Chapter 175: An Incredible Guy Has Arrived
The Kage of the various villages led their teams through the city gates, racing toward the two colossal statues in the distance. The closer they got, the more they saw, and the more intensely they felt the sheer pressure.
The two giants had already clashed. The deep blue Susanoo swung its fist at the wooden golem's chest. The golem raised an arm to block, swinging its other arm from the side to smash into the Susanoo's shoulder.
Every collision unleashed a massive shockwave that rippled outward from the center of the battlefield, kicking up dirt and debris that rained down like a torrential storm. The ground quaked with every strike, trembling beneath their feet even from miles away.
The Jonin following behind the Kage grew increasingly pale.
Some were already breaking out in a cold sweat. That level of power was beyond their imagination, let alone something they could fight against. If they charged in, they would simply be swept up in the shockwaves, leaving not even ashes behind.
Naturally, the immense pressure weighing on everyone was palpable.
Mifune stood at the city gates, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He stared at the two distant giants, taking a deep breath before slowly exhaling.
His complexion was grim, but his posture remained perfectly straight. The battlefield was outside the city walls, not within them—a small mercy amidst the disaster.
If those two behemoths fought inside the city, the entire place wouldn't last fifteen minutes.
His samurai stood along the city walls, gripping their swords with pale faces, yet not a single one took a step back.
Onoki quickly caught up to Orochimaru. Floating in midair, the white light of Particle Style flickered in his palm before extinguishing, mirroring his highly volatile state of mind.
He drifted alongside Orochimaru and turned his head, his wrinkled face contorted with fury. He glared at the Sannin as if looking at a criminal.
"Orochimaru, aren't you going to explain this?"
The other Kage quickly closed in as well.
Raikage A approached with rapid, sweeping strides, moving like lightning to flank Orochimaru's other side. One of his hands was clenched into a tight fist, looking fully prepared to smash Orochimaru's face in if he didn't like the answer.
Rasa caught up from behind, also hovering in the air with Gold Dust swirling around him. He pulled up next to Onoki without a word, though his eyes remained fixed on Orochimaru.
Yagura Karatachi rode a stream of water beneath his feet, surfing forward to join them. The young Mizukage's face was expressionless, his gaze equally locked onto Orochimaru.
The Kage had completely surrounded him.
Orochimaru let out a low chuckle. It wasn't loud, but surrounded by these formidable figures, the sound was exceptionally grating.
He licked his lips, his tongue slowly gliding across them before he spoke. "There is nothing to explain. Ever since Uchiha Madara appeared, I knew this Five Kage Summit would draw his attention. Reviving the First Hokage was merely a preemptive measure."
He paused, looking at the two giants still clashing in the distance, the smile on his lips deepening.
"As you can see, hasn't it come in handy?"
Onoki's face darkened, the white beard on his chin trembling slightly.
"So, we should be thanking you?"
The sarcasm in his voice was razor-sharp.
Orochimaru smiled, not answering directly.
He licked his lips again, his snake-like slit pupils sweeping from Onoki to Raikage A, then over to Rasa and Yagura Karatachi.
"The facts prove that Uchiha Madara's threat to the ninja world isn't limited to Konoha. Tell me, if the First Hokage hadn't appeared, who among you could withstand him?"
Onoki snorted. "That brat Uchiha Taiga could stop him."
He spoke with a rigid tone, stating it as an undeniable fact.
Orochimaru scoffed.
The sound was faint, but everyone heard it clearly.
He looked at Onoki, amusement dancing in his eyes as if he were looking at a child spouting nonsense.
"And can you make him take action?" he asked.
Onoki opened his mouth, then snapped it shut.
Orochimaru shifted his gaze from Onoki to Yagura Karatachi, then to Rasa, and finally settled on Raikage A.
"Surely, you all have some understanding of Taiga-kun's personality by now?"
Rasa's mouth twitched, but he remained silent.
Raikage A's brow furrowed even tighter. His lips parted as if he wanted to argue, but no words came out.
Yagura Karatachi's expression remained unchanged, though his fingers curled slightly within his sleeves.
"Who can command him?"
Orochimaru pressed on. "And who can guarantee that Taiga-kun won't eventually become a threat to the ninja world himself?"
Just as expected, the question plunged them all into silence.
They had all interacted with Uchiha Taiga and had a general grasp of his character.
It was precisely because they understood him that they couldn't predict his actions. Uchiha Taiga had no allegiance, no faction, and no exploitable weaknesses.
What could you offer to move him?
What could you use to guarantee he would never stand against you?
No one could answer that.
Orochimaru observed their expressions, his smile unwavering. He knew he had struck the very nerve they were all desperately trying to ignore.
Right at that moment, a voice cut in from behind.
"Orochimaru, I can't just pretend I didn't hear that."
Everyone whipped their heads around simultaneously.
A figure surged past them from the rear. He moved so fast their eyes couldn't keep up, tearing through the crowd like a streak of light. The gust of wind he left in his wake sent their cloaks violently flapping.
The figure vanished in a flash, already at the front of the group and hurtling toward the two battling giants in the distance.
Then the voice echoed back, slightly fainter now but still crystal clear.
"I'll remember this. We'll catch up later, Orochimaru, and have a nice, long chat."
The group's expressions shifted drastically once again.
Raikage A's pupils shrank. He leaned forward slightly, as if wanting to give chase, but forced himself to stop.
Rasa stared at the fading streak of light, his lips parting slightly.
Yagura Karatachi frowned, a heavy solemnity settling over his youthful face.
Onoki looked the worst of all, his face cycling through sickly shades of pale and green.
Standing amidst the crowd, Orochimaru watched the receding light, a slight twitch betraying the corner of his eye.
His smile remained, but it had lost its previous composure. His fingers twitched inside his sleeves as he took a deep breath, forcing down the sudden surge of unease.
Hatake Kakashi, following behind Orochimaru, watched the streak of light that Uchiha Taiga had transformed into and couldn't help but draw a sharp breath.
The light grew further and smaller, rapidly reaching the edge of the battlefield.
Then, it plunged straight into the fray.
On the battlefield, the two colossal statues were still clashing.
The Susanoo and the wooden golem traded another blow. A shockwave erupted between them, tearing away a layer of the earth. Dirt and shattered rock blasted outward like cannonballs, cratering the ground wherever they landed.
Uchiha Taiga darted through the flying debris without slowing down, charging straight into the dead center of the battlefield.
He came to a halt, hovering in midair about a hundred meters away from the two giants. To his left was the deep blue Susanoo; to his right, the brown wooden golem.
He spread his arms wide, took a deep breath, and roared.
"Hashirama! Madara!"
He shouted their names with a massive grin, his voice booming loud enough to drown out the deafening crashes of the battling giants.
"I'm here, hahahaha!"
His laughter echoed across the battlefield, carrying a genuine, unbridled excitement, as if he had been waiting an eternity for this exact moment.
Right then, his figure gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight.
The moment his words fell, another deafening boom erupted.
The Perfect Susanoo and the wooden golem collided once more, before both giants simultaneously staggered back. The Susanoo retreated several steps, its feet crushing deep craters into the earth. The wooden golem also stumbled back, large chunks of bark shaking loose from its body.
They came to a halt.
The deep blue Susanoo slowly turned, the two eyes behind its faceplate locking onto the tiny speck hovering in the air. Deep within that massive chakra construct, standing inside the Susanoo's head, a pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan gleamed with crimson light.
Uchiha Madara looked up at the pale golden speck in the sky and threw his head back in uproarious laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
His laughter was even louder, wilder, and more arrogant than Uchiha Taiga's, echoing across the plains and completely drowning out the remnants of Taiga's shout.
"Brat, I knew you would come!"
His voice boomed from within the Susanoo, laced with an irrepressible thrill.
On the other side, a figure stood atop the head of the wooden golem.
The man wore crimson armor, his long black hair cascading over his shoulders and fluttering in the wind. His face bore an expression of someone who had just spotted something incredibly amusing.
Senju Hashirama craned his neck, looking toward Uchiha Taiga. His eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled up.
"Hmm."
He let out a low hum. It wasn't loud, but everyone on the battlefield heard it clearly.
"An incredible guy has arrived."