The Great Battle Ends

The azure lightning surged forward in an instant, a blade as sharp as the Kusanagi Sword aimed straight for the throat. Just as it was about to strike, a force and sharpness no less formidable intercepted the Fourth Raikage's piercing hand.

"Same speed and power as always. Since you've offered your hand, I'll borrow it without hesitation. Summoning Jutsu!"

With bloodshot eyes, the Fourth Raikage looked at the fingers that should have been pressed together, now shifting into the hand seals for a summoning technique.

"Idiot! You bastard! I won't let you escape this time. Eigoku Dansu Hanryu!"

From the mouth of the fully transformed Eight-Tails Gyuki, masses of ink transformed into humanoid shapes, surrounding the two from all directions.

"A sealing jutsu? Nanto Sennin, Hokuto Sennin, seal."

The barrier reappeared, and an eerie, glowing purple light sealed the ink. The Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird opened their maws, wind and fire intertwining.

"Scorch Style: Storm Dance."

The golden sand waves and the sea of wind and fire clashed, and the appearance of the Nine-Faced Beasts caused Rasa, who was watching from the sidelines, to knit his brows.

"Summoned puppets? No, they are summoning beasts—incredibly troublesome ones. Who exactly is that member of the Uchiha clan? Is that heat high enough to melt even gold dust?"

"The Uchiha clan, truly a prestigious name in the ninja world. Do they still hide such trump cards? Uchiha Fugaku, you've hidden your hand quite well."

Fugaku remained expressionless, neither confirming nor denying, though he subconsciously began to wonder whose child it was that stood toe-to-toe with the Fourth Raikage.

"You damn Uchiha brat, to think you'd use my own hand to weave seals! Just how much do you look down on people, you bastard!"

"Then I'll end this boring fight with a technique that requires no seals. Goodbye. This is a parting gift: Great Spiral Wheel."

In an instant, the Konoha ninja remaining within Mount Kikyo flickered away. Namikaze Minato, having just returned from the coast, took one look and understood Uchiha Hanazuki's next move.

"So that's how it is. Understood. Let's go, Choza-san, Shikaku-san..."

With a flash of yellow light, every Konoha ninja on Mount Kikyo was transported dozens of miles away. Above the unremarkable black kunai, a light as dazzling as a star descending from the heavens began to flicker.

"That Uchiha brat, is he using that move again?!"

"No, the chakra in this technique—Bee! Hurry and get me out of here!"

An unprecedented sense of crisis flooded everyone's senses. The Eight-Tails Gyuki retracted his entire body into his tentacles and began to spin frantically.

"Tailed Beast Eight Twists!"

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. After a brief silence, a pure white light swallowed the entirety of Mount Kikyo.

The sound was so great it was silent. The pure white that devoured all things quietly dissipated, and the sunlight spilled down once more.

Mount Kikyo, which should have been there, had vanished. Only the scorching magma and the gold flowing within it served as proof of the deep abyss where the mountain once stood.

As the aftershocks faded, hot magma flowed over the octopus tentacles. The Eight-Tails crawled out from deep underground, panting, and looked at the irrevocably altered terrain with a helpless expression.

"This ninjutsu has completely changed the surrounding landscape? It's fully comparable to our full-power Tailed Beast Bomb. Is this also that Uchiha brat's technique?"

"Damn it... damn that Uchiha brat, to think he would do that to Toroi... damn it..."

In the scalding magma, the Cloud Village's Magnet Release ninja, Toroi, lay motionless, having long since lost his life.

"He was too far from me; even if I wanted to protect him, I had no way to do so. That guy's ninjutsu possesses nature transformation of the Fire Release, combined with the Body Flicker Technique and chakra comparable to a Tailed Beast."

"He might be the most formidable opponent your Cloud Village will ever face in the future. Despite being an Uchiha with the Sharingan, he is most famous for his speed and that bizarre summoning jutsu. Even I don't know how to evaluate him."

Clearly, the Fourth Raikage was in no mood to listen to the Eight-Tails' assessment. Not far away, the temporary allies, Rasa and Pakura of Sunagakure, chose to retreat without hesitation.

The entire force of Sunagakure ninja they had brought was wiped out, and the Cloud Village had lost a Kekkei Genkai user; the Battle of Mount Kikyo was a total defeat.

To protect their depleted village, the two could not afford to die here, or Sunagakure would be in danger of annihilation.

"Uchiha Hanazuki, I've memorized that name. Let's go, Bee. Before that bastard Onoki realizes what happened at Mount Kikyo, we return to the Cloud."

"OK, Brother."

With a flicker, Killer Bee and the Fourth Raikage retreated in haste, and the relentless flames of war subsided for the time being along with the disappearance of Mount Kikyo.

On the border of the Land of Fire, within a hidden forest, the survivors descended from the sky. They looked at one another, speechless.

"Are we safe now, Minato?"

Looking at his worried companions, Namikaze Minato offered a gentle smile and nodded slightly.

"Though I don't know who that child is, there shouldn't be any problems. The kunai I left on Mount Kikyo seem to have all been destroyed as well. What a powerful ninjutsu."

"Kurenai... where is Kurenai? Fugaku-sama, that child must be from the Uchiha clan; he had the Uchiha fan crest on his back. Where did he go?"

Seeing pair after pair of eyes fixed on him, Fugaku had no words to explain his predicament. He truly did not know the child. If he had known there was a genius in the clan capable of using the Flying Thunder God, he would have long since recruited him into the Konoha Military Police Force for careful cultivation.

Meanwhile, near Mount Kikyo, two figures appeared from a kunai. The Three-Eyed Demon Fox Mask that had concealed the face was slowly removed.

Kurenai, who had been numbed by the series of events, looked over subconsciously, her astonishment turning into shock and clamor.

"Uchiha... Hanazuki-kun? Was it you all along?"

"I didn't expect you to be carrying out a mission on a battlefield of this intensity. Although I knew the previous two graduating classes had already stepped onto the battlefield, I didn't expect you to be swept up in it as well, Kurenai."

For a moment, even Yuhi Kurenai hadn't expected to be saved by a genin who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy, two years her junior.

Her acquaintance with Uchiha Hanazuki was entirely due to Anko frequently dragging him to various dango shops in Konoha. Combined with his lazy temperament and decent looks, she had formed some impression of him.

"It couldn't be helped. The border of the Land of Fire was invaded, and the village had to draft ninja on short notice. More importantly... could you... put me down first?"

Her face flushed with embarrassment. Even covered in dust, she couldn't hide the crimson glow spreading across her cheeks. Her pair of watery, ruby-like eyes met his clear, black-and-white gaze, but she did not receive the answer she wanted.

"Sorry, but your injuries aren't something you can just power through. That was a Tailed Beast Bomb. It would be dangerous if you don't get a proper check-up at the hospital."

"Are they back already? Then let's leave, too."