Chapter 97: The Five Clans Arrive
With the arrival of the Uchiha and Senju reinforcements, the mining operation went into full swing. The mountainside was soon swarming with shinobi-turned-miners.
Huh, so this is how you acquire talents, Uchiha Raizen mused, watching glowing orbs of "Mining Talent" appear on the ground as Hashirama and Madara worked. It seemed the "Pickup Talent" column was filled by observing individuals with high aptitude performing specific tasks. To get ninjutsu practice orbs, he'd need to observe masters training. It was a useful discovery.
He focused on collecting the orbs dropped by Hashirama and Madara. As expected of the two powerhouses, their talents were "Advanced Mining." Everyone else produced only "Beginner" or "Intermediate" orbs. Of course they're top-tier even at digging holes. The privileged stay privileged.
Even with his newly acquired advanced talent, his output couldn't match the sheer, almost supernatural efficiency of the two clan leaders. Their luck and skill extended even to manual labor.
"Madara, company's here," Hashirama noted casually, not pausing in his work.
"Tch. As if I needed you to tell me," Madara retorted, standing and brushing dirt from his hands. "Let them come. Perhaps they'd like a taste of true power."
Raizen listened to their banter. While an alliance between Hashirama and Madara was theoretically unstoppable, a unified front from five major clans was a different matter. This wouldn't be a simple skirmish.
Soon, the combined army of the five clans, led by the Nara, appeared on the horizon. A quick estimate put their numbers at around five thousand. Against the Uchiha-Senju force of one thousand, the odds were five to one. No matter how elite his clansmen were, those numbers were daunting.
Their only hope was a decapitation strike. If either Hashirama or Madara could single-handedly occupy all five enemy patriarchs, the other, with Raizen's help, could clear the field of the remaining forces. But Raizen wasn't certain just how much the two had grown. The outcome was far from guaranteed.
"Madara, shall I handle this, or will you?" Hashirama asked, his voice calm.
"You take it," Madara replied, waving a dismissive hand. "If I go, I won't be able to stop myself from killing them all." He took a few steps back and sat cross-legged on the ground, a picture of detached arrogance.
Raizen felt a flicker of relief. If Hashirama was this confident about facing five clan leaders alone, he must have reached a new level of power.
The Nara Patriarch stepped forward, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "How… industrious of you. Sending your esteemed patriarchs to mine like common laborers. We'll be generous. You may keep ten percent of what you've dug as payment for your hard work before you leave."
Madara, who had just sat down, shot back to his feet. "Ten percent? What if I said we're taking one hundred percent? What will you do about it?"
He couldn't stand anyone being more arrogant than him, not even Hashirama.
"Then we'll see how many of you leave here alive! Now! Shadow Imitation Technique!" the Nara Patriarch yelled, his shadow stretching out to snare Hashirama's.
"Tch. Call me if you actually need help," Madara scoffed, sitting back down as if the fight were already beneath him.
The Nara Patriarch was momentarily taken aback by Madara's nonchalance. What is his game?
"Mind Body Switch Technique!" the Yamanaka Patriarch seized the opening, attempting to possess Hashirama's body.
But the moment his consciousness entered Hashirama, it was surrounded and overwhelmed by a vast, blinding sea of pure, potent Yang chakra.
"Gah! Cough!" The Yamanaka Patriarch was violently expelled, blood trickling from his nose as his technique shattered. "There's… a monster inside him!"
"Hmph! It seems they believe one man is enough to handle all of us," the Nara Patriarch snarled, his pride wounded. "Very well! Shadow Sewing Technique!" His shadow sharpened into dozens of needle-like points, shooting towards the immobilized Hashirama.
"Wood Style: Iron Wood Shield!" Hashirama countered instantly, a wall of hardened wood erupting before him to block the assault.
Despite his immense power, facing five clan leaders simultaneously was not a threat he could take lightly. The battle for the chakra metal vein had truly begun.
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