Chapter 354: Showing One's Skills
Boom!
As the Tailed Beast Bomb launched, Inoichi Yamanaka and the other sensory ninjas at the Allied HQ immediately felt the vibration. Cold sweat broke out on their faces. However, as veteran Jonin who had weathered a hundred battles, they remained calm enough to handle the crisis.
"Time is short. Everyone, listen to me..." Inoichi placed his hand on Shikaku's head, and Shikaku began to issue the final defensive arrangements.
"Senior Shikaku, don't worry. I'm prepared."
Just as he started to speak, Tonbo Tobitake's voice echoed in his mind. Then, a shadow clone of Tonbo appeared right in the middle of Headquarters. Everyone—Ao, Inoichi, Shikaku, and the others—turned to look at him.
Tonbo's clone didn't waste a second, his hands blurring into seals.
"Space-Time Barrier: Inverted Golden Bell."
Countless runic formulas radiated from him as the center, spreading across the surroundings. Various pre-placed scrolls snapped open the moment the runes reached them, releasing a massive surge of chakra. As the barrier took form, a golden bell-shaped light encased the entire HQ and then flipped.
The buildings vanished from the spot, leaving only a flat, empty stretch of land.
BOOM!
The Tailed Beast Bomb arrived, slamming into the area with a deafening roar. A massive explosion of chakra followed, obliterating the terrain.
"What? Captain Tonbo found a way to save them?"
Shikamaru, Ino, and the others with family at HQ felt a surge of relief and joy upon hearing Tonbo's voice.
"Of course. I've been prepared for a long time," Tonbo said with a chuckle.
"Awesome! As expected of Captain Tonbo!"
"Thank goodness!"
The Alliance's morale surged once more. Only Obito and Madara in the distance watched the Alliance with growing irritation. They hadn't expected someone to have prepared a space-time barrier in advance. Once again, they realized Tonbo Tobitake was far from simple.
"In that case, we'll just have to settle the Alliance directly."
Obito controlled the Ten-Tails to condense another Tailed Beast Bomb. Suddenly, Uchiha Madara sensed something.
"This chakra... I could never mistake yours, Hashirama..."
ROAR!
The speed was incredible. Although the Alliance tried to attack, they were too slow. The Tailed Beast Bomb surged toward the army.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
"Great Mud River Wall!"
After the Ten-Tails released the bomb, Shikamaru had devised the most probable defense: he had Kitsuchi teach the simplest Earth Style seals to the entire Alliance. Even if the structure was weak, the sheer number of walls—backed by the Iwagakure "Ten Thousand Mile Earth Wall"—might suffice. With the Five Kage in the front to deflect the trajectory, it should work.
"Tonbo-Sensei, can we do it?" Shikamaru asked through Ino's Mind Transmission.
"No problem, but this won't hold them for long. You'll need to think of another way after this," Tonbo replied.
His hands began to weave the Phantasm: Hurricane Celestial. The complete version. This was the largest structure he could maintain that would stay stable and powerful based on his knowledge of physics.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Tailed Beast Bomb tore through layer after layer of barriers, destroying the Earth Walls. Just as Killer Bee prepared to use a Tailed Beast Bomb of his own to intercept it, the projectile suddenly vanished.
"It's gone?" The Alliance was stunned.
"Sorry I'm late."
Minato Namikaze appeared before the Alliance. Far out at sea, a massive explosion erupted, sending a shockwave that buffeted the ninjas, knocking some off their feet.
"The Fourth Hokage?!"
"Your speed is even faster than mine."
"You're as impressive as ever."
"Not bad, young man."
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
In rapid succession, the Second, Third, and First Hokage appeared. However, before they could even finish their grand entrance, Tonbo's voice cut through the air.
"Everyone, fall back!"
The sky shifted. Dark clouds swirled, sand flew into the air, and giant tornadoes rose from the ground. Following orders, the Alliance retreated rapidly. Gradually, the battlefield became a territory enclosed by a massive hurricane, with the Ten-Tails at the very center.
"Oh! This ninjutsu is more impressive than mine," Hashirama remarked, watching the giant storm rise from nothing.
Tobirama added, "This is a very specific Yin Style nature transformation. To develop a ninjutsu to this level is truly remarkable."
"It's an honor to be praised by the Second Lord, but it was only possible thanks to the Alliance ninjas," Tonbo said, landing beside them and pointing to the exhausted shinobi in the safe zone.
"Tonbo! I knew I wasn't wrong about you. You're a man who has inherited the Will of Fire; you've grown so strong!" Hiruzen Sarutobi was delighted.
Minato smiled. "It's been a long time."
"Indeed. A dozen years have passed in a flash. Your son has grown so much. Time flies, and I never thought we'd be fighting side-by-side again," Tonbo mused.
Zip! "Dad..." Naruto appeared in his golden cloak.
Tear!
The hurricane's winds lashed at Obito and Madara, drawing blood instantly. Madara's Edo Tensei skin was caught in a constant loop of being shredded and regenerating.
"This jutsu..." Obito looked down at the Ten-Tails and realized even the beast's flesh was being torn away.
"Susanoo."
Madara manifested his Susanoo, encasing the Ten-Tails and Obito within it to withstand the assault.
"Throwing out Forbidden Jutsu like they're nothing. If this were enough to settle a chaotic era, Hashirama and I would have done it long ago," Madara remarked, watching his Susanoo get stripped to its skeleton and then regrow via the Ten-Tails' chakra.
Obito: "It seems we can't get out for the moment." They were trapped in the eye of the storm.
"The jutsu should dissipate in about fifteen minutes. Grab the opportunity then; don't let that fellow use another one," Madara advised.
The Hurricane Celestial was too vast; they were blinded and could only wait for it to end.
"No, we can't wait. The enemy has gained several Hokage as reinforcements," Obito argued. He was impatient to create the new world.
"Tonbo, prepare the previous move again. When the enemy emerges, seize the chance to kill it," Shikaku's voice rang out again.
"Understood. I'll get ready," Tonbo replied.
Beneath his feet, data continued to stream back through his neural threads. The Ten-Tails hadn't moved an inch. This was perfect; it gave him more time to collect data. He could feel Obito preparing something big—the Ten-Tails' chakra was condensing in a strange, concentrated way.
He followed Shikaku's plan, reconnecting to the army to prepare the Allied Ninjutsu, aiming to shoot down the Ten-Tails the moment the storm cleared. Though, he privately estimated that the same trick wouldn't work on them twice.
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