The Four-Tails was just about to have its head sink into the swamp; the pet Kairen had just raised couldn't be captured by Iwagakure.
He patted Kurotsuchi's cheek. "Lie down nicely! Once I finish handling your dowry, I'll take you back to the palace."
Kurotsuchi cursed Kairen again. "Dead pervert, filthy pervert—just wait to be disassembled into air by the old man!"
Kairen smiled. His figure flashed, and he appeared on the Four-Tails' head.
"Majestic Attire Susanoo!"
Kairen's Susanoo clad the Four-Tails, instantly granting it the power to sweep across mountains and rivers.
The Four-Tails roared, suddenly climbed out of the swamp, and swept away the earth and rocks binding its body.
Kitsuchi saw this and worry rose in his heart.
That layer of energy around Kairen was truly unsettling, as if it possessed the power to destroy the world.
Kairen folded his arms and looked down at Iwagakure, saying indifferently,
"Seeing as you're Kurotsuchi's compatriots, I, Moku Kairen, will spare your lives. Everyone, stay where you are and hold your heads—otherwise, you'll die, die, die!"
An irritable Iwagakure ninja couldn't stand Kairen, especially that gaze that looked at people like crawling insects.
"Moku Kairen, who do you think you are? With so many of us, how could we be afraid of you?"
The Iwagakure ninjas all closed in.
"Yeah! Each of us could throw a lump of mud and pile you to death. Where do you get the nerve to threaten us?"
Kairen's gaze swept around, carefully counting Iwagakure's numbers.
Then he smiled faintly. "Human-wave tactics? What a joke. You want to compete with me in numbers?"
Kairen's Susanoo detached from the Four-Tails' body, rising continuously until it completed its perfect form.
Susanoo's two huge hands formed a tiger seal as Kairen's chakra poured out in an unending stream.
Golden chakra connected directly to the clouds above, throwing the heavens into turmoil.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
In an instant, clusters of white smoke burst out of nowhere, shrouding the entire world.
A gust of chaotic wind blew the smoke away, and all the Iwagakure ninjas instantly felt cold to their bones.
Because the entire world was filled with Kairen—vast and boundless as far as the eye could see.
Some wore military uniforms and held firearms.
Some wore armor and rode warhorses.
Some drove tanks, grinding their cannon barrels.
You could see every kind of Kairen—there was even a military band.
Even more outrageous were some bizarre combinations.
There were the Avengers, Autobots, Decepticons, Armor Heroes, the NBA's Lakers, the men's national football team…
In short, anything you could think of—and things you couldn't—could all be found among Kairen's shadow clones.
Kairen had revived from chakra collapse; he had even opened the Gate of Death just now to release chakra.
In full-power form, no one knew how many shadow clones there were, but there were definitely more than fifty thousand.
Kairen looked at Iwagakure, surrounded by the army formation, and asked again,
"Iwagakure, do you still think you have the advantage in numbers now?"
Dead silence. Not a single person spoke. The Iwagakure ninjas kept looking around.
They had already been scared out of their wits by Kairen's legion—so many shadow clones, and every single one was solid, not a single illusion.
It wasn't just them who were terrified; everyone in the ninja world was.
Tsunade almost wet herself, staring at the light screen in agitation. "Th-this—"
She then asked Shizune, "Shizune, I'm not seeing things, right? So many shadow clones—this guy can actually gather this many shadow clones?"
"And he still has the strength to talk. He… how much chakra does he even have?"
Shizune also stared blankly at the light screen, still in shock. She hadn't expected a single shadow clone technique to bring such an enormous visual impact.
When Tsunade finally calmed down, a bad premonition arose in her heart.
"Shizune, our master and disciple probably have to serve one husband together!"
"Tsunade-sama ◝₍ᴑ̑ДO͝₎◞"
...
Kairen spread his hands indifferently and postured.
"With this power, who can stop me? From today on, my words are the law of heaven. Anyone who dares to disobey can crawl."
[Fourth Raikage: So infuriating! This brat is too arrogant. Ōnoki, are you there yet? Hurry and go teach him a lesson.]
[Ōnoki: Kitsuchi, Kurotsuchi, you two endure it for a while. I'm going back to the village to bring reinforcements!]
[Deidara: Oh oh oh, the old man is scared—doesn't dare to charge!]
[Ōnoki: Bastard, this is a temporary expedient.]
Ōnoki felt something was wrong the moment he saw Kairen's Susanoo.
He had once been taught a lesson by Uchiha Madara and had a deep impression of Susanoo—this thing wasn't something his Dust Release could deal with.
Then Kairen gathered that boundless sea of shadow clones, and Ōnoki was completely scared this time.
With his old, scheming prudence, he naturally knew that relying on a single ninja village couldn't deal with Kairen—unless they had someone like Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama.
Otherwise there was only one path: unite the other ninja villages and form a ninja allied force to deal with Kairen.
After a painful inner struggle, Ōnoki could only make a decision that went against his ancestors—that was to temporarily abandon his own son and granddaughter.
After returning to the village, change the battlefield, unite the other ninja villages, and rescue them together.
That was the best method for now.
Having lived so many years, Ōnoki knew deeply that one must not act on impulse, must not rush in like the young and gamble everything at once.
The Iwagakure ninjas surrounded by Kairen saw Ōnoki retreat. In their hearts they knew this was because of Kairen's overwhelming strength, but they also felt a sense of being abandoned.
The shadow clone army swarmed forward and tied up all the Iwagakure ninjas.
Then Kairen ordered the army to head straight for Iwagakure Village and take over the entire Land of Earth.
Several shadow clones in camouflage uniforms pointed guns at Kitsuchi.
"Behave. Don't think about resisting. The imperial army will treat prisoners well!"
Kitsuchi was tied up with rope, but he still looked at Kairen's shadow clones with disdain and snorted.
"Don't think you can make me submit to your power. That's impossible."
"Oh? You're pretty brave!"
A shadow clone stepped forward and pressed the muzzle against Kitsuchi's head.
"Do you know what this is? This is an AK, my ninja lord!"
"The era of ninjas is over. Now it's the era of AKs. One casual shot can blow your head off—do you still dare to talk back?"
Kitsuchi said nothing, still staring coldly at the shadow clone.
The shadow clone flew into a rage. "You—"
Kairen suddenly appeared, kicked the shadow clone away, and untied the rope on Kitsuchi.
"How do you talk like that? This is my father-in-law—watch your mouths!"
The shadow clones immediately changed their expressions. "Sorry, sorry."
One offered a cigarette, one put on a flattering smile, one apologized.
Naturally, Kitsuchi didn't take kindly to Kairen and said coldly,
"Moku Kairen, give it up! I won't hand Kurotsuchi over to you."
Kairen was furious. "Guards, boil my father-in-law for me and make him into soup."
The shadow clones hurried to dissuade him.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, don't act on impulse. Without a father-in-law, Kurotsuchi will ignore you for the rest of her life."
Kairen's anger slowly dissipated. He glanced at Kitsuchi.
"How could a blockhead like you give birth to such a pretty girl like Kurotsuchi—did your wife cheat on you?"
Kitsuchi was an honest man, and in an instant Kairen's words set him off.
"Impossible! Kurotsuchi is my daughter!"
"Alright, alright, she's your daughter!"
Kairen persuaded him earnestly. "Kitsuchi, join the Empire! Kurotsuchi becomes my consort, and I'll appoint you as Chancellor—how about that?"
"Pah!"
"Ah, ah, ah…"
The shadow clones pulled Kairen away again, telling him not to do his father-in-law in.
Kairen snorted. "I'll flatten your Land of Earth right away and see where you still get the courage!"
"All troops, heed my order—advance at full speed and take the Land of Earth."
"Received!!"