Kushina Goes Berserk

Kushina's skin continuously cracked, burned, and sloughed off.

In the blink of an eye, her body was completely enveloped by blood-red Tailed Beast Chakra. Even her face was shrouded by the Tailed Beast Cloak, transforming her into a blood-colored, half-human, half-beast figure.

"Jiraiya-sensei..."

"ROAR!!!"

The blood-colored monster shrieked toward the sky. The explosive aura generated by the condensation of massive amounts of Chakra made everyone present feel a sense of suffocation.

Especially Yoru, who was being specifically targeted by Kushina.

Facing such terrifying Chakra that surged straight into the sky, Yoru even felt suppressed to the point of being unable to breathe.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."

Yagura gripped the pitch-black Hook Ruler in his hand and glanced at the situation of the Mist ninjas around him.

Because of Fukasaku's rage, the Senjutsu: Water Cutter had caused massive damage to the Mist side; even he himself had nearly had half his arm severed.

His gaze fell upon Yoru: "Can you still fight?"

"The situation is a bit grim. The Chakra depletion is too severe."

Yoru shook his head. Between the continuous battles, the full-power release of Kido #90, and a single Dan-Ku, even with the energy boost granted by the power of his Shikai, the amount of Chakra remaining in his body was negligible.

If he were to continue fighting...

"Hm?"

Yoru suddenly looked at Hyōrinmaru in his hand: You mean, use spiritual energy...

"BOOM!!"

A surging gale swept over. Yoru's expression shifted slightly, and he vanished from the spot in an instant. The next moment, the ground where he had been standing was shattered and torn apart by this terrifying energy. Countless trees were uprooted, and along with the debris, they kneaded countless corpses and ice shards together.

Kushina's figure instantly closed in on Yoru, but with her strike missing, she turned her gaze directly toward Yagura.

The person who killed Jiraiya-sensei, the ones who caused Konoha to suffer such heavy losses, the people of the Mist...

They all deserved to die!

Kushina opened her maw wide, and massive particles of Chakra gathered at that moment, only to be swallowed into her throat.

"Oh no!"

Yagura's expression changed drastically. He immediately performed a Water Style technique, and a Tailed Beast-transformed figure identical to Kushina emerged within a water mirror.

Two Tailed Beast Bombs condensed simultaneously.

They were also released at the same time!

"Chakra... exhausted..."

Yagura's face was deathly pale. After executing this Water Mirror Technique, the chakra within his body was completely parched; not a single drop remained.

The Water Mirror Technique could mimic all techniques. A person identical to the enemy would appear in the mirror, capable of using the same ninjutsu as the opponent with equal power.

However, maintaining this technique required a massive amount of chakra. Simulating the Tailed Beast Bomb of a Four Tails Jinchuriki had already pushed Yagura to his absolute limit!

"BOOM!!!"

Two massive, pitch-black aggregates of chakra collided violently. A terrifying energy, impossible to describe in words, was unleashed at that moment, instantly engulfing the land within a radius of nearly one kilometer in the erupting energy.

At the critical moment, Yoru used Flash Step to appear behind Yagura, grabbed him, and vanished from the range of the energy explosion.

Trees, rocks, soil, and the remains of ninjas.

Everything on the ground was forcibly annihilated by this energy in that instant.

Having just repelled several Mist ninjas, Uchiha Fugaku and Shinnosuke regrouped.

But they did not relax in the slightest, for dozens more Mist ninjas appeared before them. Among the leaders were not only new Seven Ninja Swordsmen wielding the "Longsword: Sewing Needle" and "Twin Swords: Hiramekarei," but also a top-tier genius who had mastered both "Boil Release" and "Scorch Release"!

"That highly corrosive acid mist from earlier must have been released by her... Terumi Mei, the prodigy of the Mist's Terumi clan."

Sarutobi Shinnosuke's expression was grave. The longer this pursuit battle went on, the more alarmed they became.

Konoha had never held the Mist in high regard, often placing them on the same level as Sunagakure at the bottom of the Five Great Nations. But the number of geniuses currently displayed by the Mist side far exceeded Shinnosuke's expectations.

First, there was the sudden emergence of Yuki Yoru, who could hold his own against an army, and now there were so many other geniuses, including someone with dual bloodline limits!

Whether it was Hozuki Mangetsu, Ringo Ameyuri, or Terumi Mei with her dual bloodline limits.

Once geniuses of this caliber matured, they would undoubtedly become Kage-level powerhouses in the future!

"The Mist's combat strength has completely exceeded our expectations. Could this be the influence brought about by the Bloody Mist?"

Shinnosuke whispered to himself. That "deformed environment" they viewed as an "absolute failure that ruins one's future" had actually produced so many geniuses, even monsters.

Could this system actually have its merits?

It seems that after this battle ends, I must discuss this with Father...

"Fugaku, you take the men and retreat first. I will hold them..."

"BOOM!!"

Before the people present could continue their skirmish, the shockwave from the distant Tailed Beast Bomb explosion reached them.

The air pressure generated by the massive energy release whipped up a monstrous wave of air. Countless dust and debris, along with uprooted trees, were sent flying in every direction, leaving everyone on the scene frozen in place.

"How is this possible? Did Kushina actually go straight into Tailed Beast Mode?!"

"Just how intense is the fighting over there? To think it forced Kushina to go to such lengths the moment she entered the fray?"

Fugaku and Shinnosuke's expressions shifted drastically, and the Mist ninja were no different.

Although the Mist did not currently possess a Jinchuriki, they had possessed Tailed Beasts throughout their history, so they were no strangers to the eruption of such power.

"Damn you, Konoha! You've actually deployed a Jinchuriki to the battlefield?"

"The Sannin Jiraiya and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."

Such a lineup caused the hearts of all the Mist ninja present to sink, as they began to worry about the situation involving Yoru and Yagura.

The residual energy of the explosion slowly dissipated.

Yet, both Konoha and the Mist fell into silence. Although their enemies were right in front of them, their minds were simultaneously fixed on the distance.

For a time, both sides actually reached a stalemate, until a signal flare appeared in the sky. Only then did the Mist ninja vanish into the thick fog.

"No, Fugaku, you take the men to Misawa Bridge first. I need to go find Kushina!"

Shinnosuke said in a deep voice. Fugaku hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "I'll go with you. The fact that the Mist has retreated means that Kushina and Lord Jiraiya must have inflicted heavy losses upon them. I'm coming with you to find Kushina!"

"Alright!"

The two figures rushed rapidly in the direction of the Tailed Beast Bomb's explosion, but they hadn't gone two steps before they froze in their tracks.

A blood-red figure appeared before them. Behind her, six tails swayed continuously, radiating a suffocating, terrifying aura.

"Kushina!"

"ROAR!!"