"Great, it's the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails."
The Hidden Mist ninja trapped within the sea of insects lit up with excitement as they saw the two tailed beasts unleash their might.
Now let's see how you Hidden Leaf deal with this—these are tailed beasts!!!
"Ahhh!!"
"Ahhh!!"
Four elderly Aburame ninja stepped out from the Hidden Leaf's formation. After a few agonized screams, their bodies twisted into grotesque, irregular shapes.
In an instant, four massive insects—only slightly smaller than tailed beasts—appeared on the battlefield.
Jet-black carapaces, enormous horns, and mouths dripping with highly corrosive green fluid. Beneath their shells, transparent wings vibrated at incredible speed.
"Hiss—!"
With four sharp screeches, the giant insects charged straight at the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, engaging them in battle.
"What… are those?"
Both the Hidden Leaf ninja in the rear and the charging Hidden Mist forces froze in place, then looked at the Aburame clan with strange expressions.
You guys can turn into THAT?
Why didn't you bring us along for this version update?
Aburame Shibi didn't dare look at the front lines.
Those were his elders… they had held him in their arms when he was a child.
"Next group—prepare."
Another four older men stepped forward.
Aburame Shibi still didn't dare look at them, but the four simply smiled knowingly, patting his cheek and shoulder before walking ahead.
"You Aburame, you're ruthless. Those are your own clansmen—your flesh and blood—and you're treating them like expendable tools?"
"Third Mizukage-sama, spare me the act. You know better than anyone that once a tailed beast fully unleashes its power, even a single roll of its body could wipe out countless members of my clan. One Tailed Beast Bomb—and how many more would die?"
Aburame Shiken sounded like he was explaining things to the Third Mizukage, but in truth, he was explaining it to himself.
"What I'm doing may look like forcing them to their deaths. But compared to conventional tactics, how many casualties does this save? Surely you understand that."
From a moral standpoint, he could never call himself right—he was personally sending them to die. But from the perspective of outcomes, this was the path that minimized losses.
"You're truly ruthless. But do you think dressing it up with pretty words changes the fact that they died because of you?"
The Third Mizukage—or rather, Uchiha Madara controlling him—continued his psychological attack.
Between your clan and the Hidden Leaf… can you really choose the village?
"I never intended to erase that truth. Their lives—I'll bear that burden."
"But I have a mission more important than any of them. Third Mizukage… no, if things had gone as they should, you would be the Second Mizukage. Your old comrades of the same era have already gone to the Pure Land. You should have gone as well."
"People of the old era… there is no ship left in this new era that can carry you."
That last sentence—whether it was meant for the Mizukage or for Uchiha Madara behind him—was unclear.
"Arrogant."
"Then try me."
Aburame Shiken's body dissolved into a small swarm of insects.
As for his true body—
No one had ever been able to find it.
"Cunning little Aburame."
The Third Mizukage's face darkened as he looked at the icy-blue Extreme Ice Insects surrounding him.
Fighting the Hidden Leaf, yet the most troublesome obstacle turned out to be the Ice Release of the Hidden Mist's Yuki clan.
How was that even fair?
"Extreme Ice: Frozen Prison."
"Water Release: Boiling Water!"
Scalding torrents of water clashed violently with the frigid insect swarm, producing massive clouds of white steam.
...
"Raikage-sama, it's no good—we still can't catch those Hidden Leaf ninja."
"A bunch of useless fools! Four thousand ninja, two years—enough to scour the Land of Lightning ten times over—and you still can't capture them?"
"Raikage-sama, they use legendary space-time ninjutsu! That blond ninja disappears in the blink of an eye—we have no way to deal with it!"
Space-time ninjutsu—the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God.
Damn it… that technique was passed down too?
The Third Raikage felt a headache coming on.
Even though the Second Hokage had been killed by Kinkaku and Ginkaku leading an elite unit, no one had ever figured out how to counter the Flying Thunder God.
In fact, no one even fully understood how the Second Hokage had died. With a technique that granted the fastest speed in the ninja world, it didn't make sense that he could be captured and killed.
"Raikage-sama, good news! Great news!"
Dodai ran in, slightly out of breath.
"Dodai, catch your breath. What is it?"
"The chakra cannon has been successfully developed! This time, the Hidden Leaf's defenses won't be able to withstand us!"
"What?! Dodai, that's incredible news!"
The Third Raikage beamed with excitement.
Let's see how you Hidden Leaf stop this now. I'll march straight into your Hidden Leaf Village—I'd like to see if you'll still have the time to stir up trouble in the Hidden Cloud Village!
"Dodai, mobilize the troops. This time, we're pushing all the way to the Hidden Leaf."
"Yes, Raikage-sama!"
Dodai was equally thrilled.
Why develop cannons in the first place? To expand territory, of course.
...
On the Hidden Leaf's side—
"Come on, Duy-san, try this—it's delicious."
"Duy-san, this is top-grade black tea from the Land of Tea. Give it a taste."
"And this is the Kamizuru clan's newest product—Honey King Cake. Sweet and healthy."
Hyūga Hiyasu fussed over Might Duy nonstop.
Meanwhile, Hyūga Hizashi and Hyūga Hiashi were busy calming Hiyasu's father, Hyūga Wataru.
That's my son… why has he never treated me like this?
Might Guy, who had come along as well, was equally confused.
Why is he being so nice to my dad? Isn't my dad the disgrace of the Hidden Leaf—a lifelong genin? Could it be… my mother, whom I've never met, was actually from the Hyūga clan? Is this guy my older brother—he took after our mother, and I took after our father?
Young Might Guy was full of questions.
As for why Might Duy had ended up at the Fire–Lightning battlefield—
When Aburame Shiken asked who needed reinforcements, everyone initially acted indifferent.
Who here lacks strength? Whoever asks for help is a coward.
But the moment they heard the reinforcement would be Might Duy—
"Things are really tough on my end—I urgently need strong support!"
"The two of us desperately need this reinforcement!"
Inuzuka Ryoha had wanted to join in too, but after thinking it over, realized his side already had the advantage. Besides, the Hidden Sand didn't deserve to be the stage for Might Duy's brilliance.
So he decisively preserved his dignity.
In the end, after much discussion, a decision was made:
The loudest one gets taken down first.
In a large-scale battle, the key is simple—
Take out the one shouting the loudest and charging the hardest first.