62: The Secret Order of the Wind Shadow, the Legendary Battlefield

Along the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Rice Fields, the air was thick with a stale, charred smell, mixed with the metallic scent of dried blood.

The villages along the way had long been reduced to ruins; charred wooden beams and broken rubble were piled together, silently narrating the recent plundering.

The Third Great Ninja War was a storm that swept over everyone, and no one could escape it.

"I can't even find anyone breathing, and I'm tired of kicking bones," Zi Luo complained impatiently, kicking a desiccated corpse by the roadside until it fell apart.

Qian walked on the flank of the team, her white-flocked iron fan half-open, covering the lower half of her face, revealing only a pair of vigilant blue eyes that constantly scanned every corner where an enemy might be hidden.

"The Ninja World is a battlefield everywhere; the Great Ninja Villages attack each other, the smaller Ninja Villages also fight amongst themselves, and even mountain bandits dare to take advantage of the chaos," her voice came from behind the fan, somewhat muffled.

Tang Yan walked at the very front, oblivious to the surrounding devastation. His goal was singular: the Uzumaki clan members in Kusagakure.

Suddenly, a sharp eagle cry pierced the sky.

A majestic sand eagle circled down, and the strong wind created by its folding wings scattered the ashes on the ground.

It landed precisely on Tang Yan's outstretched arm, a scroll with a Kazekage mark tied to its claw.

It was Rasa's highest-level secret order.

Qian and Zi Luo immediately gathered around, and the atmosphere instantly tensed.

Tang Yan untied and unrolled the scroll; the few words written on it carried an overwhelming aura of killing intent.

Zi Luo's head was the closest; he widened his eyes and read out each word: "Iwagakure has dispatched... ten thousand Ninja, to the border of the Land of Earth, to besiege the Third Raikage of Hidden Cloud Village?"

His voice was distorted by extreme excitement, and all the blood in his body seemed to ignite at that moment.

"Orders us... to immediately change course, head to the battlefield for reconnaissance, and if there's an opportunity, deliver a fatal blow... to the Third Raikage? To avenge Kumogakure's sneak attack on Sunagakure at the beginning of the war!"

Qian's face instantly turned grim.

"A battlefield with ten thousand Ninja? Kazekage-sama is sending us to our deaths. The three of us going there won't even make a ripple." She looked at Tang Yan, her beautiful brows tightly furrowed, "This is no longer a mission; it's sending us to be cannon fodder."

Zi Luo, however, clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles cracking like popping beans, his fighting spirit soaring.

"Cannon fodder? This is a legendary great war! Ten thousand Iwagakure Ninja against the Third Raikage! It's worth dying just to witness it!"

Tang Yan's fingertips gently brushed the scroll, then he abruptly retracted his hand; the scroll silently turned to dust in his palm, scattering with the wind.

He released the sand eagle, his expression as calm as an ancient well.

The Third Raikage fought against ten thousand Iwagakure Ninja, battling for three days and three nights before dying.

This fragment of memory from his previous life emerged clearly in his mind, like a brand.

Rasa wanted revenge, to retaliate for Kumogakure's sneak attack on Sunagakure at the beginning of the war.

But for Tang Yan, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Witness a legend, analyze a legend!

"Change course."

Tang Yan's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable decisiveness.

"Destination: the western border of the Land of Rice Fields."

Zi Luo excitedly punched his palm, while Qian pursed her lips, but ultimately followed his steps in silence.

The three no longer conserved their stamina, transforming into three afterimages in the wilderness, speeding at full throttle.

The Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Rice Fields were already adjacent, and a few hours later, a heart-pounding tremor came from deep within the earth; the pebbles underfoot nervously bounced. It was as if the entire land groaned under an old man's wrath.

The sky was no longer clear, covered by heavy dark clouds, and dazzling flashes of lightning occasionally tore through the clouds. Even from a great distance, the deafening roar still struck their hearts like a heavy hammer.

"Stop."

Tang Yan stopped on a ridge far from the core of the battlefield, ordering the team to conceal themselves.

"Bang!"

A puff of white smoke dissipated, and a uniquely shaped puppet appeared before the three.

It resembled a giant humanoid owl, its eyes were two large crystals, and it had no weapons or sharp objects on its body, yet it exuded a sense of killing intent.

It was the improved reconnaissance and stealth puppet, Owl · Stealth.

Owl · Stealth silently merged into the dim twilight; its vision was instantly shared with the crystal ball in Tang Yan's hand on the ridge.

The image in the crystal ball shook violently, then stabilized.

The image in the crystal ball trembled violently, finally stabilizing.

A doomsday-like scene was directly imprinted in the minds of the three through Owl · Stealth's vision.

In the center of the battlefield, the dark-skinned old man with disheveled hair and beard was a natural disaster in himself.

He was entirely enveloped in a boiling Lightning Release Chakra armor; every breath he took caused the air to crackle with electricity.

He didn't use any complex techniques, only charged—the most primitive and savage charge.

The Earth Release barriers that Iwagakure Ninja prided themselves on were easily pierced by him; the thick earth walls disintegrated, and shattered rocks flew.

He joined his four fingers, forming an indomitable black spear; each swing plowed a deep trench of mixed flesh and earth through the Iwagakure Ninja's formation.

"Earth Release: Great Mud River!"

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Countless Ninjutsu torrents poured down on him like a storm, yet they couldn't budge him in the slightest, merely splashing ripples on his lightning armor before extinguishing.

"Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite!"

A roar echoed across the battlefield; he pierced through the chest of an Iwagakure Jonin, his momentum undiminished, impaling three Ninja behind him to the ground as well, their blood instantly vaporizing.

Zi Luo's mouth hung open, his Adam's apple bobbing violently; he felt his teeth chattering. "This... is this a person? This is just a Tailed Beast in human skin!" He subconsciously touched his neck.

Qian's knuckles were white from gripping the iron fan so tightly, the fan's ribs almost crushed in her hand.

What she felt was not just that world-destroying power, but also that resolute will, as if to burn the heavens and earth, fighting to the death.

That will sent a chill and tremor deep into her soul.

However, Tang Yan's attention was completely elsewhere, not on the bloody slaughter.

He slowly closed his eyes, immersing all his focus into the link between the Ten Thousand Aspects Heavenly Gadget and Owl · Stealth.

What he wanted was not the outcome of this war.

What he wanted was everything that constituted this Thunder God!

Rows of cold, golden characters appeared in his consciousness.

[Analyzing target 'Lightning Release Chakra Mode'...]

[Cellular activity increased by one hundred percent! Nerve response speed increased by three hundred percent! Muscle tissue density increased by two hundred percent]

[Unique Chakra-Bioelectric fusion model detected...]

[Approaching a permanent transformation based on life form!]

Tang Yan's heart began to beat uncontrollably.

This was it! This was what he truly yearned for!

More precious than any Ninjutsu scroll, more precious than any secret technique inheritance! This was the ultimate secret art to forcefully elevate a mortal body to a superhuman realm!

Just then, in the crystal ball's image, a tiny figure appeared in the sky above the battlefield.

It was a small old man floating in the air.

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.

Between his hands, a dazzling white light began to condense.

The light was not large, yet it seemed to swallow all surrounding light, emitting a terrifying aura that could decompose all things.

Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique.

Tang Yan suddenly opened his eyes.

In those calm, ancient-well-like eyes, a light flickered, mixed with extreme excitement and absolute coldness.

"The show is about to reach its climax."

He turned to look at the two beside him, who were completely awestruck.

Qian's lips were bloodless; she managed to speak, her voice somewhat hoarse: "Opportunity? In a place like this? Both the Tsuchikage and Raikage are here, we..."

"Get ready," Tang Yan interrupted her.

Zi Luo, however, slammed his fist down, his face flushed with a sickly excitement: "Ready for what? Boss! Is it to rush up and finish off the Raikage, or to strike that old man, the Tsuchikage?"

A barely perceptible arc curved on Tang Yan's lips.

"Our chance has come."