69novels Page 429
Page 429
It was a gentle woman with short blonde hair. She was spreading her arms wide, tightly protecting several terrified children behind her.
They used their own bodies to shield them from falling debris.
Her face was covered in dust, and her eyes were filled with fear, yet she remained resolute and did not retreat a single step.
That's... Yakushi Nonou!
He was once the director of the Konoha Orphanage!
Dou's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand!
The figure he thought had long since sunk into darkness and deliberately forgotten suddenly and vividly appeared before his eyes.
"Dean...?"
A title he had almost completely buried was nearly slipped out.
But the next second, an even stronger, almost obsessive sense of denial extinguished the ripples that had just risen in his heart like ice water.
The dean is dead!
Right in front of me!
I did it myself...
Confused memories and distorted perceptions clashed violently in his mind; he was unwilling and dared not believe the facts before him.
That would overturn the worldview he had always relied on, a world built on betrayal and darkness.
Is this a trap set by Konoha?
The intense inner struggle manifested as outward rage.
As if trying to rid himself of something terrifying, Kabuto stomped on Manda's head and roared, "Faster! Faster!"
The pained serpent let out an angry hiss and increased its speed once more.
With a sudden flick of its thick tail, it swept away a half-collapsed wall next to it!
A huge, reinforced concrete block, like a meteorite, crashed down on the spot where Nono and the other children were!
Nono looked at the shadows that obscured her vision, and despair appeared in her eyes, but she still did not let go of the hands that were protecting the children.
At this critical moment——
"Shinra Tenzheng!"
Nagato, having regained some of his senses, happened to witness this perilous scene.
Without any hesitation, he endured the aftereffects of the White Intent Technique and forcefully released Shinra Tensei!
An invisible repulsive force struck the massive piece of concrete precisely, shattering it in mid-air!
Gravel and dust fell like raindrops, but the deadly threat was averted.
Nono and the children, having survived the ordeal, collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
Nagato watched this scene, then looked at Kabuto Yakushi, who had taken the opportunity to ride Manda and disappear into the distant mountains and forests.
And the long-lost Golden Horn and Silver Horn could only clench their fists in resentment.
His mission failed.
Kabuto successfully stole the remains of the First and Second Hokage, while he could only watch their afterimages disappear on the horizon.
Chapter 453 New Crisis
The afterglow of the setting sun, like blood, helplessly painted the shattered land on the border of the Land of Lightning.
The fierce fighting that had lasted all day finally came to a temporary, blood-stained halt before nightfall.
The smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood, burnt food, and the stench of soil being stirred up.
The ninjas, exhausted and wounded, silently cleaned up the battlefield, collected the bodies of their fallen comrades, and treated their injured comrades.
Suppressed cries and painful groans occasionally broke the silence of the twilight, telling the story of the cruelty of this war.
The battle report was quickly compiled, and the numbers were shocking:
9,547 dead.
Injured: 32,829 people.
This is only the first day of the battle.
There are experienced veteran Jonin.
There are genin who have just graduated and are full of dreams.
There are warriors from various ninja villages who fight side by side for a common belief.
Their lives were forever frozen in that blood-red sunset.
The results were equally significant:
The first wave of the massive White Zetsu army encountered has been completely annihilated, turning into dust on the battlefield.
All the reanimated individuals who appeared included those troublesome past Kage, Akatsuki members, and other well-known powerful figures.
They have already been sealed off one by one after paying a huge price.
However, a careful analysis of the casualty distribution reveals a harsh reality.
More than 70% of the dead and seriously wounded came from the battlefields of the Fourth Army.
That was the main battlefield where the Kage of all ages ravaged the land, and ordinary ninjas appeared so small and helpless in the face of such earth-shattering power.
If the first force (coastline) and the second force (land route) had not ended the battle earlier.
This allowed Naruto's shadow clones stationed there to return to the Fourth Division in time, using their powerful strength to forcibly restrain multiple shadows.
The casualty figures are likely to double, and it could even lead to the complete collapse of the Fourth Army's defensive line.
In any case, the allied forces ultimately withstood this first and most dangerous wave of the deadly offensive, temporarily eliminating all the threats that had emerged.
But this heavy price, like a boulder, weighs on the hearts of every survivor.
Victory is far from being achieved, yet the price has already been so high.
Just as the allied forces were licking their wounds and regrouping, somewhere in the ninja world, in a dark and unknown cave...
Obito Uchiha stood quietly, his gaze beneath the mask sweeping indifferently over the two lifeless bodies.
They are Golden Horn and Silver Horn.
Their mission is complete; they are now like discarded tools.
"You risked everything to infiltrate Konoha, caused a huge uproar, and even almost got captured by Nagato, just to bring back this?"
Obito's voice came through the mask, carrying a hint of barely perceptible mockery.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, and the snake-like features on his body looked even more eerie in the dim light.
He wore that signature, unsettling smile: "'Mr. Ban,' you're mistaken."
"You must have seen through White Zetsu's vision just how terrifying Naruto's strength has become."
"With just his shadow clones, he can simultaneously support multiple battlefields, efficiently eliminate White Zetsu, and even restrain multiple Kage-level powerhouses."
"If we continue to let him act so recklessly, when do you think we will be able to successfully capture the Eight-Tails and the Nine-Tails and complete the Eye of the Moon Plan?"
He paused, his tone carrying a sharp accusation: "Moreover, you have witnessed firsthand that your proud army of 100,000 White Zetsu was simply... a free kill in the face of the Allied Forces' tactics and Naruto's power."
"Aside from depleting some of the opponent's chakra and stamina, no decisive results were achieved."
Obito snorted, seemingly unconcerned by Kabuto's criticism: "So what? White Zetsu are as plentiful as you can get. They're just consumables."
"Really? That's wonderful."
Dou's smile deepened, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "So, those few you were entrusted to 'handle,' I presume you've already... 'taken care of' them?"
As he spoke, six figures slowly emerged from the shadows behind Obito.
Their eyes were empty, their faces expressionless, and they exuded a dense and violent aura of tailed beast chakra.
The skin had an unhealthy pallor, which was characteristic of the Jinchuriki who had been captured earlier.
The two are Yugito (two-tailed), Yagura (three-tailed), Rōshi (four-tailed), Kan (five-tailed), Hideaki (six-tailed), and Fu (seven-tailed)!
They had clearly been completely controlled by Obito in some way, turned into puppets without self-awareness.
Kabuto glanced at the Gold Horn and Silver Horn casually tossed aside, then pointed at them: "As for these two, they'll serve as backup energy sources."
"After all, they had devoured the flesh and blood of the Nine-Tails in their lifetime, and their bodies contained some of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Combined with the Eight-Tails' chakra they had previously absorbed, these should theoretically be enough to replenish the chakra needed to revive the Ten-Tails without any problems."
Obito's gaze swept over the six controlled Jinchuriki, finally returning to Kabuto: "So, what about you? You went to such lengths to steal the First and Second Hokage, you couldn't possibly be planning to just use them as decorations, could you?"
A fanatical glint flashed in Kabuto's eyes as he opened his arms as if embracing a grand future: "Of course—resurrect them!"
"Let the 'God of Shinobi,' Hashirama Senju, and Tobirama Senju, who developed countless forbidden techniques, descend upon this world anew in the form of the Impure World Reincarnation!"
"Their strength will be the most crucial piece in defeating the Allied Shinobi Forces, and especially in suppressing Naruto Uzumaki!"
Obito paused for a moment, then a deep voice came from behind his mask: "Do you think... you can completely control Hashirama and Tobirama Senju just by using the Impure World Reincarnation technique?"
Dou adjusted his glasses, a confident, even arrogant, smile spreading across his face: "That's none of your concern, Mr. Ban."
"Since I dared to 'invite' them back, I naturally have enough 'means' to make them...obedient."
A brief silence fell over the cave, broken only by the restless ripples of the tailed beast chakra and the faint flow of chakra within the bodies of Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
The two allies, each with their own ulterior motives, were plotting their next steps.
Obito needed Kabuto's Edo Tensei army to create chaos and exhaust resources.
Kabuto, on the other hand, tries to prove his worth by controlling stronger power, and even... seeks more.
The resurrection of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, seems to be a foregone conclusion.
If these two ninja legends were to step onto the battlefield as enemies, the blow to the morale of the entire Allied Forces would be devastating.
Their terrifying power, capable of altering terrain and suppressing tailed beasts, is enough to turn the tide of battle in an instant.
The real test may have only just begun.