As Takigakure was being slaughtered, another hidden village—Iwagakure—was experiencing a similar nightmare.
The Third Raikage, leading his son and about 5,000 Kumogakure shinobi, had departed from the Land of Rain and was now charging furiously toward Iwagakure.
No matter how many Iwa-nin tried to block them at the border—
The Third Raikage always took the lead, like a thunderbolt crashing down from the heavens.
He tore through wave after wave of Earth Release techniques—both offensive and defensive—with sheer brute force.
And with lightning-fast speed that nearly rivaled real lightning, he decimated every enemy within sight.
Forced into desperation, the Iwa-nin began collapsing the mountains along the way—
Attempting to bury the Raikage and his men under avalanches of massive boulders, like a natural disaster.
But the Third Raikage felt no fear.
In fact, he didn't even bother dodging them.
Charging forward head-on, the Third Raikage shattered every falling boulder with sheer force.
He carved out an artificial 'path' for the Kumogakure forces behind him.
Not only did this terrify the Iwagakure shinobi facing him—it also left the Kumo-nin behind him utterly stunned.
He was a beast.
Even A, who already knew the truth, was somewhat shaken. He hadn't expected his father's strength to have grown to such terrifying levels.
He plunged into the midst of nearly a thousand panicked Iwagakure shinobi and began a merciless slaughter.
In that moment—
Wherever the tangled arcs of lightning passed, there followed only shrill screams, desperate wails, shattered bodies, and fountains of blood.
Even the Kumogakure ninja watching from afar felt a chill in their bones.
Because this wasn't a battle.
It was a massacre.
One man surrounded by a thousand—and still doing the killing.
...
At the border between the Land of Birds and the Land of Rain—
Ōnoki was locked in fierce combat with Hanzō, who had summoned a giant salamander.
Each time the rolling clouds of violet poison spread out—
They were instantly dispersed by a dazzling burst of white light, giving Ōnoki the apparent upper hand.
But Hanzō had never intended to fight to the death.
The order given to him by the Third Raikage was simple: keep Ōnoki and his Iwa army busy.
So Hanzō directed the bulk of his poison clouds not at Ōnoki—but toward the distant Iwagakure shinobi.
His own subordinate units—comprised of ninja from Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure—were tasked with cleaning up.
Their job was to pick off any high-level Iwagakure ninja who managed to break through the toxic barrier.
...
Meanwhile, at the border between the Land of Birds and the Land of Wind—
Kitsuchi was leading a force of Iwagakure shinobi against the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and the army of Sunagakure.
Although the Iwa forces were outnumbered and generally weaker in individual strength—
They excelled at coordinated group combat.
By combining their strength, they unleashed massive joint Earth Release techniques, forcing the Suna-nin to rely on Rōran puppets to attack from the air.
Kitsuchi himself, though he didn't bear the title of 'Kage', had long surpassed the level of a jōnin.
Defeating someone like Rasa, the Kazekage, wouldn't be easy—but holding him off head-on? That was no problem at all.
With thunderous rumbling—
Tidal waves of gold sand repeatedly slammed into towering earthen walls that resembled mountains.
A decisive outcome between the two sides wouldn't be coming anytime soon.
Chaos.
Under the manipulation of Crocodile and the World Government, the shinobi world had descended into utter disorder.
Wars openly raging. Schemes unfolding in the shadows.
Unending waves of violence.
And now, a group was rapidly approaching Rōran, the stronghold and heart of this entire disaster.
It wasn't long before—
A Den-Den Mushi began ringing from the inner coat pocket of Sakazuki, at the very top of the central tower.
"Speak. What is it?" he answered, his tone as imposing and commanding as ever—one that naturally inspired tension and seriousness.
"Hm?"
"A peace delegation from Konoha?"
Sakazuki froze for a second. Then his expression hardened.
He clearly wasn't pleased.
Of course he wasn't.
He had been counting on Aramaki's suppression of Konoha to earn him a promotion—straight to Army Headquarters General.
That had been the entire point.
Sakazuki had already submitted a request to Command Headquarters, asking them to dispatch someone capable of dealing with Senju Hashirama.
He had actually considered going himself.
But based on Aramaki's post-battle report and the World Government's internal intelligence analysis—
His own Magma-Magma Fruit ability...
Might not only fail to counter the so-called Impure World Reincarnation, but could even empower it in some way.
Given that, he had no choice but to call in a 'specialist'.
After all, the World Government wasn't some small-time organization.
No matter the situation or the enemy, it could almost always find a targeted solution—or the right person for the job.
Clear division of labor paired with seamless coordination—this was one of the major strengths of a large-scale operation.
But now, Konoha wanted to surrender?
Unacceptable!
If things continued like this, then given Crocodile's current performance, he'd almost certainly become the third General of Army Headquarters!
If there were no alternatives, Sakazuki might've reluctantly accepted it.
But that wasn't the case—he still had Aramaki as a viable candidate!
"Tell them—if they want to surrender, they must first remove the Impure World Reincarnation from Senju Hashirama!"
"Because he poses a 'massive threat' to us. The peace talks can only take place in Konoha after that condition is met. Make sure they understand this clearly!"
Sakazuki's eyes gleamed as he spoke gravely into the Den-Den Mushi.
"Yes, General Akainu!"
...
"Nine thousand nine hundred forty-seven."
"Huff—huff—"
"Nine thousand nine hundred forty-eight."
In Imu's exclusive gravity training room—
Imu was struggling as he performed push-ups on the floor.
His muscular frame trembled visibly with each repetition.
His skin was flushed bright red, radiating furnace-like heat.
The current gravity was nineteen times that of the Starfish World.
Under such conditions, even for Imu, completing ten thousand push-ups was an agonizing challenge.
"Urghhh!"
Gritting his teeth, Imu forced his arms to bend slowly under the pressure, lowering his body.
But as he tried to rise again, he felt a crushing force pressing down on him.
At that moment—
He could faintly hear the agonized creaking of his bones.
His heart pounded rapidly and forcefully, like a hammer slamming into the inside of his chest.
"Nine thousand nine hundred ninety-one!!"
[Thud!]
After completing that rep, Imu could no longer hold out. His muscles, stretched to their absolute limit, gave out all at once.
In the next second—
Imu vanished from the purple space, reappearing in the outer region in the blink of an eye.
Instantly, his entire body and mind felt astonishingly light.
"Still couldn't break past ten thousand... It's so damn hard."
With a sense of helpless frustration, Imu picked up a specially crafted Purple Butterfly Pill from the tray brought by Ubuyashiki Hinaki and swallowed it.
At that moment, the ever-elegant Stussy approached briskly in high heels.
"Lord Imu, there's an urgent report from the Zero Magic World!"
"Just tell me what it is."
Once his body had cooled down, Imu casually took the glass of red wine handed to him by Ubuyashiki Hinaki.
He sank wearily into the lounge chair nearby, enjoying the gentle massages from Ubuyashiki Kanata and Ubuyashiki Kuina's hands.
It was marked as an urgent report—
But since the Five Elders hadn't contacted him directly, it couldn't be anything too serious.
"Yes, sir."
Standing at the side, Stussy quickly relayed a large portion of the report in a slightly hurried tone.
"Two days ago, General 'Golden Lion', in order to complete the 'Four of the Four' Void Legends related to the 'Founder of Magic'—specifically to Brimir—"
"—ordered the only half-elf without a Familiar, Tiffania, to summon her own Void Familiar in the capital city of Adyl, within the Nephthys Elven Kingdom."
"The summoning process initially went quite smoothly."
"But the Familiar she called forth turned out to be an adult male elf, severely burned and unconscious. Fortunately, thanks to the help of a bio-alchemist, his body healed rapidly."
"However, once he regained consciousness, they discovered that no one could understand the language he spoke—not Louise, not Tiffania, nor any of the local elves."
"This confirmed that he, like Hiraga Saito and Julio Chesaré, also came from another world."
"Fortunately, Louise's Void magic worked just as effectively on him, resolving their communication barrier with ease."
At this point, Stussy's tone held a clear note of admiration.
She was certain that Louise would become a major asset to the World Government.
"Through communication with Tiffania and the others, we've learned that the elf from the other world is named Hodolew Ray Marceau."
"He claims to have come from a vast forest known as the 'Forest of Koan'—a domain belonging to his race of High Elves."
"He also says that they were attacked by a fire dragon, which resulted in the destruction of their entire forest and people, consumed in a sea of flames. It was at that moment that Tiffania summoned him into the Zero Magic World, which allowed him to narrowly escape death."
As Imu listened intently, he tried to recall anything from memory.
But frustratingly, he came up with nothing—
Given the elements—High Elves, fire dragons—it was likely another Western-style fantasy world, similar to the Zero Magic World.
Stussy's report continued.
"Mr. Hodolew also requested help from Tiffania, Louise, and the others to rescue his daughter, 'Luna', whom he had hidden beneath a well."
"Luna..."
Imu repeated the name inwardly, but still couldn't link it to any specific character.
This made him wonder if he'd simply never seen this particular work.
There were so many anime titles, after all—it wouldn't be strange if some slipped by him.
"As such, Chairman Fernandez of the Other Worlds Strategic Committee is requesting guidance on how to proceed."
"Should we follow General 'Golden Lion's' plan and have Louise open a dimensional gate to the 'Sanctuary'—a technologically advanced world slated for conquest—"
"—or should we accept Mr. Hodolew's request and have Louise open a gate to his world instead?"
Stussy gently pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and emphasized: "Lord Imu, based on the information Mr. Hodolew provided, his world not only possesses magic but is ruled by an empire that governs the entire continent, as well as numerous kingdoms and duchies."
"What's especially noteworthy is the apparent existence of so-called gods, such as the 'Sun God' Flare whom he worships."
Sure enough, upon hearing the word 'gods', Imu instinctively furrowed his brow.
Regardless of the world, anything involving gods or demons was something both he and the World Government had to take seriously.
"Additionally, the elves of his world seem to live nearly five times longer than those in the Zero Magic World—commonly up to 1,000 years."
"According to Mr. Hodolew, anyone under 200 is considered a child, under 600 is considered an adult, and only those over 600 are regarded as old. Moreover, their physical appearance doesn't begin to age until after 800. As for him—he's currently around 423 years old."
Stussy spoke softly, her tone tinged with envy.
After all, eternal youth—or a lifespan stretching a thousand years—was a powerful temptation for most humans.
That was why, upon learning that the elves of the Zero Magic World could live up to 200 years, the World Government immediately classified it as a 'Level 8 Top Secret'.
A designation so sensitive that only government directors and military marshals or above were permitted access.
Naturally—
The Institute of Biochemical Research had also begun secretly studying these elves from the Zero Magic World.
But now, unexpectedly, a new elven race had appeared—one with an even longer lifespan.
Lying on the lounge chair, Imu took notice of the look in Stussy's eyes and mused: 'Should I reward my Secretary-General with a pure gold ring?'
'After all, she had rendered many years of outstanding service.'
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