoke, scattering it in all directions.
The sight that emerged left everyone shaken.
Three hundred clones had simultaneously opened the Sixth Gate—Gate of Joy—of the Eight Gates!
—Eight Gates: Three Hundred Joy Formations!
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!
Three hundred Joy-Gate Guys soared skyward, six hundred fists shattering the air, unleashing a rain of blazing fire!
—Morning Peacock: Formation-Breaking Dance!
"This is bad!" Hashirama's face tightened. He quickly formed seals and slammed both hands to the ground!
—Summoning: Ninefold Rashōmon!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Nine massive gates, carved with fierce demon faces and studded with scarlet iron spikes, rose up in succession!
BOOM BOOM BOOM…!
But the relentless fireballs blasted through the Rashōmon, gate after gate, without pause!
WHOOSH WHOOSH…!
Watching the fire reflected in his eyes, Hashirama muttered, "They broke through all nine gates in just seconds…"
SIZZLE!
Naruto's eyes spun into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and his Susanoo formed a half-body, the divine avatar Susanoo-no-Mikoto manifesting!
"Use that move!"
"Yes, Father!"
Suddenly, a pair of small hands sprouted from Susanoo-no-Mikoto's blazing form and began weaving hand signs.
—Susanoo-no-Mikoto: Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
POOF POOF! The blazing avatar split into ten miniature suns!
—Susanoo: Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine!
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH…!
Ten avatars unleashed magatama volleys at ten times the speed, finally suppressing the last of the Morning Peacock: Formation-Breaking Dance!
POOF!
The clones vanished, and Susanoo-no-Mikoto faded, voice dim. "Father… I'm out of strength for now…"
Naruto nodded. "Go rest."
"Thank you, Father!"
Susanoo-no-Mikoto vanished from sight.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The three hundred clones who'd opened the Gate of Joy landed heavily, utterly drained—some unable even to stand.
Naruto's eyes narrowed in concern.
"Hinata, check their chakra!"
SIZZLE!Hinata activated her Byakugan [Note: She can switch between Byakugan and Tenseigan; to conserve chakra, she usually keeps the Tenseigan dormant.]
Hinata reported, "Their chakra is unstable and depleted. Compared to Guy-sensei himself, this is what happens after using the Gate of Wonder…"
"As I thought. The clones' shortcut to the Eight Gates comes with a heavy price. The Gate of Joy is as taxing for them as the 'Gate of Wonder' is for the real Guy. That's why Kabuto's holding back on numbers—this three hundred was just a test run…"
Naruto's gaze darkened as he formed seals. "Either way, I need to stop him from cycling his army for endless attacks!"
—Earth-Wood Release: Yomi Swamp!
SPLASH!
The ground beneath the three hundred clones instantly turned to swamp. They tried to escape, but wooden hands shot up from the mire, gripping their ankles and dragging them under!
As he released his jutsu, Naruto's voice was low. "Sorry, Bushy Brows-sensei… but I can't show mercy here."
Across the battlefield, Kabuto's glasses flashed white. "So, three hundred Joy-Gate formations aren't enough to break through, huh? Fine. This time, let's multiply that by ten."
Just behind the swamp that had swallowed three hundred, three thousand green pillars shot skyward!
—Eight Gates: Three Thousand Joy Formations!
Kabuto grinned dangerously. "Three thousand Morning Peacocks—enough to destroy heaven and earth. Let's see you defend against this!"
Seeing the new formation, Hashirama acted instantly, entering Sage Mode and slamming both hands down!
—Sage Art: Wood Release—True Several Thousand Hands!
The colossal wooden Kannon erupted from the earth. Hashirama spoke gravely, "I'll use my Impure World Reincarnation body to maintain the True Several Thousand Hands' stamina. That should absorb a good chunk of the firepower—the rest is up to you two!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM…!
The wooden Kannon strode forward. As the Morning Peacock fireballs swarmed in, a thousand arms lashed out from its back!
—Top Transformed Buddha!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Fists and fireballs collided in a storm of chaos!
Hashirama kept his hands pressed in prayer, exploiting the infinite chakra of Impure World Reincarnation to endlessly regenerate the Kannon's battered arms.
But the destruction outpaced the repairs—the wooden hands were soon spent!
The Morning Peacock fireballs, small but overwhelming in number, swarmed like an army of fire ants, devouring the Kannon's massive form in an instant!
Even Hashirama couldn't escape—his body was consumed in the fiery onslaught!
At that moment, Naruto and Minato, father and son, both activated Kurama Mode!
[With both halves of Kurama now in sync, Naruto and Kurama reached a new understanding, unlocking Kurama Mode for Minato as well. That's why Minato didn't use it against Madara at the River of the Dead.]
Yin and Yang Kurama unleashed a barrage of Tailed Beast Bombs, finally holding back the last of the three thousand Morning Peacocks!
Kabuto sneered, "So you really did manage to defend…"
CRACK! CRACK!
Naruto's eyes snapped open.
CRACK! Silver-gray Susanoo armor enveloped his Yang Kurama!
Yin Kurama whined, "I want armor too!!"
Minato: "But I don't have any…"
"No worries, let me help you with that…"
Obito barged in, both eyes blazing, as jet-black Susanoo armor wrapped around Minato's Yin Kurama!
Yin Kurama: "Minato, you're not up to much, are you~…"
Minato: "But my son and my student are!"
Obito: "Sensei, that's basically admitting you're not up to it…"
Kushina interjected, "Whether he's up to it or not, I'm the one who gets to say!"
Yang Kurama: "In this area, I know all the details, believe me…"
"Ahem…" Naruto coughed, cutting off the pointless banter. "Let's not let Kabuto control the tempo anymore. Time to counterattack—Kurama, Obito, Dad—let's go!"
—Dual Forms: Beast's Ordeal!
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Congratulations to dear reader '[Explosive Sky] Shang Xuan' for topping the reward rankings on August 27th!
Thanks to Collapsed Sky Lord, Village Committee of Head-Patting Village, Little Rain Listening to the Tower, God.?, Bug-Exploiting Sky Constant, Uchiha Roll, Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze of the West, Dove Searching for Hashirama, Update Quickly!!! Han Yesheng Who Loves Thousand-Layer Meat Pies, and all other readers for your support!
Special thanks to Min Meng Youlan, who at 18:36 on the 28th, gave an 'Explosive Update Celebration' reward worth 26.75 yuan. Unless something crazy happens, today's top spot is yours~
Anyone want to slap my face? Cough cough… just kidding, don't take it seriously.
Since today's first update was in the afternoon, I'll spare you the bedtime mush for now. Heh, at least this proves the chapters aren't copy-pasted, right?
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