MTLNOVEL Chapter 355: Chapter 355
This war, once it devolved into close-quarters combat, turned into a stage for Minato to shine.
He danced amidst the crowd, flickering across the battlefield.
His golden light illuminated the battlefield, captivating all who witnessed it.
People did not yet know his name, but after this war, it was destined to be remembered.
At the same time, the new generation of Konoha had joined the battlefield.
They were young, ranging from thirteen to eighteen years old.
Yet their strength was undeniable.
This was the generation trained under Hui's leadership as Hokage. With such a capable Hokage personally overseeing their growth, how could their abilities be anything less than exceptional?
"Konoha's future is truly terrifying," remarked the Third Raikage.
He observed the young boys and girls on the battlefield. In any other village, each of these individuals would be considered a genius.
But in Konoha, even such prodigies did not stand out among their peers.
Except for that blonde-haired boy and the red-haired girl.
The red-haired girl stood out, chains spilling from her body. As the chains lashed out, enemies fell one after another.
She fought with a violent ferocity, using nothing but her fists, no ninja tools, yet every punch took down an opponent. Her raw power was absurd.
"Indeed, terrifying. That boy's name is Minato Namikaze, and he's been working closely with Hui as his assistant," the Third Mizukage said.
He had recognized Minato immediately. After all, this boy had left a deep impression on him during his time in Konoha.
"No wonder… Another prodigious talent. The heavens truly favor Konoha," the Third Kazekage said, his tone tinged with envy.
"Konoha has another genius even more exceptional than him, Kakashi Hatake, the son of Sakumo Hatake," added Hanzo of the Salamander.
He recalled Kakashi vividly. During his time in Konoha, Kakashi had amazed him and left him utterly speechless.
A mere five-year-old child had the strength of an elite Chunin.
If someone had told him such a thing before, he never would have believed it.
But he had seen it with his own eyes.
The group fell silent upon hearing this.
"Konoha has no future left. This war will end with Konoha's defeat," Onoki declared, whether or not he himself believed that fact was another matter altogether.
Having embraced the resolve to die, Onoki intended to unleash his full power, taking Hui with him and leaving this world together.
Without Hui, Konoha would be consigned to history.
The Third Mizukage glanced at Onoki with a strange expression. He couldn't fathom where the man found such confidence.
The outcome of this war was already clear to him.
Konoha would unify the world, heralding a new era.
People would live better lives, and the world would become a more beautiful place.
That was the future he envisioned.
The only reason he was still here, standing with the World Alliance, was to settle things with himself and Kirigakure.
"But at this rate, it feels like we're going to lose…" someone muttered, their tone heavy with despair.
The statement plunged the group into an even deeper silence.
From the current state of the battlefield, it was hard to deny.
It was absurd, practically unbelievable.
Konoha had only four thousand shinobi, while the alliance boasted twenty thousand.
Yet even with such overwhelming numbers, they were losing.
It was a bitter pill to swallow.
"These Konoha shinobi are all incredibly strong. I've been watching them for some time and noticed that not a single one of them is a Genin. The weakest among them is a Chunin.
What a terrifying village. If the entire world hadn't united against them, this war would already be over," someone said, shivering at the thought.
The last joint Chunin Exams had already demonstrated Konoha's strength, showing that it could crush any other village on its own.
Still, no one could have imagined that Konoha was this powerful.
"We need to act. If this drags on, we'll lose this war for sure.
"Even if we somehow defeat these Konoha shinobi, it will come at a great cost.
"And those looks from the daimyo earlier, you all noticed them too.
"They're already suspicious of us. If this ends in mutual destruction, there may never be another shinobi village again."
Hanzo of the Salamander spoke, casting a glance at the daimyo standing in the distance, their expressions grim and distrustful.
It was easy to see that the daimyo were already shocked by the strength of the ninja.
Yet, they were also deeply unsettled by it.
After this war, even if they managed to achieve a narrow victory, the daimyo would undoubtedly take action against the shinobi villages.
Hearing this, the leaders of the various ninja villages exchanged somber glances.
"Perhaps, in this regard, Hui was right. The land of Uzushiogakure should have been the ideal future for shinobi villages," someone finally admitted, no longer hiding their thoughts.
Some of them had even begun considering attacking their own nation's daimyo after this battle was over.
However, that decision would have to wait until the outcome of this war was determined.
"No need to rush. Since those daimyo are so intent on opposing us, let them test Hui's strength first," a ninja suggested with a cold smile.
Shortly after, a few ninja approached the daimyo, informing them that the chakra and stamina of both sides' ninjas had been largely depleted. It was time for their armies to take action.
Without waiting for a response, the ninja began pulling their own forces back from the battlefield.
The daimyo, their faces darkened, made their decision. Orders were given to their armies.
"Prepare the arrow formation!"
At the command, an army of thirty thousand archers moved into position, readying their bows.
"Fire!"
The daimyo didn't wait for all their own ninja to fully retreat before unleashing their attack.
In an instant, a dense volley of arrows blotted out the sky, creating a spectacular but terrifying sight over the battlefield.
The sheer scale of the attack was overwhelming. It was as if a massive black cloud had descended upon the battlefield, darkening the sky.
Many ninjas, their chakra already nearing depletion, scrambled to react.
Some attempted to use the Earth-Style: Earth Wall technique to block the incoming rain of arrows, but the speed of the attack left them with little time to react.
"No! It's too late!"
"Damn it, those bastards!"
"The area of attack is too large, we can't dodge it!"
"It's fine, even a small earth wall should be enough to block it!"
One ninja reassured the others as they hastily formed incomplete earth walls. While the attack's range was vast, it wasn't impossible to mitigate.
"Wait, no! Those arrows have explosive tags on them!"
Someone suddenly noticed the faint glimmer of explosive tags attached to the arrows.
They weren't ordinary arrows, they were tipped with ignited explosive tags, ready to detonate.
If it were just arrows, the ninja could have easily defended themselves. But with explosive tags? The situation was dire.
Just as the Konoha ninjas began to panic, a fierce gust of wind arose, seemingly out of nowhere.
The powerful wind surged across the battlefield, blowing the arrows backward.
In mere moments, the arrows were sent flying in disarray, detonating mid-air with a series of thunderous explosions.
The rain of arrows, which had threatened to annihilate everything, became nothing more than a dazzling display of fireworks in the sky.
The one responsible was none other than Hui.
Without the need for hand seals, he had directly harnessed natural energy to summon the powerful gust of wind.
"I'll handle the rest."
His calm and confident voice resonated as he appeared in the sky, exuding an aura of absolute authority.
The Konoha ninjas below erupted with excitement upon seeing him.
Their Hokage.
Their faith.
Their god was stepping into the fray.
"Mochizuki Hui is making his move!"
On the other side, the elite ninjas of the World Alliance also reacted.
As they gazed at Hui standing in the sky, a crushing sense of pressure descended upon them.
This man, revered as a god, had finally entered the battlefield!