The Fleeing Jinchuriki and Changing Situation

As soon as Uchiha Feiyu finished speaking, five of the dozen or so Konoha Ninja stepped forward.

Clearly, these five were truly confident that they could still play a role in a high-level battle involving a tailed beast.

Of the five ninja, one was from the Akimichi Clan, one from the Aburame Clan, and the remaining three had no identifiable clan affiliation. They were likely Civilian Ninja.

The Akimichi Clan ninja was the most straightforward. He popped a pill into his mouth, and as Chakra surged through his body, he grew larger and larger until he became a seventeen- or eighteen-meter-tall giant. Gripping an enormous iron staff, he charged straight into the battlefield.

The Four-Tailed Gorilla was only a little over twenty meters tall. Comparatively speaking, the Akimichi Clan ninja was only two or three meters shorter. Visually, with a weapon in hand, the Akimichi Clan ninja's presence was hardly any weaker.

"Is there really such a powerful Akimichi in Konoha? Who is that guy?"

Uchiha Feiyu spoke in surprise. This Akimichi Clan member was undoubtedly among the very best of the Elite Jonin, already qualified to be called a Quasi-Kage.

A Konoha Ninja beside him spoke up.

"That is Senior Torifu. They say he and the Third Hokage once served on the same team!"

"However, Senior Torifu was the youngest among his peers and had no interest in participating in village administration. Otherwise, he would probably be one of the village's higher-ups by now!"

As for the Aburame Clan member, he used a particularly unusual type of insect. The bugs, each several centimeters long, landed on Four-Tails Son Goku and quickly began devouring its Chakra madly. They swelled at an incredible rate, becoming giant insects nearly the size of humans, biting the Four-Tailed Gorilla until it howled in agony.

Scorching lava poured from the Four-Tailed Gorilla's body. Yet even as the large insects were burned to death by the lava, they still frantically devoured Four-Tails' Chakra. They even continued laying eggs, and the newly hatched insects visibly possessed greater heat resistance, surviving longer within the lava.

"Those are... Kidaichū?"

Uchiha Feiyu spoke in surprise. These insects were quite rare.

Because their numbers were small and they were not tiny like other Kikaichū, Kidaichū were of little use in battles against other ninja. However, against giant summoned beasts and tailed beasts, they were remarkably effective.

The remaining three ninja formed hand seals with both hands and simultaneously used Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique. Surging waves swept forth like a great river, forcibly extinguishing the lava and flames covering Four-Tails Son Goku.

Four-Tails possessed Lava Release, a composite ninjutsu nearly equivalent to a Bloodline Limit. This type of ninjutsu was not affected by the Five Elements' countering cycle, but nature's inherent restraints did not disappear because of that. Thus, Water Release was still the first choice for dealing with Lava Release.

Under the siege of so many people, even the hot-tempered Four-Tailed Gorilla gradually became unable to hold on. Tailed beasts excelled at large-scale destruction and slaughtering weaker ninja, but when faced with a group of elite ninja who countered it, it could not make use of its own advantages at all.

More importantly, Roshi was not yet a perfect Jinchuriki. Even twenty years later, he had not reached the level of a perfect Jinchuriki, so he was naturally even more inadequate now. He could not even control the tailed beast's consciousness.

Under such circumstances, the power Four-Tails could wield was inferior even to that of a wild tailed beast. Furthermore, due to the Jinchuriki's own limits of endurance, it could not sustain a prolonged battle. Halfway through the fight, it reverted to its partial tailed beast transformation and fled.

"Aren't we going after him, Lord Orochimaru?"

Looking at the panting, soot-covered Orochimaru, Uchiha Feiyu asked eagerly.

More than anything, Uchiha Feiyu wanted to see whether he could collect the tailed beast's soul. Besides, even Roshi as an ordinary Jinchuriki was a Lava Release Kekkei Genkai ninja. The value of his soul far surpassed those ordinary Iwagakure Ninja in Uchiha Feiyu's hands.

Orochimaru shot Uchiha Feiyu an annoyed glance and said darkly,

"Not to mention the price we would have to pay to kill him, simply killing a Jinchuriki would probably drive the Iwagakure Ninja mad!"

"And don't forget, the Sand Shinobi are still on this battlefield! Why should Konoha fight the Iwagakure Ninja to the death and let the Sand Shinobi reap the benefits?"

"I refuse to believe that, after hearing that a Jinchuriki has appeared, the Sand Shinobi can still sit still!"

Hearing this, Uchiha Feiyu sighed regretfully, making Orochimaru's gaze toward him turn somewhat strange.

(Not only is this kid extremely afraid of dying himself, but his bloodlust is far heavier than that of ordinary ninja. He simply does not care about other people's lives... As expected, Uchiha who have awakened their eyes are all somewhat mentally abnormal.)

Of course, while criticizing him inwardly, Orochimaru seemed to have forgotten that he was actually the same kind of person.

Still, a mad scientist did count as a type of lunatic.

The Jinchuriki battle had caused far too much commotion to conceal. As expected, news of Iwagakure's Jinchuriki appearing had indeed shocked the Sand Shinobi and put them on high alert.

This had been an ordinary regional war, only for one side to suddenly pull out a nuclear weapon. It would have been truly strange if the other opponents were not wary.

"What are those ground rats from Iwagakure trying to do?! They actually sent a Jinchuriki to the Land of Rivers battlefield... Shouldn't their main battlefield be in the Land of Grass?"

Fourth Kazekage Rasa looked at the intelligence report before him, his face full of anger.

Never mind that this was not even their main battlefield—who deployed a Jinchuriki the moment a battle began? That was like throwing a nuclear bomb onto the field right from the start and flipping the table!

"Ōnoki of the Two Scales has always been the craftiest Kage among the Five Great Nations. There is nothing surprising about him doing something like this."

Ebizo picked up the report and glanced over it, speaking with complete calm.

"However, deploying a Jinchuriki as soon as the war began shows that the old bastard is truly ambitious. It seems we need to shift our target next."

The Fourth Kazekage nodded as well.

"Indeed. The threat posed by a Jinchuriki is too great. In the battles ahead, we must first force Iwagakure out of this battlefield!"

Setting aside the smaller countries between them, the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth could be considered neighbors. There had never been any shortage of small-scale clashes between them. During the Second Shinobi War, they had even been enemy nations and fought many battles in the Land of Rain.

To be precise, the Five Great Nations had never had good relations. Pick any two nations at random, and they would likely share plenty of blood debts. Even Iwagakure and Kirigakure, two ninja villages with no geographical connection whatsoever, had the example of their Second Kage dying together.

Under such circumstances, the Fourth Kazekage made the decision to deal with Iwagakure first almost without hesitation.