Drop Some power stones! If you like the chapter! It helps to keep me motivated to upload more!đź’Žđź’Žđź’ŽÂ
------
An awkward situation had arisen. It had been a full month since the Uzushiogakure had mobilized its ninja forces, yet Kirigakure remained completely inactive, as if they had abandoned the idea of launching an offensive altogether.
What was originally intended as a military mobilization had gradually turned into a mass training campaign. Under the leadership of Akio's three disciples, the shinobi of Uzushio had entered a period of intense training across the entire nation.
"Sigh, waiting around for others to attack is such a pain," Akio muttered.
Uzushio lacked the capacity for offensive warfare. While they had more shinobi than any single clan, compared to the Five Great Villages, the number of combat-ready ninjas was still too small. As for Akio going himself—well, that wouldn't be an invasion. That would be destruction. He could take down plenty on his own, but war was meant to bring profit. If one just destroyed everything, that would be terrorism. Were it not for that distinction, Akio would have long since launched an attack on Kirigakure.
"Sensei! Join us for training!"
Akio shook his head as he watched Jitou leading a team of ninjas jogging past.
"This old man's more suited for Gentle Fist. Those intense training methods just aren't for me anymore."
After training in the Gentle Fist style, his "Body" stat had increased by nearly 700 points, surpassing the 1500 mark—almost doubling. Compared to all the hot-blooded training he'd done before, the results were clearly better.
"What on earth is Kirigakure waiting for?" Akio murmured, puzzled. Battles had already broken out across various regions a month ago. The Second Great Ninja War had essentially erupted. The only ones not yet participating were Uzushio and Kirigakure.
"No… there's also Kumogakure," Akio narrowed his eyes. "Even if they haven't fully recovered yet, their status as a great power is no longer unstable."
"Could they be waiting for Kumo?"
In truth, Akio was wrongly blaming Kirigakure. A month earlier, Kiri had indeed assembled a fleet in preparation to attack Uzushio.
Due to repeated failures sealing the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, Kirigakure had long since set its sights on the Uzumaki Clan. They had never truly regarded the Uzumaki as a serious threat.
Akio hadn't really clashed with Kiri in recent years, so while they knew of the powerful elder of the Uzumaki Clan, they were unaware of his actual strength.
However, just as their fleet left the Land of Water, a sudden, blinding white light struck the ocean several kilometers away. A massive vortex formed on impact, creating an immense gravitational pull. Though the shinobi could walk on water using chakra and escaped, all of their ships were destroyed.
So, it wasn't that Kirigakure didn't want to attack—they simply had no ships left. They couldn't possibly cross dozens of kilometers over open sea just by running on water. That would be suicide.
Currently, Kirigakure was frantically forging new ships and also trying to identify the source of that white light.
And so, without realizing it, Uzushio's peaceful days continued for another month. If nothing unexpected occurred, that peace was likely to persist.
However, the unexpected always arrives quietly—and this time, it was an attack by Kumogakure, now only fifty li (~25 kilometers) away from Uzushio.
When Akio first received the report, he thought he had misheard.
Unlike Kirigakure, the Third Raikage A of Kumogakure knew Akio's strength all too well. He had personally experienced the overwhelming power of Akio's Seven Gates. Over the years, Akio hadn't vanished completely from the shinobi world—rumors of his death never gained traction. Given that, Kumo still dared to initiate an attack? It was truly baffling.
"What gave them the courage?" Akio muttered.
Beside him, Izuko spoke up, "Sensei, Kumogakure may be similar to Kirigakure in that we—"
Akio raised a hand, cutting her off. "Kumogakure is different."
"Kirigakure still hasn't figured out how to properly seal their Jinchūriki. Their Tailed Beasts are currently just ornaments. But in Kumogakure, the Two-Tails' seal is stable, and the Eight-Tails—though not entirely under control—is still usable in battle. If we send our people and I miss even one Tailed Beast Ball, it would be a disaster."
"Don't be fooled by our Chakra Diffusion Cannons—they may be said to rival Tailed Beast Balls in power, but they're not the real thing."
Izuko fell silent for a moment, then gave a wry smile and nodded. "In the end, it still falls to you, Sensei."
Akio shook his head. "Kumo knows my strength well—they wouldn't come unprepared. The most likely scenario is that they've temporarily allied with Kirigakure."
"So I'll need you to keep an extra close watch here."
Izuko hesitated. "Sensei, if they have made other preparations… will you really be alright?"
Akio smiled, "Even if they've made preparations, they'd be for the me from sixteen years ago. I'm not the same man anymore."
"I'm more worried about you all. If Kiri attacks while I'm away… well, in any case, I'll make it quick."
Izuko nodded. "Be careful, Sensei."
Akio said no more. He rose into the sky and flew in the direction of Kumogakure's forces. He didn't want the battlefield to reach Uzushio—it would cause needless destruction. Intercepting them outside was the best option.
However, Kumogakure's march was faster than Akio expected. As soon as he reached Uzushio's border, he sensed large waves of chakra.
Akio slowly descended as a massive group of shinobi charged toward him.
Leading them was none other than the Third Raikage, A. Upon seeing Akio, he gestured for his forces to halt.
Akio frowned. Something felt… off.
"A, it's been years. You look like… you've lost weight?"
This wasn't sarcasm—it was true. Compared to over a decade ago, A was visibly slimmer.
"Uzumaki Akio!" A growled through clenched teeth. "All thanks to you!"
Akio blinked in confusion. "Thanks to me?"
A didn't elaborate. Lightning sparked around him, and he vanished on the spot.
"Liger Bomb!"
Same technique, same flavor. After all these years, A was still using the same move as his greeting.
But times had changed—and Akio's response had evolved.
He gently raised his right hand and tapped A's elbow. A strange force redirected the elbow inward, making him punch himself in the chest. With a muffled thud, A was actually blown back dozens of meters—by his own strike.
"Raikage-sama!" several voices cried out in alarm.
"You knocked yourself flying? That's quite the skill. High-difficulty move—kids, don't try this at home. Uh, though without chakra, you really couldn't copy it anyway."
Normal taijutsu couldn't cause someone to strike themselves with that much force. But ninja taijutsu was a different story—it wasn't purely physical strength.
Akio looked carefully at his opponent, then sighed. "Your speed just now… Did you reallocate your points? Trying to dodge my Dust Release by focusing more on speed?"
"But with all due respect, your build is more suited to a tank—not an assassin."
A didn't respond. Instead, he gestured, and two shinobi stepped forward.
As Akio had expected, they were the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.
"Sigh… If you'd allocated your stats properly, this fight might've been interesting. But now… I'm honestly a little bored."
---
For early access to advanced chapters visit my P@treon:
P@treon/ Dexy3
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!