The immense power of the dragon veins surged in, and the divine tree's growth was astonishingly rapid.
In just the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, under the expectant gaze of Otsutsuki Isshiki, the divine tree pierced through the clouds and stretched towards the higher heavens.
"Almost there!"
"When the divine tree grows to a point where it almost touches the moon, it will begin to condense the chakra fruit."
"At that time, Otsutsuki Kaguya..."
"I will personally liberate you from the sealing of Six Paths – Chibaku Tensei, and then..."
"Devour you!"
A trace of unrestrained madness flickered in Otsutsuki Isshiki's eyes. The thrill of about to control everything made him unable to resist letting out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha..."
"Crack!"
A sound like peeling and shattering came from outside the barrier previously erected by Otsutsuki Isshiki, and then, the entire barrier shattered with a crash, scattering into a sky full of dispersed chakra.
As soon as these uncontrolled energies collapsed, they were absorbed by the greedy divine tree, and its growth speed instantly increased by a significant margin.
"Isshiki... No..."
"Otsutsuki Isshiki, I've heard your name!"
Orochimaru's figure appeared before the surprised Otsutsuki Isshiki as the barrier crumbled. He greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Orochimaru?"
Otsutsuki Isshiki's pupils constricted, and he looked at Orochimaru, who was enveloped in Six Paths power, with disbelief.
"This guy actually possesses this level of strength?"
Startled, Otsutsuki Isshiki, who was accustomed to hiding himself, was about to open a portal to evade the confrontation. But then he reconsidered. The divine tree had already been planted here. If he left now, wouldn't he be making a wedding dress for Orochimaru?
Furthermore, with the power of his right eye and the Ten-Tails, which had already absorbed a large amount of terrestrial energy, even if his strength was not fully restored to its peak, he might still have a chance to fight Orochimaru.
With this thought, Otsutsuki Isshiki's gaze instantly turned cold.
Spatial energy surged in his hand, and he waved it towards the trunk of the divine tree, scattering a mass of woody flesh the size of a small mountain.
"I didn't expect you to react so quickly, nor did I expect a lowly human to possess the power to step into the realm of gods."
"However..."
Otsutsuki Isshiki sneered, his right eye flashed with golden light, and he opened a spatial gate beside him.
"You alone trying to stop me from drawing the power of this planet? You're far from it!"
As his voice fell, the large piece of woody flesh torn from the divine tree by Otsutsuki Isshiki instantly came to life. After a period of splitting, dozens of small Ten-Tails appeared before Orochimaru.
This was not all. As the black and red spatial gate unfolded, a large number of humanoid puppets, secretly modified by the organization Kara, emerged in a steady stream, filling the entire beach in the blink of an eye.
"As expected of a strong individual who has endured in the ninja world for a thousand years. This kind of foundation..."
"It's enough to make all factions tremble, isn't it?"
Orochimaru nodded slightly in approval, but then changed the subject, casually tossing a kunai with the words "Sword of Love for Ninjas" engraved on its hilt into the distance.
"However, thankfully, I was also prepared!"
"Minato, you can make your move!"
His voice carried far across the vast beach. Minato, who had been waiting for orders in the rear, immediately nodded to the Nine-Tails beside him.
"Kurama, please!"
"Hmm... Little Minato, just do it!"
"After I help you take care of things here, this old man will also be going to the battlefield!"
The Nine-Tails grinned, wrapping a tail around Minato. Gentle chakra was gathering, ready to be unleashed.
The thought of being able to eliminate someone from the Otsutsuki clan with Orochimaru was incredibly exciting!
"Okay!"
Minato nodded decisively, enduring the pain of his body swelling as if it would burst from the Nine-Tails' chakra. His hands moved rapidly.
"Ninjutsu - Flying Thunder God Technique!"
White light instantly illuminated the ground. All the ninjas within the pre-drawn Flying Thunder God teleportation formations were instantly teleported to the location where Orochimaru had thrown the kunai.
A massive amount of chakra was released in an instant. Minato, experiencing this for the first time, rolled his eyes and fainted without even a groan.
"Tch, so useless!"
The Nine-Tails scoffed dismissively, coiling Minato with its tail and handing him over to Tsunade beside them.
"Tsunade, your man gave me instructions!"
"This battle is extremely dangerous. You need to ensure that the ninjas fighting for the ninja world survive this battle with minimal casualties."
"The battles up front are for strong individuals like me to handle, haha..."
The Nine-Tails teased Tsunade, who looked indignant, with a wicked grin, and then dashed towards Orochimaru's location.
"You damned fox!"
Tsunade cursed angrily and gently put Minato down.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A giant slug, responding to Tsunade's hand seals, was summoned.
"Lord Slug, please provide chakra recovery and medical support for the ninjas."
"The survival of the ninja world is at stake, I implore you!"
Tsunade respectfully called out to the slug, which was much larger than before, stating the purpose of this summoning.
"Little Tsunade, don't worry."
The slug's gentle voice slowly echoed, surprisingly similar to the original voice of its master.
"I have learned everything from the spirit of the dragon veins."
"After this battle is over, the ninja world will finally be at peace."
Tsunade blinked slightly. Although she didn't fully understand the slug sage's words, she could feel the confident composure of someone who had everything arranged from her tone.
"Is... Is that so?"
"That's good then."
...
On the beach of the Land of Hot Springs, the sudden appearance of the Allied Shinobi Forces startled Otsutsuki Isshiki. He immediately ordered his puppet army and the small Ten-Tails to engage.
"They are well-prepared..."
"But these disorganized masses will never be able to withstand the attacks of the Ten-Tails."
"Destroy them!"
Otsutsuki Isshiki's gaze swept over the Allied Shinobi Forces. They were mere ants who hadn't even touched the power of Yin-Yang Release. His heart relaxed.
Orochimaru smiled calmly.
"Heh heh..."
"Elder Uchiha, First Hokage, please!"
A figure clad in blue shot up from behind the Allied Shinobi Forces.
"Is this the strong individual from the Otsutsuki clan you spoke of?"
Uchiha Madara, inside his Complete Body Susanoo, casually threw Hashirama Senju to Orochimaru's side.
"His physical strength is mediocre, and his chakra amount is even less than that beast Kurama."
His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan slowly spun, and Madara instantly grasped the state of Otsutsuki Isshiki's body, letting out a disdainful, rumbling scoff.
"Orochimaru, a guy of this mediocre strength might not even require your intervention as the strongest. Perhaps Hashirama and I can handle him."
Orochimaru waved his hand casually,