43: The Start of the Free-for-All

"An elite jonin of Kumogakure, the brother cherished by the Third Raikage, the B of this generation, and the current Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails... Heh, a truly formidable fellow has arrived."

The great bow in Uchiha Sakuya's hand collided with the man's short blade: "This is not the Land of Lightning, Blue B. What are you doing here?"

"And this is not the Land of Fire, Red Flash."

The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B, wore a grim expression, though his complexion was so dark that it was hard to tell.

"Is your target the same as mine—the Iwagakure forces on this supply line? Or is your target me?"

Sakuya stepped onto the unretracted octopus tail behind Blue B, using the leverage to vault into the air. He drew his bow like a crescent moon, flames coalescing into a massive, crimson-gold arrow aimed directly at the center of Blue B's brow.

Fire Style: Dragon Flame Raging Dance!

The fire dragon roared as it surged forth, carrying the crushing pressure of incinerating all things toward Blue B. Intense heat swept in, and scorching waves suddenly rose in the air.

Blue B's pupils constricted, and lightning erupted around his body. The secret technique of Kumogakure, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, instantly flooded his entire frame. Blue light condensed into armor covering his body, and under the stimulation of the electricity, he let out a low, angry shout. He pushed off the ground with explosive force, his figure retreating like a thunderclap striking the earth.

The next instant, the fire dragon pierced straight into the ground.

BOOM—!!

The earth trembled, shattered stones flew, and flames soared into the sky, tearing a charred fissure over ten zhang long into the ground. Residual flames flickered in the air, heat waves churned, and even the light was distorted into a blur.

What terrifying power.

What outrageous speed!

Since Blue B dared to appear here, he had naturally made his preparations.

He had investigated the famous powerhouses of this war and believed he had a thorough grasp of their abilities.

But facing Uchiha Sakuya, he finally understood why Iwagakure called him the Red Flash.

If he hadn't been an elite jonin of Kumogakure capable of stimulating his nerves to accelerate his body via the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he would never have dodged that lightning-fast arrow. Had it been anyone else, the fire dragon would have pierced their skull the moment they looked up.

While Blue B raised Sakuya's danger rating a few notches, he silently formed hand seals.

Lightning-attribute chakra surged into his left arm like a wild torrent, white electricity pulsing violently beneath his skin, illuminating his entire arm.

He held his breath, his gaze locked firmly onto Sakuya's figure.

Next, it's my turn!

He pushed off the ground with a sudden burst of force.

Lightning exploded, leaving a trail of afterimages behind as he closed the distance to Sakuya's chest in an instant.

His left arm, wreathed in lightning and carrying a shriek that tore through the air, struck out like a blade toward Sakuya's chest!

Ultimate Technique: Lariat

It was as if piercing through paper; his arm instantly tore through Sakuya's chest, blood splattering the moment... wait, no blood?

This is!

Blue B's eyes widened in shock. The next moment, the Sakuya before him turned into flames and dissipated.

A shadow clone fused with fire-attribute chakra nature transformation? No, it should be called a Fire Clone. When did he set that up?

Blue B's expression turned grave. The temperature above his head suddenly spiked, causing him to look up instinctively.

On a nearby tree, Sakuya stood on the tip of a branch, his hands already formed into the final Tiger seal.

Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Technique!

Four fire dragons emerged simultaneously from all four directions, sealing off every path of escape for Blue B. If they hit, it would be a situation with no hope of survival.

Seeing there was nowhere to hide, Blue B had no choice but to slam a palm against his dantian.

Eight-Tails, lend me your power!

The next moment, a monster covered in crimson chakra appeared on the spot.

Eight tails danced behind it in the wind, and a pair of bull horns grew from its head, looking truly terrifying.

"ROAR!!!"

As the monster's eight tails lashed out, coiling into a ball and spinning at high speed, they collided with the four fire dragons Sakuya had fired. Amidst the explosive roar, it opened its massive maw and bellowed at Sakuya in the tree.

"A partial Tailed Beast transformation? Is this your limit?"

Watching Blue B forcibly tank the four fire dragons with the formidable body of his partial Tailed Beast form, Sakuya drew his bow and notched an arrow, expressionless.

"However, to dare breathe fire at me... it seems I've really been underestimated."

Fire Style: Dragon Flame Raging Dance!

The next moment, a scorching fire dragon roared as it charged.

The Eight-Tails monster's pupils shook, and it hurriedly leaped into the air, trying to dodge the arrow. But just as it reached the height of its jump, it saw the fire dragon coming head-on.

Fire Style: Dragon Flame Raging Dance: Double Shot!

The Eight-Tails widened its eyes. Trapped in mid-air with no leverage, it could only watch helplessly as the fire dragon engulfed it.

"This guy... actually..."

As flames surged upward, the crimson Eight-Tails monster vanished within the fire.

As the smoke and dust gradually dispersed, Sakuya landed lightly.

Looking at the remnants of the flames on the ground and the octopus tail drifting down from the air, he shook his head.

"Escaped, did he? What a pity."

The Eight-Tails possessed the ability to sever its tail to escape; when facing a life-or-death crisis, it could consume a portion of chakra to create a tail as a decoy or use it as a shield to block enemy damage.

The second Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails, Killer B, had used this trick to escape from others' hands several times.

He hadn't expected that the current Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Blue B, would know it as well.

Sakuya shook his head.

He had thought this was a technique only a perfect Jinchuriki could perform; had he known, he would have used Amaterasu straight away.

He took out a scroll, sealed the tail inside, and then re-examined the battlefield, packing up the goods the group of Rock Ninja had been transporting into a large scroll.

"Time to head back. The news of Blue B appearing here must be reported as a priority."

Sakuya frowned.

The Second Shinobi World War was already a massive melee, and now that Kumogakure had gotten involved, there was no telling what kind of chaos would ensue.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.

Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Konoha, Sunagakure... and with Kirigakure's stance still uncertain, what was originally just a chaotic battle on the western continent was on the verge of becoming a grand brawl between the Five Great Nations.

He could only hope that Kirigakure wouldn't get involved; things were already chaotic enough.

Thinking of this, he dared not linger and, with the scroll on his back, headed quickly toward the Konoha base.

Three hours later, at four in the afternoon.

Sakuya returned to the base established by Konoha in the center of the Land of River.

The moment he entered the base, he sensed an unusual atmosphere.

The Konoha ninja rushing back and forth all wore expressions of exhaustion, and many were even nursing injuries.

What was going on? Had they lost a battle?

That couldn't be right; he had only been gone for two days, and if they had lost, it was impossible that he wouldn't have received any news at all.

While he was deep in thought, Jiraiya emerged from a command tent in the distance. His face was weary, and his right arm was wrapped in bandages, clearly indicating a serious injury.

He leaned against the tent entrance, staring inside with a look of profound loss.