"There's something here!"
Just as the morale of the troops seemed sufficiently restored, the two Kages prepared to
depart. Suddenly, a commotion erupted as someone stumbled upon a new discovery.
"What is it now?" Onoki of the Stone grumbled, his brow furrowing.
The shinobi had discovered a hidden basement containing a massive freezer packed to the
brim with ice cream. Exploring further, they found an even larger cold-storage vault. The
sight was staggering. The ninja who found it looked pale, subconsciously glancing toward
the Fourth Raikage.
The Raikage's scowl deepened, but the rest of the men were beaming. In the sweltering
heat of midsummer, no one could resist the temptation of ice cream. It was the perfect treat
to cap off their "feast."
However, the smiles on the faces of the Raikage and Onoki had completely vanished.
Having survived decades of warfare, Onoki was no stranger to death. If he could trade his
own life for victory in this war, he would plunge a kunai into his own heart without blinking.
The last time he had felt this overwhelming sense of dread was when he faced that man who
was more god than human—Madara Uchiha.
But now, what he feared wasn't a powerful warrior. It was economics.
As if sensing a shift in the wind, the two Kages looked toward the Konoha Allied camp with
genuine terror in their eyes.
The weather grew hotter, the world turning into a giant furnace. Yet, more scorching than the
sun was the bloodlust on the battlefield. As outposts were traded and razed at an increasing
pace, the frequency and intensity of the fighting became horrific. Even with the superior gear
provided by Hiruko, Konoha's elites were falling in droves. As for the "cannon fodder"
auxiliary ninjas, the death toll was staggering.
Hiruko couldn't do much about the macro-scale attrition. He was but one man; he couldn't
dictate the flow of a global war unless he reached the level of Hashirama Senju. Using
mass-scale toxins was out of the question—it would be impossible to control the spread, and
producing a reliable antidote for his entire army was unfeasible due to the rarity of the
required ingredients.
During this period, Hiruko sent his physical clones to wander the battlefield, scavenging
specific materials he needed for his research.
On the Hidden Cloud's front, the camp had fallen into a state of minor chaos ever since
Minato Namikaze began his relentless harassment, drawing the Fourth Raikage out to
intercept him.
BOOM!
A young girl with pretty features and twin braided tails stepped out of a tent. She turned to a
nearby ninja and asked, "Lord Tutai's camp is under attack?"
"We are organizing reinforcements now!"
"Which direction did the strike come from?"
The girl's eyes lit up with excitement. She looked ready to bolt toward the horizon.
"Yugito!" Two female voices called out from behind, stopping her in her tracks. "What do you
think you're doing?"
Yugito Nii turned back urgently. "Lord Tutai's camp is being hit! I'm going to fight!"
A short-haired girl with dark skin said worriedly, "But without the Raikage's orders, you aren't
allowed to move freely."
"That's exactly why I have to go while he's away!" Yugito argued. "I'm going stir-crazy
staying here." Without waiting for another word, she sprinted off, shouting over her shoulder,
"Samui, I'll be back soon!"
Samui watched her go, her face etched with concern, but she remained silent. Beside her, a
blonde girl smiled. "Don't worry. The Fourth Hokage is busy fighting the Raikage. There
shouldn't be anyone over there who can match Lady Yugito."
The blonde girl had a neat, short haircut and a cold, elegant aura. Despite her youth, her
figure was already quite developed—exceptionally so. Living in the high mountains of the
Cloud, her skin was a startling, pale white, making her stand out among her tan compatriots.
She possessed a silhouette that promised to one day rival even Tsunade's.
Hiruko's physical clone wandered through the carnage, eyes reflecting a world turned red.
He shook his head; he had hated war since the moment he arrived in this world. But there
was no other way—long-term pain was worse than a short, sharp shock. The era of chaos
had to end.
Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, arrived at the battlefield at top speed. Her comrades
cheered; they had been pinned down by an ambush, but with a Jinchuriki present, a
breakthrough was guaranteed.
Hiruko's clone hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to meet her. I'm just a clone,
but playing with this little girl for a bit should be fine. Most of Konoha's heavy hitters were
occupied; if the regular squads faced Yugito, they'd be decimated.
Hiruko leaped to the front lines, locking eyes with the Two-Tails host. Below, Yugito shared a
few brief words with her team before deciding to eliminate this "troublesome guy" first.
She cracked her knuckles, eager for the hunt. Dropping into a low crouch, long claws
sprouted from her fingertips as she locked onto Hiruko. In a flash, she left an afterimage
behind, hurtling forward with predatory grace.
She scaled a massive tree and kicked off, hurtling through the air as if to tear the very space
apart, her claws aimed straight for Hiruko.
Hiruko watched the "Big Kitty" flying toward him. Her jumping power was incredible, reaching
heights few could hope to touch. Seeing Hiruko standing still, Yugito assumed he was
paralyzed with fear. She let out a cold laugh.
"Down you go, kid!"
Hiruko shifted his body with effortless fluidity, dodging the strike by a hair's breadth. Yugito
could only watch as her target remained inches away yet utterly unreachable.
Mid-air and with no leverage, she began to plummet. She twisted her body violently, spitting
out dozens of balls of blue spectral fire—Mouse Hair Flare—at Hiruko.
Hiruko simply held up a single finger. The blue flames stopped dead in front of him, as if he
were their true master. He could feel the chakra within the fire; it was jagged, wild, and
fundamentally different from human energy. This was Tailed Beast chakra.
With a playful smirk, Hiruko closed his hand into a fist and beckoned the falling Yugito
toward him.
Yugito suddenly felt an irresistible force latch onto her, dragging her upward toward Hiruko.
"No!"
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