This was also why Akashō chose three o'clock—if the Colossal Titan wasn't effective enough or something unexpected happened, he could still transform into Kokushibo after nightfall to save himself.
Of course, unless absolutely necessary, Akashō really didn't want things to come to that.
On the surface he looked relaxed, but in reality he was closely watching the surroundings and every move Han made.
Bertholdt Hoover was completely different from Kokushibo—especially in his base form. Although he still had decent regeneration, if a vital point was hit, he'd be no different from an ordinary ninja. In fact, in terms of pure physical strength, he might not even match a normal ninja. Only his reaction speed and coordination, honed through years of training, could compete.
A few minutes later, from the opposite direction of the Stone Village forces, Orochimaru arrived in grand formation with his Konoha troops.
Seeing Akashō and Han in the distance, Orochimaru frowned slightly, then made the same move as Han, approaching the two of them alone.
He first glanced at Han, then sized up Akashō.
"Kokushibo hasn't arrived yet?"
Han folded his arms and casually tilted his chin.
"You'll have to ask him."
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow and looked at Akashō.
"Who are you?"
"Heh."
A faint smile curled on Akashō's lips as his muscles tensed. These were two veteran Kage-level fighters—at such a close distance, he couldn't just transform into Kokushibo whenever he wanted. Naturally, he stayed on guard.
"Since both sides are here, let's begin."
Akashō stepped back a few paces and suddenly shouted at the top of his voice,
"Good afternoon, everyone from Konoha and the Stone Village!"
"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Bertholdt Hoover—or, if you prefer… the God of Destruction!!"
"God of Destruction…"
Orochimaru and Han exchanged a subtle glance.
Akashō's voice carried to the ninja forces standing not far away, immediately sparking a wave of murmurs.
He didn't know exactly what they were saying, but he could guess—after all, not just anyone dared to call themselves a god.
"You actually call yourself a god?"
As expected, Orochimaru chuckled.
"You know, back in the day, there was a small hidden village leader who liked to call himself a 'demigod.'"
"But now, I could take on three of him by myself."
Han, growing impatient, added, "Stop wasting time. We're not interested in you. Call Kokushibo out."
"Heh."
Akashō smiled slightly. It was a bit cringeworthy, sure, but everyone present clearly already knew of Bertholdt Hoover's existence. The first step of this grand harvest had already been completed.
Next came the second step—and the final step of the entire Earth-Fire battlefield plan.
"Kokushibo won't be coming."
Akashō's eyes widened as he declared wildly, his grin stretching almost to his ears:
"Because today… every single one of you will die by my hand!"
His words were clearly heard by the ninja forces, who had been straining their ears.
Nara Shikaku frowned deeply, his eyes filled with confusion.
From the moment he arrived and saw that unfamiliar figure, something had already felt off.
This meeting had clearly been initiated by Kokushibo—so why was it a complete stranger standing here instead?
At that moment, a bold hypothesis formed in his mind.
Kokushibo, with six eyes and a monstrous appearance, didn't seem human. His temperament was violent, and his strength immense—yet aside from a few battlefields, there was almost no intelligence about him.
Was he really just that well-hidden?
Or… was that not his true form at all—like a jinchūriki, merely one state of someone else?
And the most suspicious "someone" wasn't this very man standing here in Kokushibo's place?
But after a few exchanges, Akashō suddenly shouted the name Bertholdt Hoover and claimed the title "God of Destruction," throwing Shikaku off completely.
Had he been wrong?
Then came Akashō's declaration of war, leaving Shikaku's mind momentarily blank.
This guy… was actually declaring war on nearly ten thousand ninjas from two villages—by himself!?
And with two renowned veteran Kage-level fighters present—even Kokushibo wouldn't dare pull something like this. Where did he get the nerve?!
"You're courting death!!"
The first to strike was Han, whose emotions had been unstable since last night.
Facing Akashō, who seemed completely ordinary, he didn't even bother using steam—he simply threw a punch straight at him.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, stood to the side, intending to observe whether this madman actually had any real ability.
The moment Han charged forward, Akashō immediately bit down on his thumb.
Blood spurted out—and golden lightning began to flicker across his body.
"Boom!!!"
Before Han could even reach him, a bolt of golden lightning crashed down from the sky, striking Akashō. The surrounding air turned chaotic, and the immense force forced Han to halt his charge.
Destructive Explosion!!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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