Chapter 218 – The Final Battle At The Top of Konoha (Part 2)
As the black flying slash surged toward the command ship with terrifying speed, Baal remained motionless within its interior, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
How predictable.
These primitive creatures—these shinobi—had no understanding of what true, advanced power meant. Baal had anticipated a show of resistance, a desperate lash-out. But he was far from concerned. The command ship's defensive systems were not something that could be undone by mere swordplay.
Just as the enormous slash was about to collide with the vessel's hull, a shimmering field of light flared to life—an invisible dome of energy crackling into visibility. It wrapped protectively around the ship like a second skin.
A lesser observer might have questioned whether something so thin, so deceptively fragile-looking, could stop a flying slash easily a hundred meters wide.
But Baal had no such doubts.
The barrier, though nearly transparent, was directly linked to the ship's energy core. As long as the attack did not exceed its instantaneous threshold and break through with a single, overwhelming strike, the power source would continuously restore the shield's integrity. It was a regenerative field—one designed to endure sustained bombardment from war-grade weaponry.
This wasn't some cheap bubble from outdated Earth tech—it was a planetary defense-class barrier. A system built to resist the full force of a planet-buster cannon.
Even Baal himself wouldn't casually walk through it.
Zzz—! Zzz—! Zzz—!
And yet—
Something was wrong.
Instead of dispersing like Baal had confidently expected, Kazane's first flying slash met the barrier with a deafening shriek. A resonating, high-pitched screech tore through the sky, setting every shinobi on edge and rattling the bones of the crew within the ship.
Then came the second slash.
It rose from the earth like a demon's roar and slammed into the exact same point as the first, amplifying the stress concentrated in that one section of the barrier.
Crack—Crack—Crack—
Fractures blossomed across the shimmering dome like lightning bolts racing across glass.
The shield held. Barely. It flickered wildly, struggling to repair itself under the ship's automatic energy infusion. But the cracks weren't vanishing as quickly as they formed. For the first time, the seemingly invincible defense system wavered.
Then came the third strike.
CRACK!!!
A sharp, crystalline sound rang out like a bell of doom.
The barrier shattered.
It didn't just fade—it exploded into fragments of refracted light, scattering across the air like shards of broken sky. With the shield gone, Kazane's slash, though partially absorbed, crashed into the command ship's outer hull.
BOOM!!
The sound of impact was immense.
The blade dug a massive, semicircular gash into the ship's reinforced armor. Steel plating crumpled inward. Sparks burst from exposed wiring. The entire ship rocked violently from the force, sending personnel tumbling across the deck.
Gasps erupted on the command bridge.
"What?! The barrier—was actually broken?!?"
Panic gripped the crew as alarms blared.
Even Baal's expression faltered. His brow arched slightly—not from fear, but surprise. The disdain in his gaze thinned, replaced by curiosity.
A warrior of this caliber… on a backwater planet like this?
It defied all known logic.
But in truth, it was exhilarating.
This expedition might not be so dull after all.
And Kazane was far from finished.
The Fifth Gate—"Gate of Limit"—OPEN!
The Sixth Gate—"Gate of View"—OPEN!
The roar of chakra erupted like a dragon's howl.
While the stunned onlookers below were still trying to process the trio of black slashes, Kazane's form blurred, then reappeared atop the Hokage Tower—poised, crouched low like a beast about to pounce.
His muscles bulged with barely contained force. Green steam hissed from his pores, swirling around him like boiling mist, only to be bound tightly against his skin by a second, deeper aura—his Armament Haki. The obsidian black coating gave his form a lacquered, armor-like appearance, translucent and deadly.
Between his clenched teeth, the white blade Wado Ichimonji glinted in the sunlight.
His silver hair whipped in the wind.
Eyes burning with untamed battle lust, Kazane stood as a living weapon—an apex predator that had grown bored of slaughtering prey.
He had long yearned for a worthy fight for years after defeating the Third Raikage. He prayed Baal would not disappoint.
Lightning Release Chakra Mode—ACTIVATED!
Electricity crackled along his body. Every movement hummed with thunderous energy.
In the blink of an eye, Kazane vanished.
He reappeared midair, high above the village, right before Orochimaru.
The snake-like sannin was ready.
As if he had anticipated every movement, Orochimaru brought his hands together and whispered, "Slithering Serpent Surge!"
A giant white snake burst from the tower's balcony, launching Kazane skyward like a coiled spring. The momentum carried him through the air like a green comet of lightning and steel.
From the warships above, eyes widened in alarm.
"Damn it! Use the plasma cannon! Shoot him out of the sky!!" barked a burly warrior aboard the command ship.
Panic broke out across the bridge.
The previous damage had already jeopardized their safety. If Kazane struck again at a closer distance, Baal's fury would be the least of their concerns—there might not be a ship left to command.
With a loud hiss, a hatch on the warship's underside opened.
A massive cannon emerged—at least ten meters wide. Its inner chamber began to glow with a deep golden light as it locked onto Kazane's airborne figure.
The plasma cannon—an anti-warship weapon designed to obliterate enemy vessels in the vacuum of space.
But Baal made no move to stop the launch.
He stood calmly by the window, eyes narrowed, arms crossed behind his back.
Kazane had intrigued him.
If this shinobi couldn't withstand a single cannon blast, then he wasn't worth Baal's attention.
But Kazane didn't waver.
He didn't even blink.
His eyes met the cannon's glare with open contempt.
"This firepower?" he muttered. "Not even worth dodging."
Black Armament Haki surged around all three of his swords. The very air trembled with power.
Then his Conqueror's Haki erupted—sweeping outward in a shockwave that crushed the wills of weaker observers and laced itself around the blades.
His voice was calm—but thunderous in conviction:
"Nine mountains and eight seas form one world. A thousand such worlds make a Lesser Thousand Realm. Multiply by three…"
"…and nothing can withstand my blade."
"Three-Sword Style Ultimate Technique—One Grand: Three Thousand—Great Thousand Worlds!!"
Shusui and Enma spun in his hands, lightning arcing around them like dragons.
Kazane became light—pure speed condensed into a single point.
He vanished.
Time seemed to freeze.
Then—behind the ship—he reappeared.
A moment later, deep, diagonal cuts etched themselves across the warship's hull. Metal groaned. Armor plates split apart. Entire engine components slid out of alignment like parts of a dissected corpse.
And then—
The ship fell apart.
Chunks of the command vessel sheared off and collapsed like a dying beast in the sky.
Without stabilizers, the plasma shot that had been charging detonated prematurely—right in midair.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A colossal fireball swallowed the sky, followed by a shockwave that raced across the heavens like the wrath of a vengeful god.
It was a blast akin to a tactical nuclear strike.
Everything in its path was vaporized.
The remaining fleet ships, protected by their own shielding, barely survived.
But down below—Konoha braced for destruction.
Golden light flashed—then came the shockwave.
But Orochimaru had prepared for this exact scenario.
Just before Kazane launched his attack, he, Jiraiya, and several other elite shinobi had gathered and woven seals in unison.
Scarlet chakra erupted and formed a towering, dome-like shield around the village.
The Four Red Yang Formation.
As the shockwave smashed into the ground, the barrier flared bright red, absorbing the brunt of the explosion.
The earth quaked.
Wind screamed across the sky.
But the shield held.
Above the storm, Kazane floated midair, cloak billowing, hair whipping around his face like silver fire.
He had done it—obliterated the enemy's command vessel in a single blow.
But he did not smile.
He did not celebrate.
His expression turned grim as he stared into the wreckage below.
His Observation Haki was ringing in his mind like a siren.
Something—someone—had escaped the slash.
And now, he had locked onto a presence unlike any he had ever encountered.
Overwhelming. Boundless. Arrogant. Unyielding.
A power that made the air itself shudder.
It could only be one man.
Baal.
And as the smoke cleared, the devastation became visible.
Entire neighborhoods were leveled.
The surrounding forests and mountains lay flattened.
Cracks split the earth for miles.
But in the eye of the storm—hovering in the sky, untouched—stood a lone figure.
Unmoving.
Unscathed.