A blinding white flash tore across the battlefield.
The Tailed Beast Ball detonated amid the Cloud ninja ranks, instantly reducing nearly a third of the Kumogakure forces to ash.
The Iwagakure vanguard that charged forward was swept into the air by the expanding shockwave, yet the troops behind them continued to surge ahead without hesitation.
Things have taken a turn for the worst…
The Kumo ninja deputy commander felt his heart sink.
Not just him—every Kumogakure shinobi felt panic the moment the Third Raikage vanished. The explosion of the Tailed Beast Ball magnified that fear to its absolute limit.
Facing the advancing Iwa forces and the roaring crimson giant ape, even the surviving Kumo ninja couldn't stop their hands from trembling.
"Fall back! C-formation!"
The deputy commander immediately took over battlefield command. At this moment, preserving what remained of their forces was the top priority.
"The Lord Raikage will be fine. He's only been delayed by the enemy."
The surrounding Iwagakure forces quickly crashed into the Kumo ninja lines, the two sides colliding in brutal close combat. Before long, Iwa began to gain the upper hand.
On the battlefield, Rōshi had already withdrawn from full Tailed Beast transformation. At this stage, the fight had devolved into close-quarters combat—large-scale attacks would only cause friendly casualties.
The outcome of the battle was already decided. The Kumo ninja wouldn't last much longer.
The only thing Rōshi still worried about was the Third Raikage trapped within the sealing barrier. He had no idea how long the seal could restrain him and could only hope it would hold until the battle was over.
---
Inside the vast, white sealing space, the Third Raikage charged wildly through the emptiness.
"Hell Stab!"
"Hell Stab!"
"Hell Stab!"
…
Countless chakra had been consumed, yet he still couldn't find an exit. The space seemed endless.
White filled his entire field of vision. His ears could hear nothing but his own voice. He couldn't sense anything around him—not even the passage of time. The only thing confirming that time was passing was the depletion of his chakra.
"Damn it! Those Iwa bastards!"
Now he finally understood how serious the situation was. His absolute confidence in his own strength had led him straight into this predicament.
The Tailed Beast Ball he hadn't been able to stop…
The massive Iwagakure army outside…
He had anticipated traps. He trusted that his body could withstand any attack. But he never imagined Iwagakure would resort to sealing jutsus against him.
Lightning erupted wildly through the white space as the Third Raikage searched desperately for its boundaries. Though he believed he was attacking in a straight line, in reality, he was running in wide circles.
And with the fate of the Kumo ninja weighing on his mind, he couldn't perceive this flaw at all.
"Damn it…"
---
Outside, the Kumo ninja defenses were on the verge of collapse.
"Lord Raikage… please come back!"
The deputy commander stared at Rōshi, praying desperately.
"Fourth Tsuchikage—Rōshi."
"Lord Raikage will return soon. Until then, let me, as his guard and deputy commander, fight you."
"Hmph. Give up. He's not coming back," Rōshi snorted and launched his attack.
"Lava Style: Scorching Rocks Jutsu!"
As molten magma surged toward him, the deputy commander gathered chakra behind his throat and spewed forth a torrential cascade of water.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
"Lightning Style: Emotion Wave!"
While maintaining the Water Style, he formed seals again. Lightning surged through the water, colliding violently with the incoming magma chunks and erupting into explosive blasts.
"It's not over yet!"
His hands came together, and the vaporized water condensed into multiple high-powered laser-like beams that shot toward Rōshi.
"Gale Style: Laser Circus!"
"Lava Style: Fire River Cascade!"
Rōshi spewed a roaring torrent of magma from his mouth, clashing head-on with the Gale Style beams.
At the same time, the laser beams suddenly curved midair, bypassing the magma stream and shooting straight at Rōshi.
"My Gale Style combines the destructive power of lightning and the control of water—it has homing properties."
"Unless you have perfect, omnidirectional defense, you can't dodge it."
"In that case… so be it."
Crimson chakra suddenly surged from Rōshi's body, the Tailed Beast cloak instantly enveloping him.
He didn't even attempt to evade. He took the Gale Style beams head-on with his body.
"Is that all you've got? Still, you're impressive for a Kage Guard."
"Tch. A Tsuchikage using Tailed Beast power against a mere guard—aren't you ashamed?" the deputy commander sneered back.
"My strength goes far beyond this. I was personally trained by Lord Third."
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A shadow clone appeared. At the same time, black lightning crackled across both of their bodies.
"Lightning Style: Black Panther!"
Two panther-shaped arcs of black lightning burst forth, charging straight at Rōshi.
The black lightning beasts first spread outward, forming a circular ring of crackling energy that trapped Rōshi inside. Then they converged into one and lunged at him.
"What?!"
Even through the Tailed Beast cloak, paralysis surged through his body—especially the violent spasms in his legs that made movement impossible.
"What's wrong, Fourth Tsuchikage? Is this really all you've got?"
The mockery he had thrown earlier now rebounded on him, filling him with both rage and humiliation.
"Lava Style Chakra Mode—Activate!"
The crimson Tailed Beast chakra faded, replaced by blazing magma flowing across Rōshi's body. A red ape's tail formed behind him.
The black lightning that had pierced his body now only sparked harmlessly, and the paralysis quickly subsided. He advanced toward the Kumo ninja deputy commander through the lightning.
"To be underestimated like this… you'll pay for it!"
"Damn!"
The deputy commander reacted instantly.
Lightning Style couldn't counter Lava Style—so he switched tactics.
"Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!"
Rōshi sneered.
Compared to the massive water sphere Hanzo had once condensed above Iwagakure, this attack was child's play.
The temperature of the lava coating his body surged even higher. The water crashed into him, hissing into steam, but failed to deal any real damage.
"Die."
A flaming fist slammed forward, killing the deputy commander in a single blow.
"Remember this in your next life—never underestimate a Tsuchikage."
---
Inside the sealing barrier, the Third Raikage continued searching for a way out.
After a frenzy of attacks, he hadn't calmed down—instead, rage had completely overtaken him.
"Iwagakure! I'll tear you all to pieces!"
He smashed his fist into the ground, gasping heavily—not from exhaustion, but from fury.
He had no idea how much time had passed outside, but he knew the Kumo ninja were in grave danger.
Then, as he lifted his lightning-wreathed fist, he saw a brief flash of yellow-brown light on the ground—quickly swallowed again by the white space.
"!"
Like a man grasping a lifeline, the Third Raikage launched a furious assault on the ground.
This space was created by a sealing barrier—it did have boundaries. He hadn't found them, but in fact, he had been standing on one all along. The barrier was a complete structure; the ground itself was part of it. Attacking the ground was attacking the entire seal.
He didn't think it through. He didn't need to. A brute follows instinct—once he saw hope, he charged straight at it.
"Lateral Bolt of Pain: Chop!"
Leaping high, the Third Raikage slammed a chopping strike into the ground. The entire space trembled.
Seeing results, his attacks grew even faster.
"Hell Stab: Earth Rend!"
A single finger pierced downward. The ground cracked apart, white light failing to repair itself in time as the yellow-brown outer barrier was exposed, riddled with fractures.
"Hell Stab: Earth Rend!"
Both of his hands fired like machine guns, stabbing relentlessly into the ground.
Lightning overcomes earth. The Earth-Mountain barrier was earth-based, and the damage it suffered was amplified. Cracks spread rapidly across the entire seal until, at last, it shattered completely.
At that moment, a thunderous explosion echoed across the battlefield. A violent shockwave erupted from a single point, throwing dust high into the sky.
Rōshi's attention snapped toward it—he understood immediately what had happened.
Honestly, he hadn't expected the barrier to hold the Third Raikage for that long.
But now that he was out, it didn't matter anymore. The battle was already decided.
The Kumo ninja had lost.
As the dust settled, the Third Raikage's figure appeared on the battlefield.
Staring at the corpses of his fallen comrades, his heart filled with rage and regret.
"This is all because of me…"
"You damned Iwagakure cowards."
When he saw the body of the deputy commander lying before Rōshi, his fury finally exploded.
"Darui!!!"
"It's Lord Raikage! We're saved!"
The moment the Third Raikage appeared, the remaining Kumo ninja's morale surged.
"Third Raikage… what a pity. You're too late," Rōshi said, magma blazing as he faced him.
"I'll cover the retreat! All units withdraw!" the Third Raikage roared.
Only about half of the original Kumo forces remained. He needed battle—he needed blood—to vent his fury and avenge the fallen.
"Fourth Tsuchikage."
"You bastard—I'll tear you to pieces."
--------------------------------///
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