"Divine Sky Strike!"
Boom!
In the dazed eyes of the Hyuga Clan and Uchiha Clan ninjas, a huge hole instantly appeared in the high wall—large enough for more than a dozen people to walk side by side. Outside lay a forest, shrouded in darkness.
"This is the hidden passage to the outside. I'll cover the rear for you—hurry up and leave. There are people waiting for you outside."
Suppressing their shock, under Ayane's command, the Hyuga and Uchiha members didn't ask any questions; they swiftly went through the hole and dashed into the forest.
In the Byakugan's field of vision, several dozen Konoha Ninja were coming in pursuit from behind, among them even Main Family Ninja of the Hyuga.
The Main Family must have already realized that the Caged Bird has failed.
She really wanted to see their pitiful expressions, but now was not the time for that.
The very moment they appeared, Ayane locked her Byakugan on them, surging all her Sage Art Chakra at once.
Vrrr—
The air quaked.
The Konoha Ninja and Main Family Ninja who had just arrived here suddenly felt a deafening roar in their minds—their shoulders and limbs growing incomparably heavy, as if shackled by an invisible force.
But this intangible pressure arrived in an instant and faded just as quickly; lasting only about a second, they broke free.
However, Ayane had already gathered Sage Art Chakra in her palms and pressed them against the ground.
The earth split open.
Panic-stricken cries of Konoha Ninja rang out—their bodies trapped in the fractured ground, cruelly crushed by the rocks.
Ayane took a deep breath and unleashed several more powerful, large-area offensive jutsu in succession. Her body was starting to feel the strain as well.
Ignoring whether the Konoha Ninja were dead or alive, she began to sprint after the Hyuga and Uchiha members who had gone ahead.
With her Byakugan, she saw that reinforcements from the Land of Demons had already joined them, helping carry their families away from Konoha at an even faster pace.
"The first mission is complete. Next comes the crucial part…"
—Intercept the Konoha Ninja pursuing them.
If this mission failed, everything done before would be wasted—there would be no turning back.
The real battle was just beginning.
As she ran, Ayane pulled a special Soldier Rations Pill from her Ninja Tool Bag, stuffed it in her mouth, and started regaining stamina and chakra.
◎
The Nine-Tails' presence was shaking the ground and the very hearts of the ninja.
Above its head, dark clouds were rolling in, lightning and thunder swirling to form a vortex.
The four tails behind the Nine-Tails whipped wildly, flinging aside any Konoha Ninja who tried to sneak attack it from behind as if brushing off pesky insects.
But the Konoha Ninja fired themselves up, shouting in unison, still throwing themselves into stopping the Nine-Tails' rampage without hesitation.
Their continuous Ninja Techniques—even the mighty Nine-Tails could not withstand them all.
Massive Fireballs smashed into the Nine-Tails' back; Water Balls as hard as steel pounded its face; sharp stone pillars erupted from the ground to stab at its belly and jaw.
Shuriken, Kunai, Explosive Tags—any tool that could harm was thrown to halt the beast, pummeling it fiercely toward the ground.
The Nine-Tails, infuriated, dashed into the crowd with blinding speed—not even the trained eyes of Konoha Ninja could keep up—body spinning, tails lashing wildly, stirring up fierce gusts that threw their formation into chaos.
Just as the Nine-Tails was preparing its next move, two ninja descended from the sky. One was stocky; his palm struck downward and, under the effect of his jutsu, his hand suddenly swelled enormous.
Boom!
In an instant, he slammed the Four-Tails State Nine-Tails into the ground, creating a giant crater.
This display of strength made Hakushi and Ruri glance aside in surprise.
"An Akimichi Clan ninja?"
Hakushi murmured.
"It's Akimichi Torifu, a disciple of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama."
Ruri recognized the Akimichi ninja's identity.
Hakushi nodded—so he was a peer of the Third Hokage. It made sense he was this powerful.
"Hiruzen, now!"
Akimichi Torifu shouted to the ninja descending with him.
His face was flushed, his body trembling slightly—just restraining the Four-Tails State Nine-Tails even for a moment had pushed him to the limit.
No wonder it's the Nine-Tails! he marveled in his heart.
Even pushing his Multiplication Jutsu to the limit, he could only suppress it briefly.
"Leave it to me, Torifu!"
The other ninja descending from the sky was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
A Curse Seal for the Sealing Technique appeared in his palm. He landed beside the Half-Tailed Beast Nine-Tails, temporarily pinned down by Akimichi Torifu, aiming to press it onto the beast's brow.
A roar burst from the Nine-Tails' mouth; torrents of crimson chakra erupted like a dam breaking. Agony twisted Torifu's face—his massive palm shrank down.
The Nine-Tails broke free in an instant, dodging Hiruzen's Sealing Technique in a flash.
Its crimson Sharingan glared at Hiruzen.
Pillars of red chakra shot into the thunderous clouds overhead, and yet another tail extended from its back.
"Damn it! Don't think you can keep rampaging in the village!"
Akimichi Torifu rolled to his feet, his body clad in an ancient, layered suit of armor. He fixed his gaze on the Nine-Tails; his massive frame shrunk visibly, and a pair of rainbow-colored Chakra Wings blossomed beautifully from his back.
With his comrades' cover, his explosive speed caught even the Nine-Tails off guard.
He charged behind the beast, wrapped his arms tightly around the Nine-Tails from the rear, and with such tremendous strength that the beast itself howled from his grip.