Tailed Beast Ball Breaks the Formation

On the battlefield, smoke and dust billowed, and the sounds of slaughter shook the heavens.

The Kumogakure Ninja suffered heavy blows, but unlike the first wave of the surprise attack, they showed no shock or panic; instead, their hearts were ignited with brutality.

The growth of every Kumogakure Ninja was steeped in blood and savagery, surpassing even the cruel and bloody nature of the Kirigakure Ninja.

It was just that the Third Raikage and the Fourth Raikage were both masters of manipulation. Not only did they pretend to be muscle-headed brutes themselves, but they also invested great effort into packaging the Kumogakure Ninja as bellicose, battle-hardened, and war-loving tough guys.

The only drawback was their short tempers and slightly brutal methods.

The efforts of that father and son were so successful that not only did outsiders believe it, but even the Kumogakure Ninja themselves became convinced that they were tough guys.

Yet, under the command of Yamanaka Chujiu, the Konoha Ninja inflicted heavy casualties upon them while suffering almost no losses of their own. The Kumogakure Ninja, who prided themselves on being champions, began to reveal their true nature.

Although they still considered themselves brave and fearless, within the Heart Severing Realm of Yamanaka Chujiu, he could clearly and unmistakably distinguish their madness, brutality, and bloodthirsty desires.

What the Kumogakure Ninja wanted was not victory, but the blood of their enemies; they simply wanted to kill!

However, they remained firmly convinced that this was the nature of a champion, the pride of a fearless berserker!

Yamanaka Chujiu could not help but laugh: "Heh, truly magnificent."

"I always wondered how a village that could produce rogue ninja like Kinkaku and Ginkaku—who led half the village's forces to surround and kill their own Raikage—could never produce another rogue ninja again."

"So, they were all hoodwinked into becoming 'true champions.' This is the strongest genjutsu in the ninja world!"

If you can make a bloodthirsty madman believe he is a steel-willed champion, and keep him believing it until he dies, then he truly becomes a steel-willed champion.

Compared to the grand deceptions of the two Raikage, the Sharingan is nothing; Kotoamatsukami and Kotoamatsukuchi are mere child's play, and the Will of Fire is just an immature little snot.

But mere fearlessness cannot change the outcome of a battlefield.

The Boxer Rebellion were also fearless; they could charge into volley fire, yet they were not the strongest light infantry on the face of the earth.

While marveling at the ferocity of the Kumogakure Ninja, Yamanaka Chujiu calmly issued orders, directing the Konoha Ninja to suppress and slaughter them.

Until that violent surge of chakra erupted into the sky.

Yamanaka Chujiu stepped out of his tent and looked toward the northern sky, the source of the chakra fluctuation.

The chakra of Eight-Tails Gyuki surged into the sky like boiling black water; even from a distance of nearly two thousand meters, one could still feel the suffocating pressure.

Yamanaka Chujiu could even feel the earth trembling, with dust rising and hovering in the vibrations.

Surely, where the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki stood, the ground must already be covered in cracks, spreading outward like a spiderweb.

Even though the power of the Tailed Beast was terrifying, Yamanaka Chujiu could not distinguish between the Kumogakure Ninja and Eight-Tails Gyuki through the emotional sensing of his Heart Severing Realm.

It was as if that monster were identical to a human on a spiritual level.

Yamanaka Chujiu did not dwell on this, but calmly issued his command: "Retreat, everyone retreat!"

"Follow the plan I just established; retreat forty kilometers back and re-establish the defensive line!"

The situation was urgent, and the Konoha Ninja had no time to pass verbal orders. Thus, specific ninjutsu were launched into the sky in a set sequence, exploding into clouds of smoke of different colors.

Seeing the specific arrangement of smoke, the Konoha Ninja could read the retreat order according to their cryptography and execute it immediately.

Even when entangled by the Kumogakure Ninja, the Konoha Ninja were willing to pay a heavy price to ensure a swift and decisive retreat.

Because this was the order of Lord Orochimaru!

Over the past hour, Orochimaru had led them to achieve what felt like miraculous results.

How could they not trust Lord Orochimaru?

Black, ink-like Tailed Beast chakra flowed around Killer B, forming a translucent Tailed Beast Cloak. Grim black markings appeared on his face, his whites turned black, and his pupils glowed with a golden hue.

A savage and violent aura erupted from his body, his form suddenly expanding, his muscles knotting like a small mountain. Eight thick octopus tentacles, carrying a wet, fishy stench, sprouted from his back.

The massive tentacles writhed unconsciously, each strike against the ground emitting a thunderous roar.

After a brief buildup, the Tailed Beast's chakra erupted once more, forming a pitch-black pillar of chakra that pierced the heavens, the leaking chakra from the pillar creating rolling thunder.

The pitch-black chakra transformed into a sky full of black mist, and from the dense fog came a deafening roar as the form of Eight-Tails Gyuki manifested.

Its curved horns gleamed with a cold, metallic luster, its body stood dozens of meters tall, its giant octopus tentacles danced wildly in mid-air, and its blood-red eyes scanned the entire field.

The immense pressure originating from the Tailed Beast's chakra lifeform caused the blood of the nearby Kumogakure Ninja to churn, making even breathing difficult.

But within that terrifying Tailed Beast body, Killer B was communicating with Eight-Tails Gyuki.

"Yo, Gyuki, let's have a real blast!"

"Killer B, advance! Advance!!"

"Tailed Beast Ball!!"

Surging Tailed Beast chakra gathered toward Gyuki's mouth, blending Yin and Yang release in a two-to-eight ratio, condensing a black-and-purple Tailed Beast Ball.

The terrifying pressure of Eight-Tails Gyuki rose another notch; a gale swept across the entire battlefield, and every ninja felt the threat of death.

BOOM—

The Tailed Beast Ball was fired. The resulting storm was immensely powerful, and wherever it passed, trees were snapped and rocks were ground into powder.

Shattered wood and dust spread to both sides along the trajectory of the Tailed Beast Ball, as if it were a wake cutting through the waves of a vast ocean.

The Tailed Beast Ball streaked fiercely across the battlefield, striking the position of the Konoha front line and detonating with a roar.

A blinding glare of fire shot into the sky, the thunderous sound of the explosion echoing through the heavens.

Konoha's defensive line no longer existed.

Fortunately, the Konoha ninja had resolutely executed the retreat order from Yamanaka Chujiu, avoiding the bombardment of the Tailed Beast Ball a step ahead of time.

Many unlucky souls who had been entangled with Kumogakure Ninja were caught in the blast wind because they hadn't retreated far enough, sent flying through the air and crashing down in a daze.

It was a close call; otherwise, the Konoha ninja would have suffered massive casualties instead of just a dozen unlucky fellows taking a tumble.

The Konoha ninja retreated while glancing back at the rising mushroom cloud, filled with emotion.

"So this is a Tailed Beast Ball; truly terrifying!"

"If it weren't for Lord Orochimaru, we would have lost hundreds of men just now."

"Heh, how could it only be a hundred?"

"Indeed, last time in the Land of Rain, when the Four-Tails Jinchuriki of Iwagakure used a Tailed Beast Ball, over four hundred of our comrades were left without even a corpse to bury."

"Thanks to Lord Orochimaru!"

"We are grateful to you, my Lord!"

Standing by the tent, Yamanaka Chujiu confirmed there were no major casualties and issued the order: "Let's go. Take what you can carry, and leave behind whatever you cannot."

"Oh ho ho ho, the Eight-Tails must be furious at missing its mark; it will surely fire another Tailed Beast Ball here momentarily."

The Konoha ninja, spirits high, responded in loud unison:

"Yes! Lord Orochimaru!!"