SWOOSH!
In the critical moment, Night Namikaze grabbed the two beside him. Just as the destructive Tailed Beast Bomb was about to consume them, their figures blurred and vanished instantly.
The next second, the three of them reappeared in the distance, at the exact spot where Night had hidden the Flying Thunder God kunai earlier.
Having just escaped the jaws of death, Nawaki and Shibi still wore expressions of pure horror. Then, they looked at Night as if they were seeing a ghost.
Shibi might not fully understand the significance of this teleportation, but Nawaki knew. This was the forbidden jutsu developed by his granduncle, Tobirama Senju. Since his death, it had become a lost art, impenetrable to countless ninjas.
"Please keep this a secret. It's my trump card." Night directed this mostly at Nawaki, as he was the only one who truly understood the jutsu.
Recovering from their shock, both nodded.
Night had briefly considered redeeming Danzo's "Cursed Seal: Eradication of the Tongue" to use on them, but dismissed the idea. It wasn't foolproof and would destroy their trust.
Temporarily safe, Night deactivated the Eight Gates. A wave of exhaustion hit him, but he forcibly suppressed it.
Turning his attention back to the battlefield, they saw the Tailed Beast Bomb sweep through their previous location. Everything in its path was annihilated, leaving a terrifying, massive void as if a god had cleaved the earth with a giant axe!
Looking back, all three broke out in cold sweat, their backs soaked. Without the Flying Thunder God, they would have been reduced to dust, forced to "respawn" (or just die).
The earth-shattering commotion also alerted Orochimaru's main camp.
Countless Konoha ninjas poured out of their tents. Orochimaru himself stood at the front lines, staring at the roaring beast in the distance, his snake-like eyes grave.
He didn't know the details, but he couldn't let the Five-Tails rampage and break through their defensive line.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Amidst a massive cloud of smoke, a colossal purple snake appeared, coiling beneath Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, did you prepare the sacrifice for summoning me?" Manda's deep voice rumbled.
Orochimaru didn't answer, staring straight ahead. Manda followed his gaze, and his scales stood on end. "A Tailed Beast? Orochimaru, you dare..."
"Double the sacrifice," Orochimaru cut him off coldly.
Manda's complaints stopped abruptly. He flicked his massive tongue. "Hmph... I'll do my best to help you, but don't expect me to risk my life for this."
Before he finished speaking, man and snake shot forward like an arrow, charging at the Five-Tails. Even Manda's massive body looked somewhat underwhelming compared to the Tailed Beast.
The two behemoths collided with a deafening crash. The ground shook, and shockwaves mixed with debris swept across the battlefield. Many Konoha ninjas couldn't even stand steady.
Using his momentum and initial strike, Manda managed to knock the Five-Tails back dozens of meters.
"Elite squads, prepare Combination Ninjutsu!" Orochimaru's raspy but piercing command echoed across the field.
The next moment, as if practiced a thousand times, several elite Konoha squads completed their hand seals almost simultaneously. Their movements were synchronized, and their chakra merged instantly.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Dozens of ninjas shouted in unison. The ground beneath Kokuō softened and collapsed, turning into a massive, sticky mud swamp! The Five-Tails' colossal body sank immediately, trapped by the mud.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" "Wind Scorch: Compound Ninja Art!"
Violent winds fed the monstrous flames. The fire borrowed the wind's power, instantly swelling into a towering flame tornado that roared toward the trapped Five-Tails.
But just as the attack was about to hit, something changed.
Facing the onslaught, Kokuō threw its head back and let out a long howl. Its chakra boiled, and massive amounts of superheated steam were compressed around its body, forming a shield.
Watching from afar, Night recognized it instantly. This was the Five-Tails' signature ability: Boil Release.
The scorching flame tornado crashed into the steam shield with a loud hiss. Massive amounts of water vapor evaporated, creating a thick white fog. The terrifying fire attack was continuously weakened until it dissipated completely.
"ROAR!!!"
Kokuō roared again. The mud swamp that trapped it had been baked into solid carbon by the intense heat. But relying on brute strength and the steam propulsion, it forced itself out of the hardened ground.
The massive horns on its head began to glow with blinding white light. It was charging up for a counterattack.
"Scatter!"
Orochimaru ordered immediately.
A second later, the Five-Tails seemed to cross space itself. Leading with its horns, it charged forward with insane, explosive speed.
"Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength," Night murmured, watching the beast carve a path of destruction through the battlefield.
Nawaki stared blankly, his retreat halted by shock. "How do we face a moving natural disaster like that?"
"Simple. Just clap your hands like your grandfather and grab it like an action figure," Night deadpanned. Then he added the finishing blow:
"And then generously give it away to other people."
Orochimaru, facing the beast head-on, felt the pressure. The combined attack of his elite forces hadn't left a scratch. The counterattack had likely killed many ninjas who couldn't react in time.
"Orochimaru, let's retreat," Manda grumbled, already wanting to bail.
Orochimaru remained silent, thinking of a strategy. To make matters worse, Stone ninjas were visible in the distance, rushing to take advantage of the chaos and break Konoha's line.
Fortunately, the Five-Tails looked a bit sluggish after that massive Boil Release attack, giving the Konoha ninjas a chance to pull back.
Seeing Onoki flying nearby, Orochimaru suppressed his rage and shouted, "Tsuchikage! You unleashed the Five-Tails on the battlefield? How do you plan to end this?!"
Onoki, having prepared his script, feigned anger and replied, "We didn't release the Five-Tails!"
Before they could argue further, the Five-Tails shook off its fatigue and turned its violent gaze toward the retreating Konoha ninjas again.
With the Tailed Beast threatening them and Onoki hovering like a vulture, Orochimaru's face was grim. He was about to order a full retreat.
Just then, a thunderous cheer erupted from the Konoha camp.
With a massive boom, a gigantic summoning beast descended from the sky like a mountain, crushing the Five-Tails beneath it before the beast could react.