Chapter 61: Chapter 61
'How do I save him?'
Seeing only the aftermath of the battle frustrated Ay beyond belief, and the loss of his brother caused immense worry in his heart. Killer Bee was his beloved brother, and none was above him in rank in his heart.
No matter how deep he fell into darkness, Killer Bee was the only one he would never treat like an expendable piece. It was saying something, since he could use his daughter and his personal life as a piece.
'How many are there?' Ay questioned as he realized that there were warriors among the Uzumaki clan that had reached mastery of Fuinjutsu to a level that allowed them to fight beings surpassing humanity.
'How do I save him? How can we defeat them?' Ay couldn't help but curse the fact that Naruto had disappeared. He had been overjoyed at first, but now he really hoped that the golden boy would come back now.
However, Naruto's return was an unknown factor since nobody could do anything but wait. As such, they could only rely on what they had.
'The chakra canon should be the last resort as even our survival would be up to luck.' Ay held himself back from jumping the gun and using his ultimate weapon.
However, he still decided to take some extreme measures.
"Lord Raikage, you have a call from the Kazekage." Mabui walked up to him and conveyed the message professionally even though no one was looking.
It ended up being a group call and he found out that Konoha had been caged, along with Suna and Mizu. However, they had underestimated Gaara and Mei as they had been able to break the barrier.
On the other hand, Konoha was still trapped.
"We need to release Konoha before taking the fight to them. It is unknown how many strong fighters of our caliber there are, so it is best that we have our strongest available." Gaara insisted.
"We don't have time to release them, they will slaughter our people and stab us in the back while we are distracted. In the first place, there is only the seven tail boy in there. He isn't important enough for this step." Onoki denied his words as they were illogical and he was already sweating blood after seeing his men taken out like fodder.
"Can you let him explain before denying him? Lord Kazekage isn't someone that pushes for useless actions." Mei took his side as she was on their side, and she trusted Gaara's leadership.
Even Ay had been about to throw some shade on Konoha and call them useless without Naruto, but Gaara was trustworthy.
"Naruto would have been the one to inform you about this soon, but I suppose it has come to me. Hinata Hyuga is the second strongest being on this planet followed by Ino Yamanaka. This is the reason why the Uzumaki clan caged them so carefully. If we want to win, we need one of them on our side."
"How did these two little girls surpass Bee?" Ay was alarmed and intrigued.
"They made contracts with Immortals. However, we don't have time to achieve the same thing since it is a time consuming thing."
"Okay, How do you suppose we break this barrier if these girls were unable to with their powers?" Onoki asked the most obvious question.
Everyone was silent as they had no answer to the question.
Just when everything seemed lost, the group call was interrupted by someone else joining it.
"My Lord has heard of your plight, and she has decided to intervene…This should release Konoha, but you should all prepare to take some drastic measures since it won't be enough to fight this threat." Merlin informed them and further warned them about the capabilities of their foes.
The others weren't sure about Merlin, but Gaara assured them of his authenticity.
"If what he said is the truth, than we have no choice but to use the prototype Ultimate Soldier plan." Ay had already decided upon it, and decided to see what the others thought of it.
Onoki agreed to it while Mei and Gaara were unsure.
"You two don't have to force yourselves as we are the targets." Onoki didn't force them into it as he didn't wish to destroy someone like Gaara through a dangerous procedure.
With that, the Kage had come to an agreement. Ay and Onoki chose some of their men to upgrade to give them a fighting chance. They also decided to go through it as well since they couldn't hold back now and end up dying without putting up a resistance. Sitting powerlessly was not the task of a Kage, so both of them couldn't hold back their desire. It was further fired up by the fact that Mei and Gaara could fight in the battle.
It was also the time for the world to witness the most powerful beings in history. The Kage of Hashirama's generation.
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With the decision made, the Raikage and Tsuchikage's chosen warriors went through the Otsutsuki transformation. It wasn't a perfected procedure so there chance of death, delayed death or even insanity leading to monstrosity.
The team had observed that the transformation could lead to the creation of abominations.
Regardless of the risks, they had no other choice since the enemy wouldn't stop until Kumo and Iwa were erased from the planet.
"Father, are you sure?" Storm asked Ay as he watched the research team operate without Orochimaru and Tsunade, making the operation even more dangerous.
To make sure that the team could operate properly, Ay had told them to use some of his Jounin along with Jounin from Iwa.
Naruto wasn't there to guide them, and Ay wasn't about to let his precious fighters die on the table.
"These are the risks we have to take. I know his leadership might change the world completely, but when he is gone it will always return to the natural order. Storm, watch over us and improve from where we stop."
"I don't want you to die, Dad. Please.." Storm for the first time in her life felt the emotional pain of loss. All her life had been perfect and blessed. But, for the first time she was forced to endure the fact that her loved one would die.
Not even the Forth War had that surety and Ay had put her in a temporary coma in a safety bunker during the war, so she hadn't experienced anything.
Even though Storm held on to his arm and begged him to stay, Ay didn't budge and he forced her to look at the choices he was making.
On the other hand, Kurotsuchi had already seen much death in the family. She was waiting for the death of Onoki with patience, to take his space.
That was what she said, but in her heart she loved her grandfather more than anything. She had lost her parents and uncles, now it seemed it was time to let go of the guiding hand of her existence.
However, she didn't cry and encouraged him instead.
"Come on grandpa, I know you can do it. There is no way you are gonna drop before you hit 200." Kuro hit his back jokingly.
"Ah my back, you are going to kill me before I even get inside." Onoki complained about his back and straightened it.
"I am happy that you care so much, so don't worry about my life. I will be achieving immortality soon." Onoki knew what she was doing and it made him very happy. His granddaughter was the most precious existence in his eyes. Though just like the other Kage, he would sacrifice everything for the sake of his people.
Before they could continue to exchange barbs, Naruto's followers walked over.
"I hope we are not disturbing you, but we need a moment of your time." Orochi walked over to them along with his followers, Akuma, Zoro and Inari.
"What are you guys doing here?" Kuro asked as they had no reason to enter the research center of Kumo. They shouldn't even have been allowed inside.
"We got permission from Miss Mabui, and we wish to participate in the battle."
"None of you can fight here, especially not him. Why did you even bring him here?" Kuro was worried about Inari since the boy was Naruto's student and very close to his heart. The others were proper warriors so it made sense, but not the boy.
"That is not for you to decide. We are warriors, meaning we have already come to terms with our death in battle. We are not here to hear your drivel about cowardice. We want to go through this procedure and participate in this ultimate battle as is our duty to our lord." Akuma pushed aside Orochi and stood in front of Kuro with his red eyes radiating the desire for violence.
"I highly doubt you care for Naruto's desire… You guys want to leave corpses for him to grieve. So many of us will die but none of them are close to him like you guys, especially you. Do you want to hurt him?Your participation isn't necessary as we have enough people that can fight." Kuro wanted to avoid Naruto turning to the darker side, especially when they could avoid such damage.
"I can assure you that you need us. It is unfortunate, but the Uzumaki clan has too much power and you will need all the help you can get. The people beyond mortal might be few, but the all the members of the clan can easily connect with them and further strengthen them.
The one called Mikoto was an exception as he seemed to like fair battles. And, none of us know the power of the clan leader. This is the only time we can go through this, as the battle will be over once your side fights back. There is no second chance, so we don't want Naruto to come back to a broken world. He told us to step forward when the world needs our help, so it is our duty to keep it safe even at the cost of our lives. It is the path we have chosen, and our lord will understand us, and glorify us if we leave for the other world." Orochi spoke like the leader he was and stood above Kuro in stature. There was no denying his words, and Onoki didn't really care. He was happy that they had more fighters on hand.
"Miss, I am happy that you care about my safety. But, I don't want to leave the safety of my family in the hands of others again. We had almost died during the forth war, and there was nothing I could have done. Now once again the world is about to enter an era of turmoil, and brother is missing, so I can't hide anymore and continue to pray for a hero. Brother will understand no matter what happens, and I want to make him proud that he chose me as a student.
We are not going to die. We will come out victorious." Inari gathered his courage and spoke up among the crowd of adults and experienced warriors. It was a nerve wrecking experience, especially since he was about to enter an unknown operation and go into a death battle.
Clap clap
"Wonderful, couldn't have said it better. You kids will make him proud." Onoki smiled as the little boy had reminded them that they were going for the win, not for survival. They were the apex of this world, not those Uzumaki survivors.
Storm looked at Zoro and he shrugged his shoulders.
"I think we are ready for the advance course. Naruto's training definitely gives us the edge unlike the others." Zoro explained his view and just like Akuma, he was really getting tired of being too weak for a fight. Though both of them cared about their source of power, this transformation changed nothing.
He would still focus on his swords while Akuma would continue focusing on his body and energy manipulation.
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The resistance against the Uzumaki Clan's plan continued to build up in Kumo and Iwa while the enemy slowly but surely got closer to the hidden villages. Any ninja they came across was killed without even giving them a chance, death was the only choice given to all.
Even the defeat of Killer Bee who was the second strongest being on the planet known to the world was natural to the clan, and they believed it would have been extremely one sided if Mikoto hadn't left his followers to watch and allowed them to participate.
Regardless of Mikoto's temporary loss of power didn't hinder their plans since they still had the other Kings at full power and Mikoto's second in command could take his place.
On the other hand, the enemies had just lost their trump card.
"You are lucky to even survive, Mikoto. Can you not put your life on the line for such a foolish thing? When will you understand the sacrifices we made to get you into this position. Look at the people of this world, do you see any of them close to your level? There are none without interference from the Immortals.
And could you stop letting this child play his games, Nagare? If I see you kids mess this up again, I am personally taking you both to Genryu and asking him to send you to the Eternal Void." The Gold King was furious at the carelessness shown by his comrade and students. The old man known as Daikaku was in charge of the army invading the Land of Lightning. With his earth orbs he was recording everything so that all Uzumaki's and their enemies could see the consequences of going against the Uzumaki clan.
"Come on, grandpa he didn't know that the vessel had such a trick up his sleeve. Even his knowledge of Sage mode was a surprise, without it there wouldn't be a battle. Maybe if Mikoto had taken his squad, the enemy might not have engaged." Nagare also known as the Green King made excuses for his actions.
"You are right, but that's a coincidence. You were all too willing to see Mikoto fight alone."
"Hey hey, that's a baseless accusation. I would never do such a thing."
"You were with a crowd of the red and green setting up a betting booth, and acting liking a cheerleader… Stop making excuses you stupid boy!" Daikaku was extremely annoyed by Nagare's carefree attitude as he showed the video of his actions. With his exclamation, Nagare was forced into the ground by the heavy gravity.
"I am sorry. I won't do it again." Nagare said quickly before Daikaku started to exert more pressure as the man was easy to charge up once he started and got any resistance.
"What about you?"
"I am sorry that I got angry and acted alone." Mikoto looked at his new seals and felt empty. He had taken out the biggest threat, but now he was going to sit on the side until he could fill his seals to a level where he could fight at full power.
Filling the energy of the seals for a day wasn't enough to give them the boost to fight beings like Bee, they needed energy stored for a month at least and that energy was boosted through their Fuinjutsu skills.
With just one percent chakra, they could produce results of 100 percent or more. It was a concept similar to Artoria. The Uzumaki clan had learned the secrets of the immortals and made it their own through sheer willpower and skill. To further boost them, all of them had a small portion of Phoenix energy that they could utilize in emergency situations. It was the reason that Mikoto survived, the Phoenix energy gave him the energy to survive that powerful move.
He could refill the seals with his energy, but the Phoenix energy was gone until Hotaru returned. It was the only real connection to his only love. Though she may never acknowledge him as a lover, Mikoto was willing to wait forever.
That fiery girl had overtaken his soul and heart with her flames, and there was no going back since the day she brought him back from the dead.
"Just don't make a repeat of this situation." Daikaku softened up as the boys apologized and he saw Mikoto's expression.
"Hey grandpa, what are you doing with the vessel? If you aren't making him a servant, can I have him?"
"I am not giving him to you." Daikaku said coldly as he hoped his grandson would start acting like the Blue King before he killed himself and the boy.
The old man left the boys alone and started working on turning Killer Bee into his servant. Just like how there were seals for creating vessels, there were multiple seals that could help the Uzumaki clan enslave any being regardless of their power.
It was the reason that the Leader of the Uzumaki clan had multiple monsters at his disposal.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone