As Second Tsuchikage 30

Chapter 30: The Successors of the Kage

"What do we do now? Should we go grab some fries at the dock?"

The elite shinobi observing the battlefield from a distance stared in stunned silence as the chaos unfolded below them. The situation had spiraled far beyond what anyone anticipated.

“Everyone, keep calm,” one of the jonin barked, stepping forward. “I’ve already sent word to our Kage. They should arrive shortly!”

“Too bad we in Kirigakure are too far out. I don’t think ours will make it in time,” someone muttered, frustrated.

“There’s no choice. Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kumogakure are all much closer. They should be able to respond,” another added quickly.

Even as the storm gathered and their top leaders lay defeated or unconscious, the assembled jonin kept their composure. With practiced precision, they began coordinating communications, arranging reinforcements, and preparing for the worst.

…

Iwagakure – Tsuchikage’s Office

The moment he received the message, Ishikawa bolted to his feet, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Mū took down Madara? With backup? And now they’re on the verge of fighting Hashirama?!”

He slapped his forehead, already imagining the headlines. This was exactly how the Fourth Great Ninja War would erupt.

“Grandfather! We have to go save Sensei!”

Ōnoki’s voice rang out as he burst into the room, his urgency sharp and undeniable. Ishikawa didn’t hesitate. With a solemn nod, he gathered his gear and led the emergency deployment unit himself.

Across the continent, nearly identical scenes played out.

In both Sunagakure and Kumogakure, the remaining Second Generation Kage made the decision without hesitation. They would not sit back. They would march to the battlefield in person.

…

Battlefield

“Baka yarō! Damn it! I can’t hold this technique much longer! Think of something, anything!!”

Gengetsu’s shout cut through the pollen-heavy air as he glanced over his shoulder toward Mū, Shamon, and the Second Raikage.

Mū’s thoughts spun in frantic circles. He cursed himself for not leaving one of his clones outside the poison zone. If he had just split beforehand, maybe they wouldn’t be trapped like this.

“We’re screwed. We’re actually going to die here…”

Shamon’s complexion had gone ghostly pale. His lips trembled with each word, and his voice was soaked in despair. They had already burned through most of their chakra reserves in the fight against Madara. Their bodies were bruised, battered, and drained to the edge.

And now Hashirama stood against them, untouched, unwavering.

This wasn’t a battle. It was a death sentence.

At least Madara had felt human, even with his monstrous strength. At least he looked like he could be worn down.

But Hashirama?

He looked like a force of nature. There was no end to him, just a loading screen that never finished.

“Cough… I think this is it for us…”

The Second Raikage dropped to one knee, barely able to stay upright. Blood soaked through his torn armor, leaking from a wound he’d taken during Madara’s final counterattack. Each breath came harder than the last.

Gengetsu glanced at them both, then lowered his head with a weary sigh. His treasured Steam Clone had been blown apart earlier in the fight. If he still had it, maybe they’d have one last shot at turning the tide. One more detonation, one more delay…

“Mū. Well, if I’ve got to die beside someone, I guess you’ll do.”

He clapped Mū on the shoulder with a weak grin. It was an attempt at humor, but the moment the word “die” left his lips, Mū flinched like he’d been stabbed.

What the hell are you saying?!
I’m not dying here!

Panic surged in his chest. He knew the shape of the future. He had seen the threads of what was meant to come. This wasn’t it. This couldn’t be the end. Even in the deepest pit of despair, there had to be one path forward.

There always was.

“No.”

The fire in Mū’s eyes reignited as he bit down on his fear and forced his hands into motion.

“Summoning Jutsu!”

His fingers flew through the signs, his chakra igniting in a sudden pulse. A black-feathered crow with eyes like burning coals emerged in a plume of smoke. It was the legendary Yatagarasu.

“Can you help me condense chakra?” he asked, his voice tight with urgency.

The bird didn’t hesitate. Perching on Mū’s shoulder, it began assisting immediately, drawing in chakra with astonishing speed. Its feathers shimmered faintly as it focused, the air around them pulsing with power.

Mū joined in, pressing his hands together and forcing the last of his strength into the process, synchronizing with the crow’s gathering energy. His focus narrowed. Every breath was precious now.

…

Outside the barrier, Hashirama remained perfectly still. His eyes stayed fixed on the weakened group, expression unreadable. He could sense resistance still flickering inside the dome. Unwilling to let it continue, he raised his hands again and struck them together.

“Wood Release: Tree Binding Death!”

The earth heaved with a low, guttural rumble. From the shattered ground, massive vines shot out like monstrous serpents, surging toward the Water Barrier with violent purpose. The roots lashed and coiled as they slammed into the dome.

The shield quivered, its surface rippling under the pressure. Sharp cracks spread across its structure like spiderwebs.

Inside, Gengetsu gritted his teeth, his chakra drained, his steam long exhausted. Shamon was barely conscious, and the Second Raikage looked on the verge of collapse. None of them had the strength to lift a finger.

It was obvious now. The Water Dome wouldn't hold. The forest would crush them, and there was nothing more they could do.

“This is the end…”

Gengetsu closed his eyes. For a moment, he allowed the thought of death to settle in. But as despair crept closer, something changed.

Mū reached down and picked up a stone from the scorched ground. He closed his eyes for a breath, then clenched his fist.

Crack! BOOM!

The stone crumbled to dust in his hand.

“No! It’s not over yet!”

His voice rang out like a war cry.

“Dust Release: Column – Original Realm Annihilation!”

A blinding white pillar burst upward, lancing through the skies like a divine blade. It carved a screaming path across the battlefield, tearing the sky open with raw fury. The air itself was shredded as the technique activated, and every tree born of Hashirama’s Wood Release disintegrated in an instant. From their roots to their towering crowns, the massive structures unraveled into glittering particles.

The forest vanished in a sea of blinding brilliance. Shockwaves roared outward, shaking the land and wiping the battlefield clean of everything unnatural.

High above, Mū hovered in the sky, one hand extended to sustain the jutsu. His expression was carved in stone. Beside him sat Yatagarasu, wings folded, silent and regal. The crow's feathers glimmered in the Dust Release's light. Mū’s bandages fluttered around him like banners in a storm.

In that single instant, he seemed less like a man and more like a force, an avatar of judgment descending with divine wrath.

“That technique… it’s formidable.”

Hashirama’s gaze followed the blast, his brow furrowed slightly. He hadn’t anticipated a counter of this magnitude, not from someone already on the edge of death.

“Is he channeling chakra from that summoning creature?”

The realization struck quickly, but even he had to admit the scale of Mū’s attack was impressive.

“Successors of the Kage! Do not fall so easily!”

Mū’s voice thundered across the scorched battlefield, carried by chakra.

“We are heirs of our villages. Our will must be stronger than steel, more enduring than stone! To give up is the only defeat that cannot be reversed. If we must fall, we fall in battle, not waiting quietly for death!”

His voice echoed into the sky as he hovered there, surrounded by the pale light of Dust Release, standing between hope and despair.

“Mū-sama!!”

Across the battlefield, the elite shinobi watching from the four great villages stared in open-mouthed awe. Many had assumed the fight was already lost. Even their own Kage had looked ready to accept death. And yet, Mū stood firm in the sky, unshaken, his chakra blazing.

“That’s Mū-sama! That’s the true might of Dust Release! Not even the legendary Wood Release can compare when he uses it like this!”

“He doesn’t just see the enemy as dust, he sees himself as dust. That’s how he transcended ego and reached the realm of nothingness!”

“He's the one who turned ‘stone’ into ‘bedrock’, not just a fighter, but the ultimate tactician!”

“He’s inherited the Kage’s will completely. This is what it means to carry the burden of a village on your shoulders!”

“The founder of the Stone Will… and he’ll walk the path of that will to the very end!”

Iwagakure’s ANBU couldn’t contain their excitement. Their voices spilled out in emotional bursts as they explained Mū’s legacy to the astonished shinobi from the other villages, practically forming a live commentary crew in their passion.

“…This guy…”

Gengetsu stared up at Mū, his eyes wide, an unfamiliar emotion flickering behind them. For a moment, the thought crossed his mind, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t mind being Mū’s subordinate after all.

Mū… you really do show up when it matters most.

“Oi, oi, oi!! HEY!! Are you planning to hog all the spotlight again, you smug bastard!? Don’t forget about me, Gengetsu!!”

A barrage of sharp Water Gun bullets exploded through the tangled roots of the Wood Release vines nearby. Gengetsu emerged tall and defiant once more, wiping the blood from his mouth as his eyes sharpened with renewed fire.

His determination spread like a spark to Shamon and the Second Raikage.

“Damn right! I’m from the mountain ridges of Kumogakure! We’ve never once backed down halfway through anything!”

Crackling energy wrapped around the Second Raikage’s body as his Lightning Chakra Mode reignited, thunder roaring at his feet.

“Well then... I guess I’ve got no excuse left. If we’re going to fall here, we’ll bring the entire shinobi world down with us.”

Shamon’s voice trembled slightly, but he stood on shaking legs, refusing to bend anymore.

All four Kage stood side by side once more, bruised but unbowed, their spirits blazing with defiance.

“Yeah! If this is how it ends, we’re dragging everything down with us!”

They turned together to face Hashirama once again, unflinching.

Hashirama watched in silence, taking in the look in their eyes. He saw the fire that had returned to their expressions. For a fleeting second, something softened in his gaze, a glimpse of sorrow, or maybe regret, but war offered no room for hesitation.

“Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!”

He slammed his hands together once more, summoning another tidal wave of towering trees and vines to bury them beneath nature’s wrath.

But Mū and Gengetsu were already prepared, standing back to back like two halves of a single will. Mū raised one hand, forming the intricate shape of Dust Release, while Gengetsu shot a stream of high-pressure water bullets from his fingertips, ripping through the advancing roots.

“Mū! Let’s see who can blast more of these things today!”

Gengetsu laughed, his shots slicing through the vines with pinpoint accuracy.

“No one’s trying to compete with you, you loud idiot,” Mū growled without looking at him, though his Dust Release flared hotter than ever, vaporizing every branch and leaf that dared approach.