To ordinary shinobi, it was a battle that could only be described as earth-shattering.
The elite Kumogakure force led by Darui had clashed head-on with the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, Utakata.
There was no need to mention the latter's strength.
Even in his normal state, Utakata already possessed combat power approaching the Kage level. Once he drew upon the chakra of the Six-Tails, Saiken, his strength could rival that of an ordinary Kage-level shinobi.
More importantly, there was the overwhelming pressure exerted by a tailed beast's colossal body and boundless chakra.
Ordinary ninja could not even approach such a creature.
However, the shinobi accompanying Darui this time were no ordinary forces.
The weakest among them were elite chūnin with special abilities, while seven or eight others were jōnin.
Their combined assault was extremely formidable.
"Boom!"
"Lightning Release!"
"Fire Release!"
"Water Release!"
A barrage of ninjutsu descended upon the battlefield.
Even a fully transformed tailed beast would suffer injuries under such relentless attacks.
Although the Nine Tailed Beasts were said to be equal, there were still clear differences in strength.
The Nine-Tails stood alone at the top.
The Eight-Tails, though noticeably weaker than the Nine-Tails and incapable of defeating it in a one-on-one battle, could still suppress any of the remaining seven tailed beasts with relative ease.
The One-Tail through the Seven-Tails, however, did not possess such overwhelming differences in power.
Unlike the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails, against whom ordinary shinobi could only serve as cannon fodder, jōnin-level ninja could still participate in battle against the other tailed beasts.
As long as there was a powerful combatant at the front
Just like the current situation.
Darui bore the brunt of Utakata's attention and firepower, allowing the other Kumogakure shinobi to weave in and out of the battlefield, launching support attacks and coordinating their efforts.
Together, they managed to suppress Utakata.
"Screeeeeee!"
Even the fully transformed Six-Tails, Saiken, found it difficult to withstand such an assault.
"Bang!"
Storm Release: Laser Circus!
At the front of the battlefield, Darui's hand flashed forward.
Several laser beams shot out with pinpoint precision, slamming directly into Saiken's enormous body.
"Boom!"
A violent explosion echoed.
Saiken's massive form trembled violently as it let out a shrill cry of pain.
The attack had undoubtedly inflicted considerable damage.
"Sealing Team!"
"Yes, sir!"
Sensing the weakening of the tailed beast's aura, Darui seized the opportunity immediately.
Four Kumogakure shinobi whose chakra signatures were comparatively weaker rushed forward.
They spread out in four directions and simultaneously formed hand seals.
"Four-Corner Sealing Barrier!"
A large amount of chakra erupted.
The completed technique manifested into a gigantic pale-silver net high above the battlefield.
"Whoosh!"
The enormous net descended.
It was so wide that it seemed to blot out the sky itself.
Under the control of the four shinobi, it rapidly fell upon Saiken's massive body.
"Crackle!"
Lightning danced across the surface of the sealing net.
"Screeeeeee!"
Saiken cried out once again.
The four Kumogakure ninja immediately pulled on the corners of the net, tightening it and forcibly imprisoning the Six-Tails.
"Rooooar!!!"
But a tailed beast was still a tailed beast.
How could it be suppressed so easily?
The sensation of restraint only further ignited Saiken's ferocity.
"Boom!"
Its gigantic body rolled violently.
"Not good!"
"It's too strong!"
"We can't hold it!"
The expressions of the four sealing specialists changed drastically.
The immense chakra net they had painstakingly erected was being forcibly lifted.
It was a naked display of overwhelming power.
"Darui-sama!"
They shouted in alarm.
Darui had already noticed the Six-Tails' violent resistance.
Even he had not expected such a fierce counterattack.
The Six-Tails had already endured numerous attacks and heavy injuries, yet it could still unleash such terrifying power while trapped inside a powerful sealing technique.
As expected of a tailed beast…
Darui took a deep breath.
"Clap!"
He brought his hands together.
His chakra surged once again.
At the same time, the remaining Kumogakure shinobi launched another coordinated assault.
Lightning Release: False Darkness!
Lightning Release: Thunderbolt!
Lightning Release: Earth Walk!
Lightning Release: Wave of Inspiration!
One hand seal after another was completed.
"Boom!"
"Crackle!"
Lightning exploded across the battlefield.
Combined with Darui's own powerful technique
Black Lightning: Black Panther!
A violent black panther formed from dark lightning burst forth.
The beast roared as it charged directly toward Saiken's massive body.
"Boom!!!"
The vicious attack struck its target.
"Screeeeeee!!!"
The severe injuries further stimulated the tailed beast's ferocious nature.
Yet at the same time, its momentum was clearly weakening.
Compared to its earlier resistance, its struggles now seemed noticeably feebler.
The four Kumogakure shinobi maintaining the sealing barrier all revealed expressions of joy.
They refined more chakra and strengthened their control.
The suppression intensified.
This sealing technique had been researched by Kumogakure for years and had been tested repeatedly on both the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails.
In their eyes, there was no possibility that the gravely injured Six-Tails could escape.
Its chakra was weakening.
Its struggles were growing weaker.
Everything indicated that the tailed beast was on the verge of being completely subdued.
Even Darui allowed himself a faint smile.
All they needed to do now was incapacitate the Jinchūriki and force him to release his transformation.
The mission would then be a complete success.
However
Darui had underestimated Utakata.
And he had underestimated the Six-Tails.
At the very brink of defeat, Saiken unleashed every last ounce of chakra.
A tiny crimson sphere began to form inside its mouth.
"…!"
Darui's expression changed immediately.
A Tailed Beast Ball?!
He recognized it instantly.
The ultimate technique unique to tailed beasts.
Although this one was much smaller than a standard Tailed Beast Ball, its reduced size allowed it to condense with incredible speed.
Expansion.
Compression.
Then
"Scatter!"
Darui shouted sternly.
But it was already too late.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Several shinobi reacted immediately and retreated at high speed.
Unfortunately, the remaining Kumogakure ninja were simply too close.
They had no time to escape.
"BOOM!!!"
Even this miniature Tailed Beast Ball contained terrifying destructive power.
The moment it exploded, a blinding light erupted.
A deafening roar followed.
The shockwave engulfed the entire area.
The Kumogakure shinobi who failed to escape were swallowed whole by the explosion.
They died instantly.
Even a miniature Tailed Beast Ball was something ordinary ninja could never withstand.
Annihilation was their only fate.
Of course, Utakata himself was not spared.
The explosion had occurred at point-blank range.
It was an indiscriminate attack.
Injuries piled upon injuries.
The enormous chakra consumption also reached its limit.
The Six-Tails transformation dispersed.
Utakata reverted to his human form.
Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
His breathing was ragged.
His chakra had fallen to a dangerously low level.
Everything indicated that he was in terrible condition.
Continuing the battle would only result in his capture or death.
"Cough…"
Seizing the opportunity he had created with great difficulty, Utakata squeezed out the last of his strength.
"Whoosh!"
His figure shot into the distance, fleeing as quickly as possible.
Less than ten seconds later
Darui and the surviving Kumogakure shinobi emerged from the smoke.
Looking at the corpses of their comrades scattered around the battlefield, everyone's expressions became exceedingly ugly.
In the previous clash, only two Kumogakure ninja had died and several others had been injured.
But now
Aside from the three or four strongest jōnin still standing beside Darui, every other Kumogakure shinobi had perished.
Nearly an entire elite force had been wiped out.
And Utakata had escaped.
How could Darui not be furious?
"Chase him!"
Although the explosion had obscured Utakata's exact condition and direction of retreat, Darui refused to believe the Jinchūriki had escaped unharmed.
If Utakata still possessed sufficient strength to fight, he would never have chosen to flee.
They had already cornered their prey and paid such a heavy price.
There was no way Darui would let him escape now.
"Yes, sir!"
The remaining Kumogakure ninja answered in unison.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
They burst forward at top speed, pursuing the residual traces of Utakata's chakra.
Six-Tails…
You belong to Kumogakure!
A rare coldness appeared on Darui's face.
An unexpected battle.
The sudden arrival of Kumogakure's forces.
And the fierce confrontation with Utakata.
Everything had unfolded one after another.
Less than half an hour later
At the site of the battle
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
More than ten figures arrived.
Although it had only been a miniature Tailed Beast Ball, the explosion was still far louder than ordinary ninjutsu.
Combined with the earlier battle, it was enough to attract anyone nearby.
The newcomers were clearly here to investigate.
The forehead protectors they wore bore the symbol of Konohagakure.
And their dark uniforms revealed their identities.
ANBU.
Upon arriving, they immediately dispersed and began an extensive investigation.
"Large-scale Lightning Release…"
The captain frowned as he listened to the reports.
"Did Kirigakure send reinforcements? Or… are these Kumogakure shinobi?"
A solemn expression appeared on his face.
"Inform Jiraiya-sama immediately and report everything here in detail."
"The rest of you follow me!"
These were not Root operatives dispatched by Danzō.
They were ANBU directly under the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.
The Six-Tails Jinchūriki was an existence comparable to a strategic weapon.
If Utakata simply returned to Kirigakure, Tsunade would not interfere.
But if he fell into Orochimaru's hands
That was something the Fifth Hokage absolutely could not accept.
Now there were even signs that Kumogakure had entered the matter.
As one of Tsunade's trusted subordinates, the ANBU captain understood the gravity of the situation.
"Yes, sir!"
After dispatching a messenger
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
He led the remaining ANBU in pursuit of the direction that could still be roughly discerned.
He could only hope that the worst had not happened.
And he hoped even more that Jiraiya would arrive quickly.
As one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya's presence alone would be enough to stabilize the situation.
Meanwhile, after nearly half a day of effort, Kabuto finally managed to contact the subordinates who had been tracking Utakata.
The information he received was far worse than expected.
After losing track of Utakata, they had been discovered by the Kirigakure pursuit squad.
A fierce battle had erupted.
Two of Orochimaru's operatives had died.
Only one had managed to escape.
Considering that these Mist ninja had been specifically dispatched to hunt down the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, their strength was naturally among the elite of Kirigakure.
It was hardly surprising that Orochimaru's spies had been exposed.
However, after receiving this report
The expression on Kabuto's face became exceedingly grim.
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