Sealing

"Stay and hold out for one hour."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally firm.

"I will create four Shadow Clones to search in the four directions: east, south, west, and north. If we can find the reborn Moryo within an hour, we will try to execute Plan B—sealing it."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "If we can't find it—one hour later, whatever the outcome, we retreat immediately."

Silence.

A few seconds later, Chiyo the first to nod. "Okay, let's do it that way. I'll hold on for another hour."

Kitsuchi slammed his fist heavily against his Rock Fist: "Iwagakure is fine."

Dodai shrugged. "Cloud Village will keep you company."

Kakashi nodded slightly. "Konoha will obey orders."

"Then, let's take action." Taiichi stopped talking and formed hand seals.

Shadow Clone Technique!

Four puffs of white smoke exploded in succession, and four Shadow Clones identical to Taiichi appeared before everyone.

They exchanged a glance, said nothing, and sped off in four different directions.

"Adjust Defensive Formation!" Kitsuchi turned around, his voice booming, "Everyone split into four groups, take turns defending! First group, push forward; second, third, and fourth groups, stay put and recover Chakra! Rotate every fifteen minutes!"

The order was relayed swiftly.

The Assault Force displayed remarkable discipline.

Despite the heavy casualties they had just suffered, no one complained, no one questioned.

The ninjas quickly split into four groups. The first group took the lead and blocked the enemy; the other three groups retreated to a relatively safe area, took Military Ration Pill, bandaged their wounds, and adjusted their breathing.

Taiichi himself remained at the forefront of the defensive line.

Instead of using the energy-consuming Senjutsu, he focused on Taijutsu and regular Ninjutsu, combined with Chakra Light Blades, moving around outside the defensive perimeter to eliminate the most threatening targets.

The battle has once again entered a stalemate.

But this time, everyone's mindset has changed. The previous battles were for victory, for killing the Moryo;

Now, it's about buying time, about clinging to a slim hope.

Time passed by, second by second.

Ten minutes.

Three-quarters of the Moryo's corpse had dissipated, leaving only a fragment less than twenty meters long.

The Ghost Legion's offensive showed no signs of abating. On the contrary, as the corpses dissipated, their attacks seemed to become even more frenzied and reckless.

"Second group, rotate!" Kitsuchi's roar rang out precisely on time.

The first group of ninjas retreated wearily, and the second group quickly took their place.

Earth Style Ninjutsu rose again, and Fire Style and Lightning Style intertwined to form a net, temporarily blocking the surging Puppet Legion from the outside.

Twenty minutes.

Only a small section of the Moryo's corpse, less than ten meters long, remained.

One of Taiichi's Shadow Clones returned from the west, shaking its head. "Nothing was found within fifty kilometers to the west."

Twenty-five minutes.

Another Shadow Clone returned from the Northern Front, shaking its head in the same way.

Hope gradually faded with the passage of time.

When the third group took their turn, some ninjas began to whisper among themselves.

Is it really possible to find it?

"An hour—can we hold out?"

"Chakra is running low--"

Anxiety was spreading.

Thirty-five minutes—he counted silently in his mind.

The Moryo's corpse finally vanished completely.

The last wisp of purplish-black mist rose into the sky and dissipated into the dim heavens. On the ground, only a pool of pitch-black, foul-smelling water remained, exuding a suffocating, malevolent aura.

The instant the corpses completely vanished, all the Ghost Legions on the battlefield simultaneously ceased all movement.

It's like the pause button has been pressed.

The stone knife raised by the Rock Golem froze in mid-air, and the Resentful Spirit stopped its shrieking.

An eerie silence fell over the entire battlefield.

The Assault Force's ninjas also stopped what they were doing and looked around blankly.

"Stop--It's stopped?"

"Could it be... that he's really dead this time?"

"The energy source has disappeared, so the Puppet too—"

The flame of hope was rekindled in everyone's hearts.

But Taiichi's brows furrowed even more. He stretched his senses to their limit, trying to capture the most subtle changes in space.

As expected, just as Taiichi predicted, the Ghost Legion sprang into action once again.

"Well--"

Sighs rose and fell, and the little flame that had just flickered in their hearts was completely extinguished.

The Ghost Legion's offensive continued relentlessly, and everyone could only grit their teeth and persevere. Time ticked by, until one moment, a cry of alarm rang out.

"Look, Moryo!"

Taiichi suddenly turned his head and looked in the direction the ninja was pointing.

On the horizon, a colossal object was rapidly coalescing, and the immense Negative Energy of heaven and earth was quickly converging upon it.

Trunk.

Neck.

Skull.

Limbs.

It was generated rapidly, witnessed by everyone.

Just as everyone was in shock, a loud shout snapped them out of their daze.

"All troops, listen up! Form ranks and prepare for the assault!"

Taiichi took off, his Chakra Light Blade spinning 360 degrees to clear a space for the team.

The ninjas then came to their senses, quickly changed formation, and prepared to catch up with Taiichi again and kill the Moryo.

"Sealing Unit, prepare yourselves. This time, I won't completely kill the Moryo. When I've reduced it to just its head, you should be ready to take over at any time."

Taiichi gave his final instructions, and seeing that the troops had already changed to Arrowhead Formation, he didn't wait any longer and launched another charge.

Practice makes perfect.

Having learned from their previous experience, the team, though exhausted, managed to reach Moryo without major incident.

"Human, I told you, you can't kill me."

Looking at this human who had just killed him, Moryo, though not afraid of death, was still somewhat uneasy.

Sure enough, there wasn't even the usual insults.

And what about Taiichi?

As always, too lazy to waste words with this demon, he spread his wings and took to the air again, heading straight for the Moryo.

However, Moryo is currently at his peak, with all five dragon heads complete, and having already been killed once, he has become even more cautious.

What was originally planned as a quick victory has turned into a protracted war.

This doesn't matter to the Moryo; the negative energy here is abundant, and they can replenish it anytime, anywhere.

But Taiichi is ultimately human. He had already fought a great battle, and the Chakra in the Yin Seal was already quite depleted. He didn't have any more Chakra to wear down the Moryo.

Therefore, we should act quickly and decisively.

Taiichi, Flying Thunder God in the entanglement, instantly teleported out of the battle, leaving the Moryo slightly stunned by Taiichi sudden departure.

Taiichi wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by. His hands flew through the air, and in less than a second, the hand seals for the Ninjutsu were complete.

Sage Art: Fire Style - Majestic Destroyer Flame!

The platinum-gold sea of fire resembled a galaxy falling from the sky, crashing onto the earth and transforming into waves that swept towards the Moryo.

Even before the sea of fire got close, the oppressive heat wave had already caused fear to appear on the five dragon heads of the Moryo.

Its massive body retreated repeatedly, each stomp producing a loud "bang," and its five dragon heads simultaneously inhaled and exhaled the strongest breath they had released since the start of the battle.

Five purplish-black beams of light struck the very front of the sea of fire, but there was no huge roar, nor the expected explosion.

The two forces eroded and dissolved each other at the boundary, making a "sizzling" sound.

Taiichi eyebrow, and the two were locked in a stalemate. He was about to give Moryo a second look.

But then, he immediately freed his left hand, One-Handed Seal, and released another Ninjutsu while maintaining his Fire Style.

Sage Art: Wind Style - Great Breakthrough!

A raging hurricane formed around Taiichi, accompanied by flying sand and stones, and caught up with the sea of fire from behind.

The fire is fueled by the wind, and the wind fuels the fire's power.

The already raging sea of fire surged even higher, overwhelming the Moryo's breath, and crashed into him with a deafening roar, much to the Moryo's astonishment.

"Aww!"

Another scream echoed through the sky. The feeling of being burned alive was not pleasant, even for Moryo, an immortal monster.

Take advantage of his illness to kill him.

Taiichi seized the opportunity and formed hand seals again.

Sage Art: Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves!

Sharp gusts of wind, spanning dozens of meters, locked onto the Moryo's wildly thrashing head.

"Hah~, three cutting sounds entered Taiichi's ears with exceptional clarity, and three ferocious dragon heads fell down in response, with three jets of purplish-black blood gushing out once again.

This was truly a devastating blow; it dealt a severe Moryo unexpectedly.

The pain of this rupture had overwhelmed the Moryo's reason, and it had completely transformed into a wild beast, attacking haphazardly without any strategy. Many of its attacks hit the Assault Force a hundred meters away, causing them considerable trouble.

Taiichi then withdrew his Ninjutsu, reassembled his Chakra Light Blade, and prepared to make the final move.

The light of the Flying Thunder God flashed and disappeared in an instant, Taiichi's figure reappeared beside Kui's massive body like a ghost.

The timing was impeccable; the Moryo had just finished unleashing a burst of purplish-black breath, and its right neck was now exposed to the attack.

The Chakra Light Blade drew a cold arc through the air.

"Sizzle--!"

The fourth ferocious dragon head fell to the ground, its purplish-black blood gushing out like a waterfall, corroding the ground below and sending up plumes of white smoke.

At this point, of the five heads of the Moryo, only the last one remained, still roaring and thrashing wildly.

Taiichi landed lightly, his toes barely touching the scorched earth before he slid back several meters.

He slightly raised his right hand, and the Senjutsu Chakra channeled into the Light Blade began to recede like a tide.

The giant blade, originally ten meters long, shortened at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Nine meters, seven meters, five meters—finally stabilizing at around three meters, transforming into a long sword with a restrained sharpness that appears even more dangerous.

What follows is no longer a brute-force attack that cuts through mountains and valleys, but a bloody battle that requires meticulous control.

The golden light in Taiichi's eyes became even more solid.

He moved like the wind, circling the remaining head of the Moryo at high speed, leaving wounds of varying depths on its scaled neck and torso with each approach.

The Light Blade no longer aims for a one-hit kill, but rather to cut through muscles and sever the energy flow as much as possible.

Dark purple blood oozed from the numerous wounds, pooling into a nauseating stream on the ground.

The roars of the Moryo gradually weakened, and its massive body began to sway, like a mountain about to collapse.

In the distance, the ninjas of the Assault Force witnessed this breathtaking scene.

As the fourth head rolled off, the entire defensive line erupted in an uncontrollable cheer.

"One left!"

"Lord Taiichi is going to win!"

Kitsuchi smashed the oncoming Rock Golem with a single punch, and a long-lost smile appeared on his rugged face.

After more than an hour of continuous fighting, even an elite like him felt exhausted.

Kakashi stood inside the defensive perimeter, and he could see better than anyone else that Taiichi's movements were still sharp, but his breathing was noticeably heavy, indicating that he was also expending a lot of energy.

"The most crucial moment has arrived," he muttered to himself, gripping the White Fang Short Sword tightly.

Everyone rallied their spirits.

The twenty ninjas from the Sealing Unit had quietly moved to the rear of the formation to facilitate their entry at any time.

Time passed slowly amidst the fighting.

Twenty minutes.

For ninjas on the battlefield, those twenty minutes felt like an eternity.

But no one backed down.

Because everyone knows that victory is just around the corner.

Finally--

"Boom!"

A deep, muffled roar shook the entire earth.

The enormous body of the Moryo, which was over a hundred meters tall, could no longer support itself. Its four thick limbs went limp at the same time, and it fell to the ground at an angle like a giant beast whose skeleton had been removed.

Smoke and dust billowed into the sky, and purplish-black blood spurted from countless wounds, staining the surrounding ground a filthy mess.

The only remaining dragon head had lost its former ferocity.

It lay limply on the ground, black blood gushing from its seven orifices, its crimson eyes dull and lifeless, only a wheezing sound like a broken bellows emanating from its throat.

With each breath, blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, a pitiful sight that almost evoked pity, if one forgot the disaster it had brought.

"Now!" Taiichi's voice pierced through the battlefield's clamor, "Sealing Unit, take over the seal!"

Twenty figures shot out from the Defensive Formation like arrows released from a bow.

They were wearing uniforms from different ninja villages, but at this moment, their movements were perfectly synchronized.

Following Taiichi's command, the twenty people quickly dispersed, forming a standard circular encirclement around the Moryo.

Each person took out a scroll from their Ninja Tool Pouch and formed hand seals.

"Bang bang--"

A series of white smoke burst open, and a Giant Scroll, as tall as a person, appeared in front of each ninja.

The scroll is dark brown all over, and its surface is covered with densely packed Sealing Talisman drawn with special ink.

The runes were so complex that they were dazzling, layer upon layer, interwoven into a net. Even an ordinary ninja would feel dizzy after just a few glances.

But the members of the Sealing Unit remained solemn and showed no hesitation.

They simultaneously laid the scroll flat on the ground and unfurled it forcefully—

"Splash!"

"Form hand seals!"

Twenty hands moved in unison once again.

The sequence of seals—Tiger-Rabbit-Snake-Horse-Sheep-Rooster-Pig—took a full thirty seconds to complete. As the final "Snake" seal was formed, all the sealing ninjas shouted in unison, "Seal!"

He pressed both hands down hard on the center of the scroll.

The surging Chakra, like a river bursting its banks, poured into the scroll through his hands without reservation.

Blue light rose from the scroll, growing brighter and brighter until it transformed into twenty pillars of light shooting into the sky.

The beam of light twisted and deformed in the air, condensing into a tangible chain.

Like giant, living pythons, they coiled towards the central Moryo under the control of the sealing ninja.

"Splash--!"

The chains clanged together with a crisp, metallic sound.

In the next instant, the enormous body of the Moryo was firmly bound by twenty chains.

"Receive!"

The sealing ninjas shouted in unison, increasing their Chakra output once again.

The chains began to tighten and straighten.

Runes swirled wildly across the chain, and the power of suppression and sealing pressed down on Moryo like a mountain.

"It worked?!" Kitsuchi's eyes widened.

"This is... the Separation Sealing Jutsu," Chiyo murmured. "It cuts the Moryo into twenty parts and seals each part in a different scroll. Even if one part escapes in the future, it will only have one-twentieth of its power—"

"To lighten the burden on future generations," Dodai replied, a glint of admiration in his eyes. "A very clever approach."

Everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Victory seemed truly within reach.

However, at the most crucial moment of the sealing process, a sudden change occurred.

The Moryo, who had been in a semi-comatose state due to excessive blood loss, suddenly opened its eyes.

In those bloodshot eyes, madness and pain receded like a tide, replaced by clarity.

The Sealing Chains suppressed most of its power, but unexpectedly also brought it back to its senses from its rage.

Its crimson eyes darted around, scanning the surrounding sealing ninjas who stood ready for battle, before finally settling on the figure standing in the sky, sword in hand.

A voice resounded throughout the spiritual world of all humanity.

This was the first time since the start of the war that the Moryo had directly communicated with any ninja other than Taiichi.

"Humans—do you think you can seal me away like this?"

The Sealing Unit's ninjas were all startled, and the infusion of Chakra paused for a moment.

"Don't be delusional." The Moryo's voice carried a mocking tone, yet also a resolute edge. "Just wait—I'll be back. Next time, you won't have another chance."