Madara had originally been wondering what kind of trump card it was and how he should block it next.
After all, Natsuki had given him far too many surprises today.
He really had not expected Natsuki to throw away all "martial ethics," not even aiming at him, but instead locking onto the Gedō Mazō (Outer Path Golem)!
"Not good!"
He wanted to stop it, but it was already too late.
The Kamehameha (Turtle Destruction Wave) reached the Gedō Mazō in an instant. Perhaps the Gedō Mazō instinctively sensed the danger, because it hurriedly twisted its body to the side, but its leg still took the hit.
Boom! The deafening roar shook the skies.
The Gedō Mazō was swallowed by a burst of blinding light and let out a heart-rending scream.
One of its legs was blown clean into the air, and the now one-legged Gedō Mazō tumbled and rolled wildly along the ground, howling in agony so loudly it was as if even its own mother would be crying out.
In the next second—bang, bang—both the crippled Gedō Mazō and its severed leg turned into smoke and vanished.
Clearly, the summoning had been canceled and it had been sent back to its main base.
"Click, what a pity. I almost blasted it to dust."
Natsuki was genuinely regretful. He also knew there was no point in sticking around any longer, so he instantly flashed to Neji and the others' side and used Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) to warp everyone away.
Madara was still a little dazed. When he finally reacted, he flew into a rage. "Natsuki! Get back here!!"
Whoosh! Natsuki brought the assault squad flashing back into the operations conference room.
Everyone inside rushed over. "You're back. Has the Raikage turned back to normal?"
Natsuki hurriedly said, "Give me a cup of water. Let me catch my breath first. Then I need to head straight to Jiraiya-sama. The Gedō Mazō's leg has been blown off, and I need to go finish the job!"
Blasted off the Gedō Mazō's leg?
Wait, weren't you just going to pick up the assault squad? How did you end up running into the Gedō Mazō?
Fortunately, Neji and the others quickly chattered out a rundown of what had happened, stunning everyone present.
"Kabuto has a Rinnegan (Samsara Eye)? He was the one who summoned the Gedō Mazō?"
"Madara has really been brought back with Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation)? And he fought Natsuki to a standstill?"
"Natsuki's final big move blasted off one of the Gedō Mazō's legs, and then the Gedō Mazō returned?"
One piece of intel after another left A the Raikage, Tsunade, and Gaara all dumbfounded. They did not know whether to be shocked or delighted, but in the end they were simply relieved.
It was a good thing Natsuki went. Otherwise, the assault squad probably would not have come back.
And on top of that, he had brought back several critical pieces of intelligence: Kabuto has a Rinnegan, Madara has been Edo Tensei-revived, and the Gedō Mazō has lost a leg.
Before the Fourth Shinobi World War had even officially begun, they had already secured this much vital intel. It would be extremely helpful for future strategic planning.
However, since the Gedō Mazō had been unsummoned just now, no one knew what was happening with Jiraiya and the sealing squad.
No wonder Natsuki said he needed to hurry over and take a look. If Jiraiya and the others were still over there and happened to run into the returning, one-legged Gedō Mazō, that would be the perfect opportunity.
A the Raikage immediately spoke up. "Natsuki, take me with you later!"
Tsunade stepped in at once. "Raikage, you're the commander-in-chief of the Allied Shinobi Forces. How can you be going deep into enemy territory? Let me go instead!"
A refused to listen. "Then I'll hand the commander's position over to you right now. Either way, I'm going to smash the Gedō Mazō. Once that thing is gone, all the problems are solved!"
Tsunade shot back, "Do you think this is a child's game? You can't just give up the commander's seat because you feel like it. Everyone chose you, which means they trust you the most. That makes it even less acceptable for you to leave on a whim! I'm just a mere advisor. It's fine if I go!"
Mei and Ōnoki, however, both laughed. "You two are important top brass. How can you abandon your posts? We're the ones who are just right to go to the front."
Gaara: …
He really wanted to go too, but he did not dare say it.
A jinchūriki going to hunt the Gedō Mazō was no different from delivering rations.
Do not assume that just because you are strong you can handle the Gedō Mazō. That thing has a technique that can rip a Tailed Beast right out of your body. If you go, you are going there to die.
So Gaara could only sit quietly and watch the others argue, full of envy.
Natsuki, meanwhile, took a Hyōrōgan (Soldier Pill) and downed two bowls of water in big gulps before finally catching his breath.
Fighting a monster like Madara drained him far more than usual. Fortunately, his chakra reserves were already enormous, and on top of that he had been carrying a chakra battery with him, so his supply had never truly been a major issue.
Watching everyone argue, he could only speak up. "Tsunade-dono, Raikage, you two shouldn't go."
A and Tsunade were both stunned. "Why not?"
Natsuki patiently explained, "You're both close-combat types. You're not suited for fighting the Gedō Mazō. It's best to send the Tsuchikage and Mizukage. Jinton (Dust Release) can probably reduce the Gedō Mazō to atoms, and Yōton (Lava Release) plus Futton (Boil Release) would likely melt it into nothing. As long as we destroy the Gedō Mazō, Obito won't be able to form the Jūbi (Ten-Tails). That'll be our victory."
"Ha ha ha! Well said, brat Natsuki!"
Ōnoki puffed himself up proudly. "Let this old man's Jinton reduce that so-called Gedō Mazō to ash."
Mei chuckled seductively. "Natsuki-kun's words are exactly what onee-san wanted to hear. Then it's settled."
Chōjūrō could not help but worry when he saw this.
He was Mei's bodyguard, and in truth he had always treated Mei as an older sister, even as a mother figure. He really did not want her putting herself in danger.
But he also knew this was not something they could afford to avoid.
Given the current situation, Mei and Ōnoki really were the two most suitable to go.
Neji quickly asked, "Natsuki, can you take a few more people? I didn't really contribute much this time, so I want to go over there and help too."
The others were a little tempted as well. This was a chance to strike at the very root of the enemy's power. It might well be the key to winning the entire war in one stroke. No one wanted to just sit it out.
But Natsuki shook his head. "Neji, I understand that you want to help. But I used up a lot of chakra earlier. If we hit an emergency, I might not be able to bring that many people back. It's better not to take too many. Just bringing the Tsuchikage and Mizukage is the optimal choice."
Neji understood and nodded silently.
He still was not happy about it, though. He had awakened the Tenseigan (Reincarnation Eye), so why was he still unable to contribute at the most crucial moment?
Clearly, his mastery of the Tenseigan was still not enough. If he had been stronger, he could have just blown the Gedō Mazō apart earlier, and none of this would be happening now.
He had to become even stronger.
Once Natsuki had recovered a bit more, he stopped fussing over details.
"All right. Tsuchikage, Mizukage, grab my shoulders. I'll take you over there."
The two of them immediately reached out and placed their hands on Natsuki's shoulders. It would be their first time experiencing Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique). They had no idea what teleportation would feel like.
In the next second—whoosh—the three of them vanished.
A the Raikage and Tsunade could only sigh. They regretted not being able to go, but they quickly pulled themselves together and began assigning personnel to continue tracking Kabuto's movements.
(End of Chapter)
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