Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Uchiha Taiga was just that confident—or rather, domineering.

He wasn't intentionally looking for trouble; he simply understood the minds of the people present all too well.

Each of them was a Kage, wielding immense power. No matter how harmless they tried to appear on the surface, who knew what they were secretly plotting in the dark?

They could smile at him today and stab him in the back tomorrow.

He had seen this kind of thing far too often. He had seen it plenty in his past life, and he was certain the ninja world in this life would be no different.

Furthermore, Senju Hashirama's earlier words might have sounded like friendly advice, but they were actually broadcasting a clear message to everyone present: Uchiha Taiga was an unstable element in the ninja world, a potential threat.

Hashirama might not have thought too deeply when he said those things, speaking with a sincere expression and an earnest tone, but it was exactly that sincerity and earnestness that made his words so damaging.

Would the Kage present believe it? At the very least, they would take it to heart.

After all, Taiga's actions since his debut already spoke volumes. Coupled with his blatant demand for Tailed Beast chakra, no matter how reluctant these Kage were to make an enemy of him, they would still weigh the risks in their minds.

Taiga didn't care about the safety of the ninja world; it wouldn't affect him anyway.

But he could not stand being defined by others.

Especially by someone as hopelessly naive as Senju Hashirama.

If he was truly going to be treated as a threat to the ninja world, then he might just have to play the part of a ruthless tyrant.

Rather than letting others slap a label on him, it was better to lay his cards on the table first. His stance was simple: he would do whatever he pleased. It was as simple as that.

Having been given a second chance at life, Taiga had decided early on to live this life freely and unconstrained.

When Rasa flew back from the rubble, the expressions of the other Kage became quite colorful as they watched him charge to the front, looking filled with righteous indignation.

Raikage A's brow furrowed into a tight knot. He looked at Rasa's approaching figure, then at Taiga, and back at Rasa. Something clicked in his mind.

He had originally thought Rasa would stand by and watch, waiting for someone else to make the first move, quietly retreating to the back just like before.

But Rasa charged forward. He was the first to attack.

'Something isn't right.'

The thought flashed through Raikage A's mind, but he had no time to dwell on it.

Yagura Karatachi still had his coral staff raised, but he didn't move.

He watched Rasa charge, his mouth twitching slightly as if pondering something.

His gaze darted back and forth between Rasa and Taiga a couple of times, and then his expression changed.

He understood.

With Rasa charging in like this, the rest of them truly had no way out.

If Rasa hadn't moved, they could have still claimed, "We are not enemies," and stood by to observe.

But Rasa had moved, which meant the battle had begun. As Kage, they couldn't possibly stand idly by and watch one of their own charge in alone.

After all, with so many eyes on them, what would happen to their reputations as Kage in the ninja world if they didn't fight?

'Damn it, I shouldn't have come to this Five Kage Summit!'

Onoki's expression was even uglier.

As a shrewd old veteran, he naturally saw through the situation immediately.

Rasa's charge had dragged everyone down with him.

He didn't want to fight, but he had no choice.

If he retreated now, where would the Tsuchikage's pride go?

Mifune kept his hand on the hilt of his sword. He turned to look at the samurai behind him, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Rasa's figure flew forward, his Gold Dust swirling around his body like a golden silk ribbon. He moved so fast that a golden tail trailed behind him.

As he reached Taiga, he thrust both arms forward violently.

The Gold Dust surged like a massive wave.

Visibly, an entire sheet of Gold Dust rose from behind him, pressing toward Taiga like a golden wall.

The wall was over a dozen meters high and seven or eight meters wide. The densely packed particles of Gold Dust glinted blindingly in the sunlight.

The massive wave crashed down from above, threatening to engulf Taiga.

Truth be told, there was basically no one weak at the Kage level.

The only reason Rasa would later die at Orochimaru's hands was because Orochimaru was both incredibly strong and exceptionally treacherous.

In a head-on battle, Rasa's Gold Dust could control the battlefield on a large scale, suppress Tailed Beasts, and serve as both offense and defense. He was a highly versatile ninja.

However, this massive wave of Gold Dust was hardly worth mentioning in front of Uchiha Taiga.

Taiga broke into a wide grin.

He watched the golden wave bearing down on him without dodging or even taking a single step back. He simply raised his right arm, clenched his fist, and threw a punch.

It was a pure physical punch, laced with the pale golden glow of the Light Style chakra within his body.

The fist struck the air, compressing it into a white sphere of pressure that exploded right in front of the golden wave.

Boom!!

A deafening roar echoed out.

The ferocious shockwave blasted straight through the center of the golden wave, like an invisible fist smashing into a wall.

A massive gap was blown through the middle of the Gold Dust wave, sending particles scattering to both sides like splashing water.

The gap was huge, and standing right behind it was Rasa.

Rasa stood there, his arms still held in their forward-thrusting posture, his eyes wide with shock.

He watched as his Gold Dust wave was punched through, the edges of the gap continuously crumbling. Particles of Gold Dust rained down from both sides of the hole, hitting the ground with a soft rustling sound.

His mouth hung slightly open, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

He couldn't believe it.

Even if this Gold Dust wave couldn't defeat his opponent, it should have at least forced them to dodge or use a defensive technique.

But Taiga had punched right through it without using a single ninjutsu. It was honestly a bit too terrifying.

The residual force of the punch surged through the gap and slammed into Rasa like an invisible wall.

Rasa hurriedly crossed his arms over his chest to protect his torso and face.

His body was pushed backward by the shockwave, his feet plowing two deep trenches into the ground. He skidded for over a dozen meters before finally coming to a halt.

Lowering his arms, Rasa looked up, his expression quite a sight to behold.

It was a mix of shock, helplessness, and an inexplicable sense of grievance.

'Wait, you're actually going all out?!'

His gaze toward Taiga clearly conveyed this sentiment, but unfortunately, Taiga wasn't even looking at him.

The latter had already turned his head to look at the others, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone present once more.

His smile remained unchanged, his lips still pulled back to reveal both rows of teeth.

"The rest of you, come at me too."

After saying this, he raised his right hand and extended his index finger.

He pointed his fingertip upward, aiming at the sky.

A wisp of pale golden light gathered at his fingertip. At first, it was just a speck, lighting up like a tiny star on the tip of his finger.

Then, the light grew larger and brighter, shifting from a speck to an orb, and from an orb to a beam.

The golden beam shot out from his fingertip, streaking toward the sky above the city gates.

The beam was incredibly fast—so fast that it looked like a solid golden line extending from his finger to the air above the gates.

When the beam reached the space directly above the gates, it suddenly burst apart, blooming like a flower and spreading outward from the center.

That single golden beam scattered into countless thinner rays of light. Each one was as fine as a strand of hair, yet carried an astonishing sharpness.

The tiny golden rays rained down from the sky like a golden shower, blanketing the entire area in front of the city gates.

Every time a ray of light struck the ground, it left behind a deep, piercing hole.

Some struck the stone slabs, piercing small, perfectly round holes with edges as smooth as if they had been polished.

Some struck the dirt, boring bottomless little holes into the earth.

Some struck the city walls, punching straight through the bricks and allowing sunlight to filter in from the other side.

None of the golden rays hit anyone directly; they all landed right at their feet, by their sides, or just above their heads.

One golden ray flew right past Raikage A's ear, kicking up a gust of wind.

Another grazed past Yagura Karatachi's coral staff, leaving a shallow scratch on its surface.

One flew past the hem of Onoki's clothes, burning a small, charred hole into the fabric.

Another zipped past the hilt of Mifune's sword, producing a sharp, crisp clink.

Not a single person was hit, yet every one of them felt as though those golden rays could strike them at any moment.

The rain of golden light lasted for less than two breaths before stopping. The tiny beams dissipated into the air, leaving no trace behind other than the countless holes and scratches on the ground, the walls, and their weapons.

Taiga lowered his hand and stood there, looking at everyone present.

"Do I need to send an invitation?"

It seemed that things had reached a point of no return; a peaceful resolution was no longer possible.

Raikage A had the most explosive temper. Having held back until now, he finally couldn't endure it any longer.

"Fine! Let me see just how much the gap between us has shrunk!"

With those words, Raikage A transformed into a streak of lightning and charged straight at Uchiha Taiga.

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