"Hizuki, take my men and go first. Kinkaku's Nine-Tails Chakra has completely run wild. My genjutsu won't work on him anymore."
Kagami Uchiha covered one eye and knelt on the ravaged ground, his face pale as he panted heavily.
"If we keep this up, none of us will get away."
"Save it."
A Jonin from the Hyuga Clan stood protectively in front of him. He fixed his Byakugan on the rampaging Kinkaku and said grimly:
"If those four leave, the barrier sealing Kinkaku will fail completely. How far do you think we can get then?
"Besides, from what I can see with my Byakugan, the chaotic chakra inside him is gradually settling into order. I believe this rampaging state is also limited in duration.
"What do you say? Can your eye still cast genjutsu one more time?"
Not long ago, perhaps because the Great Fire Destruction had been so spectacular, this Hyuga Jonin had arrived just as Kinkaku awoke by using the Nine-Tails Chakra.
Working together with Kagami's Sharingan, they had kept Kinkaku on the defensive almost the entire time. A few times, they had nearly pulled him into genjutsu again.
Against brawlers like Kinkaku and Ginkaku, even a skilled genjutsu user could only bring out half their strength at best—especially a ninja from the Uchiha, who were exceptionally skilled at genjutsu.
In fact, the last attempt had succeeded. But Kinkaku had been prepared this time: he had planted a failsafe in his body beforehand. If he fell under genjutsu again, it would immediately throw his chakra into disarray and break the illusion.
The price of doing so was that the Nine-Tails Chakra inside him ran completely wild, robbing him of his senses.
But he wasn't a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, after all. He could only maintain this state for about five minutes.
"I understand..."
Kagami Uchiha said no more. He forced his exhausted body upright, swaying as he stood. "In that case, I'll cast the genjutsu one last time!"
"..."
A flicker of respect passed through Hizuki's eyes. Through his Byakugan, he could see that Kagami Uchiha had almost no chakra left.
As far as he knew, Kagami had already taken a Ration Pill once.
If he forced himself to use another ocular technique, it would drain his chakra completely. Even if he survived, it would severely damage his eye.
Kagami Uchiha...
He was a real man!
If they survived this, Hizuki would buy him a drink.
"Kagami, I'm going in!"
Hizuki saw Kinkaku's chakra gradually stabilizing. He called out, then strode forward, reaching the pale-red, square barrier formation in just a few steps.
The Four Red Yang Formation.
Konoha's signature barrier formation. With four Chunin working together, it could even trap Kinkaku, whose strength approached Kage Level.
The reason Hizuki had kept talking with Kagami Uchiha was partly to discuss their strategy, but also to recover his strength.
Now it was his turn to act. He had to create an opening for Kagami Uchiha to use his genjutsu if they had any chance of winning this battle!
"Get out of my way! Get out of my way!"
Just as he was about to order the four men to release the barrier formation, an enraged roar suddenly rang out.
"Brother!"
Wind Release: Pressure Damage!
Before the words had even faded, a red figure came hurtling toward them. While still in midair, he unleashed a vortex-like gale at the four Chunin maintaining the barrier, sweeping them away in an instant.
Even Hizuki was caught off guard by the powerful gust and nearly lost his footing.
The pale barrier membranes vanished a moment later.
Ginkaku, intent on saving his brother, ignored the others and rushed inside the formation. He caught Kinkaku, who had regained most of his senses but was collapsing limply.
"Brother, I was wondering why you never showed up. Turns out these rats had you tied down. Wait here—I'll kill them all!"
"...Wait, wait! Ginkaku."
Kinkaku grabbed his impulsive brother and shakily pointed into the distance. Beside Kagami Uchiha stood seven or eight ninjas, though no one knew when they had arrived.
Among them were Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and two other Jonin. More ninjas were streaming toward them from farther behind.
"My rampaging chakra drew all their people here. We can't keep fighting. We won't gain anything by continuing. Let that scout escape. Even if we can't carry out the plan, as long as you and I are still alive, we'll have another chance."
"...Fine."
Ginkaku was brave, but no fool. He glared around at everyone present, as if trying to memorize each of their faces, then threw several Smoke Bombs to the ground and quickly helped Kinkaku leave.
Watching the two disappear, the ninjas who hadn't yet witnessed their terrifying strength couldn't help asking:
"Lord Hiruzen, should we pursue them?"
"Let it go..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the Konoha ninjas sprawled all around and forced himself to suppress the urge to give chase. "They have the Nine-Tails Chakra. Their strength will recover quickly. Even if we catch up, we'll only suffer more casualties.
"But this isn't over. I'll report the atrocities Cloud Village committed here to the Hokage. They'll pay for it!"
As everyone stood united in anger, a sudden cry came from behind them.
"Captain Kagami!"
Now that the battle was truly over, the tension finally left Kagami Uchiha's body. Already utterly exhausted, he fell straight to the ground.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a figure appeared beside him and caught him in his arms. The newcomer murmured softly:
"You've worked hard, big brother."
"You are..."
As he lost consciousness, Kagami Uchiha caught a hazy glimpse of a handsome face and murmured:
"...Sou."
"Uchiha Sou?"
Everyone exchanged looks. So this was the younger brother Captain Kagami had been searching for.
"What's he doing here?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of Uchiha Sou, his expression serious as he asked:
"Sou, tell me the truth. Did Kinkaku and Ginkaku come after you?"
"Yes."
Uchiha Sou didn't hide anything. He answered honestly, "I went to the Land of Lightning this time and obtained some important information from them. That's why they pursued me all the way here."
The moment he finished speaking, the crowd erupted. Everyone looked at him with disbelief.
"It was because of him?"
"Isn't he a Chunin? He managed to evade Kinkaku and Ginkaku all the way from the Land of Lightning. Does that mean his abilities are..."
No one there was a fool. The fact that he had escaped was proof enough of his intelligence and strength.
Koharu and Hizuki, standing in the crowd, exchanged astonished glances. Even they weren't sure they could have escaped if those two Cloud Village powerhouses had cornered them.
This Sou... was no ordinary person!
"Then, that information..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was even more agitated. He was surprised that Sou had escaped Kinkaku and Ginkaku, but what excited him more was the information he had obtained.
"Can you tell me now?"
If powerful men like Kinkaku and Ginkaku had gone to such lengths to pursue him, the information had to be important.
Perhaps this intelligence... could change the entire course of the war!
"Sorry."
Uchiha Sou shook his head.
"I can't."
Before you continue