"What? Kazuyama, what did you just say?"
Chōmei suddenly felt like his hearing was failing him. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.
"I said, people like him should just die here—he's too terrifying."
"As long as he's around, Kumo's momentum will never fade."
"Kumo's traditions are more admirable than those of any other ninja village. Their Kages always lead from the front in battle."
"Look at my village's Hokage—he just sits in his office, glancing at his crystal ball and sighing every day. And then look at the Third Raikage."
"No comparison. None at all."
Kazuyama sighed repeatedly, praising the Third Raikage while mocking the Third Hokage, Hiruzen, who was far away in Konohagakure, watching the intelligence reports.
Hiruzen: @#!@$%!
When I went to war, you little brat weren't even born yet!!!
"So what are you planning to do? Attack him?"
Kazuyama sneered at Chōmei's question and shook his head.
"Why would I attack him? Do you really think Iwagakure will let him walk away?"
"We may not be able to harm him, but people are still just people—there's a limit to their stamina."
"Ten thousand men… That's a lot of energy to drain him."
Chōmei nodded, looking at the Iwagakure forces below as they encircled the Third Raikage.
"So what do we do? Just sit back and watch?"
Kazuyama flashed his signature grin—full of malice.
"Of course not. Since the Raikage is busy shielding his subordinates from Iwa's assault…"
"…why not help Iwa put in a little extra effort?"
From within Kazuyama's Hive Mind, not far from the battlefield, the Kumo forces were still retreating. Seeing this, he turned and rushed directly toward them.
The wide, open terrain provided no cover except for scattered rocky hills. If not for the Third Raikage holding the line, most of Kumo's troops would have already been wiped out in this exposed area.
"If the men he's protecting come under attack, I wonder… will this iron-willed man finally waver?"
"Heh heh heh…"
Chōmei chuckled in amusement.
"Kazuyama, you're really wicked. Heh, I like it. Come on, I'll give you the chakra—you do the attacking, and I'll sit back and enjoy the show!"
Feeling the surge of chakra pouring into him, Kazuyama's sinister grin widened.
"Damn it! Move faster! If we can just get past this open ground, we'll be safe!"
A Kumo captain barked orders, urging his forces to retreat more quickly.
The troops had split into three groups, each with around 200 men. As long as they managed to escape, the Raikage could withdraw as well.
But none of them noticed the ghost stalking the battlefield.
"Alright… let's begin."
"Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Clone Technique!"
Suddenly, dozens of transparent crystal mirrors materialized around one of the retreating Kumo squads. Barely visible at a glance, they blended seamlessly into the battlefield.
Then, in perfect unison, dozens of figures stepped out from the mirrors.
Each one bore an Iwagakure forehead protector, their expressions cold and ruthless. In their hands, they wielded gleaming longswords—blades forged entirely from crystal.
Kazuyama smirked. "Plenty of sneaky people around. But since I made the move, Iwa's the one who'll take the blame."
"Enemy attack! Iwa is catching up!"
"Defend!"
"Defend... Pfft!"
A Kumo ninja had just raised the alarm when a crystal blade pierced his chest, his blood instantly staining the transparent weapon deep red.
"Damn it! Everyone, stay on guard! Enemy attack!"
Death had suddenly descended upon them.
"Damn it! Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!"
A surge of lightning crackled across the battlefield, rushing toward the clones. But instead of dodging, they stood their ground, letting the electricity wash over them. Thunderclaps echoed, yet the clones remained completely unharmed.
Kazuyama, observing from the rear, let out a sneer.
"The Jade Crystal Clones are made of crystal—far too hard for a mere electric current to damage."
He glanced at his hands thoughtfully.
"Crystal Release… Hmm… I'm really not good at naming things."
"Forget it. Let's just call this one... Torrential Pear Blossom Needle."
He raised his hands, palms facing each other, as a massive crystal rapidly formed between them. Chakra surged, expanding the crystal until—
CRACK!
With a deafening noise, it shattered, sending razor-sharp fragments flying in every direction. The sky filled with countless crystal senbon, turning into a deadly rain that tore through the enemy ranks.
The closest Kumo ninja were instantly riddled with holes, their bodies collapsing in heaps. Those who reacted quickly scrambled to defend themselves.
"Defend!"
"There's an invisible attack!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A Kumo Jōnin swiftly formed hand seals, raising a massive earth wall just in time to block many of the incoming senbon.
"Ahhh!"
"What the hell is this?!"
Despite their defenses, many Kumo ninja were caught in the barrage, their agonized screams echoing across the battlefield. The sound was chilling—yet to Kazuyama, it was almost melodic.
The sudden chaos in the rear immediately caught the attention of both the Iwa forces and the Third Raikage.
Their reactions, however, were entirely different.
The Iwa ninja were thrilled, believing their army was successfully overwhelming the enemy.
The Third Raikage, however, was furious. He had held back the enemy forces so his men could escape—yet now they were being slaughtered.
"Damn it! I won't let you have your way!"
"Die!!!"
Lightning exploded from his body, his armor crackling with raw power. In an instant, he transformed into a relentless killing machine.
"Hmph! A trapped beast lashing out," Kakkō scoffed. "Everyone, pull back! Use ranged attacks to wear him down!"
At his command, the Iwa forces shifted tactics. They widened their formation, launching shuriken, explosive tags, and jutsu from a safe distance, encircling the Third Raikage to keep him pinned.
But he wasn't called the strongest shield for nothing.
Amidst the bombardment, the Third Raikage didn't stop moving. He charged straight through the siege, his body impervious to most attacks.
Meanwhile, Kazuyama's onslaught continued.
His clones and long-range crystal barrages had already taken out over 30 Kumo ninja. The casualty count was still rising.
"Kazuyama, why don't you just hit them with something stronger?" Chōmei grumbled. "If you really need to, let me use Scale Powder. I guarantee, once they breathe it in, they'll all drop like flies."
The Tailed Beast sounded impatient, watching Kazuyama continuously hurl various crystal weapons—shuriken, senbon, even massive fūma shuriken-shaped constructs—at the enemy.
"Chōmei, you don't get it. I can't waste such a perfect opportunity to train."
"My Crystal Release still needs practice. Here, I'll even make a dragon for you!"
"Crystal Release: Tearing Crystal Falling Dragon!"
Chōmei: ...I'm actually impressed!
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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