Chapter 517: The Invincible Persona

Chapter 517: Chapter 517: The Invincible Persona

"Uh... has my deterrence really reached this level?"

Just moments ago, Kagami had still been faintly regretting his actions, feeling that he should have been more cautious and meticulous during the battle. If he had conserved just a little more chakra, then even if he couldn’t defeat his enemies, he could at least have ensured his own safe retreat.

But now, after seeing Obito and Zetsu flee in such a panic, he suddenly felt that the overwhelming momentum he’d created earlier by fighting so extravagantly and recklessly burning through his chakra seemed to have produced an entirely different effect.

"Looks like I barely managed to preserve Yama’s persona as the invincible strongest under heaven!"

At that thought, Kagami secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Deterrence was a strange thing. Sometimes it was completely useless, yet at other times, it could produce unexpectedly miraculous results. And for Kagami, who desperately needed time to grow stronger right now, the existence of an ’invincible Yama’ was absolutely necessary.

Because after this battle, the situation in the shinobi world had already become quite clear.

Nagato’s strength had left everyone else far behind.

Including Kagami himself, there probably wasn’t anyone left in the shinobi world who could defeat Nagato one-on-one. In fact, even those capable of posing a genuine threat to Nagato could now be counted on one hand.

It could be said that the shinobi world had officially entered an era of ’one superpower and many great powers.’

And Nagato was that ’one superpower’—the one who, in a one-on-one fight, could use Chibaku Tensei to instantly crush any of the ’many great powers’!

Under circumstances like these, Yama’s existence became extraordinarily significant.

Without the deterrence provided by Yama—the man regarded as the strongest in the entire shinobi world—Nagato would have nothing left to fear.

And with the current strength of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, there was simply no way they could stop him.

Sweeping across the shinobi world and gathering all nine Tailed Beasts wouldn’t be difficult for Akatsuki at all.

Perhaps in just one or two short years...

Akatsuki would be able to revive the Ten-Tails.

And Kagami’s Kekkei Mora Project obviously couldn’t keep pace with an Akatsuki that was free to collect the Tailed Beasts without restraint.

When that time came, Kagami would either have to face Nagato after he had become the Ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki, or face the progenitor of chakra, Otsutsuki Kaguya, after she broke free from her seal and returned to the shinobi world.

If it was the former, Kagami could still retreat from the light into the shadows and struggle on for a while longer.

But if it was the latter, and Otsutsuki Kaguya slapped everyone in the face with a single Infinite Tsukuyomi, then even Kagami would be powerless to turn things around.

At that moment, Kagami raised his head and looked toward the night sky.

The moon had already tilted and sunk low toward the horizon, yet it remained brilliantly white, hanging at the edge of the sky like a flawless jade disk as it gradually descended.

"Strange!"

Kagami was somewhat puzzled.

The Otsutsuki descendants on the Moon had only just launched a meteor attack. By normal logic, they should currently be using the Giant Tenseigan to repeatedly scan the battlefield and confirm the results of their attack.

Yet for some reason, after the meteor strike, the Giant Tenseigan’s probe into the shinobi world had withdrawn almost as soon as it appeared, with nothing following afterward.

And now there wasn’t even the slightest movement.

Kagami could no longer even sense the Giant Tenseigan’s existence, as though some kind of barrier had completely severed the connection between the shinobi world and the Moon.

Although he didn’t know the exact reason, Kagami was certain of one thing.

The Otsutsuki descendant guarding the Giant Tenseigan had definitely changed.

The Otsutsuki descendant controlling the Giant Tenseigan this time was definitely not the same one from several years ago.

Because this one was clearly far more aggressive—

and far more impulsive!

Kagami’s gaze sharpened.

"Looks like I can’t casually borrow the Giant Tenseigan’s power anymore."

The Otsutsuki descendants on the Moon had thoroughly demonstrated their hostility toward the shinobi world through this meteor attack.

From locating the target to launching the attack, there had been virtually no hesitation whatsoever.

So if Kagami casually borrowed the Giant Tenseigan’s power again in the future, perhaps next time, it wouldn’t be just one meteor falling from the sky.

Suddenly, a faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the horizon, piercing through the dark and oppressive curtain of night.

Kagami turned his gaze toward it and murmured,

"Finally... dawn."

With the appearance of the first light on the horizon, this grueling night had finally come to an end.

Kagami withdrew his distant gaze and looked around.

The cliff was already nowhere to be seen.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but scorched earth riddled with craters. Not even a slightly larger rock remained intact. Only in the extreme distance could traces of greenery still be seen.

"This entire stretch of mountain forest is completely ruined!"

After sighing in lament, Kagami exited Tenseigan Chakra Mode, then carefully surveyed the battlefield—still filled with dust—with his Tenseigan.

Only after confirming that nothing had been left behind did his figure flicker and disappear from the battlefield, which was permeated by the smell of scorched earth.

Elsewhere.

A massive emerald-green Susanoo suddenly heaved upward, crawling out from beneath a mound of earth amid clouds of flying dust.

"Cough, cough..."

Beneath the Susanoo, Shisui coughed repeatedly.

Although they had already been fleeing the battlefield at full speed, the shockwave from the meteor’s impact had still caught up with them, forcing Shisui to activate his Susanoo once again.

Fortunately, his Susanoo was equipped with the divine artifact, the Yata Mirror, which had absorbed the vast majority of the impact for them.

At that moment, Itachi also climbed out of the ruins. Just like Shisui, he coughed as he surveyed his surroundings.

However, there was no longer any sign of the Akatsuki members on the battlefield, and Kagami was nowhere to be seen either. Itachi frowned slightly, unable to keep himself from worrying about Kagami’s safety.

The appearance of that meteor had simply been far too suspicious, making it difficult for him not to suspect that it had been Akatsuki’s doing.

Shisui said, "It looks like the battle is over. Akatsuki’s people should have already withdrawn."

Itachi nodded.

Shisui then glanced at Yagura and Killer B, who were still unconscious, and said to Itachi, "Leave things here to me. Hurry back to the village and see if anything happened to the clan."

Itachi had already been worried about his family. After hearing Shisui’s words, he also understood that it was time for him, as Kamigami’s Homura, to leave the stage.

He nodded, then disappeared from the battlefield in a flicker.

At the same time, the shinobi of the Five Great Shinobi Villages who had been caught in the shockwave began climbing out of the ruins one after another.

"Is everyone all right?"

The Third Hokage dispelled his Earth Release technique as he shouted to those around him.

"Lord Hokage, we’re fine!"

"We’re all right over here too!"

"Sensei, everything’s fine on my end as well!"

Before long, the surviving shinobi of the Five Great Shinobi Villages began responding one after another.

Since everyone had already been near the edge of the battlefield and had begun retreating the moment they noticed the meteor, although they were still caught by the shockwave, the vast majority had only suffered from the ordinary force of the impact.

Powerhouses like the Third Hokage had even managed to withstand the shockwave head-on by using defensive ninjutsu.

At that moment, the light of dawn finally shone upon them.

Gazing at the utterly unrecognizable landscape around him, the Third Hokage, bathed in the morning light, looked exceptionally old...