RUMBLE, RUMBLE...
The thunderous roar of collapsing rocks, the howls of monstrous giants, the scorching flames, and the corrosive blood mist—all these deafening sounds intertwined, plunging the already crumbling, smoke-filled volcanic cavern into even greater chaos.
Two Complete Body Susanoo, a Wood Style Wood Golem that stood a head taller than even a Susanoo, and an eight-headed Yamata no Orochi—these four colossal monsters were locked in a fierce battle.
With all four crammed into a volcanic cavern that was far too small for their enormous bodies, one could easily imagine just how chaotic the situation had become.
Under such devastation, the volcano’s structural integrity had long since been compromised.
The cavern’s walls were covered in overlapping cracks that spread like spiderwebs. From the ceiling, chunks of rock weighing several tons continuously broke loose and plunged into the pools of magma below, sending showers of flames splashing into the air.
Had the First Hokage not been using his Wood Release to support the volcano from both inside and out, the entire mountain would probably have collapsed already.
The reason the First Hokage was expending such an enormous amount of chakra to maintain the volcano’s structure was that he had sensed numerous unconscious Konoha shinobi outside who had lost the ability to move.
If the entire volcano collapsed, those Konoha shinobi who were still barely clinging to life would likely suffer the terrible fate of being buried alive beneath the mountain.
Amid this chaos, the fierce battle continued.
While the First Hokage and Kagami occupied most of Danzo’s attention, Orochimaru’s surprise attack in the form of Yamata no Orochi not only caught Danzo completely off guard but also shattered the balance of the battle.
The Eight Branches Technique was an exceptionally powerful forbidden technique.
As long as the caster’s chakra was not exhausted, the Yamata no Orochi they transformed into could not only contend with Tailed Beasts but also possessed an extraordinarily powerful regenerative ability that rendered it virtually immortal and indestructible.
Precisely because of this terrifying regenerative ability, Yamata no Orochi endured the corrosive blood mist surrounding Danzo’s dark-red Susanoo and launched a ferocious assault against it!
Naturally, the strength of Yamata no Orochi, a creature capable of contending with Tailed Beasts, was beyond question.
Meanwhile, Danzo, who was simultaneously fighting the First Hokage and Kagami, was already stretched far beyond his limits.
His dark-red Susanoo had only managed to barely contend with the First Hokage’s Wood Golem thanks to the assistance of Crystal Release and the fact that the First Hokage had to divide his attention to protect the volcano’s structure.
Now, however, the Wood Golem had gained an ally in the form of Yamata no Orochi, a creature possessing tremendous strength that could withstand the corrosive blood mist head-on.
Furthermore, Danzo’s own Wood Release was already being consumed in his efforts to hold back Kagami’s golden Susanoo.
Thus, the balance of this prolonged struggle was shattered in an instant.
Almost the moment Orochimaru joined the battle, Danzo, who was fighting three opponents alone, fell into a completely disadvantageous position.
His dark-red Susanoo was quickly suppressed by the First Hokage’s Wood Golem and Orochimaru’s Yamata no Orochi. Meanwhile, the Wood Release he had used to restrain Kagami also began to falter, gradually losing ground against Kagami’s golden flames.
Amid the dazzling golden flames, Kagami stood like a God of Fire, looking down upon all living beings.
In terms of raw power, Danzo’s Wood Release was already no weaker than the Wood Release wielded by the First Hokage’s current reanimated body.
Logically speaking, given Wood Release’s ability to absorb chakra, a Susanoo would inevitably suffer some disadvantage when confronting it.
However, one must not forget that the golden flames surrounding Kagami’s Susanoo also possessed the ability to burn chakra!
Danzo’s Wood Release could absorb chakra from Kagami’s golden flames, while the golden flames could likewise absorb chakra from the Wood Release by burning it.
In this way, the two Kekkei Genkai counteracted each other. Neither possessed an inherent advantage in terms of their properties.
But when it came to concentration, Danzo, whose attention was divided, was clearly no match for Kagami.
"Damn it! Damn it! Why must all of you oppose me?!"
Watching his Susanoo being torn apart under the combined assault of the Wood Golem and Yamata no Orochi, Danzo grew increasingly hysterical.
Yet at this moment, neither Kagami nor Orochimaru felt the slightest joy at their impending victory.
Everyone remained on edge, their nerves stretched taut, not daring to relax even for an instant.
Because Danzo’s strength had far exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Even the First Hokage, the legendary God of Shinobi who had brought an end to the chaotic era and single-handedly established the shinobi village system, was astonished by the power Danzo was displaying!
To accomplish this much while fighting three opponents alone, Danzo had every reason to be proud.
As for where Danzo’s current strength stood, even setting everything else aside, the pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in his eye sockets alone firmly placed him beyond the level of an ordinary Kage.
When his other Kekkei Genkai, particularly Wood Release, were taken into consideration, there were already very few individuals in the current shinobi world who could defeat him with absolute certainty.
Crack, crack...
Accompanied by a series of crisp cracking sounds, Danzo’s dark-red Susanoo finally shattered piece by piece under the combined ferocious assault of the First Hokage’s Wood Golem and Orochimaru’s Yamata no Orochi!
Danzo seemingly had not expected his Susanoo to actually be destroyed. Amid the blood-red fragments drifting down around him, a trace of astonishment flashed across his twisted face.
And at that very moment, the Second Hokage, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, silently appeared behind Danzo.
From his mouth, he unleashed a highly compressed jet of water, concentrated into a thin line, that sliced horizontally toward Danzo’s body.
Swish...
Amid a spray of blood, Danzo’s body was severed cleanly in two at the waist by the concentrated water jet.
His powerful body, which had been transplanted with the First Hokage’s cells and had survived the Kekkei Genkai Fusion Ritual, offered virtually no resistance against the Second Hokage’s surprise Water Release attack.
"Heh, it’s finally over!"
Seeing Danzo cut in half by the Second Hokage’s Water Release jutsu, Orochimaru’s figure immediately emerged from one of Yamata no Orochi’s eight snake heads.
A smile curled at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes gleamed with greed as he gazed at Danzo’s mutilated remains!
Immediately afterward, Orochimaru transformed his entire body into a long serpent and shot out from one of Yamata no Orochi’s heads, lunging toward Danzo’s body, which had been severed into two halves.
Even as he hurtled through the air, his hands did not forget to form hand seals.
Clearly, he intended to seize the spoils of this victory before Kagami could get his hands on them!
Orochimaru’s actions immediately drew the attention of the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and Kagami.
The reanimated bodies of the First and Second Hokage instinctively moved to stop him, but just as they began to act, they discovered that their souls were being extracted from their reanimated bodies!
"Impure World Reincarnation, Release!"
The corners of Orochimaru’s mouth curled upward as he lunged toward Danzo’s remains.
It turned out that the hand seals he had formed while leaping forward were none other than the seals used to release the Impure World Reincarnation, sending away the First and Second Hokage, who were now of no further use to him.
At that moment, Kagami, who was some distance away, suddenly shouted in alarm:
"You idiot! Don’t!"
Seeing that Danzo’s remains were already within arm’s reach, so close that he could even clearly distinguish the patterns on the blood-red Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan in Danzo’s eye sockets, Orochimaru turned his head and glanced at Kagami.
With a mocking smile, he declared:
"Homura, this time, I win!"