On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Fields, the Cloud Ninja army led by the Fourth Raikage, Ay, was eyeing the rich and fertile land before them like a tiger watching its prey.
The sturdily built Ay stood at the very front, his robust muscles resembling solid rock. His dark skin gave him an even more masculine and rugged appearance.
"Hmph, those fools in the Hidden Leaf actually believed that brat Rasa, they really brought this destruction upon themselves."
Ay gazed intently at the land of the Land of Fire, voicing his disdainful evaluation aloud.
"If Minato were still serving as the Hokage right now, the Hidden Leaf definitely wouldn't have encountered this kind of crisis."
Although the occurrence of such an event within the Hidden Leaf was a massive benefit for the Land of Lightning, Ay still could not help but reminisce about that Yellow Flash who had struck terror into people's hearts during the Third Shinobi World War.
That was precisely the Fourth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, Minato Namikaze.
Even though he had inflicted immense casualties upon the Hidden Cloud Village during the Third Shinobi World War, that did not hinder Ay's appreciation of him.
Perhaps this was the mutual respect shared between heroes.
After all, following the death of Minato Namikaze, the entire Shinobi World could no longer find a single ninja capable of matching him in speed, which left the battle-worshipping Ay feeling rather regretful.
Unfortunately, this feeling of regret did not manage to last very long before it was interrupted by his secretary, Mabui.
"Lord Raikage, now is not the time to be reminiscing about the past. According to the reports from the Anbu, the Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, Danzo Shimura, is already on his way to the front lines."
She paused briefly, her expression growing solemn.
While Danzo's reputation within the Shinobi World had always been quite poor, to the point where he could not even be compared to Minato Namikaze, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi was far better than him.
Yet this poor reputation was mostly directed at his cold-blooded, ruthless nature and his willingness to use any means necessary to achieve his goals, but no one had ever questioned whether he possessed the capability and qualification to serve as the Hokage.
As a student of the Second Hokage, Danzo Shimura's strength was beyond question, and they had to brace themselves fully to deal with him.
More importantly, with his insidious and crafty methods, once one let their guard down, it would be extremely easy to get bitten by this venomous snake lurking in the dark.
However, Ay did not seem to care very much about this.
"He is nothing more than a rat that dares not show its face in public. To deal with this kind of rat, the best method is to use the fastest speed and the strongest power to kill it with a single punch!"
Ay completely disregarded Danzo.
If Minato Namikaze was a sun that warmed people's hearts and commanded mutual respect even as an opponent, then Danzo was merely that disgusting sewer rat that could bite someone at any given moment.
"As long as he dares to step onto the battlefield, then let the Hidden Leaf prepare to elect their Sixth Hokage."
Hearing Ay make such a bold, almost arrogant declaration, Mabui could not help but clutch her own head.
"I must say, Lord Raikage, although it is true that the Hidden Leaf is currently unable to look after itself, we still cannot afford to underestimate the enemy too much."
She offered well-meaning advice.
Unfortunately, Ay did not take it to heart at all and gave a grand wave of his hand.
"Have the entire army prepare themselves, in one hour, launch a surprise assault on the border towns of the Land of Fire!"
Seeing that Ay's battle intent was completely set, Mabui did not have any intention of stopping him further, because she knew that any dissuasion at this point would be nothing more than a futile effort.
More importantly, their spies planted within the Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Sand Village had collectively confirmed a piece of news: Jiraiya was heavily injured and powerless to step onto the battlefield!
This allowed Mabui to completely set aside her lingering worries.
As long as Jiraiya would not suddenly appear on the battlefield, even if the one coming was the man known as the Darkness of the Shinobi, Danzo Shimura, he presumably would not be able to stop Ay.
The thoughts of the others were largely identical to Mabui's, and as a result, Ay's military order was rapidly carried out.
Five thousand Cloud Ninjas simultaneously launched an offensive toward the territory of the Hidden Leaf an hour later, and the flames of war erupted once more!
Within the borders of the Land of Grass, Onoki, who was the Third Tsuchikage, had similarly persuaded the Hidden Grass Village.
Naturally, this persuasion was of the physical variety.
The Land of Fire was currently too preoccupied with its own issues to look after the Land of Grass, so the Hidden Grass Village did not have much room for choice.
They could either form an alliance with the Land of Earth and become the vanguard for the Hidden Stone Village, or they could go to war with the Hidden Stone Village.
After Onoki used his Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu to flatten a mountain peak in a single move, the Hidden Grass Village chose the former option.
The Hidden Grass Village welcomed their loyal Onoki.
As for the Land of Wind, there had been no movement since its annexation of the Land of Rivers, appearing as though it was still consuming the products left behind by the Jashin Religion.
The Land of Water, separated by a vast ocean, likewise remained entirely without news, even making people wonder whether such a great nation actually existed.
Returning our gaze to the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Fields.
Upon the city wall of the border town named Ritu, a Hyuga ninja suddenly furrowed his brow. Through his Byakugan, he observed an incomparably astonishing chakra rapidly charging toward this location, and his face changed drastically as he yelled hastily, "Enemy attack!"
Hearing this, all the ninjas upon the city wall grew tense.
The captain leading the unit was a Jonin from the Sarutobi Clan, who immediately questioned, "How many people on the opposing side? What is the distance?"
"The opposing side has one person..."
When uttering this number, this Hyuga ninja himself doubted whether he had misseen it.
But it was indeed correct.
Although his face was filled with bewilderment, this captain of the Sarutobi Clan still followed up, "Then what about the distance?"
"Three..."
"Three kilometers?"
He knit his brows, wondering since when the tracking range of this fellow's Byakugan had become so distant.
"Two..."
"Two hundred meters?"
"One..."
"One?"
"He's here."
With that spoken, the forest outside the city wall shook wildly, and a figure sprinted out from within.
With a sturdily built frame, blonde hair, and dark skin.
"Everyone watch out, it's the Fourth Raikage!"
The Sarutobi captain recognized this man instantly and issued a startled warning.
Everyone was shocked, for this was after all the Kage of a village!
However, this Sarutobi ninja immediately realized his own loss of composure and corrected it on the spot, "Do not be afraid, he is alone, as long as we can capture him first, the Cloud Ninja will collapse without a fight!"
This speech greatly rallied the morale, and everyone upon second thought felt that there seemed to be some sense to it, immediately beginning to rub their hands in anticipation.
Only that Hyuga ninja beside him felt deeply anxious, because through his Byakugan, he could clearly perceive just how wildly violent the power within this man's body truly was!
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
In order to boost morale, the captain from the Sarutobi Clan chose to be the first to make a move.
Seeing that their captain had acted, the others immediately followed suit.
To display their respect for this Raikage, various ninjutsu and kunai were hurled toward the battlefield as if they cost nothing.
Ay also perceived the opposite side's intention, and a sliver of anger could not help but surface on his face.
"They've actually treated me as a soft target? How outrageous!"
Scorching flames surged forward, and the firelight danced across the battlefield.
Correspondingly, there was also a bolt of lightning that was fast to an absurd degree.
Ay's pupils reflected the flames, and a massive amount of chakra poured forth from the various pressure points of his body.
Without Ay even needing to form hand signs or verbally call out any technique, this chakra enveloped his entire physical form from top to bottom, forming an incredibly thick suit of armor!
Thick arcs of electricity flashed continuously upon the armor, emitting crackling, explosive sounds.
Faced with the flames and various other ninjutsu attacks, he had absolutely no intention of dodging. Charging against the numerous attacks, he wrapped a massive amount of lightning around his hand blade and swung it down heavily.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Straight!"
It was as if the God of Thunder had raised his battleaxe. A flash of lightning streaked across the battlefield, and the violent thunder wrapped around Ay's hand, splitting apart everything before him with utmost ease!
The oncoming flames parted into two halves along with his strike, the falling rocks were shattered by the thunder, and countless kunai and shuriken struck against the thick armor, only to bounce off powerlessly.
A streak of lightning flashed past in an instant. Ay broke through the dense offensive in a split second, and carrying the incomparably tyrannical thunder, he slammed a heavy hand blade strike right onto the city wall before him!
"Crack, crack, crack!"
Countless fissures instantly spread out like a spiderweb, and in the next second, the arcs of electricity flashed, causing this entire large section of the city wall to collapse along the cracks with a resounding crash!
"Earth Style: Beheading Stone Axe!"
A figure wearing a Hidden Leaf headband emerged from the collapsing city wall, and appearing along with him was a heavy stone axe that was as tall as a person in his hands!
Carrying a thoroughly fierce power, it smashed down heavily from behind toward this man who possessed the title of Kage!
The thick chakra armor flashed with dazzling arcs of electricity. Under the enhancement of the Lightning Style chakra, Ay's speed had already been elevated to the absolute limit.
Although he had not anticipated the opponent's attack in advance, his terrifying speed was sufficient to support him in making a split-second reaction.
This Hidden Leaf ninja only saw the figure of the man before him become a blur, and by the time he focused his vision, the man had already turned around, his face bearing a haughty expression as he used the iron rings upon his arms to firmly block the giant axe smashing toward him.
The two powerful forces crashed against each other, and the ground beneath Ay's feet cracked layer by layer, yet his frame showed no sign of retreating whatsoever.
"Brat, you've got guts!"
Faced with this attack that had been charging up for a long time, Ay's face showed no annoyance at being ambushed, but was instead filled with appreciation for this ninja.
Daring to launch an offensive against a stronger individual was inherently a manifestation of a strong person's spirit!
"Since that is the case, I will grant you a dignified way to die!"
Ay's frame blurred once again.
This Hidden Leaf ninja perceived the crisis and hastily executed an Earth Style jutsu preparing to merge back into the city wall, but how could his speed possibly compare to Ay, who was renowned for his speed.
Just as he had merged halfway, Ay's fist had already landed upon his chest carrying a grand lightning light.
"Boom!"
The surging power completely destroyed the remaining section of the city wall, and countless ninjas fled in panic.
This Raikage was like the spear tip of the Cloud Ninja army, taking the lead to directly shatter the defense of the local Hidden Leaf ninja forces and tearing an opening through the defensive line.
Immediately afterward, even more Cloud Ninjas sprinted out from the forest, pouring frantically along this gap opened by Ay to expand their achievements.
"I must say, Lord Raikage, can you please not be so reckless!"
Mabui arrived before Ay while panting heavily to admonish him.
Ay remained unmoved: "Merely some small fry of the Hidden Leaf, I don't place them in my eyes at all."
Seeing this, Mabui also grew angry. A dignified Raikage suddenly cast his forces to the back of his mind and threw himself into the enemy lines alone. This was simply treating this war, which decided the fate of the Land of Lightning, as child's play!
"Please do not forget, the Third Raikage was precisely because of this kind of attitude of yours that he..."
Mabui had only spoken halfway when her shoulder was pressed down by Ay.
His gaze turned grave as he looked toward the interior of the town.
"A truly powerful enemy has arrived."
In the next second, the ground ruptured inch by inch, and countless thick vines bored out from underground, binding those deeply advanced Cloud Ninjas firmly with a speed as fast as a thunderbolt, crushing them with immense pressure!
Blooming blood flowers opened up upon the emerald green vines.
Deep within the reach of Ay's gaze, a figure leaning on a cane walked out slowly, his mouth opening slightly to emit an aged voice.
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Danzo advanced while leaning on his cane, manipulating the Wood Style to easily strangle the surrounding enemies, and spoke softly, "It seems it has already been far too long since anyone witnessed the grand power of the Wood Style, let this old man come and awaken the sleeping memory of the Shinobi World."
Ay's face looked very unsightly upon witnessing this scene. Although he looked down upon Danzo as a person, he still understood a fair bit regarding the strength of the Wood Style.
"To think that this old fellow Danzo has truly mastered the Wood Style..."
Ay narrowed his eyes, as if thunder was flashing within his gaze.
Mabui opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but the robust silhouette before her had already vanished from sight.
"However, I am the Raikage!"
Ay appeared before Danzo almost instantaneously, and the surging thunder gathered at his elbow, striking Danzo's chest like a savagely charging rhino.
An incomparably violent power poured out in an instant, causing Danzo's chest to cave in immediately, and his entire person was sent flying backward.
However, Ay did not lower his guard, because the physical sensation of the hit was incorrect!
Sure enough, after Danzo crashed heavily to the ground, he immediately turned into a piece of wood and dissolved away.
Meanwhile, dozens of meters away, a colossal wooden figure standing dozens of meters tall rose abruptly from the ground!
"Wood Style: Wood Human Technique!"
After several months of adaptation, Danzo had finally mastered this body, successfully taking control of the Wood Style ninjutsu left behind by Yi.
At this moment, standing atop the head of the giant wooden human, he instantly felt a sense of looking down upon the entire Shinobi World, appearing as though he was no longer far from his dream.
Faced with the massive wooden human, the battle intent upon Ay's face grew even stronger.
"Since that is the case, then..."
"Strongest Lightning Style Armor!"
As his voice fell, the chakra originally wrapped around his body surface became even more surging and violent.
If the Lightning Style from just now was a surging river, then right now it was a violent waterfall, and one that was dozens of meters high at that!
To the point where Ay's blonde hair stood up strand by strand, looking precisely like an infuriated lion!
This was the strongest form of the Lightning Style Armor, sufficient to showcase the degree of importance Ay placed upon the Wood Style.
Yet Danzo did not care. He manipulated the giant wooden human beneath his feet and charged forward dauntlessly.
Ay, having entered his strongest state, could not possibly back down either, throwing out a punch head-on.
Danzo manipulated the wooden human to similarly hurl out a punch.
"Boom!"
The two fists differed vastly in size, yet they simultaneously erupted with an unimaginably terrifying power, to the point where even the air was jolted into an explosive boom.
Ay was struck to the point where his arm went numb, falling back onto the ground.
Meanwhile, Danzo's wooden human retreated two steps, a depression surfacing upon its fist, but it rapidly recovered back to its original state.
Nevertheless, this still caused Danzo's expression to turn solemn.