A Transmigrator's Story in the Hyuga's Main Branch-Chapter 176: The Hyuga’s Defense: When Pride Meets War (5)

"Let's act immediately!". Hiruzen commanded urgently, directing his words at everyone, including the Edo Tensei summons and their casters, Orochimaru and Danzo.

At that very moment, in the distance, Hirayoshi Hyuga's power seemed to break through a new tipping point, making him appear ready to act. Hiruzen's eyes widen in alarm: "This isn't good! We need to attack right away—this level of power is unprecedented!"

Mito, sensing the same surge, furrowed her brow and quickly added, "This is something beyond ordinary Kage level...",

"This is power nearly on par with Hashirama and Minato at their primes—just a tier below them, but still formidable. We never expected the Hyuga to harbor such deep roots. I'll focus on locating the source of this external power. It's the key to unraveling this mystery!"

Mito's Adamantine Sealing Chains were summoned instantly. Her urgency was clear as she deduced that Hirayoshi Hyuga's incredible strength wasn't innate but drawn from an external energy source. She had known him from before her death when he was just a young patriarch, and there was no way this power was his alone.

Danzo and Orochimaru, meanwhile, prepared themselves alongside their Edo Tensei summons. Despite the daunting challenge ahead, Danzo's mind raced, calculating the odds.

'We can now still probably accomplish our objective today, even if he is displaying such power at what they call the early Six Paths level—just a notch below the two strongest shinobi in history, as she said...',

'Pity that Orochimaru and I don't have enough chakra to summon more Edo Tensei in numbers or stronger candidates. Gathering genetic material for these most powerful dead shinobi in history from other great villages during this war has been nearly impossible, with all enemy internal security at its highest and spies being rooted out.',

Danzo lamented the fact that their forces weren't even stronger, but they had no choice.

Meanwhile, Hirayoshi had already begun manipulating the ground beneath his enemies, using his gravitational abilities to create a colossal golem, drawing on the immense energy provided by his mysterious power source.

He levitated effortlessly, and as he did so, he began controlling the surrounding rubble and rocks, flinging them at ordinary enemy shinobi from multiple directions and wreaking havoc across the battlefield.

Orochimaru quickly realized that standard techniques would not suffice against such a powerful foe. He immediately summoned Manda, the enormous snake, and mounted it, with his two Uchiha Edo Tensei summons still standing by his side as he deliberated their most effective use.

Directing Manda, he commanded the giant serpent to attack the golem, all while hurling various elemental jutsu toward Hirayoshi, targeting him as their primary threat.

Occasionally, Orochimaru unleashed attacks on the Hyuga Main Branch members below as well, creating even more chaos on the battlefield. The landscape had transformed into a violent, ever-shifting warzone.

Hiruzen, on the other hand, alongside his father, focused entirely on Hirayoshi amidst the chaos, marking him as his main target while swiftly moving closer toward him and avoiding the chaos of attacks,

'Fortunately, the Hyuga clan compound was built at the outskirts of the village, near the forest...', He thought, noting that the destruction, for now, was largely contained to the periphery.

Danzo, not to be outdone, summoned his signature creature, Baku. The massive elephantine summon began its assault on the golem, using its suction and destructive force to weaken the towering structure.

Like Orochimaru, Danzo also unleashed elemental ninjutsu on Hirayoshi, targeting both the levitating patriarch and the Hyuga forces below.

Mito Uzumaki, meanwhile, extended her Adamantine Sealing Chains to their maximum reach, launching them with deadly precision toward Hirayoshi. She aimed to restrict his movements and disrupt his control over the energy surging through him.

Ashina Uzumaki's adamantine sealing chains also shot forward, aiming directly at Hirayoshi, while the combined efforts of Danzo, Hiruzen, and Mito all locked onto their powerful opponent in the air.

But even as their attacks converged on him, Hirayoshi, ever the strategist, saw through their plan. He quickly shifted his focus away from merely defending himself. He had a more tactical target in mind—Orochimaru.

Hirayoshi understood that Orochimaru was the weak link in the enemy's formation. If Orochimaru fell, the Edo Tensei summons he controlled would either vanish or, worse for their attackers, regain their autonomy.

The Uchiha summons, in particular, might even turn against Danzo and Hiruzen. For Hirayoshi, targeting Orochimaru was the key to dismantling their formation.

And beyond that, Orochimaru looked the most vulnerable, far less battle-hardened than the others present. With Orochimaru eliminated, the tides of battle could shift dramatically in Hirayoshi's favor.

With this in mind, Hirayoshi quickly channeled the vast energy he was drawing from the distant ancient source.

Using his heightened gravitational abilities, he hurled himself forward at breakneck speed directly toward Orochimaru.

Danzo, Hiruzen, Mito, and Ashina quickly noticed the shift in Hirayoshi's strategy. It was clear to all of them that Orochimaru was now the primary target.

"He's going for Orochimaru!", Hiruzen shouted, fully aware of the danger, as he pushed his Enma staff into the ground, preparing to leap forward.

Danzo, ever the strategist, immediately commanded his Baku to shift its attack from the golem to block Hirayoshi's path. Ashina quickly adjusted his chains, sending them after the Hyuga Patriarch with renewed speed. Mito, too, readied her sealing chains, extending them to intercept Hirayoshi mid-flight.

But Hirayoshi was fast—unnaturally fast. The gravitational force he commanded allowed him to bend the very air around him, propelling him toward Orochimaru with unparalleled velocity.

Orochimaru, who had just summoned Manda and positioned himself for the attack on the giant golem, felt the sudden surge of energy coming his way.

After his initial shock at being targeted, he grinned slyly. He had already formulated a plan to make the best use of his newly revived Uchiha summons.

Without wasting a moment, he directed Kagami to unleash his life-long signature "Purple Flames Release," a unique combination of Fire Release and Yin Release. This powerful combination almost functioned like an advanced combined release, setting Kagami apart not only within the Uchiha clan but in the broader shinobi world during his lifetime.

His Purple Flames weren't just hot—they were infused with Yin chakra, making them denser, harder to extinguish, and more lethal than ordinary fire techniques. They also 'burned' spiritually, not only physically.

Kagami raised his hand, and a torrent of swirling purple flames erupted from his palm. Orochimaru directed him to target Hirayoshi directly, unleashing a barrage of precise, focused attacks.

The flames spiraled outward, forming flaming serpents of violet fire that hissed through the air, their heat warping the battlefield.

One serpent shot towards Hirayoshi's levitating form, aiming to envelop him, while the others twisted and coiled, creating a barrier of searing flames meant to corral him and cut off his escape routes.

The strength of Kagami's Purple Flames Release lay in its capacity to simultaneously assault and trap, something few shinobi could achieve with Fire Release alone.

While Kagami was only a quasi-Kage level shinobi during his life, limited by his chakra reserves, his power was now amplified by Edo Tensei's unlimited chakra.

The constant regeneration allowed him to elevate himself into the Early Kage tier, overcoming his natural limitations.

The intensity of his Purple Flames, which hurt even the souls/minds of his opponent, was something that even Orochimaru admired, now used without the worry of chakra exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru turned his attention to Izuna Uchiha. Izuna's prowess as a shinobi in life was already well known, but now, with Edo Tensei, he was even more formidable. He could, in fact, be approaching the Late Kage levels of power in some sense in this form.

Orochimaru made Izuna activate his Mangekyo Sharingan, the crimson swirl in his eyes igniting with raw power.

Izuna was not just a master of the Sharingan but also a renowned kenjutsu expert. Drawing his sword, Izuna moved with incredible fluidity, preparing to unleash his own specialized techniques.

Izuna, famous even before his Mangekyo awakening, relied heavily on his kenjutsu, a rarity among the Uchiha.

His true strength came from a unique breathing method he had developed, which allowed him to increase his lung capacity fourfold.

By gathering up vast amounts of oxygen, he could enhance his physical strength to a level reminiscent of the Eight Gates technique, although far less damaging to his body.

While not as extreme in power as the Eight Gates, this breathing method granted him incredible speed and strength, which he integrated seamlessly with his sword techniques since it was not overly brutal in nature.

Izuna raised his sword and, with a fluid motion, swung it down in a sweeping arc. Magenta-colored chakra waves exploded from the blade, slicing through the air with deadly precision.

These chakra waves were imbued with Yin Release, giving them shredding energy that not only sliced upon impact but also created hundreds of micro-tears in anything they touched. It was also his similarly famous life-long signature style and techniques before his advanced dojutsu awakened.

The waves streaked toward Hirayoshi, aiming to rip apart his defenses from a distance. The energy from the sword waves crackled ominously, their magenta hue giving them an eerie, otherworldly quality.

Orochimaru observed with keen interest, not yet tapping into Izuna's Mangekyo Sharingan abilities, saving those for the right moment. He wanted to see how well Hirayoshi would deal with the overwhelming kenjutsu and chakra assaults before escalating things further.