Chapter 2368 - Ch: 229-236 (endish)

Chapter 229: Illuminati Split, Genetic Modification

He was still young, with a long life ahead of him.

He didn't want to be tied down by children so early.

Having many women was indeed troublesome, but it was also an ultimate pleasure.

Now was the golden age to enjoy life, so why look for unnecessary trouble?

"If you're going to leave, hurry up and do it, but put your clothes on first, or I wouldn't mind posting photos of you streaking on the internet," Ethan threatened viciously.

"Haha, thanks, brother!"

Tony laughed as he turned and left, in an incredibly good mood.

Raven, standing to the side, watched Tony's retreating figure with a strange expression.

"Boss, do you want me to arrange a full medical check-up for you at the hospital?" Raven covered her mouth and giggled.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glimmer shining through the slits.

"Ahem, I was just joking..."

Before Raven could finish her sentence, she was hoisted up by Ethan, who strode out of the laboratory.

"I was wrong! Put me down!"

"Too late, woman, you've successfully angered me," Ethan said, feigning anger.

Meanwhile, inside the secret Base of the Illuminati, the routine meeting was held as usual.

However, one figure was missing from the round table—King Mona of the Sea Race.

He was dead, and dead very thoroughly.

The Illuminati had tried various methods, even attempting to use magic, but to no avail.

Clearly, King Mona had his existence completely erased by some extremely tyrannical power.

With the fall of their king, the entire Sea Race fell into a deathly silence, never daring to show themselves on land again.

"Why hasn't Tony arrived yet? Being late isn't his style," Mr. Fantastic Reed tapped the table, his brows slightly furrowed.

Professor X Charles shook his head, looking weary.

He discovered a special psychic barrier that completely blocked his senses, making it impossible for him to locate Tony.

"Before Tony arrives, we must talk about King Mona. The Illuminati is now facing a severe shortage of manpower; we must expand our strength," Mr. Fantastic Reed finally felt unprecedented pressure.

"But the list of powerful and reliable allies is simply too short," Charles let out a long sigh.

Although the Illuminati hadn't been established for long, it had gathered the top brains and powers on Earth.

If not for the threat of that damned Ice Demon, everything would have gone smoothly.

"The Sorcerer Ancient One has yet to give a clear response, but her apprentice, Doctor Strange, has shown decent potential."

Just as everyone was at their wit's end, a blue light flashed, and Tony's holographic projection suddenly appeared in his seat.

"Everyone, apologies, I was slightly delayed by some personal matters."

As soon as Tony appeared, the gazes of everyone in the Illuminati froze. They looked in shock at the man before them, whose temperament had changed drastically.

"I went to find that so-called Ice Demon and spent a full five billion U.S. dollars to have him perform a comprehensive upgrade on my body. The results are perfect."

Tony revealed his signature confident smile and even cockily showed off his muscles.

"Perhaps we have found a new path to counter future threats."

"You mean... genetic modification?"

Professor X Charles's brows locked instantly, and his eyes became sharp.

He immediately thought of the blood-stained history of the Mutant.

How many evil forces, upon discovering Mutants, had locked them up like lab rats for dissection and study?

Although times were different now, in those unseen, dark corners, such tragedies were still playing out every day.

Clearly, the others in the Illuminati had not expected Charles to react so intensely.

"I firmly oppose this! Members of the Illuminati must never cross the red line of genetic experimentation! This kind of inhumane experiment is evil in itself, let alone making a deal with that Ice Demon!"

Professor X Charles slammed the table and stood up, his voice trembling slightly with anger.

"Professor, you've misunderstood; I have no malicious intent," Tony Stark hurriedly explained.

Professor X Charles was an elder worthy of everyone's respect. Although his appearance had changed for some reason, his spiritual core remained great.

"Must we become demons ourselves just to fight demons? To experience all the evil deeds that the Ice Demon has committed?"

Professor X Charles turned away indignantly and exited the holographic meeting.

Tony Stark and Mr. Fantastic Reed looked at each other. Yet, in each other's eyes, they read a burning light called "ambition."

Black Bolt also silently logged off.

He had not spoken from beginning to end, because his voice was destruction itself; silence was his only choice.

Back in reality, Professor X Charles looked at his own frail, aging body.

A deep sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart; the genetic technology of the Osborn Group was too terrifying.

For Tony and Reed to start dabbling in genetic research midway, it was impossible for them to even see the taillights of the Osborn Group.

This was a road of no return leading to the abyss.

If they took one wrong step, the consequences could be even more terrifying than the Ice Demon.

Therefore, Professor X had to hold this bottom line, even if he was the only one.

"Tony and Reed are both extremely arrogant people; once they've set their hearts on something, they will never turn back just because of a word from me."

But Professor X understood that even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance, he had to be the whistleblower.

The existence of the Illuminati was not entirely to deal with the Ice Demon.

In this World fraught with crises, preventing the Ice Demonwas just one of their goals.

Perhaps that was why this group of people had managed to survive until now.

At least, Ethan had already, for the sake of certain Face, spared them several times.

Night fell, inside the luxury apartment on the top floor of Oscorp Tower.

"Aren't you worried that Tony will turn bad in the future?"

Raven lay lazily on Ethan's chest, her fingers drawing circles on his chest.

"Worried about what? If people want to turn bad, there are plenty of reasons; it has no necessary connection to whether or not they possess the power of Thor," Ethanclosed his eyes, enjoying the rare tranquility.

Whether Tony would turn evil, he didn't know, and he didn't care.

Right now, Earth was about to Face its true ultimate test.

That Purple Sweet Potato Essence called Thanos was already preparing his army for war.

In order to increase the winning odds, Ethan was using various channels to summon all the famous villains and heroes in the entire Universe to Earth.

Meanwhile, he could sense that in the place where the God of Fear, Cul, was sealed, several strange energy fluctuations were awakening.

Ethan was in no rush to act.

With his current strength, cleaning up these small fry would be easy as pie, and he could even do it without anyone knowing.

However, that did not fit his aesthetic.

At this moment, he finally understood a little why those superheroes always had a few archenemies.

Without a well-matched opponent, a hero was nothing more than a lonely one-man show.

Ethan didn't want to be a hero.

He just wanted to ruthlessly tear away the mask of this World, to let humanity open their eyes and see the cruelest truth of this Universe.

And the upcoming final battle against Thanos was the best stage to showcase it.

"What if Tony has a wild idea and combines the Ultronprogram with genetic technology?" Raven suddenly threw out a question that was terrifying to think about.

"Then humanity is probably not far from extinction," Ethan chuckled, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.

Chapter 230 Ice Demon Night Raid on Polaris

"You should warn them. I know very well what kind of evil thoughts can swell in the hearts of some people once they suddenly gain power."

Mystique Raven reminded him with some concern.

"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, no one in this World can stir up any trouble."

Even Ethan himself had never thought about ruling the World; that would be too tiring.

In the next room.

The injuries of Polaris, Lorna Dane, had finally healed.

Ever since the assassination mission failed last time.

She had been hiding in the apartment of Mystique Ravenfor a while.

The Military search teams were scurrying around New Yorklike mad dogs, and the situation was very tense.

Through the intelligence network of the Deep Cold Organization, she had gained a clear understanding of the situation outside.

During this time, Raven had taught her many Laws of survival.

It also made her understand what this World was actually composed of.

The forces on Earth were intricate and complex.

But all the big shots had a tacit consensus—that was, never to cause trouble in New York.

Therefore, as long as she stayed in New York, within the sphere of influence of Osborn, she was absolutely safe.

Of course, Lorna Dane couldn't be a canary in a cage forever.

She would eventually return to Green Lawn Town; that was the true home of Polaris.

She had already secretly called her father to report that she was safe.

Staying in New York for the time being, learning more skills from Raven, was also to ensure she could survive better in the future.

"God... it's happening again!"

Polaris, Lorna Dane, covered her ears with a pillow in pain, tossing and turning on the bed.

This was not the first time.

Although the soundproofing of this apartment was good, for a Mutant with keen hearing, it was as if it didn't exist.

She could even hear that Raven had used her shapeshifting ability to please that man.

Just thinking about that scene made her face flush with shame.

Who knew if that crazy woman would have a whim one day to turn into her appearance?

Piercing screams came from the next room, like magic sounds piercing the ears.

It made the adolescent Lorna Dane feel a sense of inexplicable agitation.

She was no naive, obedient girl.

Having struggled at the bottom of society for so many years, she had spent her life wandering.

She had dated boyfriends before.

It was just a pity that the grass on the graves of those ex-boyfriends was already two meters high.

After all, she had been hunted by the Military all these years, and people involved with her usually didn't have a good ending.

Those blush-inducing, heart-pounding sounds lasted for a full three hours before gradually subsiding.

At this moment, Polaris couldn't help but mutter in her heart: Could Auntie Raven really withstand such a storm-like offensive?

"There's still a living person in the room. Don't they have any self-awareness?"

Polaris sighed helplessly, the flush on her face still not fading.

There seemed to be a fire burning in her body; she stumbled out of the bedroom and yanked open the refrigerator door.

She grabbed ice water and gulped down several mouthfuls.

The cold liquid slid down her throat, and only then was she barely able to suppress the restless evil fire in her heart.

Just at this moment, Ethan, wearing a pair of loose big shorts, wandered out of the master bedroom leisurely.

He seemed to carry a soft-focus filter with him, his whole body exuding a near-divine halo.

That face was so handsome that people couldn't look away, and his body was like a sculpture cast from steel, every muscle containing suffocating explosive power.

This was no human; he was clearly the legendary Ice Demon.

Polaris, Lorna Dane, felt her cheeks turn burning hot again, but her eyes seemed glued to the other person, unable to move away.

Ethan appeared calm and composed, not taking it to heart at all.

After all, with his current vast, sea-like divinity, if he didn't deliberately restrain it, few women in the entire Worldcould withstand such charm.

This was the terrifying effect of Mental Energy radiation reaching its peak.

Coupled with this skin of his, it precisely hit all the fantasies women had for a perfect partner.

It was just like a man seeing a stunning beauty on the street; having some physiological reaction was the most normal biological instinct.

Ethan casually took the water bottle still carrying cold air from the hand of Polaris, Lorna Dane, and drank it in one gulp.

"Sorry, the noise was too loud. Did I disturb your sleep?"

The corners of Ethan's mouth held a faint, mischievous smile.

Polaris, Lorna Dane, had actually been interested in him for a while.

Fortunately, her willpower was strong enough to pop those pink bubbles in her brain, preventing herself from becoming lovesick on the spot.

"It's fine. If it weren't for Auntie Raven kindly taking me in, how would I have the chance to see the true combat power of the Ice Demon with my own eyes?"

Polaris, Lorna Dane, took a deep breath and openly admired the perfect body in front of her, which could be called a work of art.

It made her swallow subconsciously.

"What's the point of just looking? Do you want to experience it yourself?"

In Ethan's deep eyes, star-like fragmented light flickered.

The eyes of Polaris, Lorna Dane, lit up instantly, and ripples seemed to stir in her eyes.

Before her brain could register it, Ethan didn't want to give her time to think; he stretched out his long arm and pulled her directly into his arms.

"Alright, stop pretending. Your eyes already sold you out completely."

Ethan's hearty laughter echoed in the living room.

...

At this time, Raven looked at the messy living room and rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

However, she wasn't particularly angry.

If it were in the past, given her explosive temper, she would have turned against him long ago.

But ever since she followed Ethan, that kind of petty temper had long been worn away.

How could a true king have only one woman by his side?

His unreasonable, powerful desire to conquer, vented on women, was better than venting it elsewhere.

In Raven's view, this was simply a blessing for all humanity, and even a fortunate event for the entire Universe.

For a man this powerful, as long as he was addicted to the tender trap, he wouldn't be bored enough to come up with any World-destroying plans, and tragedies like the suffering of all living things wouldn't happen.

The only side effect was probably that the women around him would be a bit "tired."

But the problem was, these women were all like moths to a flame, and they were very willing.

No one had ever held a knife to their necks to force them.

There were even many people lining up to conquer this strongest man in the Universe.

Who was at a disadvantage? This account really couldn't be calculated clearly.

Anyway, Raven felt she had earned a fortune.

She enjoyed God-like pampering.

At that moment, she felt like a Queen of the Universe.

Raven pushed open the door.

She saw Polaris, Lorna Dane, lying limp on the bed like a puddle of mud, not even having the strength to move her fingers, though she was covered by a quilt.

As for the culprit, Ethan, he was long gone.

Chapter 231: Opening the Blind Box, Obtaining the Power of Immortality

The early morning air in Norway was crisp and refreshing.

On the vast plains, Valkyrie had already set up camp, crafting a small World of her own.

She was wielding an axe, personally chopping logs to build a house.

"I never would have guessed you were capable of such delicate work."

Ethan appeared out of thin air like a ghost, giving Valkyrie, who was focused on her work, quite a start.

However, she quickly composed herself and twitched her nose twice: "You reek of a vixen. Where have you been causing trouble for some poor girl again?"

"Are you part dog? Your nose is so sensitive; I clearly cleaned myself up thoroughly."

Ethan spread his hands with an innocent expression.

"Then why did you run over here? Haven't satisfied your desires yet, and you want to find me for a nap?"

Valkyrie rolled her eyes dramatically.

Ethan put away his playful grin: "I just wanted to find a quiet place to stay peacefully for a day."

As he spoke, he looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the atmosphere and casting toward the vast depths of the Universe.

"After all, a great battle that will decide the life and death of all living beings in the Universe is about to begin."

Ethan rubbed the ring on his finger, his eyes profound.

"Is it because of the Infinity Stones?"

Valkyrie's voice deepened, and she put down the axe in her hand.

"That's right. There are always some ambitious people who want to snatch these things to realize the crazy desires in their hearts."

A playful arc curled at the corners of Ethan's mouth.

It was clear that he was not only unbothered by this coming storm but had actually been looking forward to it for a long time.

Those tragic movie endings would absolutely not repeat themselves in his World.

Even if that snap really needed to be made in the end, even if it were Tony who had to do it.

Given Tony's current physical condition, withstanding the backlash of the Infinity Stones would be a piece of cake.

The Tony in the movies was just a Mortal, a flesh and blood human.

Without the support of any superpowers.

But the Tony of now is a powerhouse who has been injected with the super serum and is even the successor as the new Thor.

"Fine, then you can ponder your grand affairs of state. I'm going to make breakfast."

Valkyrie was long used to this.

This guy Ethan often came here to check in.

But he never stayed long, at most lingering for a day.

For Valkyrie, this powerful Ice Demon was like a seasoning in her mundane life.

Ethan summoned his attribute panel.

Upon checking, the System's reward from his recent romp with Polaris Lorna Dane had already arrived.

It was a pitch-Black Blind Box, lying quietly in his inventory.

This type of Black Blind Box represented a terrifying ability that could make enemies feel despair.

The first time he opened one, he got the Kryptonian Bloodline, the pinnacle of strength.

The second time was the Speed Force, the pinnacle of speed.

He wondered what Earth-shattering thing he could open this third time.

Surely his luck couldn't be off the charts every time, right?

Could it be a Super Saiyan?

That would be too absurd; it shouldn't be that.

"System, don't let me down, open it for me!"

With the excitement of scratching a lottery ticket, Ethanstared fixedly at the black box in his mind.

This thing wasn't a physical object.

That was his first instinct.

As the black box in his mind slowly opened, it felt as if some ancient Seal had been broken.

Ethan held his breath, full of anticipation.

Black, symbolizing absolute despair.

It was the kind of power so great that opponents wouldn't even dare to resist.

[Power of Immortality].

The four characters appeared, and Ethan was stunned on the spot.

Immediately after, he felt his life essence undergo an indescribable transformation.

An extremely strange energy appeared out of thin air within his body.

This energy was intangible and invisible, yet it truly stood above the Law of life and death.

This was the Power of Immortality.

He had no idea which dimension this power originated from.

But the annotation provided by the Blind Box was simple and brutal.

Power of Immortality: From the moment you obtain this ability, the lower limit of your life form is completely locked; even if you encounter any form of devastating blow, you will not truly die.

This is a conceptual-level divine skill.

"In other words, no matter how much I court death in the future, even if I get hit point-blank by the six Infinity Stones, I won't die?"

Although he didn't obtain any Earth-shattering attack methods, he was a little disappointed.

But the strength of this ability lies in the word "conceptual."

From now on, his life is an eternal concept.

Forever undying and indestructible.

Moreover, his current state is the lowest limit; in the future, he will only become stronger, not weaker.

"Good thing it didn't solidify my life state."

"Otherwise, that would be a huge loss; I wouldn't have a way to improve."

Ethan shook his head, but he was quite satisfied in his heart.

This was equivalent to having an ultimate insurance policy, which could be considered quite Heaven-Defying.

Stretching out, Ethan closed his eyes to rest.

Just then, he felt someone crawl under the desk.

Ethan didn't even bother to think about who it was, because the person was serving him extremely diligently.

Nowadays, the number of women around him was too many to count.

He had also completely let himself go, no longer suppressing his nature.

He didn't need to rack his brains to please anyone; with his status today, it was only the women who racked their brains to please him.

A comfortable smile appeared on the corner of Ethan's mouth.

A highly aggressive, intoxicating scent of perfume drifted over.

"Ethan, you guy are getting bolder and bolder. If I don't come to find you, have you forgotten about me completely?"

Black Widow Natasha struck an extremely alluring pose, sitting on the wide desk.

Her legs were wrapped in sexy, charming black stockings, and the tips of her high heels tapped lightly on Ethan's chest.

Ethan was very certain that this was the real person, not Raven in disguise.

"You are my sweetheart; I could never forget you, no matter who else I forget."

Ethan grabbed that fair, plump leg, the feeling of which was amazingly good.

Black Widow Natasha's face was filled with that kind of bewitching charm that was ingrained in her bones.

"But based on your previous style of conduct, you shouldn't be coming to my door voluntarily at this time."

Ethan narrowed his eyes, examining the beauty before him as if admiring a rare treasure.

Black Widow Natasha pouted, looking unhappy: "What exactly did Tony give you that you could transform him into that kind of freak-level hero?"

The word jealousy was practically written all over her face.

She had thought that since she injected the super serum, she could at least be considered a core combat force in the Avengers.

Yet, she never expected that Tony Stark, who only knew how to play with tin cans, had now actually become the Earth version of Thor.

Having transplanted the genes of the Asgard Thor, Tonywas practically cheating.

He could even turn around and beat up the original Thor.

For the past few days, Thor had been so devastated that he became reclusive, hiding in a corner drawing circles.

"Five billion U.S. dollars?"

Ethan tentatively threw out a number.

"What? Could it be that my body isn't even worth as much as that stinking money of Tony's?"

Natasha looked aggrieved, on the verge of tears.

Ethan gave a sharp tug on Natasha's leg, pulling her directly into his arms.

"You are a priceless treasure; how could Tony's money compare to you? Tell me, how do you want me to help you?"

Chapter 232: The Arrival of the God of Fear, the Serpent

Ethan was saying sweet things, but his hands were far from idle, taking liberties in every way.

Natasha twisted her body like a beautiful serpent.

She giggled, "In any case, I don't want to take any more of that arrogant Tony's attitude. I want power. I want the power to stand on equal footing with Tony."

This request was made quite directly.

"Sister Natasha, the price for this is very expensive, you know."

Ethan put on the face of a profiteer, raising the price on the spot.

Natasha leaned close to Ethan's ear, whispering a few words with breath as sweet as orchids.

As Ethan listened, his expression became visibly excited.

"Is that true?"

"I'd be a puppy if I lied to you."

"Deal! Natasha, just put your heart at ease. I guarantee I will help you evolve into a god-like existence!"

Ethan's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together in excitement.

At this moment, any power of immortality could just step aside.

The once charming real estate agent, now Ethan's personal executive secretary, Julia Roberts, smiled slightly from the side.

Her eyes seemed to say, "Boss, take it easy," and then she picked up the remote control and locked the direct elevator door.

She casually hung up a "Do Not Disturb" sign.

Natasha swayed her sexy waist, and under the baptism of the envious, jealous, and hateful gazes of the beauties present, she raised an eyebrow and smiled at Raven, "President Raven, this was promised by your big boss himself. You wouldn't want to break up a pair of lovebirds, would you?"

Raven let out a series of silvery laughs, "How could I?"

The next second, Raven actually transformed into Natasha's likeness.

Whether it was the tone or the demeanor, it was as if they were carved from the same mold.

"Do you think I would mind?"

Raven's provocative gaze met Black Widow Natasha's directly.

Her eyes also deliberately drifted behind her.

Black Widow Natasha didn't care at all, staring at Ravenand sneering, "A fake is a fake after all. In front of him, our Souls are seen through completely. Who would care about this skin?"

Raven, however, gently... Did she truly have even a trace of regret in her heart?

Clenching a fortune that he could never spend in this lifetime, Thor finally obtained the free life he had dreamed of on this blue Planet.

Yet, this once majestic Prince of Asgard always had an unshakable cloud of sorrow locked between his brows.

There was no other reason; the realm called "Home," he could never return to it again.

"Bifrost Bridge!"

Thor silently muttered this familiar name, his eyes full of yearning, but the surrounding air was dead silent, with no reaction at all.

Just at the moment when he was disheartened.

A brilliant, seven-colored beam of light, as if tearing through the dimensional barrier from the deepest part of the Universe, descended upon Earth with a roar.

"It's the Bifrost Bridge!"

Thor was so excited he jumped up on the spot like a two-hundred-pound child.

He fiercely swung that long-shattered Mjolnir, rode the thunder, and sped toward the direction of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, on that private vacation island.

Ethan was lying lazily on a soft beach chair, his head resting on Psylocke's delicate, smooth thighs, the touch as warm and smooth as jade.

Beside his mouth was a Bodhi seed peeled and handed over by Elektra, sweet and sour, fitting to the taste; it was truly cozy.

Boom!

A sudden, violent tremor made the entire island seem to tremble.

The sea surface, originally cloudless and sunny, was instantly covered by thick, dark clouds, a black mass that seemed to want to completely swallow this World.

This natural disaster descended without warning, exuding a strange, evil vibe.

The women beside him were all superhumans with unique skills, and their senses were exceptionally sharp.

They instantly caught that evil aura descending with the darkness, a trembling sensation that could evoke the deepest fear in one's heart.

Ethan slowly sat up, stretched his limbs, and let out a big yawn.

"Alright, our god-like, leisurely days have come to an end."

He patted the sand off his body, his tone flat yet filled with unquestionable authority, "You all go back to New Yorkimmediately, guard the headquarters of the Osborn Group, and leave the rest of the mess for me to clean up."

In fact, the blood in Ethan's body had long since begun to boil; it was the excitement of a hunter smelling prey.

The legendary Serpent of Marvel had finally decided to crawl out of the gutter.

That ancient and powerful Asgardian deity who controlled the God of Fear divinity.

His strength should logically be on the same level as that old man Odin; he was definitely a Skyfather-level powerhouse.

Ethan casually made a light slash in the void.

A shimmering spatial gate opened out of thin air.

On the other side of the door, Raven was glaring with a pair of large, resentful eyes, staring fixedly at the scene of everyone enjoying themselves here.

Psylocke was decisive; she stood up, adjusted her hem, and without a word, walked directly through the light gate.

The other women, scraped by Raven's eye-daggers, also obediently lined up and walked in.

Ethan didn't dawdle either; he slammed his right foot forward, and his entire body instantly turned into a blinding bolt of lightning.

Like a sharp sword piercing through the thick clouds, he arrived at the surging sea surface of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean at the speed of light in an instant.

At this very moment, the center of the battlefield was already in chaos.

Thor was joining forces with Hela, struggling to fight against the legendary God of Fear — Cul, the Serpent.

Although the current Thor had not yet fully grown into his complete form, the power of thunder he wielded was far stronger than when he had fought Hela.

And Hela's strength during this period had advanced by leaps and bounds, as if she had turned on cheats.

She had not only recovered to her former Peak state, but because she had firmly secured the position of King of Gods, her power had risen with the growth of Asgard.

This was the legendary God of Death, Hela.

That Night Sky Sword danced crazily in the air, carving out streaks of deadly cold light.

The Divine Might erupted from the fierce battle between the two gods stirred up the ocean, causing the seawater to even flow backward into the sky.

Ethan crossed his arms, hovering in mid-air, examining this Earth-shattering battle like an outsider watching a show.

His gaze swept across the edge of the battlefield, where seven guys holding war hammers were, each radiating powerful energy fluctuations.

Those were The Worthy forged by the God of Fear, Cul, with each hammer sealing a heart-stopping power.

Meanwhile, the whole World was in chaos.

Because disasters were occurring frequently, many monsters that had been sleeping in ancient legends were released.

They were rampaging across the World, harming humans and venting the anger of being imprisoned for many years.

Superhuman organizations around the World had to be mobilized urgently, trying their best to stop this catastrophe.

Ethan quietly looked down at all of this, a cold smile curling on the corner of his mouth.

Chapter 233: Ice Age, Tsunami, Ragingly Slaying Cul

He suddenly raised his head, those terrifying eyes seemingly able to pierce through the nine heavens.

His gaze passed through the thick atmosphere and locked directly onto the massive spaceship in deep space.

That distinct style was practically carved from the same mold as the Chitauri ships.

"Thanos, you Purple Sweet Potato Essence, are you finally willing to show your Face?"

Across the vast distance, Ethan could still clearly feel two extremely powerful energy fluctuations.

It seems the Power Stone and the Soul Stone are already firmly set on Thanos's gauntlet at this moment.

Ethan finally laughed, laughing wantonly.

It is time to thoroughly end this endless nightmare.

Thanos's damn snap was the shadow that had been impossible to shake off ever since he Transmigration into this World.

But the current Ethan already possessed the absolute strength to rewrite the script.

First, kill Thanos and end this Infinity War.

The next target is that so-called Kang the Conqueror.

However, that guy is slippery and is the most difficult existence to kill.

It will probably require Loki, that God of Stories, to correct the chaotic timeline.

The monstrous waves triggered by the war had now formed a hundred-meter-high tsunami, crashing frantically wave after wave against humanity's fragile coastline.

Ethan slowly squatted down and gently placed his palm on the restless sea surface.

"Ice Age!"

As these two words fell lightly, a burst of extreme cold Qi erupted instantly.

The monstrous waves that were originally about to swallow the sky and devour the Earth were forcibly frozen in mid-air, turning into crystal-clear solid ice.

In the blink of an eye, the entire ocean was solidified into a massive glacial continent.

This power, terrifying to the extreme, made the God of Fear, Cul, who was in the midst of a heated battle, tremble in his heart, his Face full of shock.

He instantly recognized who this human before him was.

It was precisely because of this guy's existence that he had been frozen and suppressed on the seabed like a dead fish for over a whole year!

Otherwise, how could the Seal left behind after that old ghost Odin died have withstood the destruction of his fanatical followers?

Ethan looked at Cul's twisted expression, a playful smile playing on the corner of his mouth.

He could clearly feel the volcanic fury within the heart of the God of Fear, Cul.

This old guy now wished he could mince him into meat paste.

"Want to kill me? Then you'll have to ask Hela if she agrees first."

Ethan pointed to the menacing goddess beside him and introduced her with a smile: "By the way, this is Hela, Odin's eldest daughter, the current Queen of Asgard, and part-time Goddess of Death."

Watching Cul's constipated expression, he continued to twist the knife: "You had better not underestimate her. Back then, in order to seize power, Odin had to go through a hell of a lot of trouble to Seal her in the Death Dimension."

"Come to think of it, you two share a similar fate."

"However, Hela is much cuter than you; as for you, I really don't like you at all."

Ethan's words were quite blunt, not giving any Face at all.

Just then, because Thor was distracted, he was struck hard by the opponent's hammer, flying out like a cannonball and smashing heavily onto the ice layer.

"Thor! You are the God of Thunder, not the God of Hammers!"

Ethan looked at his dense brother-in-law and shouted in frustration: "Go and feel the thunder power within you; that potential is infinite, even stronger than Hela's!"

"You have lived for over a thousand years; how are you still content to be a slave to power? Have you never thought about using your heart to control and tame your own power?"

"You are simply a giant baby who hasn't grown up!"

This round of sarcasm directly enraged Thor, his Faceturning the color of pig liver.

But how would he dare to get angry at Ethan? He could only vent his burning rage on the enemy.

He swung his hammer and charged, howling, toward the Hammer Corps established by the God of Fear.

That's right, this group of people were the future famous The Worthy in the Marvel Universe.

They were all experts at playing with hammers.

They had obtained a portion of the Divine Power bestowed by Cul, and on Earth, they certainly counted as top-tier experts.

It's just a pity that their era had already passed.

The true era of super-genes had already arrived.

Ever since Ethan touched the fourth-tier power and reached the threshold of the strongest in the single Universe, these genetic secrets were as simple as one plus one equals two to him.

"I am not a giant baby! I am Thor! The God of Thunder!"

Thor erupted completely amidst his roar, turning into a dazzling bolt of thunder, and thick thunderclouds instantly gathered in the sky.

Countless violent bolts of lightning crashed down upon the superhumans of the Hammer Corps; that was the destructive power of a quasi-Skyfather level.

Ethan nodded with satisfaction; this kid had finally gotten the hang of it.

Thor had been improving, and his power was indeed formidable.

Although he had touched the threshold of the quasi-Skyfather level, this power was still not stable enough.

To be precise, he was currently just venting his potential, not wielding true strength.

On the other side, the God of Fear, Cul, was becoming increasingly alarmed as he fought.

He discovered that the crazy woman Hela was extremely difficult to deal with; ordinary attacks could not cause her fatal damage.

Even if she were injured, the power of death would instantly erase the wounds.

This niece of his was simply a monster, having condensed the entire power of Asgard into her Physical Body.

Moreover, she could mobilize the Origin power of Asgardto attack at any time; she was practically a walking arsenal.

This made Cul, who had not long since broken the Seal, develop thoughts of retreating.

He knew very well that his current state was not his peak period.

He needed to create fear everywhere, letting the entire Universe know his name; only when fear spread would his power grow infinitely.

He didn't want to keep getting entangled with this bunch of lunatics here.

The future belonged to him; there was no need to fight for this momentary burst of anger.

The years of being sealed were too long, so long that he couldn't even remember the specific number of years.

Cul had only one thought in his heart: to escape.

Although Hela was difficult to deal with, she couldn't kill him.

But that human powerhouse who had frozen the ocean into a glacier with just one hand definitely had the ability to plunge him back into eternal darkness and deathly silence.

As soon as this thought popped up, Cul could no longer stay.

He suddenly erupted with a powerful force, blasting away the relentlessly entangling Hela.

He didn't even glance at his followers who were struggling in the hard battle.

What did the life or death of this bunch of cannon fodder have to do with him?

He just wanted to leave this dangerous ghost of a place immediately.

Just as Cul was preparing to slip away, a cold gaze fell upon his back.

It was that human who made him instinctively feel disgust, and also the only existence present that he feared.

Meanwhile, Thanos, far away on his space throne, was appreciatively watching the battle before him with great interest.

Cul, this former God King of Asgard, was indeed stronger than him.

Even the current God King Hela was stronger than him in terms of raw power.

But Thanos, holding the Infinity Stones, completely disregarded these two gods.

Chapter 234 Sword Pool Treasure Hunt: A Shocking Turn of Events and the Sacrifice of the Sword

This heavy drinking session lasted for three full days.

Liu Xun truly could not get away. After all, the vast newly recovered territories were in ruins and awaiting reconstruction, with countless memorials waiting for him to review and govern.

Xiao Feng rode away with A Zhu, while beside Yang Guo, in addition to Cheng Ying and Lu Wushuang, there was unexpectedly an extra person: Guo Fu.

The reason for taking Guo Fu was complicated and hard to untangle. This Young Miss had, at some unknown point, developed deep feelings for Yang Guo. Seeing the two women, Cheng and Lu, by his side, she was overcome with jealousy and insisted on following them to venture into the Jianghu.

Yang Guo had some feelings for her as well, but out of respect for Guo Jing and Huang Rong, he could not openly admit it. Now that Guo Fu wanted to come along herself, he naturally would not refuse.

Although Huang Rong was ten thousand times reluctant, Guo Jing agreed immediately. Plus, with the saying that a grown daughter cannot be kept at home, she could only let her go.

As for the Guo Jing couple and their two children, they were strongly persuaded by Liu Xun to stay in Chang'an City.

After sobering up, Guo Jing did not go back on his word; instead, he reaffirmed his loyalty even more firmly.

Do not let Guo Jing's appearance as a rough Jianghuwanderer fool you. He had deeply studied the "Wumu Legacy Book" and had been baptized by decades of war on the walls of Xiangyang City. When it came to deploying troops and arranging formations, he was absolutely a famous general of the current age.

It was a pity that the previous dynasty was incompetent. Even though the generals in the army respected him like a god, he remained a commoner without any official position, his talents having nowhere to be displayed.

Even so, he still relied on his volunteer army to block countless fierce attacks from the Mongol-Liao allied forces. If he could be given a regular elite force, his combat power would absolutely not lose to any military strategist of the current age.

Although the northern war had paused for now, Liu Xun had his sights set on the World, and the road of future conquests would be long. Talents for commanding like Guo Jing were naturally the more, the better.

Considering that Guo Jing's family had just come off the battlefield and were physically and mentally exhausted, Liu Xun specially approved for them to rest and recuperate in Chang'an, temporarily not entrusting them with heavy responsibilities. After all, he was not the kind of tyrant who exploited his subordinates.

A few days later, an urgent secret report was delivered to Liu Xun's desk.

It stated that within the Divine Land, the Sword Worship Villa was about to unveil a peerless divine weapon. For this, they had widely distributed Hero Invitations, inviting heroes from all over the World to attend the ceremony and test the sword.

On the invitation list, names like Bu Jingyun, Sword Master, and Sword Greed were prominently listed, along with many other famous figures of the Martial Forest.

Of course, those well-informed Loose Cultivators and wild wanderers in the Jianghu who had not received invitations also came uninvited, wanting to join in the excitement and get a share of the spoils.

After reading the secret report, Liu Xun pondered for a moment and decided to make the trip himself.

What he was after was naturally not that whatever-it-was divine sword, but for Bu Jingyun, and Nie Feng, who was highly likely to appear.

These two were the key to the gathering of Wind and Cloud, and his final trump card for confronting that terrifying existence—Di Shitian—in the future; he had to lay the groundwork and befriend them in advance.

It was no wonder Liu Xun was so cautious; the prestige and terror of Di Shitian were too great in his heart, and he had to make full preparations.

The Sword Worship Villa was located southwest of Chang'an, and the distance was not too far. Counting the days, there were still two days until the Sword Sacrifice Ceremony, so Liu Xun could fully make it if he set off that day.

As for the blood of the "Greed, Hatred, and Ignorance" three poisons needed for the sword sacrifice, since Sword Master was on the list, this unlucky guy was likely the candidate replacing Duan Lang. Liu Xun did not plan to bring that traitorous Duan Lang over.

Two days later, Liu Xun strapped the Snow Drinker Mad Blade to his back and set off with light luggage.

If he wanted to win over Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun, just using his words would not work; he had to offer some actual favors. It was time for this Snow Drinker Blade to return to its original owner.

Anyway, Liu Xun was accustomed to using sword techniques, and now he had the even better Dragon Soul Blade in hand, so keeping the Snow Drinker Blade was just letting it gather dust.

Racing all the way, without much effort, Liu Xun arrived at the territory of the Sword Worship Villa.

Upon inquiring, he learned that the actual sword sacrifice would only officially begin tomorrow, so Liu Xun did not rush to appear, but instead hid in the shadows to observe the changes.

Night fell, the moon was dark and the wind was high. Liu Xun predicted that the insatiably greedy Sword Greed would definitely come to steal the sword tonight, so he hid early in the shadows near the Sword Pool.

At this time, the Sword Pool was rolling with heat waves, and an incomparably sharp Sword Qi was faintly emanating from within; this must be the legendary "Peerless Good Sword".

However, this was not the original Wind and Cloud World, where divine weapons and Sharp Weapons emerged one after another; if the Sword Worship Villa still dared to call it by this name, they would probably be laughed at.

Sure enough, not long after, a sneaky figure slipped in; it was Sword Greed, followed closely by the righteous-looking Jian Chen, who was clearly here to stop him.

The good show continued to unfold. Bu Jingyun, who had received the news, Sword Master of the Sword Casting City, as well as the Quicksand leader Wei Zhuang and others who were also hiding in the shadows to observe, and the person known as the Black Swordsman Sheng Qi, all arrived at the scene one after another.

"Since heroes from all walks of life want to compete for this divine weapon, then let this Sword Sacrifice Ceremony simply begin in advance!"

Sword Casting Great Master Zhong Mei looked at these uninvited guests and was not angry; instead, he went with the flow and announced loudly.

"Who dares to come up first and fight me?"

Bu Jingyun, draped in a red robe, walked out of the crowd with a cold expression, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings like lightning.

Chi chi—a teeth-aching sound of metal friction rang out. The Black Swordsman Sheng Qi walked out with big strides, dragging the huge Juque sword behind him.

"I will come to meet you!"

Sheng Qi stared fixedly at Bu Jingyun, his voice low and hoarse, like a Beast roaring.

"The Black Swordsman Sheng Qi? I heard that this person has been arrested and thrown into death row many times, yet he always manages to escape and disappear for many years. I did not expect that today he would also be lured out by this divine sword."

Wei Zhuang stood at a high place with his arms crossed, looking at the giant below, and slowly commented.

"Hmph, just a stray dog that has been defeated countless times by others. How could he possibly be a match for you, Senior Brother?"

Standing beside Wei Zhuang, Chilian giggled, her tone full of contempt and disdain.

Sheng Qi's ears moved slightly, and he glanced coldly at the enchanting Chilian, but did not say much, only tightening his grip on the Juque sword, which was as wide as a door panel.

"Is that the legendary Supreme of the World—Juque? Truly overbearing! Only a man with monstrous strength like Sheng Qi could wield it. If I could get my hands on it for my collection, that would be a beautiful thing."

On the other side, Sword Greed stared at the Juque sword, a flash of greed in his eyes, and then he slyly sized up Wei Zhuang's Shark Tooth, Sword Master's Fierce Blood, and the Hero Sword in Jian Chen's hand.

Now Bu Jingyun was empty-handed; the previous Wushuang Sword had long been broken at the Tomb of the Queen. He had come this time to seize the sword for the purpose of splitting the isolation stone of the Tomb of the Queen to see Kong Ci one more time; his obsession was deep.

Whoosh—the Aura of the two in the field climbed to the Peak. Sheng Qi exerted force suddenly, and the Juque in his hand swept out horizontally. The terrifying sword body whipped up a fierce wind, whistling as it smashed toward Bu Jingyun.

Bang! Facing this overwhelming blow, Bu Jingyun did not retreat but advanced instead. A red light flashed from his left Qilin Arm, and he slapped his palm hard against the side of the sword, knocking the Juque off course, and his whole body rushed toward Sheng Qi like a cannonball.

However, Sheng Qi had extremely rich combat experience. He pulled the iron chain in his hand fiercely, and the Juque, which had been knocked off course, drew a strange arc in the air, actually circling back from behind to slash at Bu Jingyun's back.

Sensing the malicious wind behind him, Bu Jingyun did a backflip in the air that defied common sense, narrowly avoiding this fatal circling blow, and then flipped his body, using the momentum of the descent to slam down with a palm.

Pa! Sheng Qi caught the flying Juque with one hand and blocked horizontally with the sword. Bu Jingyun's Cloud-Piercing Palm, containing the force of a thousand jun, landed solidly on the wide sword body.

Crack! The hard rock beneath Sheng Qi's feet instantly shattered into powder, but his iron tower-like body did not move at all.

"Get lost!"

The stalemate lasted only for an instant. Sheng Qi let out a violent shout, exerted force with both arms, and actually blasted the airborne Bu Jingyun, who had nowhere to leverage, directly away.

Immediately after, Sheng Qi did not forgive after gaining the upper hand. He stepped forward quickly, and the Juque in his hand slashed across the waist with the momentum of sweeping away an army. If this sword landed, Bu Jingyun would definitely be cut in half.

Pa! Bu Jingyun, in mid-air, did not panic in the Face of danger. His left hand reached out like lightning, slapped hard on the wide spine of the Juque, and using this counter-shock force, he leaped into the air again, narrowly avoiding this must-kill blow.

"My time is precious. Since you have come, whoever wants to try my sword, hurry up and get up here!"

Seeing the lively fight over there, Sword Master could no longer hold back. Holding the Fierce Blood Sword, he walked out of the crowd and pointed arrogantly at Wei Zhuang, Sword Greed, and the others.

He had been in seclusion Cultivating the ninth layer of the Dragon Riding Slash, and upon hearing that the reputation of this Sword Worship Villa could rival his own Sword Casting City, he had come specifically to challenge them.

...

"Sword Master of the Sword Casting City, huh."

Wei Zhuang's eyes were indifferent, and his tone revealed neither joy nor anger.

"I heard that Sword Casting City is famous for forging the Fierce Blood Sword. I would like to see just how much substance this so-called famous sword really has."

Wei Zhuang walked slowly out of the shadows, clearly intending to compete.

"A descendant of the Vertical and Horizontal School? Good! Let me experience the power of your demon sword, Shark Tooth!"

Sword Master sneered, drew his sword from its scabbard, and pointed the tip directly at the center of Wei Zhuang's eyebrows.

Zing! A clear, resonant sword hum rang through the Sword Pool. The Shark Tooth in Wei Zhuang's hand was unsheathed, its cold light threatening.

Whoosh! Clang! Both were top experts, and without a word of nonsense, they instantly turned into two afterimages, rushing toward each other.

Chi chi—the unique serrated blade of Shark Tooth rubbed violently against the Fierce Blood Sword, sparks flying everywhere, and the ear-piercing sound of metal clashing was incessant.

On the side, Sword Greed watched the four people fighting in the field, his eyes rolling around, his little abacus clicking loudly in his heart.

In terms of raw strength, he could not rank among these people. Trying to grab it by force was asking for death. It would be better to wait for these brutes to fight until both sides were injured, and then he could sit back and reap the benefits.

The fierce battle between the four great experts caused Sword Qi to crisscross the entire Sword Pool, and the violent palm wind forced the onlookers to retreat against the walls.

And the hundreds of black swords inserted in the center of the Sword Pool were occasionally snapped by the overflowing energy, leaving the scene in a mess.

Not long after, the Young Lord of the Sword Worship Villa, Aotian, also arrived at the scene, accompanied by his mentor, Sword Demon.

Seeing their own territory beaten into such a state, they were not in a hurry; instead, they just guarded the only exit, seemingly afraid that this group of "sacrificial offerings" would run away.

As the battle became more and more tragic, there were fewer than twenty intact black swords left in the Sword Pool.

Only in the very center of the Sword Pool, a giant black sword stood proudly in the Earth Fire, and no matter how violent the surrounding energy was, it remained unmoved.

Because the temperature of the Earth Fire there was terrifyingly high, the few people fighting intentionally avoided that area.

Seeing that the heat was about right, Sword Demon, who had been observing sinisterly, suddenly attacked, firing a vicious finger sword at Sword Master and Wei Zhuang, who were wrestling.

This was Sword Demon's unique skill—Pulse-Severing Sword Qi. Although it was not as varied as the Six Meridian Divine Sword, it was superior in concentrated power, had extremely strong penetrating power, and specialized in breaking through protective True Qi.

Whoosh whoosh! Two sharp, invisible Sword Qi broke through the air and went straight for the two men's vitals.

Chi! The two, who were fully focused on their duel, never expected this old monster to be so unsportsmanlike. Caught off guard, both were hit, and their clothes were instantly stained red with blood.

The two were forced to stop and glared at Sword Demon, but this old madman ignored them completely and turned to shoot another blast of Sword Qi at Bu Jingyun.

Bu Jingyun was already being suppressed by Sheng Qi, and now he was facing enemies from both front and back. With nowhere to hide, a blood hole immediately appeared on his body.

Seeing Bu Jingyun injured, Sheng Qi frowned and actually withdrew his sword to stop, glaring unpleasantly at the disruptive Sword Demon.

Who knew that Sword Demon's eyes were red with killing intent; he backhanded another finger shot at Sword Greed, who was watching the show on the side. This had offended everyone present.

Sword Greed's martial arts were already slightly inferior, and after a few hits, he was beaten into running around with his head in his hands, with several cuts on his body.

"Sword Demon! What on earth do you want, you old madman?!"

Sword Greed clutched his bleeding wound and demanded angrily.

"I am entrusted by others to do their bidding! This Black Cold Sword is a sword of Supreme evil; it needs the most persistent blood in the World to open its edge! You bunch of people have gathered the three poisons of Greed, Hatred, and Ignorance; it is just right to use your blood to feed this divine weapon!"

Sword Demon's Face was ferocious as he pointed at the crowd and laughed wildly.

The Black Cold Sword he mentioned was exactly the Peerless Good Sword from the original work, but there were too many divine weapons in this World, so the Sword Worship Villa did not dare to give it too grand a name and honestly used the name of the casting material.

Hearing this crazy talk, the few looked down and were shocked to realize something was wrong.

"Damn it! So this so-called Sword Sacrifice was simply using us to sacrifice to the sword!"

Sword Greed suddenly realized, regretting it so much that his intestines turned green, but now that he was seriously injured, let alone seizing the sword, whether he could get out alive was a problem.

A bizarre scene occurred. The blood flowing on the ground seemed to have life. The blood of Sword Greed, Bu Jingyun, and Sword Master was drawn by an invisible force, gathering into a winding blood snake, slowly flowing toward the giant sword in the center of the Sword Pool.

Although Wei Zhuang was also a top-notch swordsman, he did not have such paranoid thoughts of Greed, Hatred, and Ignorance in his heart, so the Black Cold Sword did not absorb his blood.

Hum—the giant sword, having absorbed the essence blood of the three, suddenly trembled, and a brilliant golden light shot into the sky. Immediately after, the golden light converged, and the originally pitch-black sword body instantly turned bright red, as if it had just been fished out of magma.

"Madam Ao!"

Just then, a beautiful woman who still retained her charm walked over slowly. As soon as Sword Demon saw her, he immediately changed to a fawning Face and went up to meet her.

"Tian'er, the auspicious time has arrived. Why, why don't you go and take the sword quickly!"

Madam Ao did not even look at Sword Demon, directly shouting sternly at Aotian beside her.

"Yes, Mother."

Aotian swallowed his saliva and agreed, biting the bullet.

"Young Lord, to master a divine weapon, one must first suffer its pain. As long as you get this Black Cold Sword, our Sword Worship Villa returning to its Peak is just around the corner!"

Zhong Mei, whose Face was covered in soot, also walked up and encouraged him earnestly.

"Good! I will risk it!"

Aotian gritted his teeth, gathered his Qi, and leaped toward the center of the Sword Pool.

At this time, all the experts were injured, and with the evil star Sword Demon watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, no one dared to act rashly, and could only watch helplessly as Aotian went to pick the peaches.

"Ah—!"

Chapter 235: Danzo Ascends, Five Coffins Appear

Knock, knock, knock!

The sudden knocking sound was like a thunderclap, causing Lei Yu to startle violently.

He instantly snapped out of that eerie state of Qi Deviation, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

After a long while, Lei Yu gave a wry smile and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Phew... that was close. I almost opened Pandora's Box."

Devouring a Soul is like a drug; once you start, the pleasure of rapidly growing stronger makes you lose yourself completely, and you can never stop...

Lei Yu took a deep breath, opened the door, and looked at Ino, who was sneaking around outside with a guilty look on her face. He couldn't help but find it amusing.

"Stop looking; no one is watching the surroundings. Come in quickly."

Lei Yu chuckled and beckoned.

Ino's face flushed slightly. Like a startled fawn, she quickly scurried into the room and locked the door behind her.

"Ino, thank you."

Beside the table, Lei Yu wrapped his arms around Ino's smooth, supple waist, buried his head in the crook of her neck, and whispered.

"Eh? Thank me? What are you thanking me for?"

Ino asked, looking bewildered and shy.

Lei Yu shook his head, offering no further explanation, and simply chuckled: "Because you inadvertently prevented the birth of a peerless demon."

Ino blinked her large eyes, completely unable to understand what kind of riddle he was speaking.

"By the way, why did you think to come find me so late at night? Are you here to see me off?"

Lei Yu changed the subject and asked with a mischievous grin.

"I... I wanted to ask you, do you really want me to leave?"

Ino bit her lip and spoke with a slightly hesitant tone.

"What? You're already reluctant to part with me before you've even left?"

Lei Yu teased, his hand beginning to wander restlessly.

"No... it's not that, it's just... I suddenly felt a bit, a bit..."

Ino's face turned crimson, her head lowered until it was almost buried in her chest, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

"Do you want to go home, Ino?"

Lei Yu put aside his joking mood, and his tone became gentle.

"I miss my father and mother a little. It's been so long without news, they must be very worried about me. And they still... still don't know that we have..."

Speaking of this, Ino's face turned even redder.

"If you want to go home, then go. Don't feel burdened. I promise you, I will personally go to Konoha to see you very soon."

"Eh? Really?" Ino looked up, pleasantly surprised.

"Of course it's true. When have I ever lied to you?"

"Hand... hand..."

"You're leaving soon, won't you let me collect some interest..."

"Just... just for a moment..."

"Mmm!"

The next morning!

The Lightning Country's army assembled; banners blocked the sun, and Killing Intent soared to the heavens.

Almost all elite combat forces were mobilized; everyone, with hearts full of excitement and trepidation, embarked on the journey to conquer the Earth Country.

For a time, the entire Lightning Country became almost an empty camp.

According to conventional wisdom, leaving no defensive forces behind was the ultimate taboo in warfare.

It would be easy for the enemy to take advantage of the weakness and strike directly at the heart.

But no one in the Lightning Country worried about this issue, not even the usually cautious and worried Dodai, who remained silent this time.

The reason was simple: the Thunder Emperor himself was stationed at the Tiance Mansion, guarding the Lightning Country alone.

They firmly believed that as long as that man was there, no one could launch a surprise attack on the Lightning Country.

One man guards the city, one man suppresses the country!

After sending off the expeditionary army, Lei Yu turned to bid farewell to Kurenai Yuhi and Ino.

After reluctantly parting with Tsunade and Sakura, Kurenai Yuhi and Ino shouldered their packs and set off on the road home.

As expected, Sakura still harbored hopes of seeing Sasuke one more time and did not choose to leave. Her lovestruck appearance made Lei Yu sigh at the ill-fated connection.

Tsunade crossed her arms, watching the departing figures of the two women, a hint of confusion between her brows.

It was truly because the look in Kurenai Yuhi and Ino's eyes when they looked at that guy Lei Yu before leaving was too strange.

Was it reluctance to part? Was it affection? Or was it something else unspeakable?

What a joke, Kurenai Yuhi has Asuma as her legitimate boyfriend, and Ino is still so young... hiss, this girl seems to have developed quite a bit recently...

"Little Tsunade, I listened to you and mercifully let them go."

"Then how do you intend to thank me, this great benefactor?"

Lei Yu raised an eyebrow, looking at the distracted Tsunade, his face wearing an expression demanding a reward.

Hearing this, Tsunade hurriedly suppressed the messy, strange thoughts in her heart and rolled her eyes at him.

"Then... then I'll do whatever you want tonight, satisfied?"

"Why wait until tonight? Why not now? There's no time like the present."

"No! I still have to go to the medical department to deal with the distribution of the wounded."

"Then I can go to the medical department to help, too. Come to think of it, I haven't seen you in a Nurse uniform yet."

"You... you hopeless beast..."

Just as the two were whispering, their dialogue becoming increasingly lewd and unbearable.

Sakura, who had been silently following behind them, had a face as red as a ripe tomato.

Are these kinds of tiger-wolf words something a young girl like her should be listening to? This is too embarrassing...

Swish!

At this moment, a black shadow instantly darted out. An Anbu member knelt on one knee before Lei Yu, holding an intelligence scroll high with both hands.

"My Lord Thunder Emperor! Urgent intelligence!"

Lei Yu focused slightly, his eyes instantly becoming sharp.

Generally speaking, the conventional intelligence data of the Lightning Country currently did not need to be handled directly by him.

Unless Mei Terumi couldn't make up her mind, or she felt the matter was of great importance, would it be reported up to him.

Lei Yu did not hesitate and reached out to take the scroll.

The Anbu member wisely disappeared from the spot instantly.

Lei Yu broke the wax seal, scanned it at a glance, and immediately let out a dumbfounded laugh.

"Heh, things are certainly lively over in Konoha."

Tsunade instinctively pricked up her ears. Although she was in the enemy camp, she still cared about any movement in Konoha.

"What's wrong with Konoha? What happened?" she asked in a low voice.

"See for yourself; it's quite spectacular."

Lei Yu looked at Tsunade's curious and worried expression, and without any avoidance, directly handed the intelligence scroll in his hand to her.

Tsunade opened her beautiful eyes wide and nervously took it to read.

It didn't matter if she didn't look, but upon reading it, Tsunade was instantly horrified, her voice changing pitch.

"This... how is this possible! How could that insidious guy Danzo become the acting Hokage?"

"What about Jiraiya? What about Kakashi? Is there no one left in Konoha?"

Tsunade exclaimed, her face instantly turning extremely ugly.

She was naturally well aware of Danzo's unspeakable little schemes.

In her expectations, even if she wasn't there, that fool Jiraiya should have been the one to succeed as Hokage.

At the very least, there was the up-and-coming Kakashi; it shouldn't have been Danzo's turn to ascend to power!

Once Danzo seized power, she dared not imagine what the future of Konoha would become.

"The intelligence says Jiraiya is seriously injured and has been in a coma ever since. As for Kakashi, the intelligence says he 'voluntarily' supported Danzo to become the acting Hokage."

Lei Yu deliberately emphasized the word "voluntarily," and chuckled as he explained to Tsunade.

"This is absolutely impossible! I understand the character of that child Kakashi; he would absolutely never voluntarily support someone like Danzo. Something else must have happened!"

Tsunade said through gritted teeth, the worry in her tone becoming increasingly obvious.

"Under normal circumstances, indeed not, but... what if he was controlled by some kind of irresistible Genjutsu?"

Lei Yu smiled meaningfully.

That old fox Danzo held a trump card in his hand—Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan.

That was the "Kotoamatsukami," known as the strongest Genjutsu, capable of modifying a person's will without them knowing; it was simply impossible to guard against.

Tsunade was stunned, suddenly associating it with Fu, who had recently changed her personality drastically and acted like a lovestruck fool.

Her heart skipped a beat, and a chill rushed straight to her head. Could it be...

Her eyes instantly turned red, and she turned her head sharply, staring fixedly at Lei Yu: "Was it you? Did you do this?"

"Hey, hey, hey... you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want. Do you think I'm that bored? Why would I use such low-level, cheap tactics to control Kakashi?"

Lei Yu rolled his eyes in annoyance, raised his hand, and flicked her forehead without ceremony.

"Ah... it hurts!"

"Serves you right. At that time, I was working hard in bed with you every night; where would I have the time to go to Konoha and cause trouble? Besides, the one who knows Genjutsu is Kurenai, not me..."

"Then who exactly is it?"

"Did you get water in your brain? Even with your toes, you should know who benefits from this situation."

"That old thing Danzo? But in my memory, this old guy doesn't have such a high-level Genjutsu trump card."

Tsunade's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, her face full of disbelief.

"Hmph, that old fox hides things very deeply; there's a lot you don't know."

Lei Yu smiled mischievously, his large hand acting restlessly, taking the opportunity to pinch that firm, full moon hard.

"You're crazy!"

Tsunade instantly bristled, her whole face as red as if it were on fire.

Sakura was still standing right there; this bastard was simply unscrupulous!

Sakura had originally been immersed in worry about the future of Konoha, but subconsciously looked up.

As a result, this glance happened to catch that mischievous hand just...

Scared, she acted like a startled quail, quickly burying her head in her chest, her ears burning hot.

After a long while, Tsunade finally managed to steady her breathing, looking at Lei Yu with a hint of pleading in her eyes.

"I want to go..."

"Nip that thought in the bud. Go back to Konoha? Not a chance."

Lei Yu rolled his eyes in annoyance and pinched her again as punishment.

"But Konoha right now..."

"You promised it yourself back then. A bet is a bet. From now on, you are my private property; worry less about the mess back at your maiden home."

"But..."

Tsunade's eyes reddened, all the grievances in her heart showing on her face.

Although she had agreed with her mouth, after all, that was the place where she was born and raised; how could she just cut it off cleanly?

"It seems that unless I completely raze that village to the ground, you won't be able to give up this thought."

Lei Yu glanced at her coldly, his tone full of displeasure.

Tsunade's face instantly turned pale, her body trembling involuntarily.

Although she desperately avoided thinking about what would happen in the future.

But she knew clearly in her heart that between Konoha and the Lightning Country, there would eventually be a final, life-and-death confrontation.

The more she thought about it, the more chaotic her heart became. She glared fiercely at this ruthless jerk and turned to walk away, swaying her waist angrily.

She secretly vowed in her heart that for the next few days, she would absolutely not let this bastard touch her; let him hold it in!

Sakura's face was as red as a ripe tomato, her steps unsteady, and she hurriedly followed behind in a panic.

Lei Yu didn't take Tsunade's little temper seriously at all.

She was already married to him; why was she still thinking about the mess at her maiden home all day?

This woman just needed to be disciplined; a few more times and she'd be fine.

"But having said that, Danzo is simply crazy to consolidate power. By squeezing various Families and forcing them to send troops, isn't he afraid that the internal part of Konoha will explode first?"

"Or is it that this old thing holds some incredible new trump card in his hand?"

Lei Yu stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Suddenly, the figure of the person who had just left flashed in his mind—the blonde girl who felt so soft and had such an excellent texture when squeezed.

If Ino were to return to Konoha right now.

The days for the Ino-Shika-Cho clans would probably be very difficult...

...

The scene shifts to Konoha Hidden Village, Hokage Building.

The office, which was usually sunny and spacious, now exuded an eerie, ghostly aura.

Even the air was filled with a chill that made one's back feel cold.

"You've got guts, actually daring to swagger into Konoha to find me."

Danzo's hoarse voice, as if polished by sandpaper, echoed in the room.

At this moment, he finally sat in that long-desired seat as he had wished, his posture steady and stable.

The single eye exposed outside revealed a sinister, cold light, locking firmly onto the guy in front of him whose face was hidden in a hood.

"My Lord Danzo, you are really fond of joking. I came here this time with full sincerity to seek cooperation."

The figure chuckled and slowly raised a hand to lift the hood from his head.

Revealed was a young face that looked refined and even somewhat delicate.

"Since you've appeared here, it seems that guy Orochimaru is indeed dead... Kabuto Yakushi!"

Danzo's mouth curled into a cold sneer.

Kabuto Yakushi calmly pushed the round-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, and a reflection flashed across the lenses.

"Lord Orochimaru is eternal; death does not exist for him."

"Immortal? Hmph, stop telling ghost stories here. I'm actually more interested in knowing, which ruthless person killed him?"

Danzo's tone held a hint of mockery.

"Danzo... oh, that's not right, I should call you My LordHokage. Let's talk about serious business."

Kabuto Yakushi curled his lip and brought the topic directly back.

"Just based on you, a little lackey? Do you deserve to talk about serious business with me?"

Danzo was full of disdain; if Orochimaru had come in person, perhaps he could have sat down for a cup of tea.

A mere Kabuto Yakushi, who does he think he is?

"I know my own worth, but what if I add these chips?"

Kabuto Yakushi wore his signature fake smile, but his hands formed a seal as fast as lightning.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ground suddenly trembled, accompanied by a dull sound.

Five coffins with ancient and eerie designs pushed directly out from under the floor like bamboo shoots, standing straight in the room.

"Protect My Lord Hokage!"

The Root ninjas in the shadows reacted instantly. Several black shadows flashed, guarding firmly in front of Danzo, staring at Kabuto Yakushi with eyes full of vigilance.

Danzo's single eye suddenly contracted to the size of a needle point.

But there was no panic on his face; instead, a surge of undisguisable fanaticism and excitement welled up.

"All of you, stand down!"

"Yes!"

Danzo's order was an imperial decree; the Root ninjas vanished instantly like ghosts, as if they had never appeared.

"This is... the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu?"

Danzo's voice trembled slightly with excitement.

Chapter 236: Naruto Returns, Battles the Mysterious Senju

His gaze swept over the thick Wood Release debris on the ground not far away, and his heart skipped a beat.

The level of proficiency in Wood Release displayed here sent shivers down his spine; it was likely not much different from his big brother Hashirama's!

Hashirama's gaze was locked firmly onto the leading figure in the distance.

Intuition told him that the power surging within that guy was of the same origin as his own.

In the next second, that You-Know-Who slowly stepped forward, and the other white-clad assassins dispersed, surrounding him like stars around the moon.

Only the Wood Release user and four guards proficient in the Flying Thunder God Technique remained in the field.

Five people, directly confronting the three Hokages: Hashirama, Tobirama, and Minato.

The Wood Release ninja standing in the center slowly raised his hand and took off the hood covering his face.

Revealing his hairline and true appearance.

Seeing this scene, the three Hokages were all stunned.

What did this mean? They actually revealed their faces voluntarily; were these guys so overconfident that they couldn't even be bothered to disguise themselves?

However, when they saw clearly what was on the other party's forehead, the three were shocked again.

It wasn't that they recognized this face.

It was the forehead protector the other party was wearing.

What was engraved on it was not the icon of any village in the ninja World, but... the authentic Senju Family crest!

The pattern was neatly carved in the center of the forehead protector, exuding an ancient sense of vicissitudes.

Looking at this forehead protector, Hashirama and Tobirama were momentarily dazed, as if they had traveled back to that war-torn Sengoku era.

Back then, there were no ninja villages, and wars were fought with families as units.

In order to distinguish friend from foe in the chaotic armies, every major Family wore this kind of forehead protector printed with their Family crest.

It was only after the villages were established that they were uniformly changed to the Konoha symbol.

Now, seeing this familiar Senju Family crest again, Hashirama and Tobirama only felt a sense of spacetime disorientation.

"Are you a member of the Senju Family?"

Hashirama couldn't help but step forward and ask urgently.

The other party looked at Hashirama coldly, glanced at Tobirama again, and spoke with an arrogant tone: "That's right! We are the noble Senju Family ninjas!"

As he spoke, the others also uniformly took off their hoods, and all five of them had the Senju Family crest on their foreheads.

"The amount of chakra in the two of you is astonishing; are you also from the Senju Family?"

The other party asked in return.

"Yes!" Hashirama's expression was extremely strange now; since they were all Family, why was his own kind attacking his own kind?

"Very good! Not bad. I didn't expect to meet two clansmen left outside in this barren land. But why aren't you wearing the Family forehead protector? Have you betrayed the Family's glory?"

Betrayed the Family?

Hashirama was dumbfounded by the question; this heavy accusation made him dizzy. When had he ever betrayed the Senju Family?

Tobirama on the side couldn't listen anymore and directly snorted coldly: "Nonsense! The Senju Family long ago integrated into Konoha Village for the sake of peace, and even the surname was hidden. Where is there any distinction between families anymore? Who are you fakes that popped out of nowhere!"

As soon as these words came out, Hashirama also realized it; right!

This logic didn't make sense!

These guys didn't look like normal Senju clansmen at all!

However, when the other party heard this, his brows furrowed into a knot: "Integrated into a village? What nonsense are you talking about? My Senju Family has long dominated the World and is about to unify the entire ninja World! As for other families, they are nothing but lambs waiting to be slaughtered!"

"You two, as Senju Bloodline, are actually hiding in this crappy village and joined other forces. If this isn't betrayal, what is it!"

As he spoke, that person's eyes became as cold as an ice cellar.

"Since you chose to betray the Family, then go to Hellalong with this trash village!"

Suddenly, that person slammed his hands together, and a terrifying chakra fluctuation that made people suffocate erupted from his body.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Bloom!"

The earth instantly began to shake violently, as if an earthquake of magnitude ten had occurred.

Vines as thick as ancient trees instantly broke through the ground, spreading wildly in all directions with violent power.

Solid buildings were like paper in front of these vines; a slight squeeze and they collapsed into ruins.

Hashirama was horrified: "Stop it!"

However, the other party was blinded by the urge to kill and wouldn't listen to him at all.

Watching Konoha about to be swallowed by this terrifying forest, Hashirama steeled his heart and slammed his hands together.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"

Rumble!

Another equally massive green torrent erupted from the ground, crashing head-on into the opponent's vines.

The two Wood Release powers violently strangled each other, squeezing and crushing, making teeth-aching cracking sounds.

The same ninjutsu, the same power; it was simply a battle between Immortals.

The two forests continuously entangled and expanded, and it looked like they were about to engulf most of Konoha Village and turn it into a primeval forest.

Just at this moment, Neji, Choji, and the other Konoha Eleven also arrived at the battlefield.

Twenty years had passed, and that group of troublemakers had now become the pillars of the village.

"My Lord Neji! This... what is going on? Isn't that the First My Lord's Wood Release? Why would the First My Lord be tearing down the village?"

A young ninja was so scared that his voice was shaking.

Neji's brows were locked, veins bulging on his temples, and his Byakugan activated instantly, his gaze piercing through the layers of trees.

He saw Hashirama, who was struggling, and that strange man with a face he didn't recognize.

"No! This isn't the First My Lord's technique alone; there is another person using Wood Release too!"

"The First My Lord is using his own Wood Release to counteract the opponent's attack!"

Saying this, Neji slammed his palm out, Gentle Fist chakra erupting, shattering a vine that was sweeping over.

He turned and roared at the crowd: "There is a powerful enemy invasion! Everyone listen up, immediately enter level one combat status, push back towards the gate, and absolutely do not let them go deep into the village!"

"All Genin go evacuate the civilians, hurry!"

After Neji finished speaking, he took the lead and rushed out, forcefully blasting a path through the dense forest of vines with Gentle Fist.

At this moment, the Wood Release was still spreading wildly, and cold sweat seeped from Hashirama's forehead; continuing like this was not a solution.

"Tobirama! Quickly stop that madman, otherwise Konoha will really be destroyed!"

Tobirama just wanted to move, but those four Flying Thunder God guards appeared like ghosts and surrounded him completely.

Looking at this posture, they were determined to drag Tobirama down.

Although Tobirama was entangled, Minato seized that fleeting opportunity.

Taking advantage of the gap while those people were besieging Tobirama, Minato flicked his wrist, and a kunai flew out precisely through the gaps in the vines.

Flying Thunder God!

Minato's figure jumped continuously between the trees, each time precisely sending the kunai further.

In the blink of an eye, he had already approached that Wood Release weirdo.

The Rasengan in his palm instantly condensed and formed, emitting a piercing buzzing sound.

Only ten meters left! Minato threw the kunai again.

Whoosh!

The kunai flew past the other party's scalp, and in the next second, Minato's figure appeared out of thin air, grabbed the kunai in the air, and using the momentum, smashed the Rasengan in his right hand fiercely toward the other party's crown.

That person suddenly looked up, the killing intent in his eyes like a physical blade.

Staring fixedly at Minato, who was descending from the sky.

Bang!

But he was still half a beat slow, and the Rasengan slammed solidly onto his body.

The huge impact smashed his entire person fiercely into the soil, kicking up smoke and dust.

Minato landed, panting heavily; this series of operations was also a huge drain on his stamina.

Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief; as long as the casting was interrupted, this forest covering the sky would finally stop.

Suddenly, Hashirama's gaze focused, and he inwardly shouted: 'Bad!'

Although this attack by Minato seemed to have succeeded and interrupted the ninjutsu.

But that guy's aura hadn't weakened in the slightest, which meant that the previous attack hadn't hurt his foundation at all!

"Minato! Quickly dodge!"

Puchi!

Before the words fell, several sharp wooden spikes broke through the ground from under Minato's feet without warning, directly piercing through his abdomen and shoulder, lifting his entire person into mid-air.

Blood dripped down along the wooden spikes.

Minato hung in the air like a broken rag doll, his face pale as paper.

With both shoulders disabled, this kind of injury was a devastating blow to Minato, who didn't have the monstrous recovery ability of Hashirama.

"Such fast speed; to be able to play the Flying Thunder God to this Realm, you can be considered a character!"

The dust settled, and that weirdo slowly stood up; the chest that had just been hit by the Rasengan was now emitting white smoke, and the wound was actually healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

This terrifying self-healing ability was simply like an undead monster.

He patted the dust on his shoulders, casting a cold gaze toward Hashirama.

"You actually mastered Wood Release just like me; dare to steal the secret technique of my Senju Family, today you must leave your life here!"

"Go to Hell!"

Senju secret technique? Stealing?

Hashirama was completely confused; was this guy's brain broken?

I am Senju Hashirama!

The founding ancestor of Wood Release! This guy actually cursed Li Kui as a fake in front of Li Gui?

"Wood Release is a technique I created myself; what do you mean by stealing?"

Hashirama couldn't help but retort.

Hearing this, the other party was so angry that he laughed, as if he had heard a huge joke.

"What a shameless face! To be so shameless; Wood Release is the crystallization of my Senju Family's hard work over several generations, and you actually dare to say you created it yourself?"

"Hmph! Even bragging needs a draft!"

Hashirama was choked to the point of rolling his eyes; this conversation couldn't continue.

The fact that he invented Wood Release was known to even three-year-olds in the entire ninja World; did he have any need to lie about such a thing?

If this guy didn't even know this, then things were a bit intriguing.

"Do You-Know-Who I am?"

Hashirama suddenly threw out this question.

The other party remained disdainful: "I don't need to know the name of a dead person! Because you are going to Hellimmediately!"

"I am Senju Hashirama!"

"Senju Hashirama? Good, this young master will remember this name, and when I go back, I will cross your name off the genealogy and use it as a negative example!"

Having said that, the person seemed to have lost patience and didn't want to talk nonsense with Hashirama anymore.

Boom!

A blast of air exploded under his feet, and a thick wooden vine carried him, crashing fiercely toward Hashirama like a cannonball.

He could actually fly by controlling wood? This made even Hashirama stare dumbfounded.

This meant that the other party's fine control of Wood Release seemed to be a level higher than his own.

But how was that possible!

There was no time to think carefully; the opponent's fist had already smashed towards his face with wind pressure, and Hashirama instinctively raised his fist, slamming it back in a head-on collision.

Two iron fists collided violently in the air.

The terrifying air wave instantly exploded in a ring shape, blowing the surrounding gravel away.

In the next second, Hashirama's pupils shrank violently; the monstrous strength transmitted from the fist was astonishing, shaking his entire arm until it was numb.

Immediately after, his body flew backward uncontrollably.

The opponent's strength was actually so tyrannical to this extent!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Hashirama took several steps back before steadying his figure, and Tobirama on the side looked like his chin was about to hit the ground.

He knew his big brother's monstrous strength best; that was the existence that could tear apart Susanoo with bare hands, and he actually lost in a contest of strength to this weirdo?

This was simply absurd!

And at this moment, Minato, who was hung in mid-air, endured the severe pain and spoke weakly:

"My Lord Tobirama... My Lord Hashirama... these people... these so-called Senju clansmen, might be completely different from what we have in mind..."

Tobirama was stunned and turned back abruptly: "What do you mean by that?"

"They might come from..."

Just when Minato hadn't finished speaking, a World-destroying chakra fluctuation suddenly swept over from a distance.

That aura was full of violence and hatred, yet it carried a trace of familiar warmth.

"It's the Nine-Tails!"

"Naruto is back!" Tobirama's originally heavy old face instantly relaxed.

If this kid didn't come back, this mess would really be hard to clean up.

Just those four who knew Flying Thunder God were headache-inducing enough, plus that monster with infinite strength using Wood Release, it was simply Hell difficulty.

"Naruto, this guy, finally made it in time!"

Tobirama murmured softly.

In the next second, accompanied by that violent Nine-Tails chakra, a fiery red meteor streaked across the sky, sweeping over at extreme speed with a sonic boom.

Boom!

That figure landed heavily, and the terrifying air wave instantly shook all the remaining Wood Release vines into powder.

Naruto, wearing a golden Nine-Tails chakra cloak, landed steadily in front of the First Hokage.

Looking at the battered Senju Hashirama, Naruto reached out, his eyes concerned: "Are you okay, Grandpa?"

Hashirama borrowed the strength to stand up and shook his head: "I'm fine! This old bone is still sturdy, I won't die!"

While speaking, the injuries on his body were rapidly healing under the effect of the Immortal body.

At this moment, Hashirama put away his joking mind, and his expression became unprecedentedly serious.

"Naruto! These people claim to be the Senju Family!"

"But their path and chakra are completely different from the Senju Family we know!"

Naruto nodded, his gaze like torches: "I felt it!"

He turned to look at the man not far away who had just knocked Hashirama flying; the aura on the other party was suffocatingly strong.

"An unknown Senju Family, huh..."

Naruto frowned, seemingly thinking about something.

A moment later, the golden light on his body suddenly flourished, Kurama Mode fully activated!

Since the opponent was ridiculously strong, then don't hide anything; go all-in directly, otherwise it would be impossible to solve the battle in a short time.

"Naruto..."

Hashirama still wanted to give a few words of advice, but Naruto interrupted him directly: "My Lord Hashirama, My Lord Tobirama, please help me hold off the other cannon fodder!"

Before the words fell, Naruto's figure disappeared instantly, and in the next second, he had appeared in mid-air.