Chapter 650: Wooden Man Standing on the Battlefield
Rasa looked at Mugetsu in horror, unable to stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. His face turned deathly pale.
He had never expected Mugetsu's recent Taijutsu to be so unbelievably powerful.
Just now, he had instantly set up a Gold Dust barrier and condensed a layer of Gold Dust armor over his body, but that double-layered defense had been shattered almost immediately by that terrifying Taijutsu, causing severe injuries throughout his body.
"Why can this guy's Taijutsu be so powerful? Damn Hayate Mugetsu, and damn Ōnoki too!" Rasa cursed both Mugetsu and Ōnoki in his heart.
At this moment, Rasa hated Mugetsu without needing any reason. Being severely injured by a single punch in such a setting meant Mugetsu had practically made a name for himself by stepping on Rasa.
As for Ōnoki, Rasa believed that his current predicament was inextricably linked to him.
If Ōnoki had investigated Mugetsu's complete intelligence, he definitely would not have lost so quickly. If Ōnoki had properly coordinated everything, Hidden Mist might not have backstabbed them.
"He was dealt with that quickly."
The Third Raikage, who was entangled by the Third Mizukage, frowned when he saw this.
He had initially thought that Rasa, as a Kazekage, even if he was younger and not as strong as veteran Kage like them, should still have been able to tie Mugetsu down for a while.
He had not expected Rasa to fail to last even a minute.
For a moment, the Third Raikage could not even determine whether Rasa was too weak or Mugetsu was too strong.
Due to the massive commotion here, even Ōnoki, who was fiercely battling Hiruzen, noticed this terrible turn of events.
"Damn it. I hope Sunagakure's fighting spirit isn't as useless as the Kazekage's strength."
Ōnoki silently prayed in his heart.
A leader being severely injured could lead to two outcomes.
The first was a drop in morale, where Ninja would experience negative emotions like fear, leading to a decline in combat effectiveness.
The second was that their fighting spirit would ignite. They would want to avenge their leader, causing their morale and combat effectiveness to rise slightly.
Rasa had brought many Sunagakure elites. If these Ninja were as useless as Rasa, then Ōnoki could only consider himself unlucky.
"Hayate Mugetsu!"
A master Puppeteer, seeing Rasa severely injured, quickly released several puppets and pushed his control to the limit.
"Protect Lord Fourth!"
There were also Wind Release Ninja who quickly formed hand seals, unleashing wind blade slashes toward Mugetsu.
However, Rasa was not the only one with teammates on the battlefield.
Whoosh!
Shisui infused Fire Release Chakra into the Kunai in his hand and threw it toward the Puppeteer.
The Puppeteer tried to control his puppets to block, but his gaze happened to meet Shisui's blood-red Sharingan.
"Tsukuyomi!"
Blood tears flowed from Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan, and a Genjutsu world completely controlled by Shisui was constructed.
Bang!
The next moment, the Puppeteer's face turned pale. His hands, which had been controlling the puppets, dropped powerlessly, and he fainted directly onto the ground.
Boom!
The flaming Kunai accurately struck the unconscious Puppeteer, sending him to his death.
"Lord Tanri!"
The surrounding Sunagakure Ninja all showed expressions of disbelief.
Because the Puppeteer Shisui had just killed was a famous Puppeteer master within Sunagakure, an elite among Sunagakure's Puppeteers.
Yet such an elite had inexplicably died to such a small flaming Kunai.
"Leaf Dragon God!"
Guy unleashed a massive amount of Chakra, charging into the crowd and transforming into a giant wind dragon that swept up and tore apart enemies.
Kakashi, wielding Enma, precisely selected Jonin of considerable strength to eliminate.
For Kakashi, Ninja below a certain level of strength, whether they were Jonin or Genin, made no real difference. They were all killed in one strike anyway, and the Chakra consumed was similar.
In that case, choosing stronger Ninja as targets was naturally more cost-effective and allowed him to use his Chakra more efficiently.
Obito, who had mastered Kamui, was not to be outdone either. He ignored enemy attacks as he weaved through the crowd, eliminating foes.
"Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite!"
The Third Raikage, unwilling to stay entangled with the Third Mizukage, erupted with Chakra, pushing his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to its peak and greatly enhancing his strength. He used his strongest Lightning Release Taijutsu to swiftly overpower the Third Mizukage's Water Release.
The Third Mizukage was not his match, but killing the Third Mizukage was meaningless.
He had to kill Mugetsu.
"Hell Stab: Three-Finger Nukite!"
The Third Raikage exerted his absolute full power. No Ninja on his path could stop his advance toward Mugetsu.
Even if they used Ninjutsu to block him, it would be instantly torn apart by the Third Raikage's Lightning Release Taijutsu.
"This is Kumogakure's strongest spear!"
The Cloud Ninja on the battlefield felt honored and incredibly proud when they saw this scene.
Although the Third Raikage did not have a title like "Strongest Raikage" within Hidden Cloud Village, his immense strength was acknowledged by all of Kumogakure. In the eyes of many Cloud Ninja, the Third Raikage was the strongest in the Ninja World.
"Hell Stab: Two-Finger Nukite!"
The Third Raikage reduced another finger, and dazzling blue lightning burst from his body. His momentum continued to rise.
His Hell Stab grew stronger as the number of fingers decreased. Only the Hell Stab with one finger was truly the strongest spear.
The Third Raikage did not believe Mugetsu could block the attack of his strongest spear.
This was a feat no Ninja had ever accomplished, not even the Eight-Tails.
"Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite!"
When only one finger remained raised by the Third Raikage, his momentum reached its peak.
Crackle!
A massive amount of powerful lightning gathered on that final finger, and an incredibly sharp aura forced the Hidden Mist and Konoha Ninja nearby to keep their distance from the Third Raikage.
Could Mugetsu block this strongest spear?
Mugetsu believed he could.
The Third Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode was Perfect-grade, but why would Mugetsu's Armament Haki not also be Perfect-grade?
The Third Raikage could concentrate his power to a single point to increase penetration, and Mugetsu could naturally concentrate his Armament Haki to a single point to increase defense.
Of course, Mugetsu would not do that.
Because compared to taking it head-on, he had too many other options.
"Wood Release: Wood Human Technique!"
Mugetsu converted the massive amount of Chakra he had gathered into Wood Release Chakra, and dazzling green light erupted beneath him.
After delivering that punch, Mugetsu had immediately exited the Eight Gates and Rock Breathing Chakra Mode.
Under the higher gates of the Eight Gates, there were too many techniques he could not use. Even Armament Haki could only be used in its most basic form, without fine control.
Rumble!
The moment Mugetsu unleashed his Wood Release Chakra, the earth began to tremble, as if a monster was writhing underground.
Under the life force of Wood Release Chakra, the vegetation around Mugetsu grew wildly, and every inch of the ground began to surge, rolling like ocean waves.
Immediately afterward, a large number of rapidly growing trees and vines intertwined, quickly forming a Wood Human.
The Wood Human's body continuously grew taller and larger, instantly becoming a wooden giant over sixty meters tall, standing proudly on the battlefield.
"This..."
The Ninja on the battlefield, whether they were from Konoha, Hidden Mist, or Iwagakure, all looked at the suddenly appearing giant in shock.
Even among Konoha Ninja, only a very small number had seen Mugetsu use the Wood Human Technique. The rest had at most only heard that Mugetsu had mastered a formidable Wood Release.
"What a powerful sense of oppression!" Kitsuchi's pupils constricted as he looked at the ferocious-looking giant Wood Human, his mind greatly shaken.
He had seen Mugetsu's Wood Human once before, but that time, he had been outside the battlefield and seen it from afar. That was a completely different experience from seeing it up close now.
Looking at this mountain-like Wood Human, Kitsuchi suddenly had a strange thought.
Did Mugetsu now see them the same way they usually saw ants?
"What kind of Ninjutsu is this!"
Facing such an awe-inspiring presence, many Ninja had faces filled with disbelief and fear.
Senju Hashirama's legend still circulated throughout the Ninja World, but most people only remembered that he used Wood Release. The specific Ninjutsu he used were mostly unknown.
"Lord Mugetsu!"
Many Konoha Ninja showed almost fanatical expressions, as if they had already foreseen the coming victory.
Uchiha Fugaku felt a surge of emotion as he watched this scene.
"If we win this battle, Mugetsu's momentum will likely completely overshadow the Sannin, and he might even disregard seniority to become Hokage."
Mugetsu already had an excellent reputation in Konoha. Coupled with this enormous war merit and his identity as a Wood Release Ninja, Fugaku could not imagine who could contend with Mugetsu.
Even Fugaku himself wanted to support Mugetsu.
There was no other reason than Shisui and Obito both being Mugetsu's disciples. If Mugetsu could become Hokage, it would be very beneficial for the Uchiha to enter the higher ranks.
The Third Raikage did not stop his charge because of the Wood Human's enormous size. He continued his assault.
Boom!
A dazzling flash of lightning burst out, wood splinters flew everywhere, and a gap several meters wide appeared in the Wood Human's leg.
"It's nothing special. Just a big wooden target."
"Earth Release: Rock Iron Cannon Technique!"
An Iwagakure Jonin, seeing this, lost most of his fear and attacked the Wood Human with Ninjutsu.
Bang!
The cannonball-like rock struck the giant Wood Human's body and exploded violently, leaving only an extremely tiny mark.
The Iwagakure Jonin was dumbfounded, completely failing to expect that this wooden giant would possess such defensive power.
Then, something even more devastating happened for the Iwagakure Jonin.
Vines and trees on the ground grew rapidly, intertwining around the Wood Human's leg and instantly repairing the damaged area to its original state.
Various attacks from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure struck the Wood Human like mere tickles, unable to break through its defense.
Mugetsu stood atop the towering Wood Human, looking down at all the Ninja below.
The Third Raikage's strongest spear was indeed impressive, but if the attacks of ordinary Ninja could be effective against the Wood Human, then Senju Hashirama would never have earned the title of God of Shinobi.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Mugetsu controlled the Wood Human to swing its thick arms at the opposing Ninja villages.
Due to its enormous size and immense strength, the swinging of its arms instantly created fierce gales, forcing some Ninja to use Chakra just to maintain their balance.
Rumble!
Although the Wood Human looked very bulky, its movements were not slow. Its giant fist quickly smashed down onto a patch of ground where many Iwagakure Ninja had gathered.
The weakest Iwagakure Ninja were directly splattered against the Wood Human's fist. Some Ninja who could not outrun the Wood Human's speed were severely injured by the impact. Only the most elite group of Ninja managed to escape.
The Third Raikage originally wanted to use Hell Stab again to disable the Wood Human's arm or leg, but he was entangled by the Third Mizukage, who had caught up with him.
"This Hayate Mugetsu truly has the potential of a God of Shinobi. This alliance with Konoha, even if it's only to drink some soup, is worth it."
The Third Mizukage thought to himself.
Although Mugetsu's dominance meant that Hidden Mist would have no hope of becoming number one for the next few decades, Hidden Mist had never truly reached number one anyway.
Mugetsu did not use any special techniques afterward. He simply controlled the Wood Human to attack.
Under the enhancement of its powerful body, every strike by the Wood Human unleashed a gust of wind and shattered the ground. Iwagakure's Ninja forces were simply unable to resist.
Even if the Five-Tails Jinchuriki wanted to fully transform into a Tailed Beast and fight the Wood Human, he was unable to provide more assistance to Iwagakure due to Jiraiya entangling him.
Ōnoki watched the situation gradually worsen, and his heart bled.
Here, apart from Konoha, Iwagakure had the strongest forces and the most Ninja. With Konoha holding the advantage, the heaviest casualties would naturally fall on Iwagakure.
Training a Ninja required too many resources and too much money.
Why did the Ninja Academy control the number of students admitted?
Was it because there were too few people with Ninja talent?
No. It was because they could not afford to support that many Ninja, so they could only select elites as much as possible for training.
Ōnoki gritted his teeth, wanting to gather most of the Chakra in his body and unleash a super Dust Release, solving Mugetsu and his Wood Human in one move.
Although this would put him in danger during the subsequent battle, he had no other choice.
"Trying to leave?" Hiruzen snorted coldly, his battle-hardened experience instantly seeing through Ōnoki's intention.
He immediately threw out the enlarged Enma, preventing Ōnoki from leaving, then quickly formed hand seals and created four Shadow Clones.
"Five-Style Consecutive Barrage!"
Hiruzen's main body and his clones each unleashed a powerful long-range Ninjutsu of a different element, completely blocking all of Ōnoki's escape routes.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Looking at the five formidable Ninjutsu approaching him, Ōnoki sighed deeply. He finally gave up on the idea of attacking Mugetsu and once again used Dust Release to deal with Hiruzen.
His plan had been good, but his opponent was not some random nobody.
It was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Under Hiruzen's close watch, he simply could not spare a hand to deal with Mugetsu.
Ōnoki's Dust Release and Hiruzen's Five-Style Consecutive Barrage were both Ninjutsu of terrifying power.
The two collided, erupting in an incredibly dazzling white explosion.
It was fortunate that no Ninja dared approach the area around them. Otherwise, the residual blast alone would have been enough to take many lives.
"Alas, it was still a misstep after all."
After one strike, Ōnoki floated in the sky and looked at the Wood Human rampaging across the battlefield. He sighed deeply again, and his figure suddenly seemed much more hunched.
"Hokage, is the unconditional peace talk you mentioned earlier still on the table?" Ōnoki asked, looking at Hiruzen.
"Unconditional peace talks now? Tsuchikage, do you enjoy sleeping during the day?" Hiruzen said with a benevolent smile.
Peace talks were possible, but unconditional ones were out of the question. That showed far too little sincerity.
He had already given them one chance, but Ōnoki had not cherished it.
Besides, if they had not started fighting, Hiruzen would not have known just how strong his own side truly was.
.....
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