Is This Never Going to End?

The situation on the battlefield was rather delicate. The Konoha Ninja had retreated across the board, abandoning their position here, and their casualties had been severe.

Although Ōnoki had taken a desperate gamble and accomplished his goal, Jiraiya's arrival had also thrown his plans into disarray.

If he'd only had Orochimaru to deal with, he could have calmly suppressed and sealed the Five-Tails again. He'd even prepared a new Jinchuriki vessel for it: a boy named Han, whose body was extremely compatible with the Five-Tails' seal.

Now, both sides had no choice but to keep their distance and face off. The wounded Five-Tails had no intention of fighting anymore; it only wanted to escape the battlefield, and it began searching for an opening.

Ōnoki naturally couldn't let the village's ultimate weapon get away. He repeatedly tried to intercept it with Earth Style, but with two Konoha Ninja watching him closely, he found himself stretched thin.

He sometimes wondered how Konoha had gotten so lucky. First, they had Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi, and Uchiha Madara, the Asura of the Ninja World. Even after both had passed away, the village was still full of talent, with Kage Level powerhouses emerging one after another.

By contrast, the Stone Ninja seemed to be suffering from a lack of successors. They were always stretched too thin, and not one of their up-and-comers had truly managed to satisfy him.

Ōnoki's relentless ninjutsu had worn on the Five-Tails. Scalding steam billowed from its body once more. Though it didn't gather chakra to use its Horn Cutting attack again, it was clearly on the verge of going berserk.

Seeing that the Five-Tails had nearly reached the edge of the battlefield, Ōnoki realized that if things continued like this, it might really escape.

He immediately sprang into action, quickly forming Hand Seals.

"Earth Style: Mountain Earth Technique!"

With Ōnoki's roar, two enormous stone hemispheres rose from the ground and slammed toward the Five-Tails from both sides! If they managed to crush it between them, even the Five-Tails wouldn't find it easy to break free.

"Heh, Ōnoki. It's about time you got a taste of what it's like to be in a bind."

Orochimaru, who had been waiting for his chance, flashed a sharp look and attacked at the same time as Jiraiya, disrupting Ōnoki.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!" x2

Two blazing showers of fire struck Ōnoki with pinpoint accuracy. He did his best to dodge, but his jutsu was still disrupted, and the Mountain Earth Technique faltered for an instant.

"Unmatched Strength!"

The Five-Tails seized the fleeting opportunity. Steam erupted from its body as it smashed through the stone hemispheres and raced down the passage that the Tailed Beast Ball had cleared earlier!

A flash of steel, and another hidden Stone Ninja fell silently.

Namikaze Yoru was drenched in blood. The viscous liquid had nearly stained him into an asura emerging from a sea of blood.

Nawaki and Shibi behind him were covered in wounds, too. They were far too weak to be fighting on the Stone Ninja battlefield; every clash with the enemy had been a close call.

He focused his senses. The Kunai being carried away by the Kikaichū was about to leave the battlefield, and he felt slightly relieved.

But they couldn't stay long. Ever since they'd had no choice but to strike down the Stone Ninja, their whereabouts had been exposed. At the first sign of a fight, the Stone Ninja swarmed toward them like sharks drawn to the scent of blood.

He didn't dare put all his hopes in the Kikaichū plan succeeding. Instead, he led the other two around the edge of the fighting, searching for a way through. Gradually, he found himself immersed in the battlefield's murderous atmosphere. He no longer just wanted to lead the two of them to safety; he'd begun to feel the thrill of dancing on the edge of a blade.

"Here they come again!" Yoru's senses sharpened. The Mind's Eye of the Kagura clearly picked up another Stone Ninja squad charging straight toward them!

He glanced at the other two members of the squad. Their expressions were resolute, but their hands gripping their Kunai trembled uncontrollably from exhaustion. They were clearly at their limit.

"Eight Gates: Gate of Pain—Open!"

Green energy erupted once more. Even with his physique, opening the Eight Gates repeatedly had taken a heavy toll on him.

Daring not to waste time, he became a streak of green light and charged into the enemy formation. He relied entirely on the Eight Gates' speed and the sharpness of the Hokage's Sword in his hand, swinging with all his might. Each strike brought a spray of blood as he tried to wipe out the enemy as quickly as possible.

But this Stone Ninja squad was acting strangely. They seemed unwilling to fight, and didn't look like they'd come to corner the three of them. Rather, they seemed to be fleeing in a panic.

His blade flashed in every direction as he moved among them like the god of death. Yet one Stone Ninja took a slash without even trying to dodge, then suddenly hurled several Kunai at Nawaki and Shibi.

Yoru saw clearly that one of them had an Explosive Tag tied to its end.

Yoru had no time to turn back and save them. Even though he spun around at once and cut off the Stone Ninja's head, the Kunai had already left his hand.

The two of them were completely exhausted. Shibi suddenly released a swarm of Kikaichū, wrapping them both in layers. The Kunai struck the mass of insects and was stopped, dropping uselessly to the ground.

But the Kunai with the Explosive Tag had already ignited. It burst apart in front of the swarm!

Flames instantly engulfed the two of them inside the cloud of insects.

Fortunately, Yoru could still sense their chakra. As the Explosive Tag detonated, Nawaki had managed to use Water Wall in the nick of time, barely blocking the deadly blast.

The insects and flames cleared, revealing the two of them. Yoru had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them both spit up blood. The blast from the Explosive Tag had clearly injured their internal organs.

What was even more despairing was that they'd chosen their escape route carefully: a forest beside the barren area that had been blasted by a Tailed Beast Ball.

He'd based the plan on a principle he'd learned from a later era: "Two shells won't land in the same crater."

But who could have guessed that instead of another shell, they'd get the cannon itself?

Yoru sensed the Stone Ninja scattering through the woods around them, while the white beast charging toward them in the distance was now visible to the naked eye in the bare passage.

Looking at the two, who were completely unable to fight, Yoru felt as if they were trapped. As he hesitated, Nawaki said to him:

"Brother Yoru, don't worry about us. If you bring us along, none of us will get away."

Shibi nodded beside him, unwilling to hold Yoru back.

The giant beast's footsteps drew closer, each one seeming to land on the hearts of all three of them. But Yoru's expression suddenly brightened. He grabbed the other two, and they vanished in an instant.

The Kikaichū plan had succeeded: they'd carried the Kunai away without being noticed. More importantly, the Five-Tails' arrival had split the Stone Ninja forces, giving the insects a chance to slip through.

Before the three of them could celebrate their escape, they looked back and saw a brilliant white beam stretch across the sky and slam into the Five-Tails.

Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!

The terrifying energy tore through the Five-Tails' body. As a mass of chakra, it had no blood to spray, but the enormous beast was blasted backward by the Dust Release—straight toward the three of them.

Is this never going to end? Are they chasing us down to kill us?

Yoru had only one thought: back at the gates of Konoha, he should've sewn Nawaki's mouth shut.