"Lord Kai! It's Lord Kai!"
"Hahaha—this is great! Lord Kai is back!"
"I knew it! No wonder those invaders suddenly froze—turns out they ran straight into Lord Kai!"
…
From the moment Uchiha Kai appeared to the instant he suppressed nearly two hundred elite shinobi, it looked like he'd done many things—
In truth, it was only two actions.
And the time elapsed—
Just two seconds.
Two seconds later, the wounded Konoha shinobi—those who had been overwhelmed in two-on-one engagements—finally saw what had happened ahead.
And in the next breath, thunderous cheers erupted.
At that moment, Kai's not-particularly-tall figure was burned deeply into every one of their minds.
Yamanaka Torifu wiped the blood from the corner of his eye and suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! You muscleheads and rock-brains—now you know what happens when you mess with Lord Kai!"
Just moments ago he'd been suppressed so badly it hurt.
Now?
It felt indescribably good.
This was the thrill of being crushed when standing against him—
And the ecstasy of being carried to victory when standing beside him.
Today, he finally understood.
And he wasn't the only one.
Many ANBU felt the same.
The suffocating frustration of half a month ago was directly proportional to how exhilarating this moment felt now.
"So… so amazing…"
Naruto stared at Kai, his eyes sparkling like stars.
Beneath that gaze, admiration and resolve quietly took root.
One day—
He wanted to become that kind of man.
Unlike Konoha's roaring cheers, the forces of Kumogakure and Iwagakure fell into eerie silence.
Above them, Ōnoki's expression darkened.
He barked coldly,
"Brat!"
"I am Ōnoki of the Two Scales!"
"I've dominated the shinobi world for decades—since when have I ever tolerated such insolent threats?!"
"You're playing with fire. Do you understand that?!"
He was furious.
Especially because his opponent was a barely-grown Uchiha brat.
"Oh? Never tolerated?"
Kai tilted his head slightly, then casually reached up and tapped the Uchiha fan crest on his clothing.
"Then this symbol—does it look familiar to you?"
The implication needed no explanation.
"Arrogant!"
That single gesture shattered Ōnoki's composure.
His voice nearly cracked from rage.
His aged face flushed a deep, liver-red.
Even his large nose turned crimson.
To him, the fan crest was nothing short of a childhood nightmare.
Back when the ninja villages were first founded, Ōnoki had visited Konoha—
And had been psychologically scarred by the legendary Uchiha Madara, the man who stood shoulder to shoulder with the God of Shinobi.
And now—
A mere Uchiha brat dared provoke him?!
Unforgivable.
Absolutely unforgivable.
Fueled by rage, Ōnoki no longer hesitated.
Chakra surged violently around him.
BOOM!
The massive stone hand hovering above Hinata's head slammed downward without mercy.
That strike—
Even an elite jōnin would be crushed into pulp.
Let alone a girl who had only just entered the academy.
At the same time, Ōnoki raised both hands before his chest and began forming seals at blinding speed.
Humm—humm—humm—
Blinding white light bloomed between his palms.
It compressed rapidly—
Forming a dazzling white cube.
Far stronger.
Far more brilliant.
Than before.
Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Technique!
He screamed as he poured every ounce of chakra into it, locking onto Kai below.
"Even if it means destroying the Hyūga main family's eyes—I will erase you, you evil Uchiha brat, from existence!"
Humm—humm—
The cube's terrifying fluctuations shredded the surrounding space.
In sheer presence alone, it rivaled—if not surpassed—the moment of Kai's arrival.
Silent.
Yet carrying the aura of total annihilation.
It fired instantly.
Stone colossus—
And Atomic Dismantling.
The Third Tsuchikage's two ultimate killing techniques, unleashed together.
"Hinata!!!"
Within the Konoha ranks, Hyūga Hiashi felt his soul tear apart.
He lunged forward without thought—
Only to be restrained by branch family members.
"Kai! Dodge!"
Uchiha Fugaku's heart leapt into his throat.
Others might not know—
But he did.
That white cube erased everything.
Even his Susanoo wouldn't last a heartbeat.
And Kai—
Stood completely exposed.
The crimson glow in his eyes flared again.
A black Susanoo arm manifested instinctively, crossing before him.
Crack—shhk.
It didn't even last half a second.
The arm was erased by the white light.
"Strike while he's vulnerable!"
From the side, Raikage A's eyes blazed.
Kai's instant annihilation of two hundred elites had shaken him—
But decades of battlefield experience screamed at him:
Ōnoki's Dust Release had created a perfect opening!
If he attacked now, this Uchiha brat would have no way out!
"Even if that old bastard kills me too—I'll take you with me!"
Kai's power terrified him.
Deeply.
A ten-year-old genius.
Instantly erasing two hundred elites.
Crushing the Two-Tails' jinchūriki with one hand.
Even the God of Shinobi hadn't shown anything like this at that age—
Back then, he'd still been skipping stones by the river.
Kai had surpassed every so-called genius the Raikage had ever seen.
Including—
His own proud younger brother.
If he didn't crush Kai now, then for decades to come, Kumogakure would never again stand above Konoha.
ZZZ—CRACKLE—!
Lightning exploded across Raikage A's body.
He became a streak of savage blue light, charging upward.
His right hand clenched into a fist.
Lightning Release chakra compressed violently between his fingers, emitting a piercing crackle.
The air itself smelled faintly of scorched flesh.
"Lightning Release: Lariat—Horizontal Thousand Blades Dance!"
"Die, you damned brat!!"
In that instant—
Two peak Kage-level monsters, enemies for decades, launched a furious pincer attack.
Above—
Dust Release's white light sealed every escape route.
Below—
The Raikage's thunderous fist carried the power to shatter mountains, aimed straight at Kai's back.
A true killing formation.
An absolute death trap.
Yet faced with an assault capable of killing any Kage—
Kai merely turned his head slightly.
The look in his eyes was nothing but amusement.
As if watching—
A poorly executed circus act.
He didn't even raise his hands.
Only lifted his gaze toward the blinding white light above and murmured softly:
"White light…"
"…is still light, isn't it?"
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/SorenSwiftTL