allendalepharm Chapter 117 The War Begins! The Divided Battlefield
Chapter 117 The War Begins! The Divided Battlefield
Chapter 117 The War Begins! The Divided Battlefield
Inside the somber command tent, the simulations on the tactical sand table had come to a close.
The mysterious figure, who called himself a "collector," put away the small items he had been playing with and prepared to leave.
"Wait," Jiraiya's deep voice stopped him, tinged with inquiry, "There's one more question."
His sharp gaze pierced through the dim light and locked onto the collector.
The collector, who was about to get up, paused slightly. A barely audible chuckle seemed to come from behind the fox mask, before he calmly sat back down, leaning back in a relaxed posture: "Ask away."
"You, all alone, brazenly barged into my Konoha's command post deep within its territory," Jiraiya leaned forward, his aura carrying a palpable sense of oppression, "didn't you ever consider that you might never leave this place again?"
This question had been on his mind for a long time, and now he finally asked it.
Jiraiya was met with a low, mocking laugh: "Ha—confident, huh? A little bit. Besides,"
The collector's gaze, peering through the narrow holes in the mask, precisely swept over each of the tense-looking high-ranking ninjas in the tent, finally settling on Jiraiya's face. The smile painted on the mask appeared particularly enigmatic in the flickering candlelight.
"Does Konoha currently possess the strength to create another formidable enemy like myself?"
His words were like cold needles, piercing straight to the heart of the situation.
Immediately, the collector tilted his head slightly, his mask facing Jiraiya, and that eerie smile seemed to grow larger silently.
"When you first met me, wasn't the anger that almost consumed me ultimately suppressed by succumbing to this cruel reality?"
That hit the nail on the head! Jiraiya's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and the sound of a pin drop could be heard in the tent.
His clenched fist finally loosened slowly, and his heavy sigh was particularly clear in the silence, containing the helplessness and compromise of a decision-maker.
"Then," Jiraiya's voice regained its calm, tinged with a barely perceptible weariness, "how will we contact you when the war horns sound?"
This is the final confirmation, and also a helpless move to place hope in the unknown.
"There's no need for that." The collector's answer was crisp and decisive, carrying a sense of absolute control.
He stood up and casually stretched his limbs, as if he had just attended an ordinary tea party.
"I am not deaf to the roar of the storm of war; I will appear on the battlefield at the very first moment of its rise and complete my mission."
Before he finished speaking, he waved symbolically to the people inside the tent, his gesture extremely casual.
In the next instant, his figure vanished like smoke and mist, leaving only an empty seat, proving that he had existed as if in a dream.
The stagnant air in the tent was broken by this eerie departure, followed by an even deeper silence.
The Jonin exchanged surprised and uncertain glances, and finally looked at the decision-maker in unison. Nara Shikaku frowned, rubbed his chin as usual, and turned to Jiraiya, his tone filled with deep worry.
"Lord Jiraiya, this collector—can we really trust him?"
Jiraiya remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over each face filled with worry.
After a moment's deliberation, he gave the answer that, while not the best, was the most realistic: "Taking all factors into account, I'd say it's a 60/40 chance."
He paused, his voice turning deep and resolute, "But given the current situation, we have no other choice. If he breaks his promise and backs down at the last minute—" Jiraiya's eyes hardened again, "then we will execute the plan we initially discussed!"
"Yes!" the ninjas replied in unison, their voices filled with determination, yet also with a heavy sense of worry.
Sixty percent—this not-so-high figure makes people anxious, but the situation is like a precipice, allowing no room for hesitation.
Everyone hoped the collector's words were true; the power his entry into the battle would undoubtedly tear through the gloom.
The key to turning the tide!
The medical room was filled with the cool, refreshing scent of disinfectant. Yuan Tuoye leaned against the wall, his brows slightly furrowed, as he intently sorted through the memory fragments shared by his wooden clone.
After piecing together the complete sequence of events, a hint of surprise involuntarily surfaced in his eyes.
"I actually succeeded—" he muttered to himself, his usually calm mind beginning to stir.
Based on the initial assessment, the probability of success was questionable, and preparations were even made to lower the price.
However, reality far exceeded expectations, and this unusual smoothness confirmed a certain suspicion in his heart.
If Konoha weren't facing such a critical moment, it would be impossible for them to give in so easily, let alone compromise with someone whose identity is shrouded in mystery.
This decision precisely demonstrates the unprecedented severity of the war situation.
After a brief moment of surprise, Yuan Tuoye's gaze became calm and profound.
The situation seems to be quietly turning in his favor, both for him and for Konoha.
Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, was successfully restrained by himself, just like removing a heavy hammer from his opponent.
Jiraiya finally had the chance to use his trump card, Sage Mode.
The next move in the game hinges on the fate of the Fourth Raikage, A.
As long as this "Blue Flash" of the Land of Lightning leaves the stage, whether he dies on the battlefield or is too badly injured to fight again, he will be enough to become the fulcrum to change the entire battle situation!
The heavy pressure will be lifted off Konoha's shoulders in an instant, and the balance of the battlefield will irreversibly tilt towards our side.
Once the village's decline is reversed, the heavy burden on his shoulders will be lightened, and he will have the opportunity to do his own thing.
"Finally, I can free up my hands to deal with that thing that truly belongs to me—"
The chaotic battlefield and the deeply buried personal goals seem to clearly outline their intersecting trajectories at this moment.
Composing himself, Yuan Tuoye turned his gaze back outside the tent, to the land shrouded in the smoke of battle.
The restless noise subsided temporarily, but the tense atmosphere in the air did not lessen at all.
Now, the key is simply to wait, to wait for the next battle to begin.
That was the moment when the final plan was on track.
The dull war drums beat again, and ominous clouds hung low, making it hard to breathe.
Before the familiar Konoha defense line, the steel torrent of Kumogakure, carrying the unique stench of tailed beast chakra, roared in.
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The Fourth Raikage, A, was enveloped in dazzling lightning chakra, his eyes scanning the distance like lightning. He anticipated Konoha's tenacious resistance, and even more so, the exhilarating feeling of once again cornering Jiraiya, one of the "Legendary Sannin of Konoha."
Beside him, Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, effortlessly stomped to a rap-like rhythm with the aid of the Eight-Tails within him, equally full of confidence.
Behind her, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, had a cold light in her eyes, and blue flames flickered on her body. She longed for revenge for her fallen comrades.
However, when a figure appeared in Konoha's lines, an indescribable astonishment froze the Cloud Village's charging momentum!
The team that was supposed to intercept them has undergone a complete transformation!
The ones rushing towards Yugito were not the familiar Uchiha boy with Sharingan, but Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza, the heirs of Konoha's ancient and prestigious families!
Nara Shikaku's sharp eyes were fixed on Yugito's noticeably weakened and sluggish Two-Tails chakra. His face showed an expression of "I knew it." The Collector hadn't lied; the opponent had indeed been weakened!
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio is the most coordinated and well-rounded team in Konoha. When facing the Two-Tails, which is not at its peak, they are not as helpless as they are when facing the Eight-Tails!
"Haiyi, prepare for mental shock! Dingza, restrict her movement!" Shikaku's calm command rang out, and an invisible shadow struck like a venomous snake at her ankle, which was enveloped in flames from the wooden figure.
Yukito's alarm bells rang loudly. The opponent's tactical changes were highly targeted, and his weakened Two-Tails chakra was now in a precarious situation against the precise coordination of these three.
Anger made her growl, and the ghostly blue flames surged as she tried to break free, but the power that used to easily incinerate everything now seemed somewhat powerless.
The Fourth Raikage, A, was supposed to target Jiraiya, but instead, what met his powerful punch, capable of shattering mountains, was a green figure so fast it left afterimages!
Uchiha Shisui, the young genius who shone brightly in the previous war, wore a Konoha-style vest, with a short sword drawn from its sheath, its sharpness fully revealed.
His Body Flicker Technique was incredibly fast, forcefully blocking the path between Raikage and the planned route. The three tomoe in his Sharingan eyes spun rapidly, calmly capturing the subtle trajectory of the violent lightning around Ai.
"Fourth Raikage, your opponent is me." Shisui's calm words carried an undeniable resolve as he preemptively swung his sword down!
"You arrogant brat!" Ai's shock instantly turned into rage. Blue lightning erupted, and his iron fist, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder, slammed towards Shisui.
He never expected that Konoha would dare to send a mere teenager to stop him!
He admitted that the other party's talent was indeed very high, but he was definitely no match for him since he had not yet fully matured!
At the same time, while bombarding Shisui, the Fourth Raikage A keenly caught a crucial piece of information.
Jiraiya, Konoha's strongest fighter and one of the "Three Legendary Sannin," was nowhere to be seen on the battlefield!
His signature white hair and unrestrained figure have vanished without a trace!
"Where is that old man Jiraiya? What kind of scheme is Konoha plotting now?!" The Fourth Raikage, A, was filled with doubts, and an ominous premonition quietly grew in his mind.
That old toad immortal has revealed one trump card after another. He's not on the battlefield, yet he's in even greater danger than if he were!
But Uchiha Shisui's sharp blade and exquisite Body Flicker Technique kept interrupting his thoughts, forcing him to focus his main energy on this unexpected yet extremely intense duel.
Uchiha Fugaku, standing to the side, looked grave and quickly directed elite ninjas to provide support.
A look of helplessness appeared on his face. Their original plan was simply to buy time to cover Jiraiya's preparation for Sage Mode.
However, at this moment, Uchiha Shisui's direct challenge completely ignited the flames of war with the Fourth Raikage!
But there was no other way; he absolutely could not accept the loss of his clan's young genius here, so let's fight if we have to!
Fugaku Uchiha's three-tomoe Sharingan seems to conceal a deeper level of power!
This power would erupt instantly whenever Uchiha Shisui was in mortal danger!
Killer Bee, wearing sunglasses askew, was about to unleash a rhyming rap to mock his opponent, as was his habit.
But when the figure wearing a strange fox mask and a black cloak appeared silently in front of him like a ghost, Killer Bee's rap came to an abrupt halt, and even his sunglasses slipped down a bit.
Beneath the mask lies the collector's mocking yet cold gaze.
"Hip-hop—it's you! The collector!"
Killer Bee abandoned all his jokingness, and for the first time, his expression became extremely serious.
As we can see from Yugito's experience, this guy is extremely dangerous and has a clear target—Tailed Beast Chakra!
As the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, he was naturally one of the opponent's targets.
"Yo! Masked bastard! Better than my old man's melody~"
Despite his continued bravado, Killer Bee's chakra was already circulating at high speed.
"It's him! That devil!" Yugito caught sight of the masked figure in front of the Eight-Tails battlefield, her pupils suddenly contracted, and the cold killing intent mixed with deep-seated hatred almost made her lose her mind.
This is the masked man! He ruthlessly hunted down her companions and forcibly stole her Two-Tails chakra!
If the other party hadn't only aimed at the Two-Tails' chakra and hadn't shown no particular intent to kill, her fate would probably have been even worse.
Now that her enemy is so close, she can't wait to rush over and take revenge!
But reason and the predicament before her held her back tightly; that guy was far beyond what she could handle alone.
Moreover, the clinging of the pig-deer-butterfly entangled her like maggots clinging to her bones, leaving her no time to care about anything else.
She could only channel this deep-seated hatred into an even more frenzied attack on her opponent, the eerie blue flames on her body burning even more violently.
The battlefield was now completely divided.
No ordinary ninja would dare to approach such a clash of high-level combat power.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio tightly bound Yugito, whose condition had plummeted, and their precise coordination kept her firestorm firmly within effective range.
Uchiha Shisui and Fugaku faced the enraged Fourth Raikage head-on. The sharpness of the young genius complemented the experience of the clan leader, and they managed to withstand the boundless power of the core of the "Abby Duo".
The last collector, Takuya Minamoto, looked at Killer Bee, who was still using rap to mock him, and his eyes flashed with a cold light.
Kirabi's signature, rhythmic improvisational rap had just begun: "Yo, cowardly little thing~ cowardly and pathetic~"
The rhythmic rap was still lingering in the air when it was abruptly interrupted by a deep, urgent roar!
"Watch out! He's right in front of you!"
The Eight-Tailed Gyūki's voice was like thunder, instantly piercing Killer Bee's mental barrier, which was immersed in rhythm.
Almost simultaneously with the warning!
The scene before Killer Bee suddenly ripped apart, and the Collector's figure, like a ghost tearing through space, solidified from a phantom into a tangible form in his pupils without warning!
That distance is now within reach!
"What?! This speed—!" Killer Bee's heart suddenly stopped beating, and a chill ran down his spine and straight to the top of his head.
He had only ever seen such speed, which exceeded the limits of visual perception, on one man.
His older brother, the Fourth Raikage, was renowned for his Lightning Release Chakra Mode! Above him is only Minato Namikaze, but his speed wasn't the only factor; he relied on his unpredictable space-time ninjutsu!
Shock exploded in his eyes; his brain hadn't even had time to process the disbelief.
Too late! Completely caught off guard!
Faced with this unbelievable attack, Killer Bee relied solely on the muscle instincts honed by countless Death Hammers to barely cross his arms, which were covered in thick lightning armor, in front of him.
It was the only, and inevitably the most important, defensive posture that could be taken in the rush.
"Bang!!!"
The dull, violent impact pounded the surrounding air; it wasn't a simple punch to the body, but more like a boulder crashing into a thick alloy shield! The terrifying force poured down without the slightest hesitation!
"Ugh!" Killer Bee felt an irresistible, immense force surge towards him. His strong body lost all support the moment of contact, his feet left the ground, and he was transformed into an out-of-control cannonball, flying violently backward!
My vision shook and spun violently, the wind howled sharply in my ears, and the earth and sky spun wildly in my eyes.
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