"ROOOAR!!!"
The Eight-Tails roared at the sky, venting the fury of his imprisonment!
His pure white pupils also showed that he had lost all reason, ruled by his rage toward humans!
His eight enormous octopus tentacles stopped thrashing about. Instead, they rapidly wrapped around his massive body in a spiral, and he began spinning at high speed.
A Tailed Beast version of Rotation! Gyuki's "Eight-Tails Twister"!
Whooom!
A tremendous storm swept in! Vast swaths of earth were churned into the air by the Eight-Tails and surged outward like ocean waves.
Before that torrent of earth, all obstacles might as well not have existed, never mind the wind blades mixed into it that could slice a person in half!
The Eight-Tails' enormous body also stirred the surrounding air, gathering it around his rapidly spinning form until it threatened to become a tornado!
The Eight-Tails was the eye of the tornado, the air spiraling upward as though it would reach the heavens.
Finally, the Eight-Tails stopped his rampage. He flung his gigantic tentacles wide and roared at the land he had "plowed." The first wave of Cloud Shinobi troops had long since vanished from sight!
"Damn it!"
The Third Raikage grabbed the large hand on his shoulder and shifted his center of gravity to Takahashi Yū's side. Bracing his legs and hips against Takahashi Yū, he swiftly bent forward, hoisting him high with his hips and legs, flipping him over his shoulder, and slamming him into the ground!
A shoulder throw!
Thud! Thud!
Two impacts?
Somewhat puzzled, the Third Raikage turned to look and discovered the corpse of a Cloud Shinobi.
The tornado had flung the shinobi into the sky, and the body had fallen here. The Third Raikage immediately clenched his fists. He had not so much as frowned while trading blows with Takahashi Yū, but now his brow was furrowed deeply enough to crush a fly.
"Damn you! How can you be so obnoxious?!"
"Pah! You're just as obnoxious!"
Takahashi Yū kipped up from the ground and blocked the Third Raikage's path. In a hurry to fight the Eight-Tails? Not happening. Gyuki was so adorable. What right did he have to fight him?
"Takahashi Yū! You &#* (Shinobi World profanity!)"
He's getting desperate!
Take my deadly scissor kick!
Takahashi Yū lunged at the Third Raikage, haphazardly slapping aside his defending hands. Taking advantage of his unsettled state, he swiftly thrust one leg between the Third Raikage's legs while wrapping his other leg around and clamping down on one of them.
He pressed his weight against the Third Raikage and squeezed his legs tightly together, forming a pair of scissors!
Using the strength of his legs and a shift in his center of gravity, he brought the Third Raikage down.
A submission hold!
All Takahashi Yū needed to do now was hold this brute here, and the Cloud Shinobi would suffer tremendous losses! It might even end the war!
You should count yourself lucky I haven't used the Seven-Day Lock of Unbreakable Devotion!
Enjoying White Fang's speed, Shimura Danzō soon found the main force that had withdrawn ten li back alongside Sakumo.
Without even straightening his clothes, which had been pulled loose, he waved and shouted:
"Intelligence! Where's the intelligence? Bring it here!"
Several people carried over a member of the Yamanaka Clan. Small metal plates covered his head, and he spoke to Danzo with his eyes closed:
"Lord Danzo, the first scout squad has been wiped out. I've already ordered the second squad to send several people to investigate around the Eight-Tails. The second squad is still near Lord Takahashi Yū. Lord Takahashi Yū is still locked in combat with the Third Raikage."
Danzo spread out a map. His narrow eyes looked even more sinister as he squinted. He then took the intelligence several Root ninja had gathered on the Cloud Shinobi forces and opened it.
"That brute! He went to war with only two squads of sealing ninja!"
Danzo flung the intelligence onto the ground, his face filled with anger.
This is bad!
Rather, the situation was far too good! The Eight-Tails had fully manifested in Perfect Form, and nearly five hundred of the Cloud Shinobi's eight thousand troops had been swept into the sky at once. With only two Sealing Squads, they had almost no room for error!
Moreover, the Third Raikage was tied down by Takahashi Yū and could not return to defend them. This was practically a chance to end the war!
But this would leave the Cloud Shinobi far too badly damaged. Danzo would not even need to order White Fang to take the elite troops to interfere near the Eight-Tails.
Without the Raikage, both the Eight-Tails and the army might well be finished on this plain.
Though favorable for the war, that would not benefit Konoha's long-term plans. Or rather, it would not benefit Danzo's plans for Konoha's future!
"Can you connect to Takahashi Yū's mind? Tell him to let the Third Raikage go back!"
Danzo shouted at the Yamanaka ninja. Though the first light of victory was already in sight, he could not feel happy at all.
"Lord Danzo, the killing intent surrounding Lord Takahashi Yū could kill me in an instant. I cannot pass him any intelligence," the Yamanaka ninja said calmly.
Hearing this, Danzo crumpled the map before him in his grip.
Kumogakure could be left half-dead, but it absolutely could not actually die!
Either half its eight thousand elite troops could die, or it could temporarily lose the Eight-Tails, its tactical "nuclear deterrent." Only one of those outcomes could be allowed, never mind the Third Raikage's safety.
As things stood, the Cloud Shinobi had already temporarily lost the Eight-Tails. The question was how many of those eight thousand elite troops would survive.
Kumogakure was the Battle Maniac of the Shinobi World to begin with. The Cloud Shinobi were precisely why the alliance between the other ninja villages was not harmonious this time!
Like any ordinary political entity, Kumogakure was riddled with factions. Two held the greatest influence. One was the radical faction led by the Raikage, constantly devising ways to plunder resources, people, and land.
The other was the ultraradical faction, which considered the radicals far too conservative!
Its representatives were Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who had already taken the Second Raikage and the Second Hokage to the grave with them.
Not a single nation in the Shinobi World failed to guard against Kumogakure. If Kumogakure could no longer threaten the other nations, those nations would pose a greater threat to Konoha.
If Kumogakure suffered severe losses, Konoha might face the allied armies of the other three nations next time.
"Useless fools! Now I have to think on behalf of those Highland Barbarians too!"
Danzo was beside himself with anger. If the pressure on Konoha increased, how could he expand the ranks of its ordinary ninja? When would they ever dominate the Shinobi World?
This war had already shown Danzo that Konoha had more than enough top-tier combat power, but its ordinary ninja were truly lacking in numbers by comparison. If every defensive line had another three thousand troops, he would dare turn around and declare war on the other four nations!
If Kumogakure suffered severe losses, who would divert the attention of the Land of Earth and the Land of Water? How could Konoha develop in peace?
As for the Land of Wind, even a dog would shake its head at the sight of it. Danzo had never cared about its desert-covered territory.
The ninja at the rear did not understand why Lord Danzo was so angry. They were secretly delighted. At last, victory in this damned war was in sight.
The ninja at the edge cleared a path, and the other members of the Undying Squad finally arrived.
Danzo had never imagined that a day would come when seeing an Uchiha made him happy!
"You! Yes! You ev- ahem, Uchiha brat! Hurry up and use your Sharingan to control the Eight-Tails! Stop him from killing! If he keeps this up, the Cloud Shinobi will lose their fighting spirit!"
"Me?!" Uchiha Shunji pointed at himself, disbelief written all over his face.
"Him?!" He pointed toward the Eight-Tails more than ten li away, still enormous and terrifying even at that distance, and asked for confirmation with trembling lips.
"You can't?!"
"N-no, I can't..."
"How can you say an Uchiha can't do it?! You're an utter disgrace to your ancestors!"
Danzo flew into a rage. And Teacher Tobirama specifically warned the four of us to be wary of the Uchiha Clan! They can't even deal with the Eight-Tails. Useless!
"Hey! You motherf-" Gekko Yūma and Nara Yūma hurriedly restrained Shunji from either side, also covering his mouth before he could spit out the profanity.
Uchiha Delia and Kenichi silently nodded too. They also thought Shunji had been born to disgrace the Uchiha.
Delia, however, unconsciously stroked her eye sockets, silently watching the Eight-Tails rampage in the distance.
"Lord Danzo, we're going to find our captain."
Yamanaka Ayano spoke to Danzo.
Danzo said little. He had never intended to command Takahashi Yū's subordinates, and he waved a hand to let them do as they pleased.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he put down the crumpled map in his hands.
"I remember you're from the Yamanaka Clan, aren't you?"
"Can you contact Takahashi Yū?"
"If I'm close enough, yes!" Yamanaka Ayano replied.
Danzo said, "Wonderful! Hurry and tell Takahashi Yū to let the Raikage go back!"
Ayano said, "Uh... Lord Danzo, once our captain encounters the Raikage, he probably won't let go easily."
"Please! Stop locking down the Raikage! Tell him to let the Raikage go back. He can come back and lock me down instead!"
Having finally found hope, Danzo could hardly let it slip away so easily.
"All right... I'll make sure the message reaches him, but I can't guarantee the captain will listen," Yamanaka Ayano said helplessly.
"ROOOAR!!!"
A wave of sound rolled in from afar, sending everyone's hair flying.
The distant Eight-Tails seemed utterly fed up with these Cloud Shinobi insects.
He raised his horned bull's head high, his mouth slightly open as a black sphere carrying an aura of destruction gathered before it.
A Tailed Beast Bomb!
"Withdraw another ten li!" Danzo, who had seen plenty in his time, gave the order calmly. If that thing went astray, they would suffer for nothing!
Though deeply worried about the current situation, Danzo would not gamble with the lives of Konoha's ninja. These subordinates were the foundation on which he would conquer the world!
"Sakumo, bring the elite Jonin and come with me!" Danzo continued issuing orders without pause.
"But Lord Danzo, your chakra..." Hatake Sakumo was quite worried.
Shimura Danzō stopped Sakumo from continuing and resolutely straightened his combat uniform.
"Move!"
As the entire Konoha force withdrew, several figures rushed toward the Eight-Tails.
You want to ruin my grand plans? Dream on!
Takahashi Yū pinned the Third Raikage to the ground, wrenching his neck with both hands for all he was worth. Lying facedown, the Third Raikage struggled to inch forward. All his thoughts were on the distant Eight-Tails, and he let Takahashi Yū do as he pleased on top of him.
"Don't just lie there like a corpse! Give me something, damn it!"
Veins throbbed on Takahashi Yū's forehead as he looked down at the Third Raikage's face, flushed red with exertion, and snapped irritably.
The Third Raikage had nothing to say to Takahashi Yū. He reached forward and laboriously dragged himself another little distance, taking Takahashi Yū with him.
When he refused to fight, Takahashi Yū could do nothing to him. How infuriating!
Releasing his grip on the Third Raikage's neck, Takahashi Yū sat on his prone body and stamped hard enough to shatter the ground, pushing in the opposite direction. Come on! Let's see who lasts longer!
Still straining against the Third Raikage, Takahashi Yū looked up ahead. A Tailed Beast Bomb was beginning to form in the Eight-Tails' mouth.
Ha! Guess who he's planning to shoot that Tailed Beast Bomb at?
Takahashi Yū immediately brightened. Wouldn't this Tailed Beast Bomb set Kumogakure back a decade?
The Third Raikage's eyes stretched wide with fury!
Lightning suddenly erupted from his body, its dazzling blue glow illuminating the deep crater.
"My pants! Third Raikage, you've got no honor!"
Takahashi Yū hastily jumped off him and took a fighting stance in front of the Third Raikage, blocking his path forward.
The Third Raikage's hair stood on end. The lightning flowing over his body seemed to become solid armor. Once again, he entered full-power Lightning Release Chakra Mode-his strongest Lightning Chakra Mode!
But the lightning around his body continued flowing at a high frequency, faster and faster, until blue light soon enveloped him entirely.
Fuck, he's still got another move up his sleeve?!
In the original story, a Cloud Shinobi had once remarked that only Darui and the previous Raikage possessed black lightning. At the time, the Fourth Raikage had been in office.
Then Takahashi Yū could take a guess at which Raikage possessed Black Lightning!
The Third Raikage's chakra rapidly drained away. The lightning wandering around him seemed to return to its natural state, and the currents flowing over his body slowly turned black. The imposing aura of his lightning developed into something terrifying and sinister.
The Black Lightning Chakra Mode unique to the Third Raikage!
Opening his eyes, the Third Raikage revealed ink-black pupils. There were no whites left; black had swallowed everything.
"This is my first time using this form, Takahashi Yū!"
"Round two!!"
The corners of Takahashi Yū's mouth twitched.
Fuck, haven't we got our roles backward?! Why does he get a sudden power-up? I'm the protagonist!
Takahashi Yū did not dare be careless. [Unyielding] seemed to be faintly warning him!
The Third Raikage felt the Black Lightning ceaselessly eating away at him from within. His physical defenses probably could not match his Lightning Chakra Mode now, but with Black Lightning's enhancement, he was confident he could give his Four-Finger Nukite the power of the one-finger version!
In short, less defense, more attack!
"Now, there's still one thing to deal with!"
The Third Raikage looked sorrowfully toward the Eight-Tails. Lightning shot skyward around him, covering half the sky, though it was only ordinary azure lightning. Suddenly, he spoke calmly to Takahashi Yū:
"Back then, my first partner made a mistake and went berserk. I fought the Eight-Tails alone for three days and cut off all eight of that beast's tails. In the end, we both collapsed from exhaustion!"
"We sealed him again inside my partner's younger brother, my second B. Now the Eight-Tails has broken free and gone berserk again."
"As the man who sealed him again, do you think he hates me? Once he senses my presence, what do you think that beast will do?"
Feeling the Third Raikage's terrifying aura and the Black Lightning that even he found dangerous, Takahashi Yū smiled.
"Third Rai! No! Third Raikage!"
"I, Takahashi Yū, acknowledge you! I accept round two!"
The instant he finished speaking, a Tailed Beast Bomb carrying an aura of destruction fell between them, trailing a wake!
A dazzling light suddenly illuminated the sky. Another "sun" abruptly appeared on the surface, eclipsing the morning sun about to rise!
Its presence made the surrounding air grow heavy. The entire world held its breath, and time seemed to freeze.
Amid the Tailed Beast's furious roar, waves of explosive light spread outward from the Tailed Beast Bomb like a tsunami. The enormous crater became a basin.
The shock wave carried tremendous force, reducing everything in its path to nothing. It tore the earth apart as easily as paper, and even the air seemed to be swallowed!
Before the mushroom cloud of destruction rose, two figures crossed within the red sphere of light and heat!
"Black Lightning: One-Finger Nukite!"
"Slam Fist!!"
Before you continue