"Rin went to help? That's good."
Ren, who was rapidly gliding on the ice wave, suddenly received information from his Shadow Clone. Knowing that Rin had gone to provide treatment, he felt relieved.
"Next, it's you…"
Ren came back to his senses, looking at the enraged Four-Tails in the distance, a hint of anger flashing in the depths of his eyes.
If he had been even a step slower, Kaoru would have certainly died from the lava attack. Originally, Ren had planned to assist others in retreating and just coast through the rest, but now he had changed his mind.
Anyway, the large amount of Chakra within the Yin Seal hadn't been used yet and would dissipate if not, so it was best to use it to vent his frustration.
"Ren, are you alright?"
Ren turned his head and saw two figures appear on either side of him: Jiraiya and Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sensei, Lord Jiraiya!"
"Well done."
Tsunade looked at Ren with approval, very satisfied with his actions of exposing his Bloodline Limit to save Kaoru.
"Tsk, you brat, you hide your abilities well."
Jiraiya looked at the master and disciple pair in front of him with a strange expression. Only after Ren released Ice Release did he understand why Tsunade had been so confident in Ren since the war began. Looking at the situation, his teacher probably knew about Ren's hidden strength.
"Lord Jiraiya, let's talk about this later. Our current target…"
The three of them looked towards the Four-Tails.
"Is he?"
"Damnable human brats!"
The Four-Tails glared ferociously at the three who had stopped not far from him, his eyes filled with three parts rage, three parts hatred, and four parts… unease?
"Have you made enough of a ruckus, Four-Tails!"
From the Iwagakure direction, a team led by Shiroyama arrived in full force, standing opposite Ren and the others. Every Iwagakure ninja's face showed determination, each prepared for death. They also knew the importance of a Tailed Beast to their Village, so they were determined to capture the Four-Tails today at all costs.
The Four-Tails' anger intensified by another notch. Just as it was about to roar, it was interrupted by another voice.
"Bastard! Beast! You're courting death!"
Not far from Ren and the others, two whooshing sounds came, and Chiyo and Rasa appeared one after another. Both of them looked at the Four-Tails with anger, and Rasa even cursed loudly.
It was known that many people on Sunagakure's side had died because of this attack, and the final defence line was established by him. He never expected that a moment of carelessness would lead to such heavy casualties caused by this beast in front of him. He knew he was running for Kazekage, and that woman Ye Cang's prestige in Sunagakure was slightly higher than his. The casualties caused this time would be a significant blemish on his future Kazekage campaign.
"Ah Chaa!!"
His response was a pair of giant fists covered in lava. It had already wanted to act when Shiroyama spoke earlier, but then another damned human jumped out and dared to insult it as a beast. Provoked, the Four-Tails immediately went berserk, and the first one it wanted to kill was the foul-mouthed Rasa.
"Get out of the way, quickly!"
Chiyo's expression changed. She grabbed Rasa beside her and retreated. The next moment, the rock they had just stood on was blasted apart by the giant fist, and even the ground trembled at that moment. Ren and the other two watched with a hint of schadenfreude.
Chiyo released Rasa and reprimanded him with some dissatisfaction: "Be more composed. How can the people in the Village trust you if you act like this?"
"Yes, Elder Chiyo."
Rasa quickly apologised. After all, if he wanted to compete for Kazekage, the support of Chiyo and Ebizo, the siblings, was indispensable. Their disciples were spread throughout Sunagakure and even the Land of Wind.
It could even be said that if they decided to back a certain Kazekage candidate, that candidate's election as Kazekage was almost a foregone conclusion, which showed how high their prestige was in Sunagakure.
"Magnet Release: Sand Gold Spear!"
Rasa, who had lost face in front of everyone, could only direct his pent-up resentment towards the Four-Tails.
In a moment, dozens of spears condensed from Sand Gold paused in the air, then shot in unison towards the Four-Tails.
"Lava Release: Granite!"
The Four-Tails showed disdain. Before the Sand Gold spears arrived, its body was covered in a thick layer of lava armour. Although Rasa's Sand Gold spears all hit their mark, they had little effect. Looking at the Four-Tails' mocking expression, it was clear that its defence hadn't even been breached.
"This beast, I'll kill it!"
Rasa, who had always held himself in high regard, was directly provoked by the Four-Tails' expression. A mere beast dared to look down on him, a dignified Kazekage candidate!
"Alright, stop making a fool of yourself here!"
Chiyo couldn't stand it anymore. With a grim expression, she dragged Rasa away. They had only come to assess the situation. After all, their two Villages were still superficially "allied."
Rasa's behaviour made her too embarrassed to stay there. Chiyo, who had not yet taken a side, now somewhat wanted to side with Ye Cang, who was guarding the north of the Land of Wind. After all, they were both young people, and compared to the arrogant Rasa, she preferred Ye Cang's calm composure in the face of any situation.
As for taking the opportunity to seize the Four-Tails, the cost was too great. Looking at the "suicide squad" following Shiroyama, even if Sunagakure miraculously managed to seize the Four-Tails today under the noses of Iwagakure and Konoha, they would definitely suffer heavy losses.
Whether they could hold onto it then would be another matter entirely.
With their departure, it also signified Sunagakure's official retreat from this battlefield. Iwagakure, on the other hand, couldn't afford to waste time confronting Jiraiya and the other two. They all surged forward and began attacking the Four-Tails, leaving a portion of their forces to monitor the trio's movements. For them, reclaiming the Tailed Beast was now the top priority.
"Then let's begin, Lord Jiraiya, Sensei."
Ren smirked, watching the Iwagakure ninja and the Four-Tails begin their offensive and defensive battle. The two beside him looked at Ren with strange expressions.
"Brat, I never realized you were so ruthless."
Jiraiya said with an odd look, while Tsunade beside him had already begun to act. Biting her finger, she quickly formed hand signs, then pressed her hand to the ground, uttering in a low voice.
"Summoning Technique!"
A puff of white mist emerged, and under the nervous gaze of the Iwagakure ninja, a palm-sized, Slug-like creature with blue and white stripes all over its body appeared.
"Lady Tsunade, Ren, Lord Jiraiya."
A gentle female voice emanated from the Slug. As a split body from the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest, one of the three Great Sage Regions, these Slugs were gentle in nature. Their ability was to heal a large number of injured people, and their attack method was to spit corrosive acid from their mouths.
"Lady Slug, the reason I've summoned you this time is…"
Ren grinned, picked up the Slug from the ground, placed it on his shoulder, and then began to whisper to it.
This series of actions left the distant Iwagakure ninja utterly confused.
This… what's going on?