"What a spectacular sight!"
Shihōin Naraku watched the scene before him as the Fire Dragon Tornado spiraled skyward, wantonly releasing scorching heat.
He had played no part in this commotion.
It was entirely the result of the Konoha ninja and Cloud ninja clashing with ninjutsu. Of course, the sea of fire had played a part in allowing their Fire Release techniques to form such a terrifying Flame Tornado.
The ninja on both sides were giving the clash their all, not daring to slacken in the slightest.
In the blink of an eye, the Fire Dragon Tornado began moving rapidly down the mountain. The Cloud ninja could no longer hold out.
This outcome was not surprising at all.
The Konoha ninja held the high ground and had the terrain advantage.
The Cloud ninja, meanwhile, could only climb the mountain along the narrow path. Under these circumstances, they could not bring their numerical advantage into play at all.
Holding out for a while was already quite an achievement.
It showed that this group of ninja truly was capable overall, able to hold firm under unfavorable conditions rather than collapse outright.
But now, no matter how hard the Cloud ninja tried, they could no longer change the Flame Tornado's direction.
They could only watch helplessly as searing flames swept toward them. Hurricane-force winds left them barely able to stand, and the ground had already begun cracking from the heat.
"Retreat!"
"Run!"
"Hurry, run!"
At this point, holding out no longer mattered. Their only choice was to retreat at once.
At the foot of the mountain, the Fourth Raikage watched everything unfolding above, his expression turning deeply grave.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Unwilling to give up, the Cloud ninja leading the team immediately leaped out and unleashed consecutive ninjutsu