Chapter 268: Unmatched Violence, Causeless Benevolence
Weak Reincarnators conform to the world.
Excellent Reincarnators dominate the world.
Top-tier Reincarnators overturn the world.
This was a common argument in the Infinite Dimensional Nexus.
When you are weak, the best survival strategy is to follow the development of the plot and cling to plot characters to execute missions. If your strength is enough to make waves in the world, then you must pursue greater changes, disrupt the plot, and chase Singularities.
But there was another type of Reincarnator who would completely overturn the mission world, turning it into something unrecognizable. Such Reincarnators often reaped the greatest benefits, ultimately either perishing under the punishment of the World Will or... rising to become new top-tier Reincarnators.
Kaito Shirogane had heard this argument, but he scoffed at it. They were already in the Infinite Nexus, yet they were still summarizing laws? The so-called "infinite" meant doing whatever you wanted and living however you pleased!
His expression was sinister right now because he felt like he had been leashed like a dog.
Under the manipulation of that woman and the Nexus, he had to ensure the survival of this idiot named Minoru Hiranaka for more than twenty days.
Although Minoru Hiranaka still had the enhancement incantation of [Golden Vow] on his body, faced with terrifying power that completely overturned his understanding, he could hardly even struggle.
"Mercenary Tao... You... You can't kill me... I still have a mission to complete..."
At this moment, Minoru Hiranaka's breathing became obstructed, and less and less oxygen flowed into his lungs. His vision began to darken, but what he thought of wasn't his wife whom he hadn't seen for a long time, but that the Age of the Erdtree had not yet descended, and the era of [Ultimate Benevolence] had not yet arrived.
Kaito Shirogane lowered his eyelids. Although he mocked weaklings like Hana Hiranaka, who couldn't even match one of his fingers, for only murmuring about love...
This Minoru Hiranaka, who might have gained a little power, made him even more disdainful.
Those without power placing their hopes on love and family care might be weak and mediocre.
But this kind of person, who gained a tiny bit of power and dreamed of changing the world, forcibly taking things he couldn't shoulder as a sense of mission, was foolish and hopeless.
Kaito Shirogane gradually increased the strength of his right hand. He felt the fragile cartilage of the opponent's throat deforming and compressing in his palm, perhaps shattering in the next moment.
Purple intent appeared in his eyes; clearly, he really had the intent to kill.
"You are Mercenary Tao?!"
Sizzle!
A bolt of lightning carrying the Fourth Raikage's figure appeared twenty meters in front of Kaito Shirogane. Although his tone was questioning, his posture was fully combat-ready.
At the same time, Uchiha Obito landed on a tree on the other side. He had no intention of attacking, only smiling.
"See, Mercenary Tao, I said that woman would only cause bigger trouble. But before you kill this guy, can you lend him to me for a moment?"
Obito was still thinking about using Minoru Hiranaka to exchange for Kakashi from Providence.
Since Mercenary Tao appeared, Obito had begun to realize his lack of strength without dual Kamui. He started to regret not snatching his eye back from Kakashi in the past years.
Anyway... that guy has long betrayed his promise to me. He didn't protect Rin; instead, he killed her...
That scene replayed before his eyes, and the ocular power in Obito's eyes grew stronger with the twisted pain in his heart.
Kaito Shirogane couldn't be bothered with this childish guy who acted like he wanted to destroy the world just because he lost his unrequited love. In Kaito Shirogane's view, Uchiha Obito's mentality was too pathetic. If it weren't for the Uchiha bloodline, where power grew with emotional turbulence, he probably wouldn't have achieved anything.
Watching the light in Minoru Hiranaka's eyes gradually dim, he considered whether to abandon the special trial in this world and restart it next time.
There were currently two "tree planting" missions in this world, but neither offered high returns for Kaito Shirogane.
Uchiha Obito wanted to collect Tailed Beasts, grow the Divine Tree, and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, an act that would resurrect the world's true ceiling, Kaguya Otsutsuki.
By then, with Kaito Shirogane's current strength and means, he would no longer be able to dominate the world's development. Moreover, apart from some Nexus mission rewards, this questline would hardly give him any useful gains.
On the other hand, Providence and Minoru Hiranaka wanted to irrigate the Golden Erdtree and usher in the [Age of the Erdtree]. This act of directly changing the world's laws and ecology would invite targeting by the World Will. Once exposed, he would truly become an enemy of everyone.
The risk was huge, but the benefits were basically all taken by Providence.
Right now, due to this special trial, Kaito Shirogane was almost forcibly bound to the Golden Erdtree faction, which made his killing intent surge.
The wording of the trial mission also doomed Kaito Shirogane to be unable to complete it by killing Minoru Hiranaka himself like he did with the original Mercenary Tao. The only solution he could think of was to make Minoru Hiranaka commit suicide.
Furthermore, his own role couldn't be involved in this suicide. Genjutsu, hypnosis, or martial coercion couldn't bypass the description [ensure he is not killed].
Neither the Fourth Raikage nor Uchiha Obito received an answer from Kaito Shirogane. A had a violent temper and stepped forward directly. Lightning surged all over his body, and intense chakra turned into thunder, roaming over his skin.
"It seems even if I want to ask you about the Royal Capital, you won't answer..."
The Fourth Raikage's voice was indifferent. As he walked towards Kaito Shirogane, his hair suddenly stood on end with a stomp. From intelligence, he already knew that the person who invaded Konoha and brazenly killed the Third Hokage was most likely this man.
Therefore, he held nothing back, directly activating the strongest output of the [Lightning Release Chakra Mode]—[Lightning Release Armor: Level 2].
Normally, Kaito Shirogane would probably delight in fighting a Raikage in this state, but right now, he was in a terrible mood. His head still looked down at Minoru Hiranaka, who was about to enter a dying state, merely shifting his pupils to glance at the Fourth Raikage from the corner of his eye.
"Hah?"
He uttered a sound, and white mist-like steam sprayed from his mouth, instantly submerging Minoru Hiranaka.
Crack~
The ground beneath the Fourth Raikage's left foot cracked with a sound. The next moment.
BOOM!
The ground exploded directly. Simultaneously, the Fourth Raikage almost tore through all the air within the twenty-meter range between them, appearing in front of Kaito Shirogane with powerful air pressure.
Intense Lightning Release chakra pushed to the peak wrapped around his right hand like lightning. His tempered hand-knife, carrying current that instantly electrolyzed the air completely, slashed down in a flash.
[Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop]!
Pfft!
Like shattering an incredibly hard rock, the Fourth Raikage was shocked by the physical strength of the person before him. This body defense was almost no different from a Tailed Beast.
His hand-knife, carrying thunder like a precious blade, brazenly slashed into the opponent's massive shoulder, severing the steel-like bone and cutting into his chest.
Scalding blood splattered, and the Fourth Raikage felt intense burning pain on his skin. The next moment, the chakra of the Lightning Release Armor dispersed the flames on his body surface.
Seeing the strong enemy almost cut into the chest and abdomen by his blow, he relaxed slightly.
Amidst the diffusing white mist, he snorted coldly.
"Regardless of whether you did the Royal Capital incident, Mercenary Tao, I'll be taking... your life."
On a tree a hundred meters away, Uchiha Obito's Sharingan rotated slightly. He clearly saw that the Fourth Raikage had indeed cut open Mercenary Tao's defense with one blow. That speed and destructive power were unimaginably terrifying.
Even his Mangekyo Sharingan had trouble tracking it.
At this moment, he even felt a trace of palpitation due to the Fourth Raikage's powerful strength.
The terror of this Nintaijutsu when fully unleashed was completely incomparable to other ninjutsu. This was unmatched frontal combat power; even a monster like Mercenary Tao was blasted away in one hit...
He drifted forward silently, ready to take Minoru Hiranaka, but suddenly, his pupils contracted, and his heart beat violently. The horror of this moment made him subconsciously activate Kamui intangibility.
The Fourth Raikage, about to turn around, also shuddered. A stream of high-heat mist sprayed from the nose and mouth of Mercenary Tao, who had been slashed from the shoulder into the abdomen by his blow.
How is this possible?!
In this world, no one could suffer such an injury and not die!
A strong force came from his right hand embedded in the opponent's body. It was the feeling of countless muscles firmly grasping his right hand.
It was the muscles between the opponent's waist and abdomen, jamming his hand-knife!
Sizzle!
Lightning Release chakra exploded. The Fourth Raikage's berserk state in battle completely surpassed the aging Sarutobi Hiruzen and others. At this moment, instead of retreating, he advanced, his right foot stepping between Mercenary Tao's legs, taking a fierce step forward.
With the shift of his center of gravity, intense current concentrated on his left elbow. Combining his whole body's strength and the explosion of the Lightning Release Armor, he smashed violently towards Mercenary Tao's broken chest.
[Heavy Elbow Strike]!
Mountain-splitting strength erupted fully within a square inch, and the current exploded instantly.
He watched as Mercenary Tao still seemed unable to react, allowing his elbow to smash towards his chest.
But the next moment.
A pitch-black left hand appeared silently in front of his elbow. Then his mighty force was like a clay ox entering the sea, and the violent lightning vanished instantly.
Kaito Shirogane lowered his head, looking down at the Fourth Raikage. His left hand calmly caught the Fourth Raikage's elbow, as if catching an incredibly light object.
Kaito Shirogane lowered his eyelids, meeting the eyes of the Fourth Raikage, which were full of disbelief.
"Your timing is unfortunate. I'm... not in the mood right now."
The Fourth Raikage suddenly felt a surge of immense power, a terrifying force absolutely unattainable by humans, grabbing his body as if a human grabbed a pebble. He couldn't resist that monstrous strength at all.
His feet left the ground in an instant.
The world turned upside down. BOOM!
Kaito Shirogane grabbed the Fourth Raikage and smashed him violently onto the ground, then lifted him again and smashed him down again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground shook continuously, as if a huge drum was being beaten repeatedly.
Obito's Adam's apple bobbed. He admitted that at this moment, the thought of fear arose in his heart.
Golden light suddenly lit up on Kaito Shirogane's right hand.
A huge golden magic circle suddenly spread out. The wound on Kaito Shirogane's chest that was healing disappeared instantly, and a massive amount of vitality poured into his body.
The incantation named [Erdtree Heal] was released by the dying Minoru Hiranaka. The target of healing... was actually Kaito Shirogane.
This change even interrupted Kaito Shirogane's action of hammering the Fourth Raikage.
He looked at the man who had regained the chance to breathe because of the Fourth Raikage's battle with him. The heavy armor on the opponent's neck was deformed by his grip, and his face was pale as paper, but he still looked at him with those eyes shining with golden luster.
"Mercenary Tao... to reach that ending of Ultimate Benevolence... I need your strength..."
"Only you can fight against the Sage..."
Minoru Hiranaka spoke as if murmuring his last words, and the golden luster in his eyes was about to condense into a complete ring.
(End of Chapter)