Chapter 468: Great Battle

Afternoon.

Thick dark clouds hung low, blocking the sunlight.

A lush forest stretched between the river and the canyon, the air filled with tension and madness, this battlefield shrouded in heavy war clouds.

In the forest, ancient trees stretched toward the sky, leaves swaying in the wind, the river flowed silently, the clear water surface reflecting the overcast sky, appearing somewhat dim.

The two sides locked in combat were ninjas wielding supernatural abilities; one side breathed fire, their power carrying the unique heat of flames, the firelight illuminating the gloomy sky. The other side manipulated flowing water, their power surging like a flood, as if seeking to drown the entire battlefield.

On this battlefield where water and fire intertwined, their ninjutsu clashed against each other, displaying astonishing power and courage…and fierce cries.

Flames danced on the water's surface, water droplets sparkled in the firelight. Each clash of ninjutsu altered the surrounding environment, scorching the forest trees and evaporating the river's surface.

Fallen corpses lay scattered across the ground, their bodies twisted and mutilated, wounds covering them in bloody gore, sending chills through anyone who saw.

On this battlefield devastated beyond repair, the scars of war were visible everywhere. Burnt land, uprooted trees, and shattered earth all bore the marks of ninjutsu.

The ninjas defended their own beliefs with their lives and power, protecting their homelands and loved ones.

"It seems I'm really getting old!"

He took a heavy breath, the Third Hokage calmed his hurried breathing, and fixed his gaze on the enemy across from him.

She was a young, beautiful woman; judging by her appearance, no one would expect that her delicate, graceful body could unleash such astonishing destructive power.

"These days, the youngsters are unstoppable; you can't even resist aging!"

Yuzhibo Dongshilang is like that, and the young woman called Zhaomei Ming across from him is the same—each relying on youth, they have no sense of martial virtue.

He, a man nearing seventy, could hardly withstand this kind of torment from the youngsters.

"Third Hokage, you overpraise us; compared to an elder like you, we still have much to learn!"

Gazing at the seemingly weakened old man across from her, Zhaomei Ming dared not underestimate him in the slightest.

Although his age had clearly left his stamina and chakra unable to keep up with her battle rhythm, his application of ninjutsu, tactical coordination, and control of battle tempo gave her a thorough lesson.

Fighting such an experienced veteran, a single carelessness could cost one's life.

"Yuanfei, stop wasting words with her—end the fight quickly!"

On the Golden Cudgel held in the Third Hokage's hand, a slit cracked open, an eyeball appeared—it first glanced at Yuanfei's condition, then swept its gaze toward the woman opposite.

It began urging the Third Hokage to end the battle quickly, for its summoning time was nearly up.

Hearing Yuanmo's urging, the Third Hokage wasn't surprised, for he and it were both old.

"Explosion!"

With a single hand forming a sword seal before him, arm pointing straight at Zhaomei Ming across from him, as the Third Hokage uttered the word 'explosion,' a vast array of explosive tags suddenly appeared beneath Zhaomei Ming's feet.

"When?"

At the very last moment before the explosive tags detonated, Zhaomei Ming let out a cry of disbelief—she had not noticed when the opponent had laid such a trap on the ground.

And she herself had unwittingly stepped into that trap.

Boom—rumble—rumble!

A continuous explosion sound rang out; the Third Hokage's face showed no smile of his scheme succeeding, instead he grew increasingly wary, scanning his surroundings.

"Barrier: Heavenly Canopy Formation"

His gaze swept around, finding nothing; the Third Hokage, left with no choice, employed this barrier technique, intending to force the opponent to reveal themselves.

He had just seen clearly that the one blown up by the explosive tags was merely a clone; the real body's whereabouts were unknown—perhaps hidden in a nearby puddle, underground, or some unknown corner.

"Ginger is indeed spicy when old!"

Having been set up by the Third Hokage, Zhaomei Ming wasn't too angry—the loss was only a clone, which to her amounted to nothing.

On the contrary, this expended a carefully laid trap of the opponent's, making it a very profitable exchange.

"Lava Release: Lava Hell"

Hidden in the shadows, after observing a while and finding no flaw, Zhaomei Ming formed seals with both hands and slammed them hard onto the ground.

With a massive expenditure of chakra, centered on the point where the Third Hokage stood, the land within a radius of two to three hundred meters turned into scorching red lava.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall"

Facing such a vast expanse of lava that seemed poised to swallow him whole, the Third Hokage remained remarkably calm.

He expelled a large amount of refined earth‑attribute chakra from his mouth; upon hitting the ground, these chakra underwent violent transformation, ultimately forming an earthen wall twenty to thirty meters high.

Though called a wall, its thickness and height far exceeded what a mere wall should be—it could well be described as a city wall.

The Third Hokage himself leapt up, using hands and feet to climb onto the wall he had created.

"This transformation of earth‑attribute chakra… truly lives up to being a ninjutsu scholar!"

Gazing at this massive wall, after sinking ten or so meters into his own lava hell, it stood firm and unmoving in place.

Zhaomei Ming sighed in admiration of the Third Hokage's mastery of earth‑attribute chakra, then continued her hand motions without pause.

"Lava Release: Lava Waterfall"

This so‑called lava waterfall, though named a waterfall, is not molten rock falling from above; on the contrary, it is a jet of lava erupting from the lava hell created by Zhaomei Ming.

Carrying scorching heat, it surged upward from below, blasting the Third Hokage from head to toe.

"Really… a tough opponent!"

Watching those scarlet lava flows, the Third Hokage's cheeks twitched involuntarily, a sense of fleeting youth and inevitable aging welling up within him.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough"

"Combined Ninjutsu: Wind‑Water Dragon Bullet"

Though he felt these sentiments inwardly, his hands flew through seals—first a water dragon surged forward, then a gust of wind blew, lowering the water dragon's temperature.

Sizzle—sizzle—sizzle!

A sound of intense cooling from high temperature came; his Wind Water Dragon Bullet, although it could not reach the level of Ice Escape, its own water temperature had already reached a very cold degree.

The lava used to solidify Zhao Meiming is more than enough.

As the Third Generation and Zhao Meiming engaged in fierce battle, flames and white vapors rose all over the battlefield.

"Uchiha brat, where are you taking your little girlfriend?"

Holding a flatfish that had transformed into a double-blade shape, Guiding Manyue had a stream of water wrapped around his body, leisurely following behind a pair of petite young man and woman.

"You! Don't worry about me, hurry up and escape!"

Watching the enemy hanging behind himself and You, Uchiha Quan lay on You's back, extremely anxious, constantly urging You to flee.

As for herself, her leg was injured, her calf bone broken, she had completely lost mobility, which on the battlefield was almost a fatal injury.

She clearly did not want to bear her own young man, because this burden would ultimately cause her to lose her life.

"Don't worry, I'm here, it's fine!"

With his crimson Sharingan blazing, You's expression remained calm as he steadily stared at Guiding Manyue approaching step by step.

He even took a moment to comfort Quan on his back.

"It's useless, with Xianzi by my side, even the Sharingan's Genjutsu has no effect on me."

Guiding Manyue was quite bold, staring unguardedly at You's Sharingan, and with Xianzi by his side, he even didn't forget to comment.

"Indeed, worthy of the Uchiha's Sharingan, a top-tier Bloodline Limit—young as you are, you can fight me on equal terms. If it weren't for that little girl dragging you down, I might not even have the upper hand."

He smacked his lips, Manyue recalled the few Uchiha he had encountered, truly none of them were easy opponents.

By comparison, that brat over there and his little girlfriend are relatively easy to deal with.

"Really!"

Seeing the opponent so nonchalantly staring at his Sharingan, You hesitated for a moment, wondering if the other side had some hidden trick he didn't know about.

Otherwise, he wouldn't dare stare so blatantly at his eyes—could he think that having a woman by his side makes him immune to the Sharingan's Genjutsu?

Just as You was considering whether to hit the opponent with a Moon Read, the center of the battlefield.

"Everyone, are you all ready?"

Receiving an affirmative glance from his subordinate, Meicun Yejuan hesitated no longer, unfurled a scroll, and took a drop of blood from the small bottle in his hand to smear onto the scroll.

"Ninja Art: Spirit Summoning Technique"

With his and his companions' joint effort, a huge plume of white smoke appeared, and a massive lizard emerged at the center of the battlefield.

This was Dong Shilang's spirit beast, Loyal Soldier.

"Another giant spirit beast? Hurry, inform the Fourth Generation Mizukage—we need reinforcements."

A Mist Ninja frontline commander, looking at the massive lizard before him and then up at the white-headed sea eagle constantly dispersing the Mist Concealment Technique in the sky, began shouting for reinforcements.

The giant sea eagle in the sky was fine—though troublesome, it only dispersed the Mist Concealment Technique—but the lizard over there was another matter.

Although they had not yet formally engaged, the opponent was clearly not something that sea eagle could match.

"Loyal Soldier, please lend your aid!"

Looking at the enormous spirit beast before him, Meicun Yejuan was extremely excited; summoning a giant spirit beast through his and his companions' efforts to defeat the enemy gave him a sense of fulfillment.

Ps: 9000 characters, I've done my best.