Fugaku did not slow down. He surged into the Cloud shinobi force, accelerated again, and shot past them.
Only when the Cloud shinobi were out of sight did he stop. He released his Invisibility and stood in an open area, quietly waiting for them to arrive.
Behind him, Jiraiya picked up speed too. Fugaku was in no danger on his own, but stopping more than seven hundred shinobi would be difficult.
Most of them would escape. If they scattered across the Land of Fire, they would pose a grave threat to public safety.
Countless families might be torn apart, and Konoha would ultimately bear the responsibility.
Hunting them down afterward would be extremely difficult, especially with Konoha so short on manpower.
They had to destroy as many enemies as possible in this battle.
The Cloud shinobi raced through the woods. As they emerged from one stretch of trees, a figure appeared ahead of them.
Fugaku Uchiha.
To the Cloud shinobi, he was almost a living nightmare.
"It's Fugaku Uchiha!"
A stir ran through the crowd. Many Cloud shinobi stopped almost instinctively. His reputation alone was enough to make them hesitate.
"He's alone! Everyone, keep moving! One man can't stop hundreds of us!"
Fugaku heard the shout and gave a faint chuckle. Two Shadow Clones appeared beside him.
The three figures spread out in a line across the Cloud shinobi's path and formed hand seals together.
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
Flames poured from all three mouths, sweeping toward the Cloud shinobi like a vast wave.
The Cloud shinobi's faces darkened. Those at the front formed hand seals at once.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Walls of water rose one after another, blocking every flame. The instant water and fire collided, steam billowed up and blanketed a vast area.
As the