Chapter 278 : C Apperars!

"Ugh—!"

Takeshi gazed at Ginkaku morphing into a tailed beast before him, brimming with immense chakra. Six tails swayed ominously behind it, while it lowered itself, fixing a fierce stare upon the impassive Takeshi.

"Crack—!"

The weight of Ginkaku's body felt like a thousand tons, shattering the ground beneath it into a gaping hole that collapsed layer by layer.

With a resounding "Boom," a shield of red chakra materialized, offering the strongest defense as Ginkaku's mouth stretched open, forming an intimidatingly wide angle akin to a dreadful black hole.

Countless light blue and dark red specks spewed forth from its maw, hanging in the air, dense yet cohesive.

"So, you're resorting to the Tailed Beast Ball against me?"

Takeshi remained unfazed; this move was the most menacing technique of a tailed beast, rivaling even the most potent ninjutsu. It demanded a hefty amount of chakra, a feat only the Nine-Tailed Beast could manage with relative ease.

Nevertheless, it still imposed a significant strain on the user's stamina, but it seemed Ginkaku had lost awareness.

Takeshi attempted to disrupt Ginkaku's technique with ninjutsu, but each attempt was thwarted by the barrier of chakra formed by the nine-tailed fox's energy, repelling his efforts like an impenetrable wall.

Unperturbed, Takeshi refrained from unleashing stronger powers; he was no longer the feeble Orochimaru of yesteryears. Whether it was Wood Release or the prowess of his Mangekyō Sharingan, he could forcibly halt Ginkaku's advance.

Takeshi perceived no genuine threat; instead, he sought inspiration from observing the manifestation of the Tailed Beast Ball.

"Wow..."

Ginkaku's limbs clutched the ground tightly, its tails thrashing under immense pressure. The suspended chakra lights coalesced gradually, forming a chakra sphere reminiscent of a black hole.

This was the Tailed Beast Ball—a high-density concentration of chakra born from Yin Release and Yang Release.

The chakra sphere appeared to devour light, evoking a sense of darkness, more potent than the attack executed by Kinkaku against Ai and Tobirama.

"The power of the tailed beast...originating from the divine tree's creation. The quality of this chakra exceeds what modern ninjas can harness. Can the Tailed Beast Ball truly obliterate everything?"

The process of condensation proved arduous for Ginkaku, yet Takeshi observed its birth with keen interest.

This method of wielding power resembled a form of "natural evolution," an instinctual move triggered by the awakening consciousness of tailed beast chakra. Takeshi's eyes gleamed with anticipation, a smile gracing his lips.

"Ah—!"

As the Tailed Beast Ball took form, Ginkaku was engulfed within it, causing its belly to swell like that of a comical toad.

Ginkaku fixed his gaze upon the diminutive Takeshi, glowing like a radiant bulb. It belched forth steam in great billows, its stomach compressing incrementally, emanating a looming threat that closed in on Takeshi.

Takeshi clasped his hands slowly, a dark green energy coalescing around him. Faced with this impending onslaught, he adopted a stance of utmost seriousness.

The earth quivered beneath their feet, as though something roiled and slumbered beneath the surface. Within Takeshi's mesmerizing, Mangekyō Sharingan gaze, nine spiraling tomoes twisted like serpents, casting forth a scarlet glow.

"Boom---!!"

At the pivotal moment, Ginkaku finally unleashed its might, a blaze of destructive light akin to the sun erupting from the massive maw that opened and closed near its ear—

The world seemed to lose all sound and color, cloaked in darkness like ink, save for a piercing drill that pierced through heavens and earth, breaking free from the confines of space and hurtling toward Takeshi!

"So formidable!"

Takeshi too exerted his strength, the sturdy wooden tendrils beneath the ground bursting forth from the sand, still potent. These large, densely woven roots gleamed pitch-black, even reflecting a metallic sheen.

Guided by Takeshi's will, they interlocked like fangs, amalgamating into an impregnable behemoth of a defensive wall!

"Wood Release·Wooden Wall!"

"Bang——!!"

The shockwave of the Tailed Beast Ball emitted a terrifying sonic boom, rending the air as it surged forth, unleashing three immense rings of air, thick as mountains, imbued with primal power, crashing against the black iron walls like a fortified moat!

"Boom---!!"

The all-encompassing shockwave laid waste to everything in its path, flattening the forest below. From afar, it resembled the rising sun in the valley, a colossal mushroom cloud billowing upwards, the roar of landslides and fissures sending shivers down the spines of all creatures, inexplicably shaken!

Ginkaku himself possessed shadow-level power, and his attack undoubtedly surpassed that of Naruto in his four-tailed state!

"Cough cough... These two are truly locked in a fierce battle. Who would've thought Ginkaku could hold its own against that Uchiha dragon for so long?"

From a distance, Tobirama, having snuck away unnoticed, stumbled to the ground amidst the tremors. He struggled to his feet and gazed silently into the distance.

"Go on, you can leave if you want."

Tobirama's complexion was pallid as he inscribed a circular pattern upon his forehead using his own blood. A tragic aura slowly emanated from his being, a sense of desolation marking the end of his path.

"Damn it! How dare you stand idly by?!"

On the other side, a burly figure grasped a man's neck tightly, hoisting him up like a chicken. An aura of ferocity and intensity radiated from his body, surpassing even the formidable Ai from before!

"Ahem... Mr. C, if you have something to say... ah!"

The individual being throttled was none other than the head of the Incheon clan, who had previously attempted a coup alongside Ginkaku and Kinkaku, seeking to usurp command of the Tianyun Army.

Incheon realized his grave error, far too late. C, though grievously injured, had not perished. Instead, he had recovered with frightening strength, rendering Incheon akin to an ant before him!

Unfortunately, Incheon's realization came too late, his chance for repentance lost forever.

With a decisive "click," Ai swiftly silenced the unfortunate ghost who had aligned with the wrong side, ending his existence.

"Master, I shall avenge you by dealing with those two abominations!" C genuflected deeply before Ai's revitalized form and then turned his gaze towards the gathering.

The leaders of Cloud Ninja and the emissaries of the daimyo felt an icy dread sweep over them, as if an evil tempest was bearing down upon them.

As C returned, it was evident his prowess had surged. One could sense that against him, even Ai's might paled in comparison to his disciple's.

The siblings, Ginkaku, and Kinkaku... They were about to face dire consequences.

C surveyed the assembly with a chilling glare, and none dared to meet his gaze.

His body bore two massive and savage wounds, one slashing from the crown of his head to his cheek and jaw, claiming his left eye, while the other cleaved across his chest and abdomen from the right shoulder, nearly severing him in two.

This was Danzo's handiwork. C had narrowly escaped being hacked to death.

Fortunately, his resilience was remarkable. Despite the injuries, C stood tall. Although the gaping wounds had closed, they still seeped crimson, as if his very heart bled upon learning of Ai's brutal demise.

The participants in the peace talks skirted around the subject of Ai's death, knowing full well they faced C's wrath, eagerly awaiting Ginkaku and Kinkaku's reckoning.

"Where are Ginkaku and Kinkaku now?"

A member of Cloud Ninja recounted recent events with caution, avoiding direct eye contact with the scarlet-clad C.

Before him, C seemed to emanate an aura akin to that of a tailed beast, capable of rending flesh from bone.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the demeanor of the assembly shifted, and an ominous crimson halo materialized in the distant sky.

"This... It's the Nine Tails' chakra surge. They must be in that direction, engaged in another skirmish against Tobirama..."

Cloud Ninja turned, but C was nowhere to be seen, only a fleeting flash of lightning disappearing at the edge of his vision...