"Uchiha brat? I don't know what happened, but do you think I'd leak my comrades' intelligence?"
A flash of yellow flickered in and out of sight, colliding again and again with crisscrossing streaks of azure lightning. At the same time, it held off Killer B, who wielded seven Ninja Blades. Unlike his gentle demeanor around his comrades, he was ruthless and decisive on the battlefield.
"Super Multi-Size Technique!"
White mist swirled as azure butterfly wings beat incessantly. Akimichi Choza, whose body had grown dozens of times larger, was trapped in Gold Dust, his face tense.
"Kekkei Genkai Gold Dust? Rasa... I never thought Sand Hidden would join forces with Cloud Hidden. Did you figure that Konoha is stretched thin right now? Shadow Neck Bind Technique!"
Crack! Crack! Hands formed from shadows snapped the necks of several Cloud Hidden shinobi. Nara Shikaku's mind raced, but he still couldn't think of a way out of their predicament.
Looking around the battlefield, Mount Kikyo Fortress, which had been tasked with defense, was already in ruins. Despite the Yellow Flash and Konoha's prominent clan heads fighting with everything they had, the battle continued to tilt toward defeat.
There was only one reason: even though elite shinobi had been hastily summoned from the various fronts, the enemy had come prepared.
The Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, along with top fighters led by the future Fourth Kazekage and the Scorch Style Ninja Pakura, were taking the lead in battle. By contrast, Konoha's higher-ups seemed strangely absent.
"Scorch Style: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
"AAAAAAH!"
Pitiful screams rang across the battlefield. The moisture in their bodies evaporated in an instant, while balls of Scorch Release fire floated all around, moving like extensions of her arms. Wisps of white steam rose from the bodies of those they touched.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Heat rolled through the air as thick smoke billowed. Pakura lowered her head with practiced ease, predicting her opponent's movements from his body language alone.
"I won't let you do as you please anymore. I'm your opponent."
Dressed in the uniform of the Konoha Military Police Force, Uchiha Fugaku's three Tomoe revolved slowly in his eyes. He couldn't afford to show even the slightest opening. His opponent had a Kekkei Genkai, too; even the slightest touch could leave him dead without a trace.
"Uchiha Fugaku. Those Sharingan are a pain to deal with."
Her chestnut-colored hair swayed gently, the roots and middle green. Fireballs circled around her as a cruel smile touched Pakura's lips.
"If we keep this up, we'll only end in a stalemate. More importantly, are you sure it's wise to leave that Perfect Jinchuriki alone?"
As they spoke, terrifying chakra continued to condense into physical form. Killer B, in his Tailed Beast Transformation, opened his mouth, and the swelling Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly grew until it rivaled Mount Kikyo Fortress in size.
"Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Its terrifying mass distorted the air as it shot forward at an unimaginable speed, powerful enough to flatten all of Mount Kikyo.
"Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder."
Just as the Tailed Beast Bomb was about to detonate, the Yellow Flash appeared in front of it. Far across the sea, so distant from the Land of Fire that no one could say how far, the ocean boiled under a quake-like tremor. The world shook violently.
"Idiot! Moron! First one, transferred! Second one, no way!"
The moment the Yellow Flash vanished, a second Tailed Beast Bomb took shape. Gyuki roared from within Killer B.
"Let's show them what we can do together! Continuous Tailed Beast Bomb!"
A brilliant light flashed as one Continuous Tailed Beast Bomb after another rained down indiscriminately on the battlefield. The Cloud Hidden shinobi already sheltered beneath the Eight-Tails and the Sand Ninja protected by Gold Dust looked on impassively.
An attack this dense couldn't be redirected even by the Yellow Flash. It was too late.
"The power of a Tailed Beast? Damn it, we're too late..."
Nara Shikaku's expression changed drastically. Uchiha Fugaku hesitated, while Yuhi Shinku, who had hurriedly pulled back, narrowed his eyes.
"Run! Kurenai!"
Her opponent had been wrapped in Gold Dust and buried underground, and Yuhi Kurenai still didn't know what had happened. She turned around to see a Tailed Beast Bomb the size of a carriage filling her entire field of vision.
"Dad..."
"Flying Thunder God Technique! Guiding Thunder..."
The light faded. Gusts of wind swept across the sky overhead as the girl, frozen in place, was whisked away at nearly instantaneous speed. One Tailed Beast Bomb after another shot into the sky.
"How frightening! I just got here, and I've walked right into this? Was I a little too late?"
Her eyelids drooped. The injury to her thigh was severe. Even though she hadn't been touched by the Eight-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb, its terrifying heat had left her flawless skin horribly scarred.
"You are..."
In an instant, silence fell. Pairs of eyes, each with a different expression, fixed on the figure who had suddenly appeared on the battlefield. Most of them were completely bewildered.
"Who is he? That technique just now... was it the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"Reinforcements from Konoha? What good would sending reinforcements do at this point?"
For a moment, none of the three sides made a move. Even Konoha's own shinobi couldn't help discussing what they had just seen.
"That crest... the Uchiha Gunbai. Are those reinforcements from the Uchiha Clan? But that guy looks so young. Could it be..."
Thinking his own guess unbelievable, Nara Shikaku shook his head repeatedly. Uchiha Fugaku looked equally confused. Since when had their clan gained a master of the Flying Thunder God Technique?
"With injuries like these, it looks like I can't go anywhere. Most of the Flying Thunder God Kunai have been melted, too. This is why I hate things that aren't sturdy. Oh well."
The bandages wrapped around his wrist bound Kurenai tightly to him. Hua Yue surveyed the battlefield, his gaze eventually settling on the Fourth Raikage, Killer B, Rasa, Pakura, and Toroi—the strongest fighters there.
"Wait, that voice..."
"I'd love to catch up, but this is a battlefield. There's no time to chat, and the other side is getting impatient. Isn't that right, Fourth Raikage? You have no sense of honor."
His words were full of mockery, making the Fourth Raikage fly into a rage.
"Uchiha brat, that technique of yours made me furious back then!"
His Lightning Release Armor roared as azure lightning surged to its full intensity. Seeing the Fourth Raikage on full alert only made the shinobi on all three sides more confused.
"That technique from back then... This guy fought the Fourth Raikage and at least held his own? What an incredible person to have shown up."
"Fugaku, is this guy a master from your Uchiha Clan?"
Facing the heads of Konoha's prominent clans, Uchiha Fugaku looked just as bewildered. He didn't remember anyone in the clan who was skilled in the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Uchiha brat, that same technique won't work twice. You're facing me while protecting a wounded person. Do you want to die here for good?"
"Go ahead and try, Fourth Raikage."
"Even with one hand free to protect the wounded, and with all your Flying Thunder God Kunai gone, you still can't lay a finger on either of us. I, Uchiha Hanazuki, will keep fighting across this entire battlefield!"
The veins bulged on his forehead, and his muscles knotted. Since becoming the Fourth Raikage, this was only the second time he had been this furious.
"You little bastard! Die!"