This Path Is Blocked

"Such terrifying chakra! Is this guy a Jinchuriki?!"

A sudden figure burst into the battlefield just as it was about to end, and his grand, wild, domineering presence instantly drew everyone's attention.

The Konoha ninja behind the boulders were all shocked the moment they saw the newcomer.

Hizashi Hyuga, his Byakugan activated, wore an expression of utter disbelief.

If the chakra of an elite jonin like himself was a small stream, then the chakra contained within the body of this man who had suddenly entered the battlefield was as vast as the sea!

"Why is this guy here?!"

The instant Minato Namikaze saw the newcomer clearly, his sky-blue eyes abruptly contracted.

His arm, which had already healed, suddenly began to ache faintly again.

"Blood Lightning, horns... Yotsuki Sora."

Jiraiya's expression turned incomparably grave.

Though he had never encountered this man before, those distinctive traits alone were enough for him to recognize the newcomer's identity.

But how had this guy gotten here?!

According to the Intelligence Division's investigations, Yotsuki Sora had left the Land of Earth several days ago.

Hidden Cloud's reinforcements had also been intercepted outside the Land of Waterfalls. How could this man suddenly barge into the battlefield without any warning?

"A space-time technique!"

Seeming to sense his teacher's doubts, Minato Namikaze stared intently ahead and said in a low voice, "In that instant just now, I felt a space-time fluctuation. It was very faint, but this must have been a space-time ninjutsu."

"Hidden Cloud has one too..."

Jiraiya's gaze grew extremely solemn.

Precisely because they possessed one, they understood better than anyone just how great a threat space-time ninjutsu posed, and how difficult it was to learn.

Konoha had poured in painstaking effort and accumulated ninja knowledge for half a century before producing a single Minato Namikaze.

Who would have thought that Hidden Cloud had one as well!

With this, Hidden Cloud's strategic threat level would likely have to be raised several notches.

But that wasn't right.

If Hidden Cloud had mastered space-time ninjutsu, how could they have been surrounded by Hidden Stone to such an extent?

Three thousand Hidden Cloud ninja had been reduced to only a little over a hundred. Those hundred or so were all wounded, and even the Third Raikage had fought until he was gravely injured and on the verge of death!

The Konoha ninja hiding in the shadows could not make sense of it, so they continued watching.

On the battlefield below.

Onoki recognized Sora's identity at once as well.

"YOT! SU! KI! SORA!"

Onoki's voice twisted into a shriek from the sheer intensity of his fury, utterly losing the composure expected of a Tsuchikage.

His sharp eyes locked tightly onto the horned figure, and bone-deep hatred burned in his pupils as though he wanted to tear the other man apart alive.

This was the man who had killed his son. This was the man who had nearly ruined his plan!

If not for him, Hidden Stone's scheme against Hidden Cloud should have been wrapped up more than ten days ago. Why would it have dragged on for so long, consumed so many resources and personnel, and carried such enormous risk?

The source of it all was this man.

—Yotsuki Sora!

More than ten years ago.

This man had already been marked for death on Hidden Stone's wanted list.

Now, old and new grudges piled together like boiling lava and flames, setting Onoki's mind ablaze.

"Good! Good!"

"You actually dare show your face before me! Good!"

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Onoki, laughing in rage, brought his hands together. A Dust Release cube even more condensed and massive than the one he had used against the Third Raikage before, containing an even more terrifying power of disintegration, formed in an instant.

The blinding white light seemed ready to swallow the entire sky.

This time, its target was Yotsuki Sora!

He did not know how Yotsuki Sora had appeared here, nor why he had come, but none of that mattered anymore.

On the contrary, he was even grateful that Yotsuki Sora had appeared here.

The potential and caliber contained within this Hidden Cloud genius were simply too great. He could practically be considered a replacement for the Third Raikage.

Even if they dealt with the Third Raikage, as long as Hidden Cloud still had Yotsuki Sora and the Fourth A, its overall strength would remain formidable. They would merely be bringing someone who had been hidden in the dark into the open.

But now was different.

If they could kill Yotsuki Sora and the Third Raikage together, it would be an absolutely devastating blow to Hidden Cloud!

At that thought, There would be no more holding back, no more probing.

His opening move was a sure-kill ultimate technique!

Yet, facing that terrifying white light capable of annihilating all things, Yotsuki Sora's expression did not change in the slightest.

There was no doubt that Dust Release was among the most formidable techniques beneath the Six Paths. Its dreadful power could directly break objects down into atoms; no matter how sturdy a shield was, it could not withstand its attack.

But no technique beneath the Six Paths could ever be perfect.

Dust Release was unmatched in lethality, but its excessively long windup and recovery were its greatest flaw!

"Crackle—"

"Boom!!"

Scarlet lightning suddenly erupted around Yotsuki Sora's body—more violent, deeper, and filled with a destructive aura even greater than the Third Raikage's previous strongest Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

The instant the Dust Release descended, Yotsuki Sora grabbed the half-dead Third Raikage beneath him and dashed toward White Stone Gorge.

Fast, fast, faster!

All anyone saw was a flash of red light, and then their vision was seized by the blinding radiance of Dust Release.

By the time the residual light from Dust Release's explosion faded, Yotsuki Sora and the Third Raikage, who had just been surrounded by ninjas, were already several miles away.

In the blink of an eye, that guy had actually reached the remnants of Hidden Cloud!

"Boom!!"

The tremendous recoil from Sora's abrupt stop kicked up a huge cloud of dust.

The Hidden Cloud ninjas, eager to retreat, stared blankly at the Third Raikage being carried by Yotsuki Sora, their faces turning pale with shock.

"Third Raikage!"

"Lord Third actually—!"

"He's not dead yet, so what are you howling for?" Sora casually flung Third A onto the nearest ninja, then turned around calmly. "Beyond White Stone Gorge lies the vast plains of the Land of Earth. Konoha has troops stationed in the Land of Waterfalls. Once you get out, retreat west along the coastline. No problem with that, right?"

Although Sora had not returned to the village for more than a decade, everyone present still recognized the identity of the man who had influenced the course of this battlefield.

But before they could speak, violent coughing sent blood clots spilling from his mouth. His bellows-like breathing eased slightly only under the healing effects of medical ninjutsu.

"Sora... is that you...?"

The dying Third Raikage struggled to open his eyes. In his darkened vision, Sora's silhouette vaguely emerged.

But Sora had no desire to stir up any meaningless emotions with the adoptive father he had not seen in over a decade—and with whom he still held some grievances.

Surging chakra gathered in his fist. He drove it into the ground beneath him, shattering the earth in an instant. A massive ravine split Sora apart from the remnants of Hidden Cloud.

"Lord Sora!"

"Get lost."

Without even looking back, Sora spoke calmly.

His gaze had already settled on the pursuing Hidden Stone ninjas.

Ever since entering this battlefield, the Vastaya bloodline bestowed by the Sett template had been constantly sounding alarms. His sense of smell, far keener than that of any ordinary beast, and the battle-crazed blood of a wolverine had already begun to burn.

Coupled with the fighting spirit stirred by the overload of the Heavenly Transfer Technique.

At this moment, Sora—

Only wanted a good fight!

"Sorry, everyone. This road is closed!"