Survive

The moment the Eight-Tails turned around, Susanoo had already swung its blade!

"Shnk—!"

The black blade fell like lightning, cleaving into the massive back of the Eight-Tails in an instant!

"Gah—!!"

The Eight-Tails roared in agony, its enormous body shuddering violently. A wound so deep it exposed bone tore across its back, nearly splitting it in two!

Overwhelmed by pain, the Eight-Tails instinctively tried to dodge, rolling its massive body to the side.

However—

Boom!!!

At that very moment, the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb had already taken shape and erupted!

The black sphere of energy, carrying a terrifying storm of destruction, hurtled straight toward the Eight-Tails!

"Roooom—!!!"

A world-shaking explosion rang through the skies!

The Eight-Tails' entire body was blasted away by the Tailed Beast Bomb's savage impact. Its flesh was mangled as it slammed into the ground like a meteor!

"Gah—!!"

Rubble flew, and the earth trembled!

As dust billowed, a bottomless crater appeared, cracks spreading in every direction like a spiderweb. Under the terrifying clash between the Nine-Tails and the Eight-Tails, the battlefield looked as though the apocalypse had arrived!

Inside the mental world—

Killer B stood in a shadowy mental space. Although his body in the outside world had not yet collapsed, his mind was enduring an immense assault!

"B, we're no match for them..."

Gyuki, the Eight-Tails, spoke in a low, grave voice. Its tail swayed slowly, weary and resigned.

Killer B's face darkened, his fists clenched. He understood that, of course—but was he supposed to back down now?

No way!

"Damn it! We're in the middle of a fight!" Killer B snarled. "How can we just give up?"

Besides, his big brother had died right before his eyes, and Killer B was consumed by guilt.

A calm light shone in the Eight-Tails' huge eye as it spoke steadily:

"You don't understand. Uchiha Yoru hasn't even been taking this seriously."

"What?" Killer B froze.

The Eight-Tails continued, "If he wanted to, he could have controlled us with genjutsu long ago. But he hasn't."

Killer B's heart sank.

That was right!

The fact that the Nine-Tails was under control was plain to see. Its violent nature was gone, and it had become a killing blade in Uchiha Yoru's hands, ruthlessly attacking its fellow Tailed Beasts.

—and yet Uchiha Yoru had deliberately chosen not to use genjutsu on them!

Was he unable to?

No...

He simply didn't consider them worth the effort!

A chill unlike any he had felt before crept up Killer B's spine. At last, he realized that, in Uchiha Yoru's eyes, they weren't even worth using genjutsu on!

"B, we have to retreat, or else... we'll die!"

There was a note of urgency in the Eight-Tails' voice.

On the battlefield—

The Two-Tails watched the Eight-Tails get knocked down by a single slash and was immediately horrified!

"Damn it!"

Its pupils shrank as Tailed Beast Chakra surged wildly through it, blue flames blazing along its tails!

"Tailed Beast Bomb—!!"

It rapidly compressed its searing chakra into a black-and-blue sphere of energy and fired it at the Nine-Tails!

However—

"Roar—!!"

The Nine-Tails opened its enormous, fanged jaws and formed a Tailed Beast Bomb several times larger than the Two-Tails'!

The black sphere spun like a black hole, carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth as it crashed head-on into the Two-Tails' attack!

"Roooom—!!!"

A terrifying explosion swept across the battlefield!

The shockwave churned, and the earth split open once more. The Two-Tails was blasted backward, tumbling several times before crashing deep into the ground, utterly battered!

Panting, it looked toward the Nine-Tails and Uchiha Yoru, still standing firm in the distance. Terror surfaced in its eyes!

"How is this possible..."

Its Tailed Beast Bomb couldn't even shake the Nine-Tails' attack!

At last, the Two-Tails realized that it was no match for its opponent!

—Retreat!

If it didn't, it would die!!

That was the warning the Two-Tails gave Yugito, its jinchuriki.

The Eight-Tails struggled to its feet, its gaze heavy. It had reached the same conclusion as the Two-Tails.

Today, Cloud Village had already suffered a decisive defeat!

The battlefield beneath the night sky was a blood-soaked purgatory.

Uchiha Yoru stood beside the Fourth Raikage's corpse, then returned to the top of Susanoo's head. From on high, he looked down upon the world.

The Nine-Tails roared beside him. Beneath his feet, Susanoo stood motionless, an undefeated war god surveying the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails, both on the verge of death.

The Fourth Raikage's corpse had gone cold, lying sprawled on the ground with his eyes open.

The Cloud Village ninjas who witnessed this were paralyzed with terror and despair!

Their Raikage—the man who had once been invincible—was dead...?

"No... impossible..."

"How could Lord Raikage have been killed like this...?"

"Uchiha Yoru... that demon..."

The Cloud Village ninjas had completely lost their nerve. Their souls trembled, and their legs shook uncontrollably.

"Run... run for your lives!!"

Some began abandoning their armor and weapons, fleeing in every direction. The Cloud Village's elite, who had been brimming with killing intent, were now like startled birds!

But—

Would Uchiha Yoru let them escape?

Susanoo slowly raised its great blade, the purple edge gleaming with a cold light.

The next instant, the blade swept across!

"Boom—!"

The earth split apart, dust billowed, and a massive gash carved deep into the battlefield. In its wake, blood mist spread and corpses littered the ground!

Dozens of Cloud Village ninjas were cut in half by the passing blade before they could even scream, their blood raining down!

Susanoo loomed over the battlefield like a sovereign of death, proclaiming Cloud Village's destruction!

Killer B and the Eight-Tails watched in silence, overwhelmed by bitterness.

They had lost...

Not just them—the entire Cloud Village had lost.

The Eight-Tails spoke heavily. "B, this isn't an ordinary battle. It's a massacre."

Killer B clenched his teeth, his pride torn to shreds in that moment.

"We have to... retreat," the Eight-Tails continued. "Uchiha Yoru didn't use genjutsu. The fact that we're still alive is pure luck."

"But now... our luck has run out."

Killer B clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms and drew blood.

Retreat?

Let Cloud Village's warriors die for nothing, let his big brother die for nothing, and let Uchiha Yoru trample on their dignity?

But... if they didn't retreat, they would all die!

"B, we can only get a chance if we survive!" the Eight-Tails urged.

Killer B shuddered.

That was right. Only if he survived could he avenge his big brother!

They had to... survive.

"Go!"

The Eight-Tails' enormous body shuddered, and it began to shrink in an instant!

Its massive form was too cumbersome to move around in. The injuries it had sustained had already mostly healed.

The Two-Tails did the same.

They were going to retreat!

Uchiha Yoru glanced at the two Tailed Beasts, a disdainful sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Only now you want to leave?"

"Too late!!!"

The Three-Tomoe in Uchiha Yoru's eyes changed, transforming in an instant into pale purple Rinnegan.

"Summoning Technique!"

"Demonic Statue of the Outer Path!!!"