295. Reckless Attack

"Lord Danzo!"
"It's Lord Danzo!"
"Lord Danzo is here!"

The moment Danzo arrived on the battlefield, the Konoha ninjas in the fortress behind him erupted into thunderous cheers.

The border troops, who had nearly been swallowed whole by the Kumogakure forces, finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if a massive weight had been lifted from their chests.

The members of the Earth Branch squad also had subtle changes in their expressions.

As Danzo's most trusted subordinates, they had been informed of the battle plan from the very beginning.

Therefore, Danzo's appearance here spoke volumes about what was to come.

"As expected of Lord Danzo!"

"He actually took down that damned Third Raikage!"

Under his mask, En Oyashiro licked his lips.

If there was anyone here who wished for Kumogakure's complete annihilation, it was undoubtedly him.

As one of the last surviving members of the Blood Pool clan, he feared that if his identity were exposed, the daimyo of the Land of Lightning would dredge up past grievances.

In that case, Kumogakure might once again be sent to pressure Konoha.

But given the current situation, it seemed the enemy no longer had the courage to do so...

Unlike En Oyashiro's relief, Hiruko's eyes were filled with greed.

Since the Third Raikage was dead, there must be a corpse, right?

And if there was a corpse, it would need to be recovered, right?

Could he perhaps use the body of the "Strongest Spear" and "Strongest Shield" to create an interesting chimera?

He was looking forward to it.

As for the others—Uchiha Shisui, Aburame Ryoma, and Kakuzu—they were not particularly surprised by this turn of events.

In their eyes, Danzo defeating the Third Raikage was almost a foregone conclusion.

After all, he was the man who had once slashed the Nine-Tails into submission...

What is a hero to one is a villain to another.

While Danzo's arrival as Konoha's "God of War" filled the Konoha ninjas with excitement, the Kumogakure forces fell into a deathly silence.

They stared at the lone figure standing before them, the man who had single-handedly halted their entire army, and felt nothing but fear.

The name "Darkness of the Shinobi" had become the most terrifying existence in the minds of the Kumogakure ninjas.

Just by standing there, Danzo exerted immense psychological pressure on them.

He was like an insurmountable chasm, an obstacle they could not cross.

But Danzo wanted more than just intimidation.

In front of all the Kumogakure ninjas, he raised his hand, and a corpse wrapped in paper fell from the sky.

The mummy-like corpse slowly unraveled, revealing the reassembled body of the Third Raikage.

It had to be said, Danzo's handiwork was quite impressive.

The only flaw was the Third Raikage's pale complexion and less robust muscles.

Most notably, there was a thin black line running down the middle of his body...

"This is..."

"The Third Raikage..."

As the sun of Kumogakure for decades, the Third Raikage's appearance was deeply ingrained in the DNA of every Kumogakure ninja.

Thus, they immediately recognized the corpse before them as their revered and trusted Third Raikage.

This realization struck them like a bolt of lightning, shattering their already fragile morale.

Upon seeing the Third Raikage's corpse, their spirits were utterly crushed.

Many of them trembled uncontrollably, their hands shaking so badly they could no longer hold their weapons, which clattered to the ground.


The sound of metal hitting the ground echoed continuously as the entire Kumogakure force was engulfed in fear.

If even the Third Raikage couldn't defeat this enemy, how could they possibly resist?

This was the thought running through most of their minds.

Just as Danzo was about to offer them a chance to surrender, a young Kumogakure ninja suddenly stepped forward.

Despite his trembling body, his pale face, and the fear etched in his heart, he found the courage to stand up.

A surge of bravery, born from who knows where, welled up inside him.

The young man swallowed hard, then shouted in a hoarse, strained voice:

"Everyone! Have you forgotten what the Raikage told us?"

"Kumogakure never surrenders! We will never be slaves!"

"No matter how strong the enemy is, no matter how hopeless the situation, we will never stop fighting!"

"Especially not when the man before us is the one who killed the Raikage!"

"No matter how powerful he is, he's just one man!"

"And we are a hundred, a thousand strong!"

"Behind us are the countless people of Kumogakure!"

"Everyone, charge!!"

After shouting these words, the young man poured all his strength into his legs and charged toward Danzo.

Inspired by his bravery, the entire Kumogakure force seemed to awaken. "He's right!"

"Kumogakure would rather die than surrender!"

"There's only one of him!"

"Kill him! Avenge the Raikage!"

In an instant, the troops regained their fighting spirit.

They roared loudly to suppress their fear, and the charging crowd formed a terrifying wave, rushing toward the enemy without regard for their own lives.

Watching this scene, Danzo felt a sense of déjà vu.

However, he chose not to kill the young man immediately, instead patiently listening to his rallying cry. Danzo never withheld his patience or respect for the brave.

Of course, appreciation aside, on the battlefield, Danzo showed no mercy.

As the Kumogakure ninjas closed in, Danzo gently placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes began to spin wildly, and he murmured softly:

"Stupid..."

With that, a terrifying aura erupted from Danzo.

An unimaginable power burst forth from his eyes, and in the next moment, countless slashes materialized out of thin air.

They formed an invisible barrier, enveloping the charging Kumogakure ninjas.

Thus, when the Fourth Raikage arrived to cover his retreating troops, he witnessed the following scene:

Countless Kumogakure ninjas, filled with anger, fear, and desperation, charged recklessly toward Danzo.

Then, in an instant, the entire battlefield blurred, as if space itself had warped.

The charging ninjas were like cattle stumbling into a slaughterhouse...

One by one, they were cut down, until none remained.