Chapter 552: The Shock of the New Generation of Ninjas

"So, this is what a real ninja battle is like," Shikadai sighed, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

He'd always considered himself sharp, so the whole ninja thing never really struck him as serious. The Kage? He'd just figured they were a step up from regular jonin – maybe able to take on ten or even a hundred opponents. But witnessing Naruto and the others in action now made his earlier assumptions seem almost comical.

"That's the true power of the Sixth Hokage!" Chocho exclaimed, standing beside him, her eyes wide with admiration as she gazed at Naruto, completely starstruck. It was easy for girls her age to be swept away like this.

Meanwhile, Sarada's curiosity was piqued by something else. "Dad!" she called out. "Did you all fight battles like this during the Fourth Great Ninja War?"

Itachi was taken aback by the question. He hadn't expected Sarada to make that connection. He'd always intended to shield the younger generation from the horrors of that time, but now that she'd asked, he couldn't bring himself to lie. He simply nodded. "More or less."

"You fought in it too?" Sarada pressed.

"Yeah."

"What kind of enemies did you face back then?"

Itachi let out a silent sigh. Explaining the details would inevitably lead to Sasuke's past as well. After a moment's thought, he began to answer. "The Allied Shinobi Forces were formed during that war. To face the enemy, the five great nations gathered nearly 300,000 ninjas."

"In the end, over 250,000 were either killed or injured. Only a few thousand survived without serious harm."

Three hundred thousand ninjas! And only a few thousand left unscathed...

"The Five Kage also participated in that war. Lady Tsunade was the Hokage of the Leaf at the time. Among the current Five Kage, the Fifth Kazekage is the only one who hasn't retired."

"The Fifth Kazekage?" A wave of astonishment rippled through the group. The Fifth Kazekage fought in the Fourth Great Ninja War?

"Wait, how old was the Fifth Kazekage back then? If he was in the war, he must have been incredibly young! Not only was he the Kazekage then, but he also fought in the Fourth Great Ninja War."

Thinking about it, Shikadai and the others felt a pang of embarrassment. The Fifth Kazekage had already become a Kage and fought in such a devastating war at such a young age. It was no wonder the older generation of ninjas always claimed the new generation couldn't compare. Compared to such formidable figures, they truly felt inadequate.

"It's hard to even imagine a war that could result in the deaths of over 200,000 ninjas," Shikadai muttered, shaking his head.

Itachi added, "And it wasn't just immediate deaths. Many were severely injured, ending their ninja careers, and some succumbed to their wounds not long after the war ended. That included the late Fourth Raikage, as well as the Third Tsuchikage and Fifth Mizukage, who were forced into retirement due to their injuries and weakened state."

Hearing this, Sarada and the others began to truly grasp the sheer scale and terror of the Fourth Great Ninja War.

As Itachi spoke, Sasuke and Naruto's battle raged on. With the explosive force of Naruto's Rasenshuriken, black flames erupted into the sky, forming a massive mushroom cloud that blotted out nearly half of the vast desert landscape. The two stood side by side, watching the distant inferno.

"That attack should have done some damage, right?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shook his head. "We're dealing with an Otsutsuki. Don't underestimate them, Naruto."

Right. The power of the Otsutsuki clan was evident just by looking at Kaguya. They were not to be taken lightly!

As the flames gradually subsided, the black Amaterasu flames also receded under Sasuke's control. If they couldn't inflict significant damage on Momoshiki, leaving the flames would only provide him with more chakra to absorb. Sasuke's purple chakra aura faded, and with a quick snap of his fingers, a gust of wind swept through, clearing away the lingering smoke.

Observing Sasuke's effortless ninjutsu, Sarada couldn't help but ask, "Dad, why doesn't Uncle Sasuke need to use hand seals for his ninjutsu?"

"Not just Sasuke, the Hokage seems to do it too," Shikadai added, equally curious.

Itachi looked at the children. "Of course," he said. "Think about it. As you master a jutsu, don't you become more proficient? Your hand seals get faster, right? And if you've practiced enough, you might have noticed that you can sometimes perform a jutsu even if you skip a couple of seals, as long as your skill level is high enough."

The kids started to recall their own training experiences. They'd never really considered it before, but Shikadai nodded in understanding. "Yeah, my dad often only needs one hand seal to instantly use a jutsu."

"That's mastery of the technique," Itachi explained. "Ultimately, all you need to perform a jutsu is chakra. Hand seals were created as a way to make learning jutsu easier, but they aren't absolutely necessary for those who have reached a certain level of skill."

Itachi made it sound simple, but Shikadai and the others understood that achieving the ability to use ninjutsu without hand seals was an incredibly difficult feat. Even Shikadai's father, a brilliant and powerful jonin of the Leaf, still relied on hand seals. It was clear that mastering this skill was a testament to exceptional talent and years of dedicated practice.

"So cool... being able to use ninjutsu without hand seals," Sarada murmured, her gaze fixed on Sasuke's figure on the screen. He truly was the genius of the ninja world their teachers always spoke of. It was no wonder he possessed power that rivaled the Hokage's.

Just then, the smoke cleared completely. Momoshiki stood there, disheveled, his clothes torn and his body covered in various cuts and bruises. He looked like a beggar who had just been through a brutal fight.

"You bastards!" he roared, his voice filled with rage. "These pathetic creatures are actually this strong?!"

"Damn it... I'll crush you both!"

Suddenly, Momoshiki slammed his hand onto the ground. In an instant, the earth beneath them erupted, and a massive lava gorilla emerged, its body dripping with molten rock. The moment it materialized, its enormous fists slammed down towards Sasuke and Naruto.

Boom!

The ground shook violently, creating two massive craters as dust and debris rained down. Sasuke and Naruto leaped back, narrowly avoiding the attack, their eyes gleaming with a hint of amusement. It seemed Momoshiki was running out of options, resorting to such desperate measures. But summoning something like this wouldn't be enough to stop them.

"Naruto!" Sasuke suddenly called out.

Naruto, who had been about to summon his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, paused and then grinned. "Got it."

The two exchanged a quick glance and nodded in unison. In the next moment, Sasuke's purple chakra aura vanished as he clasped his hands together. Naruto mirrored his action.

"Wood Style: Wood Golem Jutsu!" they shouted together.

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