Naruto: Manipulation-Chapter 190: A Gift for the Third Tsuchikage

War raged on.

The shinobi of Iwagakure lay scattered across the battlefield.

In his Edo Tensei state, the Third Raikage unleashed his Lightning Release Chakra Mode without any need to conserve chakra. Leading a squad of reanimated ninja, he rampaged through the Iwa forces like a god of destruction. To them, it was nothing short of a dimensional slaughter.

Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, could only watch helplessly as chaos unfolded. Unable to halt the enemy, he shouted orders to his people, trying to secure a retreat.

"Evacuate the battlefield!"

"Everyone, fall back!"

"Withdraw into the cavern network beneath the village and establish a new defensive line!"

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

A massive wall of earth rose to divide the village interior. Under the command of Ōnoki and Kitsuchi, countless Iwa shinobi retreated behind it to regroup.

However—

The Third Raikage tore the wall apart with a single charge!

The Edo Tensei army, led by that terrifying man, burst through the defensive line like wolves into a flock of sheep.

This wasn't just chaos—

This was war.

Real war.

The massive Iwa army, known for its numbers and power, was quickly overwhelmed. Reinforcements poured in from every direction to plug the breach, only to be crushed by the unrelenting undead forces.

This hundred-strong Edo army—

Led by the Third Raikage, wielded strength akin to a full invasion force.

Ōnoki and Kitsuchi ordered a full evacuation of Iwagakure, turning their once-thriving village into a ghost town—a battlefield.

And the ones responsible—

Were already withdrawing.

A black, square-shaped spatial rift—the Gate of Yomi—descended from the air, enveloping Shigen, Kabuto, and the subdued Five-Tails Jinchūriki.

Their figures were about to vanish from Iwagakure altogether.

"Leaving without even a proper farewell?"

Ōnoki, eyes wide, moved to stop them. But Dust Release wouldn't reach them in time—and might kill Han in the process. So he hastily triggered another jutsu:

"Earth Style: Great Moving Core!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath Shigen and Kabuto collapsed!

It was as if they had fallen into a pit.

Shigen calmly reached out and pressed against the pit wall. The ground beneath them rose like an elevator, lifting him, Kabuto, and Han back to surface level.

"How troublesome..."

Kabuto smiled as the ground shifted beneath their feet.

Once they were back on even ground, Shigen extended his left hand toward Ōnoki. His fingers clenched tightly as natural energy surged—compressing the air around Ōnoki and slamming him to the ground with immense force!

"No—!"

Ōnoki felt the pressure before he could even sense the attack. The invisible weight crushed him to the earth, face bloodied, unable to move.

What... what kind of jutsu was this?!

All he could do was watch as the Gate of Yomi consumed Shigen and Kabuto once more.

"Farewell, Lord Tsuchikage."

Kabuto waved mockingly, his glasses flashing ominously.

"I hadn't planned to leave you a gift... but now it seems I should."

Ōnoki shuddered.

That tone didn't sound pleasant at all.

Whatever gift Kabuto left... it couldn't be good.

As Shigen and Kabuto disappeared, the pressure on Ōnoki vanished. He clutched his aching back and stood up, preparing to help fend off the rampaging Edo forces—

But—

Before he could react, a figure emerged silently behind him!

A blade swung toward the back of his head!

Luckily, Ōnoki spotted the attacker's shadow. His short stature allowed him to notice the silhouette quickly—he rolled away just in time to avoid the fatal strike.

Then he looked up...

And froze.

"Lord Second Tsuchikage..."

Ōnoki's forehead broke into a cold sweat.

It was Mu.

His teacher.

The man who taught him everything about Dust Release. The one who molded a hotheaded youth into the Third Tsuchikage. The one who voluntarily stepped down to let Ōnoki rise.

And now...

Teacher and student stood on opposite sides of a battlefield.

"Not bad," Mu remarked coldly, his tone unchanged from life. He raised his sword again.

"Now defeat me."

"This body retains all of my power—and with Edo Tensei's infinite chakra, I may be even stronger than before."

Ōnoki truly began to sweat.

As Mu's successor, he knew better than anyone how powerful his master was. Back then, he couldn't even land a blow against him.

Worse—

The Edo army was still wreaking havoc inside Iwagakure.

"You'd best defeat me quickly," Mu warned sternly.

"In your current state, you can't protect the village otherwise!"

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"

Ōnoki gritted his teeth, made his decision, and formed his signature technique. A bright cube of light shot toward his master.

Once teacher and student, like father and son...

Now forced to cross blades in the ruins of their home.

But Ōnoki knew—if he showed the slightest hesitation, his teacher would scold him like the boy he once was.

Meanwhile—

At the Akatsuki base.

Shigen and Kabuto returned with the captured Five-Tails Jinchūriki.

As Kabuto continued controlling the Edo army remotely, he asked about the goal of their assault. "How far should we push them before stopping?"

"They need to understand—fighting Akatsuki isn't just about strong shinobi," Shigen answered.

"They'll need a full-scale army."

"Understood."

Kabuto nodded, then added with a grin, "But with you and Lord Madara... can the ninja world really find the will to resist?"

He had seen what happened to Iwagakure. What chance would the Cloud Village have against Madara?

Some villages' morale... might already be breaking.

Shigen's answer was firm.

He had seen countless unwavering souls over a thousand years—descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. Their will wouldn't crumble from a few defeats.

More importantly—

They had no choice.

"There's no going back."

"Their only chance is forward."

Raindrops fell from the sky as Shigen recalled his own desperate moment from a thousand years ago.

"Back then, I couldn't bring myself to live in cowardice either. Why would they?"

Kabuto smiled wryly, unable to respond.

He had never once seen weakness in Shigen—never imagined he'd struggled with his choices. To Kabuto, Lord Shigen had always been a flawless being.

But just as he prepared to dig deeper—

His face suddenly changed.

Something unthinkable had happened in Iwagakure.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

"Impossible... The Second Tsuchikage... lost?"

"Ōnoki surpassed his master. Not so surprising."

Though blind, Shigen understood the outcome as if seeing it firsthand.

Not through prophecy—

But through the insight earned over a thousand years.

"Recall the Edo army," he instructed, casually twirling a glowing Dust Release cube.

"We've done enough. Now, let's see how Madara and Sasuke handle the next stage... and Madara never disappoints."

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Powerstones?

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