Chapter 1 The First Light
The first rays of sunlight pierced the conference room of the Five Great Nations.
Everyone knew that this moment had finally arrived.
They all wore expressions of facing death.
They fastened the forehead protectors on their heads and equipped themselves with weapons and gear.
"Attention, everyone!"
"The time to decide life and death is here!"
Gaara stood before tens of thousands of Allied Shinobi Forces, beginning to assign combat missions.
The subterranean gate slowly opened.
White Zetsu surged out like a tide.
Kabuto sat before a Go board, opening his eyes slightly. He then precisely placed a black stone in a chosen spot.
The First Combat Unit, led by Darui, took up positions in the mountain range along the coast.
At that moment, several coffins slowly rose from the sea.
The two foremost coffins instantly shattered, and the brothers Kinkaku and Ginkaku slowly emerged.
Their skin was unusually pale, their zombie-like teeth almost protruding.
Then came the remaining coffins.
Inside were elite ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village's past.
However, they were all subordinates of the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers.
As the bells in their bodies rang.
The yellow talismans on their foreheads slowly turned into flames and burned away.
Then, they abruptly opened their reddened eyes.
"It's the smell of blood..."
Darui tensed immediately: "It's former rogue ninjas of the Hidden Cloud!"
"This is trouble..."
"Everyone, attention! Use Raiton to create a barrier along the coastline!"
"Don't let them land!"
All ninjas capable of using Raiton quickly gathered.
They lined up and performed hand seals simultaneously, unleashing a barrier of lightning along the coast.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku reached out to touch the barrier and were immediately electrocuted, staggering back a few steps.
"It's held..."
Darui took a deep breath.
But at that moment, Kinkaku produced a fan.
Upon seeing the fan, Darui's face turned ashen: "That's the Basho Fan from the Ninja World's 'Weapon Codex'!"
Kinkaku smirked sinisterly and immediately swung the Basho Fan.
Then, a storm of chakra of the five elements—wind, rain, lightning, fire, and earth—instantly destroyed the Raiton barrier on the coastline.
"The barrier is broken! Release Raiton together!"
Darui shouted excitedly.
Everyone performed hand seals again.
The resulting Raiton spread across a vast area, surging towards the sea.
Suddenly, a figure rapidly jumped in front of the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers: "Eight Trigrams! Rotation!"
The Raiton was instantly repelled.
In a blur, the figure of Hiashi Hyuga appeared before them.
Neji, who was fighting, suddenly saw his father, though he never expected to meet him in this way.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku, along with their subordinates, successfully landed.
Cold sweat trickled down Darui's forehead. If they couldn't hold them back, this place would likely fall!
"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"
Suddenly, Neji, along with Tenten and Rock Lee, appeared before Darui.
A single blow of Gentle Fist sent the enemies in front staggering back several steps.
Hiashi's gaze fell upon Neji ahead, and his emotions suddenly surged.
But he suddenly realized that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shed tears.
In the dimly lit cave, Kabuto, contemplating the pieces on his board, chuckled: "Since they are zombies, how can they shed tears?"
"A reunion of family, how touching."
Neji knew this was not the time for sentimentality, so he unhesitatingly extended his right foot.
"Eight Trigrams."
A surge of green light erupted, and the Eight Trigrams symbol appeared faintly.
"Sixty-Four Palms!"
Neji was the first to approach Kinkaku, his rapid attacks locking onto every pressure point on Kinkaku's body.
Kinkaku stood defiantly in place, allowing Neji to attack with all his might.
Tenten took out a scroll and threw it into the air: "Ninja Tools: Binding Meteor!"
A chain instantly ensnared the subordinates behind Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
A massive hammer shot out from the scroll, plummeting down towards the enemies like a meteor.
*Clang!*
The hammer struck the enemies with a crisp sound, indicating the incredible toughness of their bodies.
However, Tenten's attack did manage to slow their advance.
Except for Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and Hiashi, who had leaped away earlier, all others were controlled.
Neji finished the Sixty-Four Palms. The moment he concluded, Kinkaku kicked him flying.
"My bones are harder than iron now. Even if you hit the pressure points, I won't fall!"
Kinkaku let out a booming laugh.
Nearby, Asuma and the Ino-Shika-Cho squad were engaged in battle.
Upon seeing Neji's situation, they decided to provide support.
Neji stood up unwillingly. Before he could steady himself, Hiashi charged at him.
"Father..."
Neji dodged while observing the expression in Hiashi's eyes.
"Neji, don't stop attacking!"
"Cooperate with the Raiton ninjas and pressure me after I use Rotation!"
Hiashi anxiously instructed Neji on how to deal with him.
Suddenly, Ginkaku attacked from behind.
Hiashi urgently shouted: "Watch out behind you! Neji!"
"Konoha Great Whirlwind!"
Rock Lee's figure suddenly appeared behind Neji.
A flying kick sent the unprepared Ginkaku hurtling backward.
"Gate of Life, open!"
Rock Lee's body began to flush red, the final safe zone of the Eight Gates. His body started to emit a green energy.
Rock Lee then threw out a binding strap, which instantly wrapped around Ginkaku's body.
He then launched himself into the air.
"Primary Lotus!"
In an instant, Rock Lee's speed became extreme, imperceptible to the naked eye.
The supersonic attack left Ginkaku, bound within the straps, dizzy and disoriented.
Although his body could recover, Rock Lee's rapid attacks slowed down his recovery.
Seeing his brother suppressed, Kinkaku swung the Basho Fan towards the sky.
However, the moment he swung it, he found himself unable to move.
Kinkaku slowly turned his head with difficulty, only to see Shikamaru kneeling on the ground, looking at him mockingly.
"Shadow Imitation Technique successful."
"Well done, Shikamaru!"
Asuma, along with Choji and Ino, leaped out from the side.
"Asuma, long time no see."
Hiashi stepped back from Neji and greeted Asuma.
"I never expected to see you in this manner."
"It is truly regrettable."
Asuma said with a solemn expression.
"Now is not the time for pleasantries. Hurry and gather the Raiton ninjas again, and pressure us while you still have the capacity to fight."
"If we accidentally ingest their blood, we will lose all control!" Hiashi shouted to everyone.
Suddenly, Kinkaku broke free from Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique.
Shikamaru was shocked; he had broken free unexpectedly.
Kinkaku rapidly swung the Basho Fan at Asuma.
A surge of water-style ninjutsu rushed forward.
Asuma quickly spat out a mass of high-temperature ash: "Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!"
Upon hitting the ground, the ash instantly erupted into roaring flames.
The clash of water and fire created a massive cloud of smoke around them.
*Boom!*
Asuma's ninjutsu, after a period of burning, caused a sudden explosion.
Sparks splashed onto Kinkaku's body.
"Ouch!...So hot!"
"So hot!"
As the smoke dissipated, Shikamaru clearly saw the burn marks on Kinkaku's arm.
They were from the sparks of the recent explosion.
And they hadn't healed.
Shikamaru suddenly made a new discovery.
"Everyone, pay attention! Not only do they fear Raiton, but they may also be wary of Katon!"
"Raiton and Katon can simultaneously pressure them!"
"The effect should be quite significant!"