Under a gloomy sky, howling northern winds swept across the grim battlefield, stirring up countless sand and dust.
Once a beautiful village (Uzugakure) had now become a wasteland of ruins, scattered with ninja corpses, broken weapons, raging fires, and rolling smoke.
On the ground, the earth and rivers alike were stained red with blood, the stench of gore spreading everywhere. In the sky, flocks of Corpse Crows cried mournfully as they flew past, as if wailing for the dead.
The combined armies of Cloud and Mist numbered nearly ten thousand, yet now stood silent as death, with many staring in horror at a certain spot on the battlefield.
More precisely, they stared at someone.
Black hair flowing, sage facial markings etched onto his face, clad in armor trimmed with white fur and decorated with golden, kingly patterns, a massive scroll strapped to his back—stark as black ink on white paper.
This was the man who suddenly descended onto the battlefield, delivering a single punch that sent the otherwise invincible Third Raikage flying, shocking everyone present.
His name had spread throughout all Five Great Ninja Villages a year ago. But as time passed, it gradually faded from memory.
Now, he has returned, stepping once again into the center stage of the shinobi world.
"It's Heiyan from the Leaf Village!"
"The very genius ninja wanted by multiple forces, with a bounty reaching one hundred and fifty million ryō (ninja world currency)!"
"Fifteen years old? That's damn near impossible."
After a brief silence, whispers erupted sporadically through the ranks of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Heiyan moved again.
Swoosh!
His right foot slammed into the ground, propelling his entire body forward like lightning. At the same time, he swung his left hand, releasing from his palm a shining crimson chain of chakra. Like a colossal dragon soaring through the sky, the chain lashed straight toward the Third Raikage.
[Sage Art: Heavenly Release: Demon-Subduing Chain]!
"Hmph!"
The Third Raikage snorted two streams of white breath from his nostrils, like an enraged bull. Heiyan had humiliated him before under the identity of Lord Takemikazuchi, and now he had been struck down again in front of nearly ten thousand spectators. The combination of old grudges and fresh humiliation pushed him to the brink of fury.
Facing the rapidly approaching chakra chain, the pride of the Raikage would not allow him to evade.
The Third Raikage suddenly extended his right hand, his arm muscles bulging outward. Attempting the same trick again, he aimed to catch Heiyan's chain just as he had caught Hiashi Hyuga's arrow.
But this time, he miscalculated.
Crack!
At the exact moment the Raikage's giant hand made contact with the demon-subduing chain, an indescribable sharp pain surged through him, as though piercing even his soul.
"Tsk!"
The Raikage sucked in cold air sharply, instinctively pulling his hand back. As expected, the chain came whipping down heavily upon him without mercy.
Rip!
In an instant, the Lightning Release chakra shield surrounding his body was torn through like paper. Then, his own flesh and blood bore the full force of the blow. Once again, his massive frame was flung backward.
Bang!
The huge form of the Raikage soared dozens of meters through the air, then came crashing down among the Raikage ninjas behind him, immediately causing chaos and panic.
On the ground, dozens of Raikage ninjas fell in messy heaps, groaning painfully. Amidst them, the Third Raikage propped himself up with one hand, unsteadily rising to his feet.
At this moment, a thirty-centimeter-long wound appeared on his bronze-colored broad chest. Blood streamed from the injury, creating a shocking, gruesome sight.
The Third Raikage had actually been wounded!
Witnessing this scene, many ninja from Kumogakure could hardly believe their eyes and were utterly horrified.
Everyone knew that the Third Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Shield was famously known as the Ultimate Shield.
Moreover, his own physical body was extremely tough and hard to tear. He'd once fought bare-handed against the Eight-Tails and was an anthropomorphic beast surpassing even the Tailed Beasts themselves.
Yet now, for the first time in history, both of the Third Raikage's proud defensive layers had been broken head-on by someone.
Heiyan didn't pursue.
His earlier attack had only aimed to use the Third Raikage as a living practice target to test the power of his ninjutsu.
[Sage Art] from Shikkotsu Forest was the strongest Sage Art there was. [Heavenly Release (Qian)] Demon-Subduing Chain was the ultimate Kekkei Tota technique. Together, they formed Heiyan's current most powerful offensive move.
If even such a combined attack couldn't break through the defenses of the Third Raikage, then it would clearly be impossible.
However, Heiyan had to admit that the enemy indeed had very thick skin. After being struck directly by his Demon-Subduing Chain, the Raikage only sustained injuries rather than dying instantly.
No wonder he was hailed as the strongest Raikage in history.
[Whoosh!]
From within the Cloud forces, numerous ninja surged forward like a tide and formed a semicircle in front of the Third Raikage, tightly protecting him. All of them glared at Heiyan with intense hatred, although deep down inside, they were actually filled with tension and fear.
"[Lord Takemikazuchi]!" "[Catgirl]!"
The short-haired, blue-haired Two-Tails Jinchuriki and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Burubi simultaneously cried out in alarm, staring at Heiyan with shock and fury.
Both had crossed paths with Heiyan before, and had firsthand experience of the might of the Demon-Subduing Chain. Even the tailed beasts sealed within their bodies held deep hatred toward Heiyan.
As Heiyan stood alone, facing off against five thousand Cloud-nin.
Meanwhile, at another part of the battlefield,
[Boom!] [Boom!]
Following a rolling rumble of thunder, a red thundercloud ten meters across suddenly appeared above the Demonic Mirroring Thin Ice Formation.
Then came a sight that stole every breath on the battlefield.
[Crack!] [Crack!]
From the storm cloud, more than a hundred crimson lightning bolts fell from the sky, illuminating the darkened heavens. These flashes of lightning ferociously struck row after row of ice mirrors. Continuous cracking sounds rang out as mirror after mirror shattered one by one.
In less than ten seconds, the entire ice mirror formation was completely destroyed beyond repair.
Strangely, however, those falling crimson lightning bolts seemed almost sentient—deliberately avoiding the center of the formation where Fugaku Uchiha stood.
[Swoosh!]
After the mirrors shattered, the Third Mizukage, who had been hiding inside, was also forced to reveal himself. Struck repeatedly by dozens of red lightning bolts, he staggered backward helplessly until finally caught midair by several Mist ninja.
Finally, under all the shocked gazes of the Hidden Mist ninja, the red thundercloud moved. It floated gently until positioning itself directly above Heiyan's head, where it hovered silently.
This man made his debut with otherworldly martial techniques that repelled both the Third Raikage and the Third Mizukage, sending shockwaves across the battlefield filled with nearly ten thousand ninja.
Black Zetsu and Kakuzu looked at each other in disbelief upon witnessing this scene, both recalling their encounter at the Kasuga Shrine.
Turns out Heiyan had figured out their plan from the start and had been working against them in secret the whole time.
At this moment,
whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!
Looking down from midair, one could see numerous figures springing into action. Among them were Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuga, and Ashina Uzumaki, along with hundreds of Uzumaki clan ninja. They swiftly converged toward Heiyan's location.
In the end, everyone reached Heiyan's side, forming a united front to face the enemy army.
Heiyan glanced back, first exchanging glances with Fugaku and Hiashi to confirm they were both fine. Then he looked toward the group of Uzumaki ninja.
He noticed that almost every Uzumaki ninja, including Ashina himself, bore injuries of varying severity, none without bandages on their bodies.
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