Cloud Ninja Defeated

Karot shook his bitten hand as if he found Matatabi's drool disgusting.

The Cloud Ninja and Konoha shinobi on the battlefield all stopped fighting in unison. An unexpected guest had appeared, and neither side knew where it stood.

"Roar! Boom, boom, boom!"

Karot shouted as he pounded his chest with both hands, venting his emotions. Matatabi took this as a provocation. And so the misunderstanding began.

"Roar!"

After letting out a roar to gather her strength, Matatabi charged at Karot, darting swiftly and nimbly on all fours. Karot stomped hard on the ground, and boulders rose out of nowhere. He punched them one after another, forming a Ninja World-style machine gun. Matatabi dodged them nonstop, but the ninja watching got the worst of it. Those who were too slow to dodge didn't even need a hole dug for them—they were simply slapped straight into the earth.

Matatabi ripped a boulder apart with both claws and charged through it, her sharp claws slashing toward Karot's face. Karot gave her no chance to hurt him and lunged forward with a punch. "Boom!" His fist landed squarely on Matatabi's chin. Then Karot vanished, reappearing above her, and slapped her down. Matatabi flew toward the ground and hit it once more, this time embedded in the dirt.

Karot descended from the sky and celebrated his victory, pounding his chest with both hands.

"Hiss."

Every ninja present drew a sharp breath. They watched Karot warily, waiting to see what he would do next.

Karot didn't keep them waiting long. He wanted to destroy every living thing before him.

"Roar!"

His roar sounded the charge. Karot used Instantaneous Movement, and a Cloud Ninja faced the monster that suddenly appeared before him. Before he could react, a slap wiped him out.

The Cloud Ninja fled in panic. No one wanted to die like that, but Karot was faster than they were. He ripped up logs and hurled them at the Cloud Ninja, wiping out wave after wave of them.

"Dodge! Split up!"

After seeing how Karot attacked, the Cloud Ninja immediately warned their comrades. Their casualties dropped at once.

"Father, that monster is Hatake Karot."

A approached his father and told him the identity of the monster before them.

"What?"

The Raikage asked in disbelief.

"I don't know what happened either. I only saw him transform right in front of me. What should we do now, Father?"

A asked anxiously. Every minute they spent dodging meant more casualties. The Cloud Ninja couldn't afford losses like this.

"Things have come to this. We can only retreat."

The Raikage gritted his teeth. They had worked so hard to gain the upper hand, only for it to be snatched away in an instant. He was unwilling to accept it.

"But will Konoha let us leave without a fight?"

His son's question voiced the Raikage's own concern.

What they didn't know was that Karot could no longer distinguish friend from foe. He had attacked the Cloud Ninja first because traces of their chakra remained on Matatabi.

"Thanks a lot! I'm stuck in the dirt, and you still had to dig me out just to beat me up again."

"All the genin and Chunin, retreat! Jonin, join me in holding the enemy back!"

The Raikage gave the order decisively. A good leader knew when to cut his losses in a dangerous situation.

"Roar!"

Matatabi leaped out of the hole and shook the dirt from her fur. She snarled at Karot, as if it might help her vent some of her anger.

"Attack!"

At the Raikage's command, the Cloud Ninja Jonin unleashed one jutsu after another as if they cost nothing.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Ground Running Technique!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Matatabi joined in as well.

"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Karot opened his mouth and fired an Energy Cannon. Unlike a Tailed Beast, he didn't need to charge it up. He swung his neck from side to side as if sweeping the ground, blocking all the Cloud Ninja's jutsu. The Cloud Ninja who hadn't run fast enough were wiped out along with them. Matatabi was knocked back into her original form and forced back inside her Jinchuriki. The Jinchuriki lay on the ground, their life or death unknown.

"Ah!"

A scream rang out across the battlefield.

"Monster! You monster!"

A Cloud Ninja, reeling from the blow, couldn't help shouting abuse. Their beloved had died, and their close friend had died trying to save them. In that moment, love and friendship were both gone. Their entire spirit seemed to crumble. With vacant eyes and a kunai in hand, they charged numbly at Karot, seeking only an end to their suffering.

"Don't! Think carefully!"

Their comrades called out to them.

But nothing changed. Karot's fist came down, and blood sprayed out. They would never rise again.

"You all go."

The Raikage stepped forward. He knew that if he didn't, the Cloud Ninja's elite forces would be wiped out.

"Father..."

A wanted to try to stop him, but the words died on his lips. This was a responsibility every Kage had to bear.

"If I don't return, A will succeed me as Raikage."

"Yes, Lord Raikage."

The Raikage rose into the air and landed in front of Karot.

"Lightning Cloak!"

"Hell Stab: Four-Finger Thrust!"

The Third Raikage's strongest spear and strongest shield appeared on the battlefield at the same time.

Fast—too fast to describe.

The Raikage charged at Karot with the speed he was so proud of. Karot raised a hand and swatted at him. "Boom!" The Raikage turned into a puff of white smoke. He appeared beside Karot in a flash. Substitution Technique. Even the powerful Raikage, that stubborn man, had been forced to use one of the Three Basic Jutsu.

"Hell Stab: Four-Finger Thrust!"

The Raikage shouted and struck Karot right on the nose.

"Roar!"

Karot staggered backward, clutching his nose. He looked as if he were afraid the Raikage would hit it again. He was pretty cute.

Having landed a hit, the Raikage refused to let the opportunity slip by and attacked Karot's face again. Karot had both hands over his nose, but he still had a tail. Just as the Raikage flew toward him, Karot swept his tail across. The Raikage felt a massive object slam into his waist and went flying sideways. He tumbled several times before coming to a stop. Fortunately, the Lightning Cloak protected him. Otherwise, his kidneys would have been done for.

The pain in Karot's nose faded. He stared straight at the Raikage. This little guy had made him feel pain, and Karot held a grudge.

Orochimaru ordered the Konoha shinobi to pursue the Cloud Ninja. Konoha shinobi kept passing by Karot.

"Roar!"

Karot turned and roared at the Konoha shinobi.

"Damn it."

Orochimaru's misjudgment was about to bring disaster upon the Konoha shinobi. He had seen Karot wipe out the Cloud Ninja and assumed Karot had a grudge against them. The enemy of one's enemy was a friend, so Orochimaru had ordered them to hunt down the Cloud Ninja.

The Konoha shinobi instinctively took a few steps back. They had witnessed the battle just now, and it had been like a clash between completely different levels of power. No matter how brave they were, none wanted to face an opponent like that.

Seeing that Karot's attention had shifted, the Raikage decisively chose to flee. Better someone else die than him.