Malphegor
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HSU: Ch. 170
🕑 Added 2025-01-31 22:30:54 +0000 UTCWhen the Uchiha clan developed their ninjutsu system, they placed significant emphasis on the synergy and interconnectivity of their techniques.
Sharingan, Fire Release, and shurikenjutsu were interconnected through a unique tool—wire strings.
The ninja tools of the Uchiha clan were famous, not only for their craftsmanship but also for their unique fire-conducting properties. These tools were manufactured using special techniques developed in collaboration with the ninja cat clan, long-time allies of the Uchiha.
The rumor about the Uchiha clan being fond of cats stemmed from this alliance.
However, this was a significant misunderstanding. The relationship between the Uchiha and the ninja cats was entirely different from that of the Inuzuka clan and their ninja dogs. The ninja cats were not battle partners for the Uchiha.
Instead, the ninja cats produced various tools for the Uchiha clan and partnered with them in the black-market arms trade. Certain specialized equipment was sold exclusively to the Uchiha clan, such as wire strings, kunai, and shuriken.
These tools enabled the Uchiha clan to integrate Fire Release with shurikenjutsu seamlessly.
Their signature technique was the Dragon Flame Jutsu.
Among the Uchiha's fire jutsu, it was one of the most powerful. When pushed to its limits, it could even melt rocks.
However, Masashi found this excessive.
Thus, he modified the jutsu, slightly reducing its power while increasing the flame's speed when traveling along the wire.
Nowadays, however, he no longer used traditional wires. Instead, he employed chakra threads—a technology generously provided by Sasori.
In Masashi's view, Sasori and Kakuzu were exemplary individuals.
He discovered that chakra threads were incredibly versatile. While they lacked the cutting ability of traditional wires, they were far more discreet and easier to use. Moreover, they enhanced the power of fire jutsu.
From the perspective of the Kumo ninjas at the rear, their comrades who had approached Matatabi were instantly incinerated by a single Dragon Flame Jutsu, reduced to human torches.
Yet there was no time to mourn. What followed was even more unsettling.
Someone was using jutsu while standing atop Matatabi!
In the main Kumo camp, Dodai and his subordinates were stunned.
"Does Konoha have another Madara?" someone stammered.
If so, this was terrifying news.
What was the point of fighting?
They might as well surrender and be subservient, as there was no second Hashirama in existence.
"Impossible!" Dodai snapped. "Think logically. If Masashi had that level of power, would he have needed to ambush the Raikage?"
The Kumo ninjas seemed to grasp his point.
Though it felt like an admission of inferiority, none of them believed their Raikage could match Madara.
After all, even decades after his death, he remained a figure of dread akin to a demon king in a hero's tale.
Riding the Nine-Tails into battle had set an indelible standard. If one couldn't replicate that feat effortlessly, comparisons to Madara were pointless.
Effortless—this was key.
With Dodai's reminder, the Kumo ninjas regained their morale.
Their warrior spirit had always been one of fearlessness in the face of adversity, charging forward even against insurmountable odds. However, when faced with overwhelmingly absurd power, their resolve could shatter more easily than most.
Now, they faced adversity.
The plan to unleash the Two-Tails against Konoha had ended before it began.
"Fight to the death! Let Konoha witness our courage!" Dodai declared. He had no other choice.
Plans no longer mattered. Their value now lay in demonstrating that Kumo would fight to the last breath, showing their will to die alongside their enemies.
When facing a ravenous predator, one had to grip their weapon tightly and never show weakness. Otherwise, survival was impossible.
Signals were sent from the Kumo camp, and the troops began to mobilize, targeting the Konoha forces.
Since the Two-Tails had fallen into Konoha's hands, chaos was the only option.
No distinctions, no tactics—just raw, animalistic combat until every last soldier perished.
It was clear Dodai had no intention of returning to serve as Raikage.
And this couldn't be allowed.
"Hokage-sama, the Kumo ninja we let go earlier is among their forces," Masashi informed Minato. "Shall we capture him?"
"In this situation, it won't be easy," Minato said, observing the battlefield. "They're prepared for a fight to the death."
"Then, please inform the Sandaime and the others to maintain their distance from the Kumo ninjas. They must not get entangled."
"Understood." Minato nodded, disappearing from atop Matatabi's head.
At this distance, he could teleport directly to the Konoha forces.
In the original timeline, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, the reanimated Minato and Tobirama, using their absurdly large chakra sensing range and the endless stamina provided by their reanimated bodies, had managed to teleport from Konoha to the northern battlefields of the Land of Iron in mere moments.
This distance was nothing.
---
Matatabi, shall we begin? And make sure you don't attack the ones dressed like me. They're allies.
Understood.
Through their mental link, Masashi and Matatabi exchanged words.
The giant feline opened its massive maw, gauged the distance, and adjusted its chakra output.
Then...
A dark, ominous Tailed Beast Bomb was unleashed.
For tailed beasts, this was their most powerful technique.
It wasn't simply a matter of gathering chakra; it also required a precise balance of nature transformation and shape transformation. While the technique itself was straightforward, the sheer volume of chakra required demanded meticulous control.
The launch method, however, was rather primitive—essentially, spitting it out.
A Tailed Beast Bomb larger than the one used against Nagato formed in Matatabi's mouth. When fired, its speed instantly broke the sound barrier, producing a loud sound.
The Kumo ninjas on the battlefield scattered.
Then they heard the sonic boom behind them.
For many, it was the last sound they ever heard.
Those merely grazed by the Tailed Beast Bomb were obliterated—the affected parts of their bodies vanished entirely.
As for those hit directly, there wasn't even a trace left. Without specialized equipment, it was impossible to determine what, if anything, remained of them.
In mere moments, the Tailed Beast Bomb carved a path through the advancing Kumo ninja forces, crashing into their core.
The resulting explosion unleashed its full destructive power. A mushroom cloud several dozen meters high rose on the spot. The explosion's fiery glow illuminated the sky as nearby Kumo ninjas were flung like paper, while those caught in the blast were vaporized instantly.
After releasing a single Tailed Beast Bomb, Matatabi began moving.
As an intelligent tailed beast, once it saw that the Kumo ninjas had dispersed, it refrained from using another Tailed Beast Bomb.
The sheer difference in size meant that with a single leap, Matatabi was within the range of the Kumo forces.
When it landed heavily, the shockwave knocked the surrounding Kumo ninjas off their feet.
The less fortunate ones were sent straight into the cracks in the ground. Being able to leave even half of their bodies aboveground would count as lucky.
Then Matatabi shook its massive body, gifting the nearby Kumo ninjas. Its gigantic form appeared demonic in the eyes of those receiving its gift.
Standing immovable atop Matatabi's head was Masashi, who in their eyes was even more of a devil among devils.
For Matatabi, rampaging freely in the middle of Kumo's forces brought unrestrained joy. It was a cathartic release for decades of captivity and resentment.
One moment, it pounced like a tiger descending a mountain; the next, it roared like a beast dominating the forest. It darted east and west, even leaping into the air to sit on people. Not even its two tails were spared, flailing wildly at everything in sight.
From afar, the Konoha ninjas who had retreated to a safe distance watched the scene with mixed feelings.
Suddenly, they understood why the shinobi world was so peaceful during the founding of the villages.
Faced with such overwhelming power, without sufficient quality, sheer numbers were meaningless.
To fight a war of attrition with an enemy like this, the precondition is that the opponent is human.
Look at the tailed beast before them: although it kept leaping around to sit on Kumo ninjas, gleefully howling when it succeeded, which did look somewhat comical, if one imagined being a Kumo ninja under that massive weight, it wouldn't seem funny at all.
Many ninjas had seen fists the size of cooking pots, but they'd never seen a butt as large as a hill.
Hiruzen, Danzō, and Kagami were also watching.
"This kind of power was bound to resurface," Danzō said.
He stood on the head of his summoned beast, Baku.
If he were still alive, he'd be extremely tense and would try every means possible to deal with it.
But now that he was dead, he simply felt a sense of lament.
The Uchiha clan had produced yet another shinobi like this. That clan never lacked such prodigies of stunning talent.
Take, for example, the other dead man standing beside him.
"Danzō, this is a good thing, you know. Hiruzen said it himself: the Uchiha clan today are not the same as before." Kagami seemed genuinely pleased, even activating Susanoo.
During his lifetime, he had also been a genius of great renown. But after obtaining the Mangekyō Sharingan, he understood one thing.
The Sharingan, in the end, was just a tool. Having the Sharingan determined the lower limit of one's power.
But the extent to which that power could be utilized was still determined by the person.
This clan member, Masashi, even without the Mangekyō, could master the power of the tailed beasts. In contrast, though Kagami had the Mangekyō Sharingan, he couldn't do it. Even with Susanoo, he could only manifest a half-body form.
Ultimately, Wood Release was strong because of Hashirama, and the Mangekyō Sharingan was terrifying because of Madara.
In the hands of someone else, the same techniques wouldn't necessarily yield the same results.
Seeing the scene in front of him, Hiruzen just wanted to smoke.
At first, some Kumo ninjas tried to pursue the Konoha forces, but the three of them had blocked the way.
Now, no one was coming anymore.
The Kumo forces had not only completely lost cohesion but also didn't know what to do. They'd become a headless swarm, acting on instinct.
They dodged Matatabi's pounces, avoided its claw swipes and tail lashes, and tried not to get caught in its fiery attacks.
Many Kumo ninjas attempted to break through, but he had set the forest surrounding the battlefield ablaze. The raging flames reached the sky, creating a scene straight out of hell. Getting past the inferno was no easy feat.
The only path out was blocked by the Tobirama Squad.
The Kumo ninjas were forced to stay on the battlefield, where Matatabi continued venting its rage and hatred.
As the number of Kumo ninjas dwindled, it had to open its eyes wide to find new targets.
At this point, Masashi leaped down from its head, directly joining the fight.
He activated his Lightning Chakra Mode.
Whenever he saw someone, he charged forward and sent them flying.
Using the Raikage's techniques to take down Kumo ninjas—nothing could be more satisfying.
After sending another Kumo ninja tumbling several meters away and watching them collapse, unable to get up, Masashi followed up with a throat-crushing stomp. To his surprise, he spotted Dodai not far away.
This guy sure was tough.
Dodai also saw Masashi. This time, he didn't retreat but steadily approached him step by step.
From his perspective, Masashi at that moment looked like the ultimate villain, standing with one foot on a fallen Kumo ninja and the rampaging Matatabi behind him.
"You're a tough one," Masashi praised sincerely as he watched Dodai approach.
Matatabi's first Tailed Beast Bomb had targeted the densest part of the Kumo forces—the command center where Dodai had been.
"How did you survive the attack?" Masashi asked.
Dodai stopped a short distance away, his expression resolute.
When he heard the question, he coldly replied, "You'll find out soon enough," and fell silent.
This made Masashi lose interest.
"You can take the path guarded by Konoha forces and return to Kumo by yourself. No one will stop you."
A scornful laugh escaped Dodai, showing his resolve.
"Admirable courage," Masashi acknowledged with a nod. "Then I'll send your head back to Kumo so you can return as a hero."
With that, he formed a seal with one hand and made a grasping gesture with the other.
Dodai performed a backflip, narrowly avoiding the sand surging up from the ground.
Masashi flipped his palm upward, as if lifting something gently.
Boom!
A towering column of sand, over ten meters high, erupted from the ground and surged toward Dodai.
Magnet Release was quite a lazy technique in battle.
He didn't even bother using Ice Release; this time, he relied entirely on Magnet Release.
That should suffice—he had already gauged Dodai's reaction speed.
Too lazy to come up with something new, Masashi decided to be shameless and copy techniques.
He'd worked hard to replicate them and couldn't let the effort go to waste.
Crouching slightly, he pressed one hand to the ground.
The earth around him began to quake.
Magnet Release: Erosion.
Starting from his position, the surrounding ground began to crack and crumble. Soil and rock alike disintegrated into fine grains of sand. As the area of sandification expanded, the land began to collapse.
