Just a few kilometers away from the shore of the Land of Fire, the Second Tsuchikage stood before Shanks. Behind the Tsuchikage was the entire army of Hashirama cell-modified ninjas and White Zetsus, stretching far into the distance like a white tide ready to swallow everything in its path. The cold sea breeze passed through the battlefield, rustling cloaks and hair alike, while the atmosphere itself felt heavy with killing intent.
The Second Tsuchikage carefully looked at Shanks. From the information given to him beforehand, he immediately understood who this man was. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "Uzukage Shanks Uzumaki... the Red-Haired Emperor."
As soon as Shanks heard this, he casually scratched his hair and said, "Well, that is me. But why the hell are you marching toward my village just to disturb the peace?" His expression gradually became calmer, yet his eyes carried a dangerous sharpness beneath that relaxed demeanor. "You are nothing more than a reanimation. So who is controlling you? Is it Kabuto or Orochimaru?"
The moment the Second Tsuchikage heard this, a surprised expression appeared on his face.
It was already somewhat well known through gathered intelligence that Orochimaru could use the Reanimation Jutsu. However, the fact that Kabuto could also use it was not something widely known. Yet Shanks spoke about it so naturally, as if he already understood far more than he should.
Tsuchikage had already been reanimated for quite a long time and had been actively participating as a member of the Akatsuki during that period. Not only him, but many dead Kages from the major villages had also been reanimated and were now being used as powerful fighting forces by the Akatsuki.
How much information does this man actually possess...?
The Second Tsuchikage remained completely silent regarding this matter, his face revealing nothing further. He could not speak about it even if he wanted to.
The Reanimation Seal had been perfected even further by Orochimaru and Kabuto after both of them continuously worked on improving the technique. As a result, the Reanimation Jutsu had become far more refined than before. They could not only maintain complete control over the reanimated shinobi, but could also allow them to retain their own consciousness and personalities, enabling them to fight at their absolute best while still following orders perfectly.
The wind blew once more across the shore. The army behind the Second Tsuchikage stood silently like lifeless puppets waiting for a command, while Shanks simply stood there calmly with one hand resting near his sword, his red hair swaying lightly in the air. The contrast between both sides made the atmosphere increasingly tense.
As Shanks did not receive any kind of answer from the Second Tsuchikage, he said, "Let me guess. There must be some kind of seal placed on you that prevents you from speaking about the ones controlling you from behind." A faint grin appeared on his face as the sea breeze brushed past his red hair. "It seems Orochimaru has really outdone himself and gone even further in terms of research. Good... really good."
Then, as if both confused and certain at the same time, Shanks looked toward the massive army behind the Second Tsuchikage and said, "And why the hell are you bringing these White Zetsus above ground, marching around like a full army when they can just travel using the Mayfly Technique?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "Is it to create intimidation? To show off your strength?"
Again, after hearing this, the Second Tsuchikage remained silent and did not respond to Shanks' words at all. His expression stayed calm, but internally he was becoming increasingly wary of Shanks. The amount of information this man possessed was simply abnormal.
Suddenly, one of the squad leaders among those Hashirama cell-modified ninjas stepped forward and said impatiently, "Why the hell are we even listening to his words? Let's just attack him."
The moment those words left his mouth, Shanks had already disappeared from where he was standing.
A violent gust of wind exploded outward.
Before anyone could properly react, Shanks was already standing in front of that squad leader. His left hand was firmly covering the man's face as he spoke in a cold voice, "You are quite an impatient one, aren't you?"
At the same time, black lightning began crackling around Shanks' hand. The dark arcs of electricity danced violently in the air, releasing a terrifying pressure that made the surrounding ninjas instinctively step back.
The squad leader's eyes widened in horror.
He could not even comprehend when Shanks had moved.
Then, without giving him even the slightest chance to resist, Shanks slightly lifted him into the air and slammed him straight onto the ground.
BOOM!
The earth shattered instantly.
A massive crater formed upon impact as cracks spread across the ground like spider webs. The surrounding squad leaders and Hashirama cell-modified ninjas were all blown backward by the sheer force of the collision. Dust and broken rocks rose high into the air while shockwaves spread across the shore.
For a brief moment, everything became silent except for the sound of crackling black lightning.
When the dust slowly settled and visibility returned, Shanks stood up calmly from the center of the crater, his expression completely indifferent.
Beneath him was the charred corpse of the squad leader, his entire body shattered beyond recognition as smoke slowly rose from the remains.
Seeing this scene, all the squad leaders and the Hashirama cell-modified ninjas were horrified.
Shanks had just killed a squad leader as casually as if he were swatting a mere bug and nothing more.
What terrified them even further was that none of them had been able to react at all. They had been standing extremely close to Shanks moments ago, yet not a single one of them managed to counterattack or even properly perceive his movement.
If it had been some ordinary powerhouse, they could have at least attempted to interfere.
But against Shanks... they could not do anything at all.
The atmosphere instantly became suffocatingly heavy.
One of the squad leaders said, "Dammit, he is very strong," while the other Hashirama cell-modified ninjas swallowed hard, their expressions clearly tense and nervous because now they would have to face Shanks directly.
The earlier arrogance many of them carried had already disappeared completely.
Shanks then slowly moved his gaze from one direction to another, calmly looking at all the ninjas present along with the Second Tsuchikage standing among them. His expression remained relaxed, almost casual, as if he were merely observing a group of ordinary enemies and not an entire army.
Then Shanks said, "Your numbers are too great, and these White Zetsus can definitely escape if the situation turns unfavorable for you all..." A faint grin appeared on his face. "Which will happen very soon."
The moment those words were spoken, many of the White Zetsus instinctively became alert.
Shanks continued, "Although those ninjas modified with Hashirama cells won't be able to escape from here, these White Zetsus can." He slightly rolled his shoulders before speaking again in the same calm tone, "So I will just reduce their numbers first."
As soon as Shanks said this, all the squad leaders, the modified ninjas, the White Zetsus, and even the Second Tsuchikage immediately became cautious, fully expecting Shanks to launch some kind of devastating attack.
The battlefield suddenly became deathly silent.
Then—
A terrifying amount of aura erupted from Shanks.
BOOOOM!
Black lightning exploded around his body wildly, crackling through the atmosphere like countless raging serpents. The pressure released from him was so overwhelming that the very air itself seemed to become heavier.
The sky darkened completely.
Dark clouds gathered above at frightening speed while thunder continuously rumbled across the sky. Violent winds swept throughout the battlefield, causing cloaks, hair, and even the ground dust to rise into the air.
Shanks had used his Conqueror's Haki Abyssal Domain technique.
The moment the technique activated, an enormous domain-like pressure spread across the entire battlefield at terrifying speed. The atmosphere instantly transformed into something suffocating and unnatural, as if everyone had suddenly fallen into a dark abyss.
Many of the White Zetsus froze immediately.
Their eyes widened in terror.
Almost eighty percent of the White Zetsus were directly affected by Shanks' Conqueror's Haki Abyssal Domain. The moment the pressure invaded their minds, horrifying illusions began appearing before them.
They started seeing the beings they feared the most.
For many of them, it was the Ten-Tails.
For others, it was Kaguya herself.
Gigantic horrifying figures seemed to appear before their eyes as overwhelming fear consumed their minds completely. Some White Zetsus started trembling violently, while others screamed in panic. A few even collapsed onto the ground while clutching their heads as if they were witnessing the end of the world itself.
"No...!"
"T-That monster—!"
"Kaguya-sama...!"
Their voices echoed chaotically throughout the battlefield.
The immense spiritual pressure released by Shanks alone had already thrown the massive White Zetsu army into complete disorder before the battle had even properly begun.
Meanwhile, Shanks simply stood there calmly at the center of the storm of black lightning, his red hair swaying wildly in the violent winds while his cold eyes overlooked the battlefield like an emperor standing above all.
Black lightning spread all around the battlefield wildly, crackling through the air with terrifying force. Wherever that black lightning touched the ground, massive craters were instantly formed, the earth shattering apart as smoke and debris rose into the air.
The Hashirama cell-modified ninjas immediately started dodging frantically, clearly not wanting to get hit by that black lightning which signified the overwhelming use of Shanks' Conqueror's Haki. Even they could instinctively sense the danger behind it.
Some of the squad leaders shouted loudly, ordering everyone to spread apart.
"Move!"
"Don't let that lightning touch you!"
The battlefield instantly turned chaotic.
Meanwhile, Shanks calmly moved forward with the follow-up move of the technique.
"Heavens' Judgment."
The moment those words were spoken, the dark sky above trembled violently.
BOOOOOOM!
Thousands of lightning bolts immediately descended from the heavens.
The entire battlefield lit up with blinding flashes of white as gigantic lightning strikes continuously fell from the sky like divine punishment itself. The sound of thunder became deafening as the atmosphere shook violently under the sheer scale of destruction.
The lightning bolts directly targeted the White Zetsus.
One after another, they were struck from above.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The White Zetsus screamed horribly as the lightning blasted apart their bodies instantly. Their bodies did not contain normal blood like humans, yet the destruction was still horrifying to witness. Their flesh blackened and cracked apart while smoke continuously rose from them.
Many of them were burned so badly that their bodies resembled charred trees struck by natural lightning.
Some were shattered completely on impact.
Others collapsed while still burning.
The smell of scorched flesh and smoke quickly spread throughout the battlefield.
The attack did not stop after a few strikes.
The lightning continued raining down relentlessly, turning the battlefield into a zone of complete destruction. Large portions of the White Zetsu army were annihilated one after another under the endless storm from the heavens.
The surviving White Zetsus tried escaping using the Mayfly Technique, but the overwhelming range of the attack made it nearly impossible for many of them who were not even affected by the Conqueror's Haki to react in time.
In only a short period, countless White Zetsus had already been completely wiped out.
The surrounding Hashirama cell-modified ninjas watched this scene with horrified expressions. Even the Second Tsuchikage's eyes narrowed slightly while observing the sheer scale of the destruction caused by Shanks alone.
Clearly, although this attack of Shanks was extremely powerful, it also consumed a tremendous amount from him because he was combining his own chakra with natural phenomena itself.
Even then, Shanks had already consumed nearly ten to twenty percent of his chakra reserves.
That amount was enormous.
After all, Shanks was a pure Uzumaki, and even among the Uzumaki Clan, he stood at the absolute top in terms of chakra reserves. Although he did not possess as monstrous an amount of chakra as Antares, who held the greatest chakra reserves among them, Shanks was still second only to Antares himself.
Guy was almost equal to Shanks in chakra quantity, if not slightly higher.
For someone like Shanks to consume ten to twenty percent of his chakra in a single technique showed just how absurdly demanding this attack truly was.
However, Shanks did not mind it at all.
After all, the destruction caused by this attack was equally enormous.
The battlefield itself had already transformed into ruins under the storm of heavenly lightning while countless charred remains of White Zetsus lay scattered everywhere. Black smoke rose continuously into the darkened sky as thunder still echoed faintly above.
And in the middle of all that destruction, Shanks simply stood there calmly, black lightning still crackling around his body like an emperor who had just delivered divine punishment upon an army.
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