While his subordinates battled across the field, Gensou himself joined the fray, clearing away enemies with devastating precision.
"Senpō: Ranton Tsuigō!"
Beams of Storm Release chakra shot out from behind Gensou like the spread of a peacock's tail, covering the battlefield in a deadly barrage.
Hashirama and the others immediately evaded, but not everyone could escape unscathed.
Shamon, the Second Tsuchikage, whose puppets had been destroyed earlier, now relied solely on his sand armor for defense. He stared in shock at the gaping hole in his chest.
"My sand armor... shattered instantly?"
Recalling how a single Storm Release beam pierced through his defenses, Shamon grimaced at the implications.
If he had a living body instead of an Edo Tensei form, that single attack would have been fatal.
With a sigh, Shamon resigned himself to retreat, allowing his hollow chest to slowly regenerate.
But retreat was not an option Gensou would allow.
As Shamon began to back away, Gensou suddenly appeared before him, extending his hand. The Truth-Seeking Orb in his palm was aimed directly at Shamon.
Realizing the danger, Shamon summoned his strongest sand shield, but relief was short-lived.
Boom!
A hole was blasted through the sand shield, followed by Shamon's head being destroyed by a black rod extending from the Truth-Seeking Orb.
Leaving the headless Shamon behind, Gensou moved on to his next target, the Truth-Seeking Orb returning to its original form as he sped through the battlefield.
Time passed, and to the shock of all, Shamon's Edo Tensei body failed to regenerate.
Tobirama, ever observant, noticed this anomaly immediately.
"Be careful! If you're struck by the Truth-Seeking Orbs, even Edo Tensei bodies won't recover!"
This revelation crushed the morale of the alliance.
Their greatest advantage—Edo Tensei's endless regeneration—was now nullified by Gensou's technique.
The fight became increasingly desperate.
As Gensou bypassed the First Mizukage's Water Release and pierced his chest with a single hand, absorbing his chakra to replenish his own reserves, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki launched a Dust Release at him.
The attack, however, was effortlessly deflected by a barrier formed from a Truth-Seeking Orb.
Seeing the Dust Release dissipate without leaving so much as a mark, Ōnoki's voice trembled.
"Even Dust Release is useless against the Truth-Seeking Orbs..."
If Dust Release was ineffective, then no ninjutsu could hope to prevail.
Taijutsu was no better. One shinobi tried kicking a Truth-Seeking Orb, only to have their leg disintegrate into ashes.
Genjutsu?
The Second Mizukage, Gengetsu, summoned a giant clam and unleashed his strongest illusion, Magen: Kijō Rakugō, only to watch helplessly as the Truth-Seeking Orbs obliterated his summon.
Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, even secret techniques—nothing could harm the Truth-Seeking Orbs or their master, Gensou.
Gensou, surrounded by his four orbs, withdrew his hand from the First Mizukage's body and incapacitated him with another orb before moving on.
With ease, he disabled the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, along with several other Edo Tensei warriors.
Though the alliance's numbers were still significant, despair spread through their ranks.
Gensou was not only overwhelmingly powerful, but his Truth-Seeking Orbs rendered him untouchable. He seemed less a shinobi and more a god descending to the battlefield.
Sensing the crumbling morale, Gensou capitalized on the moment.
Clapping his hands together, he invoked another technique:
"Senpō: Hyourin no Ame!"
Under the blood-red moon and darkened sky, moisture in the air condensed into countless ice needles that rained down like a torrential downpour.
Cries of pain and despair echoed as the rain of needles struck indiscriminately.
Even Tsunade, in her Byakugō state, clenched her fists as she realized the hopelessness of the situation.
She retreated and found Sakura, who had been inconspicuous throughout the battle.
The remaining members of the original Konoha 12 had all gathered with the alliance. However, with Naruto gone, their collective strength was modest at best, and they blended into the crowd.
Gensou hadn't even noticed their presence.
After explaining her intentions, Tsunade and Sakura bit their thumbs and performed the summoning jutsu.
Boom!
A massive cloud of smoke erupted as Katsuyu, or rather a fraction of her full size, appeared on the battlefield.
"Another war...?" Katsuyu's gentle yet sorrowful voice resonated as she surveyed the scene.
Hearing Tsunade's explanation, the slug sage turned her attention to Gensou, whose overwhelming presence dominated the battlefield. Though she made no comment, Katsuyu carried out her duty as always.
Her enormous body dissolved into a sticky mass, spreading across the battlefield like a living carpet. Injured alliance shinobi stepping onto her surface were healed instantly by her medical chakra.
From afar, Gensou observed Katsuyu's actions with mild interest.
Realizing it was only a fragment of Katsuyu and not her true body, he dismissed her from his concerns. Unlike the Great Toad Sage, Katsuyu's ability to divide herself endlessly made her nearly impossible to eliminate.
As long as she wasn't actively targeting him, Gensou had no intention of wasting energy on her.
Redirecting his focus, he looked at the remaining Edo Tensei warriors before him. With a wave of his hand, two of his Truth-Seeking Orbs transformed into massive, sweeping blades that slashed across the battlefield, leaving no room for escape.
Watching the relentless defeat of their forces, Hashirama sighed deeply.
No matter how much they prepared for Gensou, he always exceeded their expectations.
"I have to admit," Hashirama said, his voice heavy, "even at my peak, I wouldn't be a match for you now, Gensou."
"But... surrender and defeat aren't in my vocabulary!"
Clapping his hands together, Hashirama launched his next attack with unshakable resolve.
(End of Chapter)
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