Even Namikaze Yoru, who was usually even-tempered, felt a nameless fury flare in his chest. For a fleeting moment, he even considered flying straight back to Konoha. Of course, it was only a passing impulse. The chakra cost of long-distance Flying Thunder God grew exponentially; if he actually tried it, he'd probably be drained dry halfway there.
"Don't resist."
Namikaze Yoru's warning was only for show. The two men could barely keep moving as it was, and struggling would only worsen their internal bleeding.
"Pawn!"
[Scan complete. The following items can be pawned:] [Ding! Extremely rare Senju Bloodline *1... Appraised value: 1000] [Ding! Ordinary Ninja *1... Appraised value: 0]
"Confirm."
At Namikaze Yoru's command, the two men vanished into thin air, leaving only a pool of scarlet blood on the ground to prove they had ever been there. At the same time, Yoru anxiously checked the system panel. Only when he saw its notification did he finally relax a little.
[Extremely rare Senju Bloodline (living) *1 — Redemption value: 2000] [Ordinary Ninja (living) *1... Appraised value: 0] (Note: Living items can only be redeemed within 24 hours of being pawned.)
Though he'd experimented with Kikaichū earlier, this was the first time Namikaze Yoru had ever pawned living people. He couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.
With that burden off his shoulders, Yoru could finally focus on the Five-Tails before him. One of its hind legs and half its body had been completely torn away by Dust Release, leaving a ghastly wound.
But as a mass of chakra, it still let out furious roars and hadn't completely lost the ability to move.
Even after Boil Release had spurred it on, it could still charge forward on its knees, though its movements looked rather comical as it struggled to keep its balance.
The Five-Tails barreled toward Namikaze Yoru. The steam rising from its body was gradually dissipating, and it was clearly at the end of its strength.
Yoru sensed that Ōnoki wasn't pursuing them, apparently held up by the two Konoha shinobi. The few Stone Ninja in the area had also vanished from sight. The situation gave Yoru a dangerous idea.
After checking his condition, he quickly created a Shadow Clone Technique clone holding a Kunai and sent it fleeing toward the safety of the outer perimeter.
His real body once again erupted in green steam. This time, he wasn't stopping at the Fourth Gate of the Eight Gates.
"Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit—open!"
Having opened the Fifth Gate for the first time, Namikaze Yoru felt his entire network of meridians battered by the vast surge of chakra. The strain on his body abruptly intensified.
He pushed off the ground, cracking it beneath his feet. Using the recoil, Yoru shot toward the Five-Tails like a cannonball.
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"
This spinning back kick, fueled by personal grudge, slammed into the Five-Tails' jaw.
The crushing blow made the Five-Tails feel as though another giant beast had rammed into it. Already unsteady from losing a hind leg, it crashed to the ground.
Though he'd caught the Five-Tails off guard with that single strike, Namikaze Yoru knew this level of force was nowhere near enough to subdue it.
"Damn it, I'm going all out!"
At Yoru's furious roar, he unleashed all the pent-up resentment from the battlefield. His chakra surged again, and even the green steam swirling around him seemed to shimmer with a hint of blue.
"Sixth Gate: Gate of View—open!"
His iron fist, brimming with tremendous force, tore through the air. His high-speed punches set the air ablaze with friction, raining down on the fallen Five-Tails like a barrage of blows.
Desperate to end the fight quickly, Namikaze Yoru didn't even have time to announce the name "Morning Peacock." He focused only on bringing down the giant beast before him, wildly venting his fury.
The Five-Tails struggled to rise and fight back, but its body, missing a hind leg, was helpless. Under the rapid-fire blows of Yoru's Morning Peacock, it was driven deeper and deeper into the ground.
Anyone watching would have found it unbelievable: a tiny human, somehow holding his own against a massive Tailed Beast.
But Namikaze Yoru still hadn't reached his peak. His punches gradually slowed, and he panted like a bellows. Sweat soaked his entire body.
His clothes were already stained with blood, and now the mixture of sweat and blood trickling down him had even gathered into a shallow puddle at his feet.
The Five-Tails had been battered nearly unconscious. Its once snow-white fur was now scorched and brown, and it lay motionless in the crater.
Suppressing his discomfort, Namikaze Yoru leaped in front of it and pressed both hands against its enormous body. He spoke quickly:
"Pawn!"
[Scan complete. The following items can be pawned:] [Ding! Highly concentrated chakra entity (Five-Tails Kokuō)... Appraised value: 4000]
"Confirm."
The system seemed to struggle with such a massive beast. The Five-Tails' body didn't disappear at once; instead, it slowly faded away.
[Ding! The soul of the highly concentrated chakra entity (Five-Tails Kokuō) has escaped. Pawn failed. Revised appraisal: 2000]
Then the Five-Tails' body vanished completely, and the panel refreshed.
[Current Pawn Points: 4575]
But Namikaze Yoru no longer had the energy to look closely. The backlash from releasing the Eight Gates nearly overwhelmed him. He'd pushed himself past his limits and opened the Sixth Gate; every meridian in his body felt as if it were about to snap.
"Flying Thunder God!"
He used Flying Thunder God to teleport near his Shadow Clone. Seeing him appear, the clone immediately hoisted his real body onto its back, sparing Yoru an intimate meeting with the ground.
"Redeem!"
While he was still alert enough, Namikaze Yoru hurriedly redeemed Nawaki and Shibi from the system.
From the two men's perspective, everything went black, then bright again. They found themselves near Konoha's battlefield. They had no idea what had happened, and their time inside the system seemed to have stood still.
Seeing Namikaze Yoru being supported by his clone, barely conscious, the two understood that he had saved them again. They didn't ask any questions. Even Nawaki, usually the livelier of the two, was unusually quiet.
Namikaze Yoru had been the MVP of the mission: carrying the team of three and putting up a godlike performance.
Though his meridians felt like a tangled mess, Yoru didn't dare use the system to repair them just yet. It would cause an uproar at the camp if they arrived in that condition.
Enduring the agony, the three slowly made their way toward Konoha's rear encampment.
At their usual pace, they would've arrived in an hour or so. This time, however, they kept walking until late at night, when Konoha's sentries finally spotted them.
"Who goes there?!"
The sentries saw several ragged figures whose uniforms looked vaguely like Konoha's. At first, they assumed they were wounded soldiers returning to camp. But when they approached and the firelight revealed their faces, they were stunned.
"Are you men or ghosts?"
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