Perish Together

Blue demonic flames tore through the air, and two tails carrying extreme heat lashed towards Naruto's face like heavy whips.

The temperature was so high that even the falling raindrops turned into white mist.

"Watch out!" Samui gripped his short knife tightly, about to step forward.

"Stand still."

Naruto's voice was cold and hard, and he didn't take a single step back.

He raised his right hand, and a dazzling golden halo suddenly erupted from his palm. Yang Release Chakra surged out like boiling magma, transforming into a three-meter-wide golden giant hand, which fiercely grabbed at the two demonic fire tails.

Sizzle--!

The raging lightning and fire of the Two-Tails collided with the supremely yang and powerful golden light, producing a corrosive sound that made one's teeth ache. There was no evenly matched pulling; the giant golden hand gripped the Two-Tails 'Chakra tail as if it were two noodles, ruthlessly seizing it tightly.

The demonic flames in the Yugito figure's eyes flickered violently, emitting an extremely shrill shriek. It opened its mouth, which was filled with sharp teeth, and a high-density, dark blue Tailed Beast Ball rapidly condensed deep in its throat.

"Little kitty, opening your mouth isn't a good habit."

Naruto slammed his left foot onto the rock, using the force to propel himself forward. Braving the scorching demonic wind, he crashed into Yugito's arms like a golden cannonball.

His right shoulder slumped down, slamming solidly into the Yugito's chest.

Bang!

The Yugito sent flying backward, the Tailed Beast Ball in its throat was broken, and turned into a few wisps of black smoke that spilled from the corner of its mouth.

Before she even landed, Naruto had already caught up, his right hand gripping her neck like a vise, slamming her heavily against the stone wall.

Boom! The stone wall cracked.

"Come out!" Naruto pinched out two fingers with his left hand, the fingertips covered with a layer of high-density Yang Release, and swiftly inserted them into the muscles of Yugito's shoulder and back of the neck, clamping the three jet-black Receiver Rods, and pulled them out forcefully.

Black blood splattered.

Three metal rods covered in black mud were slammed to the ground with a crisp clanging sound.

Without the interference of the Receiver Rods, the vast, ocean-like life force of Yang Release flowed back into Yugito's meridians. The frenzied black incantations vanished rapidly, like snowflakes meeting the blazing sun.

The eerie blue demonic flames were extinguished, and the Two-Tails 'Chakra was forcibly suppressed and sealed back into place.

The madness in the Yugito's eyes dissipated, his pupils returned to normal, and he collapsed as if all his strength had been drained.

Naruto casually grabbed her by the back of her collar, like picking up a ragdoll cat, and tossed her to Samui who was following behind.

"Please catch your cats." Naruto clapped his hands, his expression as calm as if he had merely swept away the fallen leaves in front of the door.

Samui caught Yugito steadily, and his hands felt a powerful and warm aura lingering in Yugito's meridians, which not only suppressed the Tailed Beast but also soothed Yugito's previous hidden injuries.

The ice-cold beauty's eyes flickered violently.

Not only does it possess Monster Strength of crushing everything, but it also holds the power to heal all things. Such abilities are unheard of.

Just then, three gray figures suddenly emerged from the shadows of the Black Market Altar, wielding Senbon coated in poison, and rushed towards Naruto's blind spot from three directions. They were wandering ninjas responsible for controlling the Receiver Rods, and seeing their plan fail, they were resorting to desperate measures.

Clang!

It flashed like a bolt of lightning.

Samui didn't even get a clear look at the faces of those gray figures before his body transformed into a bolt of lightning. His short sword drew a cold, semi-circular line in mid-air.

"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!"

Three headless corpses lay splattered in the puddles, the stench of blood spreading out.

Samui sheathed his sword, stood beside the corpses, and looked directly at Naruto: "This is Hidden Cloud's sincerity. In this game, Hidden Leaf and Hidden Cloud are prey. The real seller is down below."

Naruto's lips curled into a menacing smile as his gaze swept over Samui's rain-soaked uniform, which clung to her impressive curves. "Not too stupid."

He stepped over the corpses on the ground and walked toward the hidden iron gate behind the altar.

"Karin, report the news."

"Sixty meters underground, twelve Chakra reactions, four of which are Jonin level, and... the fluctuations of Lightning Release Explosive Tag!" Karin spoke rapidly with her eyes closed.

Naruto raised his right leg and, without any fancy moves, kicked the iron gate solidly in the center.

A loud crash.

The massive door, weighing several tons, along with its frame, was torn apart by the violent force and crashed down into the passageway.

"Let's go see who dares to trade my things."

The group sped up the winding stairs. The underground mine became increasingly open, and the air was filled with the pungent Yakumi of gunpowder and damp, musty odors.

After passing through a narrow corridor of stalactites, the view suddenly opens up.

This is a hollowed-out core mine shaft, with huge Lightning Ore embedded in the surrounding rock walls, gleaming with an eerie blue light.

A large stone table was placed in the center of the mine.

Several wandering ninjas wearing mismatched cloaks of various colors were confronting several scarred men wearing Hidden Cloud tactical vests.

On the stone table, the remaining half of the Uzumaki seal diagram lay prominently on the left, its edges bearing traces of violent tearing. On the right, several thick stacks of documents were laid out, the top one bearing the top-secret seal of the Kumogakure.

Upon hearing the explosion from the passage, everyone simultaneously drew their weapons and turned around.

Samui's eyes turned cold as he stared intently at the stack of documents. "The border defense map of the Land of Lightning... and the blueprints for Lightning Ore weapon cores! You bunch of traitorous scum!"

She finally understood why this group of missing-nin had gone to such lengths to lure the two villages into war. As long as Hidden Leaf and Hidden Cloud fought on the border, the border defenses would inevitably be redeployed, and this deployment map could fetch an astronomical price on the black market.

Moreover, trading the sealing map of the Uzumaki together with the defense map of the Hidden Cloud clearly indicates an intention to completely muddy the waters between the Fire and Lightning Kingdoms!

"Kill them! Take the map!" The leader of the wandering ninjas, wearing a hood, rapidly Hand Seals.

"Kakashi." Naruto had no intention of forming Hand Seals at all, his tone as casual as if he were ordering food.

"Understood." Kakashi Forehead Protector, his Sharingan glowing red, and his hands moved in a blur before he slammed his palms heavily onto the ground.

Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Walls!

Boom!

At the mine's only exit, four high rock walls, each half a meter thick, rise abruptly from the ground, completely sealing off the entire underground space.

"Operation Hidden Cloud!" Samui shouted, drawing her short sword and slicing into the enemy ranks like an ice-blue cheetah.

Karui roared and brandished his longsword, the blade crackling with Lightning Release Chakra, shattering the defenses of two missing-nin. Omoi, meanwhile, chewed on a candy stick, his swordsmanship skillfully protecting the stone table to prevent anyone from destroying the evidence.

The chaotic battle quickly spiraled out of control.

Sparks from clashing swords flashed repeatedly in the dimly lit mine.

Naruto stood before the Earth Style Wall, not in a hurry to make a move. His gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield, locking onto the wandering ninja leader who was trying to retreat into the shadows.

"Sasuke," Naruto said.

Upon hearing this, Sasuke's eyes darted wildly with the two tomoe. The frustration and resentment he had felt during this period transformed into a focused, all-seeing gaze. He was no longer the burden who could only watch Naruto unleash his power and then question his own existence; he wanted to prove the value of the Uchiha clan.

On the retina, the enemy's muscle contractions and Chakra flow were clearly dissected.

The leader appeared to be retreating, but in reality, his Chakra was surging wildly towards his feet and right hand. Buried beneath that spot was a network of explosives connecting the entire mine's load-bearing pillars!

"Seven o'clock to the right front! He's connecting to the underground minefield! The target is the load-bearing pillar!" Sasuke shouted sharply, his voice still clear in the noisy mine.

The moment the information was given, Naruto moved.

It didn't involve opening the Eight Gates; it was merely an explosion of the Sage Body's basic abilities.

A muffled sonic boom echoed through the air, Naruto, leaving a trail of afterimages, traversed thirty meters and appeared directly in front of the leader.

The leader's eyelids twitched violently, and his right hand, Hand Seals, was about to press down.

A Kunai shimmering with golden Chakra pierced through his right wrist with a soft "plop" at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, and was pinned to the stone wall beside him.

Bones shattered, meridians severed.

The Lightning Release Chakra, powerful enough to ignite the mine, vanished completely under the domineering force of the Yang Release.

"Too slow, you rat." Naruto's lips curled into a mocking smile as he raised his left foot and stomped on the leader's chest, pinning him to the ground.

A dull thud sounded as bones broke.

The leader coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face contorted in pain, but suddenly he grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth. "Heh... you thought... this was the end of it?"

Click.

An extremely faint mechanical clicking sound came from the leader's left heel, which was being stepped on by Naruto.

It's not Chakra trap, but a purely physical mechanical self-destruct device.

Even before he retreated to this position, his heel was already on that hidden protrusion.

Naruto's eyes darkened.

Boom--!!!

The entire mine shaft shook violently. This was not an ordinary Explosive Tag, but a high-purity Lightning Ore that had been buried deep in the rock strata and had been deliberately detonated.

A deafening tearing sound came from the dome.

A terrifying crack, several meters wide, spread wildly from the top. Tons of boulders, accompanied by violent electric currents, crashed down like a waterfall.

The entire underground structure of Lightning Cloud Gorge began to collapse completely.

"Damn it!" Samui killed the last missing-nin, looked up at the cracked ceiling, and his expression finally changed.

A physical collapse of this scale cannot be stopped even by Earth Style Wall.

Dust mixed with gravel completely obscured the view, and the ground beneath our feet was cracked open like an abyss.

Below the abyss, a raging underground river flows back and forth.

Darkness and a feeling of falling enveloped everyone.