Lightning clashed with a thunderous roar, and the giant shook with wrath.
Danzo looked down at Ay from above, and Ay stared right back at him.
This was a battle between two Kage, a terrifying struggle that no one else could hope to interfere with.
"Don't look at me with those eyes, you rat from the gutters..."
Ay spoke with considerable irritation. Even though Danzo had displayed an impressive level of combat strength, it still failed to alter the image he held of him in his heart, because what he detested most was that kind of underhanded plotting.
Furthermore, although the Hidden Cloud Village also plundered other people's Kekkei Genkai and various secret techniques, they had always used martial force to conquer, conducting their plunder in an open and honorable manner!
They were nothing like Danzo, who always resorted to playing with conspiracies and schemes.
Conversely, Danzo did not care about Ay's hostility, merely saying in a detached tone, "The process is not important, only the result is what matters most, because history is written by the victors."
Ay treated this with utter disdain: "Hmph, that really is a speech that fits a sewer rat."
Danzo shook his head slightly: "There is no point in speaking with a muscle-brain like you."
With those words spoken, the surrounding ground ruptured once again, and even more colossal vines grew out frantically, wrapping toward Ay like countless giant pythons.
"Tch, is it this trick again?"
Ay expressed substantial contempt, immediately wrapping a massive amount of Lightning Style chakra around his hand to turn it into a sharp blade, severing all of the oncoming vines.
Despite this, he immediately condensed his chakra at the soles of his feet, stomping down hard upon a severed vine.
His entire body, fully activated by the Lightning Style chakra, instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning that shot toward the top of the giant's head, completely demonstrating the fastest speed in the Shinobi World.
Seeing this, Danzo unraveled the bandages covering his eye at the very first moment, exposing the crimson Sharingan underneath.
Relying on the powerful dynamic vision of the Sharingan, Danzo barely managed to capture the trajectory of Ay's movements.
The massive wooden human moved instantly with a rumbling sound, its sun-blocking palm covering down heavily toward the oncoming streak of lightning.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Straight!"
The surging lightning wrapped around his hand, blooming in mid-air like a flash of thunder, severing the oncoming giant palm inch by inch from left to right!
"If it is only to this extent, it will really make me disappointed in the God of Shinobi's Wood Style!"
Countless electric arcs flashed upon Ay's body, his flying blonde hair making him look exactly like a God of Thunder.
However, not long after those words were spoken, the wooden human's other palm fell once more, swatting him heavily into the ground, only coming to a halt after smashing through a dozen houses in succession.
"Bastard, don't underestimate the power of the Wood Style."
Danzo's gaze was cold and gloomy. The charred bark at the severed section of the wooden human's palm slowly fell away, and under the supply of chakra, it grew back anew.
Deep within the distant ruins, a giant boulder was shattered by Ay. Although the Lightning Style Armor covering his body had not broken, he still looked somewhat disheveled.
"The strength is not bad."
Ay rubbed his own shoulder, the battle intent upon his face growing even stronger.
"Since that is the case, I will win by relying on speed!"
He stared fixedly at his opponent, the lightning upon his body surging even more violently.
Danzo narrowed his eyes, his killing intent freezing.
"Still haven't given up hope?"
Immediately afterward, he manipulated a massive amount of vines and tree branches to surround and kill him once more.
This time, Ay did not choose to continue with a head-on confrontation, but instead transformed into a swift streak of lightning that flashed continuously across the field. For a time, Danzo was actually unable to capture him using the Wood Style.
Because Ay's speed was simply too fast and his attacks were incomparably fierce, even if he was accidentally blocked by the vines, he could rely on his Lightning Style to slice them to pieces.
As for the massive and clumsy wooden human beneath Danzo's feet, it could forget about even touching him.
The only reason it had successfully hit Ay earlier was that Ay wanted to test the power of the Wood Style, but now that he was fully intent on fighting a guerrilla war, Danzo could not catch him at all.
Of course, Danzo was not in a hurry either, because after fusing with Yi, his chakra reserve had likewise received a massive elevation, leaving him with no fear of Ay's war of attrition.
Ay was not in a hurry either. His father, the Third Raikage, had been able to fight against ten thousand Stone Ninjas for three days and three nights before dying in battle, and as his son, he had similarly inherited that terrifying chakra capacity, making him a human chakra monster through and through.
Therefore, a bizarre situation took shape.
Within the rolling sea of trees, a streak of lightning flashed continuously, as Ay kept cutting down the vines and tree branches before him, but Danzo would very quickly replenish them.
Following that, he attempted several more charges, but all of them were discovered and anticipated in advance by Danzo utilizing the Sharingan, allowing the wooden human to cooperate with the sky-covering vines to strike him back.
Yet the slow-moving wooden human was likewise unable to seize the Fourth Raikage Ay, who was moving swiftly like a flash of lightning.
Consequently, this battle between two Kage could only fall strangely into a stalemate.
Ultimately, it was the arrival of the Hidden Leaf reinforcements that shattered the deadlock.
Mabui was the first to discover the movements of the enemy, and only then did she hastily shout a warning to Ay.
"I know."
Ay casually cut down all the oncoming branches, and then looked toward Danzo standing atop the wooden human.
"Next time, I will definitely shatter your head with my own hands, Fifth Hokage."
Danzo's expression did not change, but the crimson color within his eyes grew even deeper.
"I look forward to our next exchange."
With that said, Ay led the Cloud Ninjas and retreated from the battlefield at the fastest speed.
This battle also briefly drew to a close with a draw.
Naturally, if one were to speak of the overall losses, the Cloud Ninjas still held the upper hand.
After all, before Danzo's arrival, the Cloud Ninjas possessing Ay as a top-tier combat force had carried out what could be called a one-sided slaughter against the Hidden Leaf, not only breaching the city walls but also inflicting massive casualties upon them.
Although Danzo resolved quite a few Cloud Ninjas later on, the overall result was still slightly inferior.
However, as far as Danzo was concerned personally, this battle was of great benefit.
He had proved in this battle that he truly possessed top-tier Kage-level strength capable of contending with the Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village, showing that he was not merely a politician who relied on underhanded schemes.
Furthermore, the Wood Style he utilized could be considered the spiritual symbol of the Hidden Leaf, subtly planting a thought in the hearts of these ninjas that he was the orthodox successor to the First Hokage's legacy.
This made his succession to the position of the Fifth Hokage even more legitimate.
When the news of this battle traveled back to the Hidden Leaf, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, including Jiraiya, who was currently waking up from his coma.
At this moment, he was lying on a bed in the Hidden Leaf Hospital, using the sunlight to read the latest intelligence report sent from the front lines.
"To think that fellow Danzo's mastery over the Wood Style has already reached such a proficient level."
Jiraiya was somewhat surprised. Originally, he had believed that Danzo being able to take over as Hokage was mostly due to his seniority, but he had not expected that the man indeed possessed a strength that was not inferior to their teacher.
Tsunade leaned casually against the window, her hands expertly finishing peeling an apple.
Just as Jiraiya wanted to reach out his hand to take it, Tsunade happened to pop it right into her own mouth.
The sunlight shining through the window reflected an ambiguous gleam upon her bright red lips. The clean apple was sent into her mouth through her parted red lips, her pearly white teeth biting through it gently, causing sweet juice to instantly burst forth and fill Tsunade's mysterious oral cavity.
Jiraiya seemed to think of something, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly as a circle of blush blanketed his face.
"What are you doing, you bastard?"
Tsunade knit her beautiful brows, looking at Jiraiya with a face full of revulsion.
Even if the other party did not speak, she could easily guess what this wanderer, who spent his days loitering in the pleasure quarters and bathhouses, was thinking about in his heart.
"No, nothing."
Hearing Tsunade's words, Jiraiya finally snapped back to his senses, taking his hand back sheepishly and scratching his head to cover his embarrassment.
In passing, he also pulled his blanket up, covering the juncture between his upper and lower body.
This movement caused the revulsion upon Tsunade's face to grow even stronger. She swallowed the apple in a few bites and then said, "Just focus on recovering from your injuries, as for the matters at the front lines, there is still me."
Jiraiya restrained that lecherous expression, turning to ask seriously, "Tsunade, your..."
Although he did not state it clearly, both of them knew what Jiraiya meant by that.
Hemophobia.
Tsunade rubbed her temples with some exhaustion and said, "Rest assured, I already overcame it a little when performing surgery on you last time, I will adapt as quickly as possible."
It was not that Tsunade wanted to go to the battlefield herself, but rather that the current situation of the Hidden Leaf was indeed quite terrible.
The Fifth Hokage, Danzo, was currently resisting the Land of Lightning at the border of the Land of Fields.
Over at the Land of Grass, it was the similarly aged Torifu Akimichi who was laboring to support the defense, while the Land of Wind was eyeing them like a tiger after occupying the Land of Rivers.
The Land of Fire was highly likely to face the terrifying pressure of a three-front war next.
Relying solely on Danzo and Torifu Akimichi was far from enough.
Therefore, Tsunade had to overcome her internal psychological fear as quickly as possible, striving to head to the battlefield to provide support at an early date.
Otherwise, once the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning launched large-scale offensives, they would probably really be unable to hold out.
Jiraiya could naturally see the current situation clearly as well, saying hastily, "Tsunade, actually my body is fine, with one or two more days of rest, I can head to the battlefield."
As if to prove his physical condition, Jiraiya pressed one hand onto the bed, about to stand up immediately, but he was pressed right back down by Tsunade using a single, feather-light finger.
She cast a disdainful sideways glance at Jiraiya: "In your current state, even if you go to the battlefield, you will only be a burden, so just rest well."
With that said, Tsunade did not give Jiraiya any opportunity to persuade her, directly leaving the hospital room.
As a top medical ninja, she was fully aware of Jiraiya's physical condition.
That bizarre virus had drained a massive amount of nutrients and vitality from Jiraiya's body, and without one or two months, he could forget about recovering his combat effectiveness entirely.
In the Land of Rain, somewhere deep underground beneath a mountain range.
One after another, illusory silhouettes emerged atop the fingers of the massive Gedo Mazo.
Pain opened his eyes, his light purple Rinnegan faintly exuding a ripple of majesty.
Seeing that everyone was already in place, he opened his mouth to speak, "Due to Simu's operations, the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Lightning have successively declared war on the Land of Fire, and the Fourth Shinobi World War has begun."
As this sentence fell, most of the members besides Pain cast their gazes onto Simu.
Konan, Obito, Black Zetsu, Sasori, and Hidan, who had already known this piece of news in advance, were fine, but those who did not know, such as Orochimaru, Itachi, and Juzo Biwa, directly revealed expressions of disbelief.
Especially Itachi.
He, whose dream was world peace, hid a terrifying killing intent in the gaze he directed toward Simu.
As for Orochimaru, he smiled merrily and said, "As expected of Simu-kun, any move you make turns into a major event, now the entire world has fallen into chaos, which is perfect for us to take the opportunity to gather the Tailed Beasts."
Pain nodded, "Orochimaru is right, now that the nations are fighting fiercely, it is the perfect opportunity for us to seize the Tailed Beasts."
He then looked toward Itachi and Juzo Biwa, "Juzo Biwa is relatively familiar with the Hidden Mist Village, you two will head to the Hidden Mist Village to capture the Three-Tails and the Six-Tails."
Itachi nodded immediately, indicating that it was not a problem.
However, Juzo Biwa's expression was somewhat wary as he said, "The current Three-Tails Jinchuriki of the Hidden Mist Village is the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, he is a perfect Jinchuriki and his strength is considerably powerful, just me and Itachi, will it be..."
"Rest assured, my Mangekyo can suppress Tailed Beasts."
Itachi used a detached tone to utter words filled with absolute confidence.
However, Simu spoke up, "Leader, why not let me and Hidan head to the Hidden Mist instead?"
"Right now, the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning are both at war, which is perfect for others to take advantage of their vulnerability, whereas the Land of Water has not entered the war, meaning their combat forces are sufficient, and they have two Tailed Beasts, so it is better to let me go."
Simu spoke these words with grand righteousness, entirely uncharacteristic of the Akatsuki organization's style.
Hidan did not mind either way; in any case, wherever Simu went, he would follow.
Itachi's brow furrowed slightly. To him, it did not really matter which Tailed Beast he captured, but Simu being so proactive about heading to the Hidden Mist made him feel somewhat uneasy.
However, he had no reason to stop Simu's self-sacrificing behavior either.
Pain merely cast a glance at Simu before granting his request.
"Since that is the case, then you and Hidan will go."
Tobi, hidden beneath his mask, took a deep look at Simu but did not speak.
Pain looked back toward Itachi and Juzo Biwa, "Then you two will be responsible for capturing the Two-Tails, according to White Zetsu's intelligence, the Raikage is currently preparing to deploy an even larger scale ninja force into the battlefield, which will be your best opportunity to strike at the Two-Tails."
"Understood."
Itachi's face remained calm, as if capturing which Tailed Beast made no difference to him.
"Sasori and Orochimaru, you two will head to the Hidden Stone Village to capture the Four-Tails and the Five-Tails," Pain continued to assign the tasks.
Sasori's expression looked somewhat reluctant. To tell the truth, he indeed did not like that fellow Orochimaru very much, because the other party's art was completely antithetical to his own.
However, since Senior Simu had not objected, he could only pinch his nose and endure it.
"As for the Nine-Tails, the strongest of the Hidden Leaf, it will be left for last, at which time I will personally make a move."
Pain assigned all the tasks in a few words and immediately adjourned the meeting.
Once all the silhouettes had dissolved away, Nagato looked toward Konan beside him, "Why do you think Simu wanted to go to the Hidden Mist?"
Konan shook her head, "I have never been able to see through this fellow's style of conducting matters."
Nagato did not continue questioning, merely saying, "Letting him go to test the waters of the Hidden Mist Village is not a bad idea either."
Otherwise, the Land of Water and the Hidden Mist Village, which had been holding back without acting, would also be a threat to Akatsuki, as it always felt as if some unknown danger existed there.