478. True Power

"Did we finally deal with that troublesome bastard?"

The Third Kazekage stared at the sea of iron sand before him, finally allowing himself a small sigh of relief.

There was no helping it—the pressure Danzo Shimura had exerted on these veteran Kage was simply too overwhelming.

Even the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, and the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, couldn’t help but recall the feeling they had during the very first Five Kage Summit, when they stood before the likes of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.

No wonder this man had beaten the four great nations into such a sorry state, earning the title of the Second God of Shinobi!

Hearing the Third Kazekage’s words, Gengetsu Hōzuki couldn’t resist putting his hands on his hips.

"Hah! Even if Hashirama Senju were resurrected, facing our combined strength, he’d have no choice but to admit defeat!"

"Oh?"

The moment the words left Gengetsu’s mouth, a hoarse yet commanding voice rang out from behind them.

"Your struggle was entertaining, elders. But if you wish to truly amuse me—you’ll have to do much better than that."

The arrogant, dismissive tone of Danzo Shimura made the faces of the gathered Kage stiffen.

"Impossible!"

The Third Kazekage whirled around in disbelief, only to see a completely unharmed Danzo standing behind them.

Judging by his composed demeanor, their previous attacks had posed no threat to him at all.

"My apologies. What you just destroyed was merely one of my clones."

Danzo’s words were immediately refuted by the Second Tsuchikage.

"That’s impossible! Before attacking, I confirmed that was your real body!"

While many only knew of the Second Tsuchikage’s Dust Release and invisibility techniques, his sensory abilities were also among the finest in the shinobi world.

He had verified the target’s identity—that monstrous chakra reserve couldn’t possibly belong to a clone.

Unless…

A startling realization flashed through Mū’s mind.

Seeing this, Danzo seemed to read his thoughts and let out a soft chuckle.

"Correct. The truth is exactly as you suspect. A single one of my clones possesses a chakra reserve that surpasses the vast majority of shinobi."

"Including…"

"All of you...."

"Combined."

As if to prove his point, an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted from Danzo’s body.

The Second Tsuchikage’s pupils constricted violently as he sensed it.

"Damn it… This chakra far exceeds even a tailed beast’s!!"

Hearing this, the expressions of the other Kage darkened simultaneously.

But at this point, there was no turning back.

"This time, I’ll take the lead!"

The Third Raikage stepped forward, his body crackling with violent lightning as he roared and stomped the ground, charging toward Danzo once more in a cloud of dust.

Danzo merely watched calmly, bringing his hands together in a leisurely motion.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"

A sea of flames far surpassing the scale of a normal B-rank jutsu erupted from his mouth, surging toward the battlefield.

At the same time, the Second Mizukage’s expression turned serious as he stepped forward, forming hand seals.

"Water Release: Water Pillar!"

A massive sphere of water shot from his mouth, crashing into the flames.

Instantly, thick steam billowed out as fire and water clashed, shrouding the battlefield.

Seizing the opportunity, the Third Raikage—like a bolt of blue lightning—appeared before Danzo at blinding speed, his body wreathed in Lightning Release chakra.

"Lightning Release: Lariat!!"

BOOM!!

A deafening impact shook the Susanoo Danzo had summoned.

Crack… Crack…

Under the force of the blow, even the crow tengu-armored Susanoo began to fracture.

"But…"

"This ends now."

Danzo had no intention of playing around any longer.

"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!"

With a single clap of his hands—

In an instant, enormous trees adorned with massive flowers erupted from the ground, spreading rapidly across a radius of over a thousand meters.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Thick, serpentine roots shot out from the earth, crashing toward the Kage from all directions.

Faced with such a large-scale assault, even the four Kage could only scramble to evade.

But soon, the giant flowers blooming among the vines released their payload—

A thick, yellow pollen with potent sedative properties rapidly spread through the air.

"Be careful! Don’t inhale the pollen!"

The Second Tsuchikage, having lived through Hashirama Senju’s era, urgently warned.

Even in their Edo Tensei bodies, if they were knocked unconscious, Danzo would undoubtedly have countless ways to deal with them.

Reacting swiftly, the Third Kazekage summoned clouds of iron sand, lifting everyone into the air.

"That was close…"

The Third Kazekage exhaled in relief as he looked down at the vast forest now blanketed in yellow pollen.

"Now, it’s time for our counterattack!!"

The Second Mizukage formed hand seals, and the clones he had hidden within the forest began to rapidly expand.

The Second Tsuchikage’s expression twisted slightly—this was the very technique that had killed them both in their past life!

"Taste my ultimate technique, brat!"

Gengetsu Hōzuki laughed wildly as the clones in the forest swelled to enormous sizes before—

BOOOOOOM!!

—exploding into a cataclysmic burst of superheated steam!

As the battlefield was engulfed in scalding vapor, the weakened Second Mizukage eagerly awaited the results.

But what awaited him was only despair.

When the steam cleared, amidst the charred and fallen trees, Danzo Shimura stood unharmed.

Only the outermost layer of his Susanoo had melted slightly—and even that was quickly repaired as his chakra replenished it.

"It seems you have nothing new to entertain me with."

Danzo’s tone was almost disappointed as he gazed at the Kage above.

"Enough warm-up. Now, allow me to show you what true power looks like."

With that arrogant declaration, Danzo brought his hands together once more.

To the horror of the Kage, wooden clones began to sprout from his back.

"If you enjoy fighting with numbers, then I won’t hold back either."

Before their stunned eyes, Danzo split into twenty-four wooden clones—twenty-five including his real body.

Against the four Edo Kage and the Fourth Raikage, that meant five Danzos per opponent.

If anyone else had created so many clones at once, the battle-hardened Kage would have scoffed.

After all, more wasn’t always better—each clone would weaken the original.

But the man standing before them was Danzo Shimura, hailed as the Second God of Shinobi.

And when every single one of those clones summoned a Susanoo, surrounding the Kage in an inescapable cage of white giants—

Their faces froze in utter disbelief.