"What the hell are these things?!"
Land of Fire, Konoha.
The Third Hokage — still in his prime — frowned deeply, his sharp eyes scanning the report in his hand, his face full of dissatisfaction.
A battle between mysterious powerhouses had destroyed a forest spanning dozens of kilometers.
Eyewitnesses spoke of a Vajra Lux, standing over 2,000 to 3,000 meters tall, shattering the earth with a single punch.
—Nonsense!
As someone who had personally witnessed the might of Susanoo and Wood Release, Sarutobi could immediately tell this was fake news.
How could there exist anyone stronger than the First Hokage?!
To him, this was clearly a scheme by other villages, spreading false information to confuse Konoha and divert their forces.
"Ignore this information!"
The Third Hokage ordered with a wave of his hand, full of disdain.
"Finding Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, and ensuring her safety is the top priority!"
He paused, frowning slightly as another name crossed his mind.
"And as for Miyuki Uchiha..."
"This child seems loyal to Konoha and is well-liked, but the rest of the Uchiha clan..."
Thinking of the girl—beautiful, talented, and rising quickly in fame—Sarutobi felt unease prickling at the back of his mind.
"If luring out the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is purely her own doing, fine. But if this is a ploy by the Uchiha clan..."
He snorted coldly, refusing to finish the thought aloud.
Meanwhile, Daemon and his companions were unaware that the Third Hokage had dismissed their existence as mere fiction.
Even if they knew, they likely wouldn't care.
Sarutobi Hiruzen may have been talented in studying ninjutsu, but in the ninja world, bloodline determined everything. His starting line had already doomed his limits.
"Ready to go!"
Although Uchiha Miyuki pushed to move forward — trying to stop Daemon from continuing his "girl search" — no one objected.
After all, it had been four days already.
If another accident delayed them, and they were forcibly recalled before the seven-day mission deadline... well, that would be a disaster.
So, as planned before — the team split into two groups.
"Come, Leviathan, Chaos Dragon——!!"
Daemon chanted the words of his Noble Phantasm's liberation.
Suddenly, energy surged violently around him.
"GEYAAAAAAAA——!!"
Before Uzumaki Kushina's shocked eyes, a gigantic bone dragon, easily 100 meters long, descended from the sky with a deafening roar.
—That's way too big!!
Kushina always thought the Nine-Tails sealed inside her was already massive.
Yet the bone dragon Daemon summoned was easily ten times larger.
And remembering the fleeting glimpse of the 3,000-meter Vajra Lux from earlier, she couldn't help but think:
"Monsters... the people from the other world are monsters..."
As this thought crossed her mind, she suddenly heard Miyuki Uchiha tease in a very ambiguous tone:
"Why did you become so small?"
"Are you that desperate to challenge my dignity as a man?"
Daemon glared fiercely at Miyuki Uchiha.
"You better pray I don't come back after dealing with the Third Raikage... or you're getting bullied big time."
As he spoke, Daemon casually grabbed Kushina and Kasumigaoka Utaha, lifting them effortlessly, and jumped onto the bone dragon's broad back.
Boom——!!
The earth rumbled violently as the colossal bone dragon soared into the sky.
"Alas... not only do you want to steal my wives, but now you even bully me..."
Uchiha Miyuki sighed dramatically, muttering:
"Maybe I should just marry into his harem. After all, the World Nobles are rich—I wouldn't lose anything."
With such shameless thoughts, Miyuki turned and looked at Luo Hao.
"Luo Hao, have you seen the map?"
"Hmm."
Unlike her easygoing attitude toward others, Luo Hao remained cold toward Miyuki.
Without speaking, she simply grabbed Miyuki's arm.
The Divine Art of Shrinking the Earth!
With a blur of motion, Miyuki's vision twisted—and when she opened her eyes again, they stood in front of countless rocky buildings.
—They had arrived in Iwagakure.
Back in the skies...
Kushina, struggling slightly against the fierce winds, clung to Daemon's arm.
"Um... Mr. Daemon..." she asked cautiously.
"What did your... girlfriend mean when she said this dragon is 'small'...?"
"It means exactly that, Miss Nine-Tails,"
Kasumigaoka Utaha giggled wickedly while grabbing Daemon's other arm.
"If Mr. World Noble fully liberated the bone dragon summoned by this treasure... it could span dozens of islands. A true beast that covers the sky."
"This... this powerful?!"
Kushina's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Very powerful, yes, but..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled evilly, covering her mouth:
"If he fully liberates it, Mr. World Noble will collapse from exhaustion. He won't last even a moment."
"Ah..."
Kushina's face flushed pink. She could tell there was something dirty hidden in those words—but she had no evidence.
"I said, stop talking nonsense in front of me, okay?!"
Daemon growled, sandwiched between the two mischievous girls.
"That was when I first got this treasure! I've mastered it now—I won't collapse anymore!"
"Ohh~?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha quipped playfully.
"Then why are you controlling the dragon's size now, instead of showing off at full power?"
"..."
Daemon was left speechless, black lines crossing his forehead.
Finally, he could only glare at her and huff:
"One day, you'll regret mocking me. You'll witness the horror of One Piece world wars—battles fought for ten days and nights without rest!"
"..."
Now it was Kasumigaoka Utaha and Kushina's turn to be stunned silent.
—Ten days and ten nights?!
Was that even humanly possible?!
Thinking of the terrifying scenes Daemon implied, Kasumigaoka Utaha's cheeks flushed so red she looked drunk—equal parts fear and anticipation in her heart.
Meanwhile, far below...
"Damn it! Those bastards from Iwagakure ambushed us!!"
"They're on higher ground! They're outnumbering us! We're surrounded!!"
"Retreat immediately! I'll cover the rear!"
"What?! Lord Third Raikage, we can't let you sacrifice yourself—!"
"Nonsense! It's because I'm the Raikage that I must shoulder the burden for my village!"
On a battlefield outside Kumogakure Village, a Kumogakure squad returning home was suddenly ambushed by Iwagakure ninjas.
In the chaos of the Third Shinobi World War, ambushes were normal.
What wasn't normal, however, was the sheer number of enemies.
Ten thousand Iwagakure ninjas surged forward, crushing Kumogakure forces through overwhelming numbers.
Finally, the Third Raikage — known for his invincible strength — chose to stay behind, beginning his legendary last stand.
Flames, lightning, torrents of water, gales —
Thousands of ninjutsu bombardments crashed toward him like a tide.
The sight was apocalyptic.
The Raikage, however, didn't even flinch.
He charged through the sea of enemies like a mad storm, tearing through dozens of shinobi every second.
"Monster... this guy is a monster...!!"
Many Iwagakure ninjas paled in terror.
Their most powerful techniques barely scratched the Third Raikage's skin.
But numbers mattered.
Even an unstoppable titan could be worn down by sheer numbers.
10,000 shinobi versus one man.
Slowly, the battle of legends began.
High above in the sky, sitting atop the bone dragon...
"This is the Third Raikage you spoke of?"
Esdeath licked her lips excitedly.
"So strong! So brave! I want to fight him!"
"Yamamoto Mei said calmly, "It's a pity. There won't be another chance — the Third Raikage is destined to fall by Mr. Daemon's hands."
Miyuki Uchiha followed up with a playful message: "[Picture] You guys haven't even started yet, and we're already done ( ̄▽ ̄)/."
The image she posted showed a chilling scene: Iwagakure, once a proud stronghold, now reduced to ruins by a raging demonic wind.
Above the devastation, Luo Hao stood atop a towering hundred-meter Vajra Lux, while beside him loomed Miyuki's battered but imposing white Susanoo.
Beneath them lay the shattered figure of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki — one arm missing, his blood staining the broken earth, his fate uncertain.
In the short time Daemon's group had been traveling, Iwagakure — one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations — had already fallen.
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