Chapter 304: Barrier Broken x Konoha Shaken
"W-What is that?!"
Two clusters of fire enveloping great suns slowly burned within the eye sockets of the Susanoo. Large swaths of shadow cast down, instantly enveloping Itachi and Shisui.
The young boys gaped, their voices catching in their throats, looking up in sheer horror. The blue giant, having extended its skeletal frame, rapidly grew muscles and skin, instantly surpassing the heights of the large trees, towering over forty meters tall.
Roy slowly stood up. Abruptly increasing his Nen aura output, he declared calmly, "Armor, come!"
Crack, crack... At high noon, the radiant sun suddenly cast down a streak of scorching sunlight, illuminating the Susanoo. The two great suns slowly rotating within its pupils shot out two blinding beams of divine light.
Its size subsequently expanded, and a crimson armor wreathed in raging flames slowly surfaced across its exterior. The armor overflowed with searing heat, extending from the waist all the way up, tightly encasing half of the Susanoo's body.
Unlike Sasuke's purple, Itachi's crimson, or Madara Uchiha's azure, the moment this red armor manifested, it incinerated the large trees behind Roy into ash in a single instant. It trailed behind as a cape, rendering a carefree aura, and flapped like a standard, adding an unspeakable air of liberty to the Susanoo.
Regrettably, it was only a half-body form. Positioned within the massive chest cavity of the Susanoo, Roy felt the Nen aura within his body squandering frantically like a bursting dam. The boy knew that given his current Aura Volume, it wasn't enough to materialize the fourth stage—the Humanoid Form. Thus, he simply abandoned the attempt and began testing further armaments.
"Sword, come!"
As Roy's lips parted, a gentle command was issued. Suddenly, a sharp sword cry exploded across the sky, leaving Shisui and Itachi's minds buzzing as if their eardrums had been pierced. Guided by bodily instinct, they hastily covered their ears.
Looking up in shock once more, they witnessed the Susanoo reach its right hand into the void. Subsequently, a hundred-meter great sword overflowing with flames and golden light manifested into the world, held firmly in its grip. Thrusting it skyward, it splattered vast amounts of light and heat.
Buzz~ The thrust pierced straight into the heavens. Faintly appearing to strike something, a soft pop echoed resoundingly. The sensory barrier blanketed over the entirety of Konoha was instantly pierced with a gaping hole, the momentum continuing unabated until it skewered the wind and clouds hanging high in the stratosphere.
"Enemy attack!" The Barrier Team responsible for maintaining the barrier was instantly alarmed!
During the Third Shinobi World War, this was already a highly sensitive period. Any minor disturbance could trigger an acute response, let alone a gaping hole being punched through the barrier right within Konoha's perimeter, far from distant from the center.
Upon receiving the alert from the Barrier Team, one powerful presence after another abandoned their tasks, rushing frantically toward the Southern Forest. Among them were a head of dazzling yellow hair and a head of striking white hair.
With the deployment to the frontlines imminent, Minato Namikaze had been leading Kakashi, Obito, and Rin through frantic day-and-night training sessions. Today was no different; as he engaged the three in combat to refine their skills, the young man's gaze suddenly locked. Flashing onto the crown of a large tree, he stood upon the highest leaves, looking gravely toward a specific direction.
Before Kakashi, Obito, or Rin could react, he flicked a marked kunai spinning into the distance. His figure flashed, vanishing completely as he dropped a single sentence: "Stand by on the spot, do not move recklessly."
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin looked at each other in speechless bewilderment.
"What happened?"
"Sensei looked so anxious."
"Could someone have invaded Konoha?"
Speculation and curiosity grew wildly like weeds. Kakashi, Obito, and Rin each selected a large tree, leaping to the top branches. Looking through the leaves, they faintly witnessed a titanic sword overflowing with flames and golden glare hovering in the distance. The three young Genin widened their eyes, their expressions filled with absolute shock.
The kunai marked with the Flying Raijin formula flew through the air. With his dazzling yellow hair swaying, Minato Namikaze's figure flashed continuously, rapidly closing the distance. At a certain moment, the young man cast a side glance behind him.
A head of striking white hair, wreathed in piercing lightning, followed closely behind him, whistling past. A short sword was faintly visible strapped across his back. Minato hastily called out, "Hatake-senpai!"
His figure flashed once more, racing toward the epicenter alongside Sakumo Hatake from left and right.
Whoosh~ The kunai whistled. Crackle~ Lightning sparked.
Sakumo Hatake delivered a slight nod to Minato Namikaze in response, his eyes fixed forward as he sprinted at extreme speed. As they drew close, his intuition flared, sensitively detecting a massive volume of chakra! That chakra was unfamiliar yet carried a trace of recognition, sounding似曾相識. In a single instant, it dragged him back to a specific memory—the day he executed his seventh S-rank mission, infiltrating the Land of Earth to gather intelligence on the Four-Tails. That was one of the few occasions he had faced a rampaging Tailed Beast head-on, experiencing that absolute "madness and terror."
Now, that exact sensation appeared to resurface. Transformed into a streak of lightning, Sakumo's face turned grave. Vaulting forward fiercely, he drew his blade mid-air, landing upon the highest branch of a large tree. Forming a pincer configuration with Minato Namikaze, they finally arrived at the location. Staring deeply forward, they took in the scene.
The blue giant stood clad in crimson flame armor, the cape behind its back unfurling with the wind to reveal a nebula setting off a great sun, unleashing a monstrous heatwave. Positioned within the absolute center stood a boy. Immersed in testing his limits, he issued another command: "Shield, come!"
Amidst the surging storm of Nen aura, following the light sword, a titanic flaming buckler condensed into reality! The face of the shield was clearly branded with the words "Daybreak," appearing exactly like the light of dawn piercing through absolute darkness, bringing infinite morning light to this world!
"Jin?!"
"Roar!" With the light sword in its left hand and the Daybreak shield in its right, the Susanoo unleashed a skyward roar, the acoustic waves billowing outward to sweep across the surroundings. It was at this exact moment that Minato Namikaze and Sakumo Hatake finally discerned Roy's appearance!
The two exchanged a glance, their expressions relaxing slightly before tightening once more as they watched Roy command the Susanoo to look over leisurely. Their hands gripped their kunai and White Light Chakra Sabre firmly!
"What terrifying pressure!" Sakumo and Minato exchanged a glance. Opening his mouth, Sakumo called out to Roy, "Jin, look at the barrier above your head. Deactivate it immediately!"
The arming of the Susanoo's third stage was complete. It appeared that given his current Aura Volume, this was the absolute limit he could sustain. With a movement of Roy's thought, the blue giant clad in crimson solar armor collapsed inward, the blade and shield dissolving back into his body within the blink of an eye, vanishing without a trace.
Phew~ Another gust of wind carried a scorched scent into the air. Roy exhaled gently, casting a slightly regretful glance at the sky. A massive chakra void hung directly above his head, clearly the hole punctured by the hundred-meter light sword he had inadvertently materialized.
Well... from the looks of it... I might have caused a bit too much of a scene.
Deploying En to spread across the ground like a radar, following the arrival of Minato Namikaze and Sakumo Hatake, Roy detected several other silhouettes closing in rapidly on his location. Standing with his hands behind his back, the young boy delivered a slight nod to the two, saying, "I apologize."
Sakumo Hatake and Minato Namikaze looked at each other, letting out helpless, bitter smiles as they leaped down from the tree branches. "Apologizing to us won't do much use. Perhaps... you'll need to take a trip to the Hokage Building."
Sakumo cast an expressionless glance behind him. Suddenly, an Anbu ninja wearing a fox mask materialized on a tree trunk, looking down at Roy from above as he stated, "Jin Uchiha, by order of Hokage-sama, please make a trip to the Hokage office immediately!"
Roy cast a faint glance at him, casually manifesting a Shadow Clone: "You go."
The clone nodded to him, took a step forward, and instantly merged into the light, reappearing right beside the Anbu member!
"Shall we go?" The clone cast a sidelong glance.
The Anbu was visibly startled, instinctively reaching for his blade. Before the sword could clear its scabbard, it was firmly pressed back into place by the clone's palm!
"I advise you not to draw a blade before him. Whatever needs to be said, let him go on Roy's behalf; after all, his Shadow Clone is also him." Sakumo Hatake cast a faint glance at the Anbu.
The Anbu adjusted his fox mask, looked at Roy, then at Sakumo, and kicked off the tree trunk. Executing several rapid leaps, he turned and sped toward the Hokage Building. "Since Sakumo-sama has spoken, I will report the situation accurately to Hokage-sama."
As his voice carried over from afar, Sakumo remained unmoved. Roy's clone cast a glance back at him, nodded to Sakumo, and merged into the light, tracking closely behind the Anbu to vanish into the dense forest.
Tap... tap... The sound of footsteps receded into the distance.
Without turning his head, Roy spoke to the two young boys behind him: "It doesn't concern you. Continue your swings."
Shisui and Itachi responded in unison, "Yes." Scrambling up from the ground, they walked to the side with trembling frames, their shins still visibly shaking from the absolute terror they had just witnessed.
What was that?
I think I saw Nii-san's Sharingan.
His eyes seemed different from mine.
Could there be an even more powerful eye above the three tomoe?
Was that titan the form that can be wantonly displayed once ocular power elevates further?
Speculation exploded within their minds. On this high-noon afternoon under the intense sun, Shisui and Itachi took a deep breath and raised their blades with great difficulty. Their worldview and cognition were thoroughly shattered as their next swing cleaved down.
"Three thousand five hundred twenty-seven... three thousand five hundred twenty-eight..."
The boys' counts, accompanied by blade lights cleaving through the hot wind, leisurely echoed outward.
Turning his gaze toward Minato Namikaze and Sakumo Hatake, Roy pointed at a massive blue stone nearby: "Have a seat?" Following the movement of Nen aura from his fingertips, three stone chairs and a stone table materialized into perfect form!
Earth Release?
Looking at this adept manipulation of chakra, it doesn't appear to be an ordinary Earth Release.
Minato and Sakumo exchanged a glance, each selecting a stone chair to sit across from Roy.
With trees, wind, and chairs present, the absence of tea seemed somewhat improper. Roy extended a finger, materializing several stone cups and a stone kettle, filling it with water and infusing it with his Scorching Intent to bring it to a boil. With a wave of his hand, two cups emitting curling steam floated smoothly before Minato and Sakumo.
The two watched silently as the boy said, "There are no tea leaves, just bear with the plain water."
Minato Namikaze smiled faintly without speaking. Raising the stone cup, he tilted his neck and downed the hot water in a single gulp. Setting the cup down, he stood up and spoke to Roy: "Jin, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin are still waiting for me. Once I return from the frontlines, I will have a proper chat with you."
Saying this, he nodded to Sakumo Hatake, turned, and flashed away along the path he came.
With the Third War about to enter the meat-grinder phase, Orochimaru's defection had left Jiraiya leading his forces alone under immense strain. Roy could understand Minato's internal urgency. Watching him recede into the distance, he let out a light laugh and called out, "Help me greet Kushina-nee, tell her my mom cooked some excellent dishes and will send some over later."
Minato paused his steps, a warm arc tracing his mouth as he waved his hand back at Roy. "Got it." His figure subsequently flashed, vanishing into the jungle.
Whoosh~ A gust of wind caused the green leaves to rustle loudly, carrying a trace of the melancholy of departure.
With his white hair swaying, Sakumo Hatake raised his cup and took a shallow sip of the water. He smiled at Roy, and much like Minato Namikaze, neither of them mentioned a single word regarding the Susanoo. Their arrival, it seemed, was merely to... say goodbye.
"Jin, I must depart as well. The situation at the frontlines is tight, and Jiraiya has written back to urge us several times. With that fellow's lazy and relaxed disposition, he must be on the verge of exploding with rage." Sakumo chuckled.
Mentioning Jiraiya, Roy could entirely relate. If the perverted hermit couldn't peep on the women's bathhouse, he would certainly be irritable. But when it came to warfare and missions, Roy understood very well that as one of the Sannin, Jiraiya understood the weight of priorities—especially now, with Orochimaru gone and Tsunade checked out.
Roy raised his stone cup, lightly clinking it against Sakumo's, saying, "Likewise. Me too."
Sakumo froze slightly, looking at Roy in surprise: "You are heading to the frontlines as well?"
Roy slowly shook his head, raising his eyes past the sunlight to view the lush green forest and the leaves dancing as they fell. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Not the frontlines, yet better than the frontlines. In short,"
"Men must fight!"
The hot blood within his body, infused with Scorching, was faintly boiling, and a surging battle intent uncontrollably drilled out from his frame. Sakumo looked at Roy, appearing to see starlight within the boy's eyes—a absolute confidence in his own strength, and a deep anticipation and craving for the battles to come.
So, whom exactly was he going to fight?
In the Hunter world.
Within that massive study on the east side of the second floor of the Zoldyck castle, a man was engaged in a full split, his left and right feet resting upon two separate chairs. He suddenly let out an unprompted sneeze.
His waist-length silver hair dangled onto the floorboards like poured mercury, faintly gleaming with a chilling light.
☆☆☆
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