The Heavenly Transfer Technique.
It was a transportation technique that instantly sent a target to a designated location through extreme high-speed movement.
It was not a Space-Time Ninjutsu. It was closer to an ultra-high-speed movement technique.
Its speed was comparable to teleportation.
However, moving at such speed caused violent friction with the air and generated an immense burden. Because of that, the technique was generally used only to transport durable materials.
A human body could not withstand the strain and would be torn apart instantly.
However, the Third Raikage's body was exceptionally tough. Combined with the Lightning Release Armor created by his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he could withstand the tremendous burden.
Boom!
At the command camp on Kumo's front line.
It was as though a bolt of lightning had descended from the sky and crashed into the ground.
Amid a thunderous roar, a crater was smashed into the earth, sending clouds of dust into the air.
Crackle!
Harsh electrical sounds rang continuously from within the crater.
As the dust dispersed, a burly man emerged.
His powerful physique was wrapped in a cloak of lightning. He had bronze-colored skin, the character for lightning tattooed on his right arm, and a broad, muscular build.
It was none other than the Third Raikage, who had used the Heavenly Transfer Technique to reach this front line from another battlefield!
"Where is Dodai?"
The Third Raikage swept his gaze across the surroundings, looking at the Kumo shinobi who became visibly excited upon seeing him.
He said calmly, "Take me to him."
"Yes, Lord Raikage!"
A Kumo Jonin suppressed the excitement in his heart.
The fear that had spread after the deaths of A and Killer B, along with the setbacks on the battlefield, largely vanished the moment they saw the Third Raikage.
This was the Kage of Kumo and the strongest shinobi in the village.
The Third Raikage's strength surpassed that of the First and Second Raikage.
He was the strongest Raikage in Kumo's history!
His mere presence was enough to restore their confidence.
Soon.
Led by the Kumo shinobi, the Third Raikage arrived at the command post.
There, he saw Dodai, the commander of this front line.
"Tell me exactly what happened. Do not leave out a single detail."
The Third Raikage was direct and decisive.
He did not blame Dodai for the defeat. He simply asked for a complete report.
Even Killer B and A had died.
Although Dodai was one of his most trusted subordinates, his strength was limited.
Faced with that kind of situation, there was little he could have done.
Moreover, the Third Raikage understood his son's personality.
This turn of events had most likely been caused by A's impulsiveness.
There was no need to investigate who was responsible.
What mattered now was learning everything that had happened, then preparing an appropriate response.
"I understand, Lord Raikage."
Seeing the Third Raikage, Dodai felt much more at ease.
The other man was like an unshakable pillar, reducing the fear and anxiety in his heart.
"Earlier, one of our scouting teams discovered the location of Konoha's command post. After that."
Dodai took a deep breath.
Then he recounted everything that had happened in detail.
He left nothing out.
He clearly explained the entire sequence of events.
"Konoha's strongest genius, Seiryū, who could suppress B after his Full Tailed Beast Transformation, and the Legendary Sannin, Princess Tsunade, who can use Wood Release."
"And an Uchiha Clan member suspected of possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan, who can also use Susanoo."
As he listened to Dodai's report, the Third Raikage frowned, and his expression grew increasingly grave.
Frustration, anger, and killing intent also appeared in his eyes.
This sequence of events fit his son's personality perfectly.
After suffering such a great loss on the battlefield, A would naturally have taken action.
It was entirely believable that he had launched another attack out of impatience and anger.
However, he had underestimated the enemy's strength, and that mistake had cost him his life.
On the battlefield, killing and being killed were normal.
Powerful shinobi had also fallen in past wars.
Even someone as formidable as the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had died during the previous Shinobi World War.
Even the Third Raikage himself could be killed if he became careless.
Moreover, according to Dodai's account, the forces Konoha had deployed to this front line could not be underestimated.
There was Seiryū of the Uzumaki Clan, who could suppress a Tailed Beast, and the Legendary Sannin, Princess Tsunade, who could use Wood Release.
Against opponents like that.
It was not surprising that A and Killer B had been killed after letting down their guard.
He was furious.
But he understood this point clearly.
Had A and Killer B acted more cautiously, this situation might not have occurred.
However, it was already too late to say such things.
What concerned him even more was the Uchiha Clan member Dodai had mentioned, the one suspected of possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan and capable of using Susanoo.
That white body.
Could it have been some kind of disguise?
According to Kumo's records, there had only ever been one person capable of wielding such power.
Madara, the former Asura of the Shinobi World!
Had another member of the Uchiha Clan awakened the same power?
And was that person an enemy of Konoha?
No matter how he considered it, something did not add up.
"Something is wrong."
The Third Raikage suppressed the anger and killing intent in his heart.
He refused to let rage cloud his judgment.
How could a member of the Uchiha Clan be an enemy of Konoha?
Internal conflict?
That seemed unlikely.
Uchiha Clan shinobi from Konoha had appeared on other battlefields as well.
Then who was the Uchiha Clan member Dodai had described?
The Third Raikage found the matter both puzzling and troubling.
He could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Looking at Dodai, the Third Raikage exhaled and asked, "You said that the Uchiha Clan member with the Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo may have been targeting B, or rather, the Eight-Tails sealed within him?"
Dodai nodded solemnly. "That is what I believe. At the time, that Uchiha Clan member was clearly trying to capture Killer B. I could not have mistaken it."
"And to prevent him from succeeding, Seiryū chose to."
Dodai had not heard the conversation between Seiryū and Madara.
However, Madara's actions had been obvious.
He had been trying to capture Killer B.
Dodai had seen that clearly.
That was why he had reached this conclusion.
And it was likely very close to the truth.
The reason that white humanoid creature with the Mangekyō Sharingan had appeared was almost certainly Killer B.
What made Killer B so important?
The answer was obvious.
He was the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki!
Madara had once controlled the Nine-Tails and fought a great battle against Senju Hashirama.
The Valley of the End had been created by their battle.
It was possible that this Uchiha Clan member intended to imitate Madara and control the Tailed Beasts for his own use.
The Third Raikage released a heavy breath, his expression shifting.
Tailed Beasts were weapons of the shinobi villages and possessed tremendous power.
Given the opportunity, he would also capture other Tailed Beasts and bring them under Kumo's control.
It was only natural that others would covet them.
However.
A disguised Uchiha Clan member whose target was the Tailed Beasts.
There were too many suspicious details.
Even the outbreak of this war now seemed unusual.
It was not simply that the war had begun too quickly. Its intensity was also greater than expected.
It was almost as if someone had been directing events from behind the scenes.
After all, he was a Kage who had ruled for many years. He was no fool.
He had his own judgment of the situation.
"Set that matter aside for now. First, tell me about Konoha's deployment on this front line, along with the exact strength and abilities of Tsunade and Seiryū."
For the moment, the Third Raikage put aside the matter of the Uchiha Clan member with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
His voice turned cold as he asked about something else.
No matter what.
The deaths of A and Killer B were what he needed to address first.
"Both of them are extremely powerful, especially Seiryū. His strength exceeds anything I can understand."
Dodai's expression immediately became grave.
A trace of fear even appeared in his eyes.
The power Seiryū had displayed was beyond comprehension.
The only word Dodai could use to describe him was monster.
The Third Raikage did not interrupt.
He listened quietly, and the more he heard, the more solemn his expression became.
Eventually, even disbelief appeared on his face.
Was Dodai truly describing an eleven or twelve-year-old boy?
Countless Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu.
Taijutsu powerful enough to fight A while he was using Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
And a vast reserve of Chakra suspected of being comparable to a Tailed Beast.
Yet the opponent was only eleven or twelve years old!
Given more time, who could possibly stop him?
Was Konoha about to produce another powerhouse like Madara, the Asura of the Shinobi World, or Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi?
Another person capable of sweeping across the entire Shinobi World?
No.
That could not be allowed!
There was also Tsunade, who had awakened Wood Release.
Konoha's current foundation was simply too deep!
Given time, who would still be able to resist Konoha?
Realizing this, the Third Raikage clenched his fists, and intense killing intent appeared in his eyes.
"Where is Konoha's command post? Whether it is Seiryū or Tsunade, if they survive, they will become future threats."
Threats.
Future disasters.
Then they had to be eliminated as soon as possible!
"Lord Raikage."
Hearing the implication in the Third Raikage's words, Dodai hesitated.
It was not that he doubted the Third Raikage's strength.
Even A and Killer B together would not have been his match.
However, if his opponents were Seiryū and Tsunade, victory was not guaranteed.
If something happened to the Raikage, Kumo would be finished.
The Third Raikage interrupted him, his tone firm.
"After a battle of that scale, it is impossible for them to be completely unharmed. This is our opportunity."
From Dodai's description.
He already had a rough understanding of their strength.
In a battle between opponents of that level, injuries were unavoidable.
This was an opportunity!
After all, no one would have expected the Third Raikage to arrive on this battlefield so quickly.
Inside Konoha's camp.
Seiryū was eating.
After such an intense battle, although he had already recovered from his injuries, he had still expended a great deal of energy.
It was also mealtime, so he needed to replenish his strength.
The food could not be called delicious.
After all, this was not peaceful Konoha. It was a battlefield.
Having something to eat at all was already good enough.
Fortunately, Seiryū was not picky about food.
When conditions allowed, he enjoyed eating well. When they did not, anything edible would do.
He ate with great appetite.
"What are your plans for later?"
While eating, Seiryū looked at Tsunade and said, "I've roughly determined the location of Kumo's command camp on this front line. Should we wipe out their forces here?"
Through the Flying Thunder God Seals he had left on several Kumo shinobi.
Seiryū already knew where Kumo's command camp was located.
He could attack it directly.
He could wipe out Kumo's entire deployment on this front line!
He had already killed the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B, and the Raikage's son, A.
Dealing with the remaining Kumo shinobi would merely be finishing the job.
After thinking for a moment, Tsunade asked, "Are you certain? Don't make us travel there for nothing."
Seiryū replied, "It should be correct. Everyone I marked with the Flying Thunder God Seal has stopped moving. I even left a seal on their commander, Dodai."
"It doesn't matter whether that place is their command camp or not. If we kill them all, there won't be any deployment left."
Tsunade glanced at Seiryū and said with heartfelt admiration, "Anyone unfortunate enough to become your enemy must have suffered through eight lifetimes of bad luck."
Who used the Flying Thunder God Technique like this?
He could even place a Flying Thunder God Seal on an enemy from a distance without touching them directly.
If her second grandfather were resurrected, he would probably weep in frustration.
Even Minato would find it unbelievable.
Minato certainly could not do such a thing.
Only a freak like Seiryū could use the technique this way.
Being able to place the Flying Thunder God Seal on an enemy from long range made the technique even more effective.
Seiryū spoke as if it were obvious. "They can only blame themselves for being too weak. If it were Madara, I wouldn't be able to place a Flying Thunder God Seal on his body. Otherwise, I would have already found his hideout and attacked it."
To be fair.
The ability to materialize Chakra was extremely useful.
It could not only be combined with nature transformation, but could also carry a Flying Thunder God Seal.
As long as someone was struck by a Heilig Pfeil, the Flying Thunder God Seal could be placed on them.
It was incredibly useful!
"That man's strength has increased far too much compared to last time. Could he really be Madara? According to the records, only Madara ever used a Susanoo that stood on two legs."
Tsunade fell into thought.
Previously, she had believed that the man calling himself Madara might simply be an Uchiha Clan member in disguise.
However, after seeing him use a bipedal Susanoo, she increasingly felt that he might truly be Madara.
Not someone else pretending to be him.
Because.
According to Konoha's records, only Madara had ever displayed a Susanoo of that level.
As for whether this Madara had any connection to the current Uchiha Clan.
That seemed unlikely.
She and her Sensei had already investigated the clan and secretly monitored them for a long time.
They had found nothing unusual.
"Perhaps it really is him. That arrogant and unruly presence does suit the Asura of the Shinobi World."
Seiryū nodded seriously and commented, "Living a second life, reaching a higher realm, fighting against forbidden zones. He really has the air of a Great Emperor."
He paused for a moment, then shook his head and continued.
"No, he should be the Lord of a Forbidden Zone, trying to unleash a dark calamity, harvest lives, and restore himself to his peak!"
"And I, the Child of Destiny of this new era, will defeat my peers, battle the powerhouses of the previous generation, walk the path of the Emperor, and eventually attain the realm of the Great Emperor!"
"With my own strength, I will prevent the dark calamity and dominate the ages!"
"The world shall call me the Heavenly Emperor."
"Huh? That sounds familiar. Have I said this before?"
Seiryū rubbed his chin.
Had he said it before?
Tsunade fell silent.
Not merely familiar.
He had definitely said it before!
(To be continued.)