After the Longsword: Nuibari's steel wire bound Naruto to a large tree.
Hyuga Neji flashed forward from behind, appearing right in front of Naruto.
"Found you!"
A cold expression on his face, Hyuga Neji raised the Longsword: Nuibari and thrust it straight down.
Beneath the blade's extreme sharpness, the Tailed Beast Cloak wrapped around Naruto's body resisted for only a moment before being pierced clean through, sinking into Naruto's shoulder.
Blood flowed along the razor-sharp edge, dripping onto the ground.
The instant Naruto's real body was struck, all the Shadow Clones that had been rushing over dissolved into puffs of white smoke and vanished.
Naruto couldn't suppress a cry of pain, glaring at Hyuga Neji with unmistakable defiance.
"Before Kirigakure and Konoha fight their decisive battle, I won't kill you. Surrender—I've won this fight!"
Hyuga Neji looked at the bound Naruto, his voice flat and composed.
"I told you I was gonna beat the crap out of you! There's no way I'm surrendering before I do!"
Naruto struggled with all his might, but the Longsword: Nuibari's steel wire was far sturdier than he'd expected. His thrashing only added fresh wounds across his body.
"Futile struggling. Even if you stubbornly refuse to surrender, you can't change the outcome you're in right now."
Hyuga Neji shook his head at Naruto's defiant expression. With this kind of single-minded fool, words truly were meaningless.
"You've gotta be kidding me! Even you—the guy who believed in fate—started rebelling against it!"
"So how could I possibly give up! I won't know unless I try!"
Naruto locked his gaze onto Hyuga Neji and roared with everything he had.
Gurgle—
An even more violent and powerful chakra surged forth from Naruto's body once more!
A third tail of Nine-Tails chakra began emerging from Naruto's Tailed Beast Cloak.
"Roar!"
Naruto let out a bestial snarl and began struggling again with renewed fury.
As Naruto's Tailed Beast Cloak swelled even larger, the steel wire tightened further, biting deep grooves into both the massive tree and the cloak itself.
"Reckless idiot! Keep this up and the wire will snap you in half!"
Hyuga Neji's expression shifted slightly. He yanked the Longsword: Nuibari free from Naruto's shoulder and retreated a step.
Something was clearly off about Naruto's condition right now!
At that very moment!
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Sasuke rapidly formed hand seals in the distance, spewing flames in every direction toward Naruto and Hyuga Neji's position.
Fireballs trailing searing heat rained down from the sky, detonating on impact.
Seeing this, Hyuga Neji had no choice but to swiftly pull away from Naruto, dodging Sasuke's jutsu.
Naruto, still bound to the tree, took one of Sasuke's fireballs head-on with a thunderous boom.
"Sasuke, you bastard! You're trying to burn me to death!"
As the tree crashed to the ground, Naruto burst from the flames, cursing while crying out in pain.
Perhaps the explosion from Sasuke's Fire Release had snapped Naruto out of his Nine-Tails chakra-fueled frenzy.
The third tail of his Tailed Beast Cloak stopped growing, having only emerged a short length.
"I don't believe you'd die that easily!"
Sasuke responded coldly to Naruto's cursing, his hands still forming seals as he unleashed another Fire Release jutsu.
Fireballs continued pouring from Sasuke's mouth, bombarding the area where Naruto and Hyuga Neji stood.
For the moment.
Naruto and Hyuga Neji could only keep shifting positions to dodge.
"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing?! Didn't we agree to take out Neji first?!"
Naruto looked far more wretched now—his clothes torn to shreds, one hand pressed against the wound on his shoulder.
The wound left by the Longsword: Nuibari couldn't be healed quickly, even with the Nine-Tails chakra's powerful regenerative properties.
Hyuga Neji kept his impassive expression, wielding the Longsword: Nuibari in one hand while dodging Sasuke's Fire Release. At the same time, he steadily closed the distance toward Sasuke.
Seeing Sasuke attack Naruto as well, even Hyuga Neji was caught off guard.
Infighting among allies?
Hearing Naruto's angry question, Sasuke showed no sign of stopping.
"I've changed my mind!"
"I'm going to take you both down at once!"
The Sharingan in Sasuke's eyes spun rapidly as he continued hurling Fire Release jutsu at both of them.
With the flames burning and the explosions they produced, the surrounding temperature climbed higher and higher.
"What is Sasuke after? Pure Fire Release alone can't back up that boast of taking down two people at once."
"What's more, his jutsu hasn't actually hit either of us this whole time."
Hyuga Neji furrowed his brow. For some reason, a faint sense of unease welled up from deep within.
Uchiha Sasuke was likewise known as a genius. In Hyuga Neji's eyes, someone like that would never do anything without purpose.
Yet so far, Hyuga Neji hadn't noticed anything amiss. And based on what Sasuke had shown so far.
In Neji's assessment, it still wasn't enough to threaten him. So where was this unease coming from?
At that thought.
Hyuga Neji deliberately slowed his pace, continuously scanning his surroundings while a glint of caution flickered in his eyes.
"It's about time."
Sasuke cast a glance upward at the dark clouds that had gradually gathered overhead, and something stirred within him.
The trail left by his relentless Fire Release was indeed conspicuous, but both Hyuga Neji and Naruto had now entered the jutsu's attack range.
It was time to end this once and for all!
Sasuke's gaze fell on Naruto charging toward him, and his eyes grew resolute.
It's precisely because I understand this bond so deeply that I must sever it with my own hands!
Forgive me, Naruto!
"Lightning Release: Kirin!!"
Sasuke rapidly formed hand seals and let out a mighty roar!
The Chidori Current coursing over his body condensed into a bolt of lightning that shot straight up into the gathering storm clouds, acting as a guide!
The instant the Chidori Current touched the clouds, a deafening crack of thunder exploded across the sky!
Boom! Boom!
The entire bank of clouds transformed into a terrifying thunderhead, and guided by Sasuke's Chidori Current, unleashed massive bolts of natural lightning.
"Roar!"
A sound like a beast's howl—born from colliding bolts of lightning—reverberated through the heavens.
The colossal power of nature's thunder gathered rapidly in the sky, coalescing into a gargantuan kirin composed entirely of lightning, appearing before everyone's eyes.
In that instant, every fighter on the battlefield was drawn to the spectacle!
Kakuzu and Hoshigaki Kisame, both panting heavily, glared at each other with grim intensity. Now the lightning kirin had seized their attention as well.
"What incredible Lightning Release!" Hoshigaki Kisame's pupils contracted as he stared at the colossal lightning kirin hovering in the sky.
"Seems I really did underestimate you, brat. The power of this jutsu has probably reached S-rank!"
"I'm genuinely curious—just how did you pull this off?"
A vicious grin spread across Kakuzu's face as he muttered to himself in a low voice.
Yamashiro Aoba dispersed into a flock of crows, reappearing a short distance away, clutching a wound on his body and breathing hard.
Kakashi leaped over to Yamashiro Aoba's side, a sheen of sweat on his forehead, his breathing similarly ragged.
"I've figured out the gist of their abilities. We need to adjust the plan."
Kakashi spoke in a low voice to Yamashiro Aoba beside him.
"Don't worry, I'm fine!" Yamashiro Aoba nodded quickly, a serious expression settling on his face.
Uchiha Obito appeared a short distance from the two, swinging the chain in his hand, about to strike.
Suddenly, the violent thunder overhead drew his attention, and a massive lightning kirin filled the trio's field of vision.
"Oh?"
"That chakra signature belongs to Sasuke. Interesting—he actually developed an S-rank jutsu all on his own. Impressive."
Uchiha Obito's visible Sharingan flickered slightly.
"Naruto..." Kakashi also witnessed the scene, worry etched across his face.
But right now, he was pinned down by Uchiha Obito with no way to break free.
"I need to finish this fight as quickly as possible!" Kakashi gripped his kunai tightly and charged at Uchiha Obito first.
At this moment.
Because of Sasuke's sudden deployment of Lightning Release: Kirin, even Nagato—who had barely regarded Sasuke before—couldn't help but sit up slightly, a rare gravity appearing in his eyes.
"Using Fire Release to generate rising air currents and create thunderclouds, then using one's own lightning power as a guide."
Nagato murmured softly. To have developed and conceived such a jutsu was proof enough of Sasuke's talent.
"Perhaps I really did underestimate you!"
"But that just confirms my suspicion—Mangekyo Sharingan, is it? We'll see if the two of you can survive this."
"Don't disappoint me!"
Nagato's hands unconsciously tightened as he stared intently at the distant battlefield.
It was rare.
For the first time, a sliver of nervousness stirred deep within Nagato's heart.
Boom!!
Guided by Sasuke, the colossal lightning kirin let out a beast-like roar before hurtling straight toward Hyuga Neji and Naruto.
In that instant!
Both Hyuga Neji and Naruto felt every hair on their bodies stand on end.
The power of this jutsu!
It would kill them!
Hyuga Neji came to an abrupt halt, a flash of horror crossing his eyes.
He'd been scanning his surroundings this whole time—no wonder he'd missed it. The true source of his unease had come from the sky above!
But it was too late to realize that now. Escaping this jutsu's attack range was impossible!
"Damn it!"
Hyuga Neji didn't dare hesitate for even a fraction of a second. He hurled the Longsword: Nuibari skyward with all his strength.
At the same time, he yanked a kunai from his ninja tool pouch, tied the steel wire from the other end of the Longsword: Nuibari to it, and drove the kunai into the ground!
Even as he finished, the Lightning Release: Kirin was already upon him!
"Rotation!"
Hyuga Neji mobilized every ounce of chakra in his body, spinning rapidly with zero hesitation and no holding back.
On the other side, Naruto also sensed the overwhelming danger.
Still slightly dazed, his gaze fell on the wound on his shoulder—the one pierced by Hyuga Neji's Longsword: Nuibari.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Naruto's eyes lit up. He wiped blood from his shoulder, slapped his palm on the ground, and shouted.
A massive plume of white smoke erupted.
Then an enormous purplish-red toad appeared beneath Naruto's feet, carrying a lid-shaped shield on its back and wielding a trident covered in barbs.
Gamaken, newly summoned by Naruto, still wore a dazed expression. He was about to ask Naruto what was going on when he sensed the Lightning Release: Kirin bearing down from above.
Without a moment's hesitation, Gamaken pulled the shield from his back and raised it over his head!
Boom!
The Lightning Release: Kirin slammed down in a blinding explosion of white light and deafening thunder!
A moment later, as the searing brilliance faded.
Sasuke, panting heavily, lifted his head to look at the scorched, blackened ground where the Kirin had struck.
The first thing that came into view was Gamaken's massive silhouette.
"I almost died—thank you, Gamaken!"
Naruto's grateful voice rang out from atop Gamaken.
Naruto lay flat on Gamaken's back, gulping down fresh air. Just moments ago, he'd genuinely thought he was going to die.
"I may not be very bright, but I can block an attack like that, Naruto."
Gamaken lowered his lid-shaped shield, his honest, somewhat simple voice resonating.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Hyuga Neji's clothes were slightly scorched, and he was panting continuously.
He looked up and spotted Gamaken's enormous form nearby, a glimmer of relief in his eyes.
Most of the Lightning Release: Kirin's destructive force had been absorbed by Gamaken.
The residual lightning was partially drawn into the ground through the Longsword: Nuibari's wire, with only a tiny fraction actually striking Hyuga Neji.
As a result, aside from significant chakra depletion and some singed clothing, he had sustained no serious injuries.
"Why... why..."
Sasuke stared at the aftermath. Despite giving everything he had, not only had his jutsu failed to defeat Hyuga Neji and Naruto—neither of them had even suffered significant damage.
Facing this outcome!
An indescribable frustration surged from the depths of Sasuke's heart.
A genius?
He'd fought with everything on the line—how could it end like this!!
Seeing Gamaken that Naruto had summoned only made Sasuke feel the gap between them even more acutely.
"Ahhh!!!"
Sasuke let out a roar of frustration. The Sharingan in his eyes began spinning faster and faster, accelerating beyond its normal speed.
Under the weight of this overwhelming frustration, Sasuke felt a explosive "boom" reverberate inside his skull!
[
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