A terrifying explosion erupted from the cave behind!
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog was a Fire Release jonin. An explosion of this scale likely meant he had made his move.
Yōkō didn't know Fire Release, and he wasn't sure if Fire Release required oxygen to burn. If it did, wouldn't the people inside the cave suffocate? In fires, over 90% of victims died from poisoning and suffocation, with fewer actually being burned to death.
Yōkō quickly distanced himself from the cave.
He had already given Battalion Commander Yellow Dog an advance warning, doing all he could. If the sky fell now, the taller ones would have to step up and hold it.
The two Iwa-nin traveling underground were dealt with by the Anbu squad, but two more Iwa-nin squads emerged from the forest ahead.
Yōkō created a Shadow Clone to stand guard in front of Purple Cat.
This clone would provide protection for Purple Cat, who absolutely had to seize the chance to use the Mind Body Switch Technique.
With only two members left in the squad, every single one was crucial.
The situation was critical, and there was no time to worry about whether Purple Cat's identity as a member of the Yamanaka clan would be exposed.
Yōkō drew his sword and charged towards the Iwa-nin.
Over a dozen kunai came whistling through the air. Yōkō raised his ninja sword, deflecting them with several swift strikes.
The Iwa-nin squad leader opposite him was shocked. This Fox Anbu's basic skills were incredibly solid; his reaction speed was not that of an ordinary Anbu.
Two Iwa-nin moved to intercept him, while the Iwa-nin squad leader stayed back, forming hand signs to prepare a ninjutsu.
The ninja sword danced and spun in the darkness.
Using Cloud-Style Sword Technique, Yōkō decisively struck the Iwa-nin on his left, quickly killing him.
The other Iwa-nin precisely seized the moment Yōkō's sword was extended, thrusting his kunai towards Yōkō's side.
Yōkō's blade hadn't yet been retracted.
The ninja Ōnoki brought were all highly capable.
Yōkō could probably counter-kill the Iwa-nin on his side even if it meant taking an injury himself.
At that critical moment, the Iwa-nin's movements suddenly froze.
Purple Cat collapsed; she had successfully taken control of this Iwa-nin.
Yōkō seized the opportunity, his ninja sword cutting down the controlled Iwa-nin.
Just then, the Iwa-nin squad leader's ninjutsu arrived!
Hundreds of rock fragments, like bullets, came whistling towards him.
Yōkō had already prepared the single-hand seal for the Earth Clone.
The rocks struck Yōkō, but made a sound as if hitting mud.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Yōkō's body turned into mud, splattering everywhere under the impact of the stones.
The Iwa-nin squad leader was shocked once more.
Why did a Konoha ninja know such a high-level Earth Release technique from Iwagakure?
He didn't even know the A-rank Earth Clone technique.
Instinctively, the Iwa-nin squad leader jumped into the air.
After Earth Clone, the next move was often an underground sneak attack, a common tactic used by many Iwa-nin jonin.
Sure enough, a kunai shot out from beneath his feet.
The Iwa-nin squad leader felt relieved at his quick reaction, having dodged the Fox Anbu's ambush.
However, it was only as the kunai flew past his eyes that he noticed an explosive tag wrapped around its handle!
BOOM!
After the explosion, the Iwa-nin squad leader was sent flying.
Yōkō drew a kunai from his tool pouch and threw it accurately from a distance towards the squad leader.
The kunai pierced the Iwa-nin squad leader's throat. The execution was complete.
After dealing with one squad, Yōkō returned to Purple Cat's side.
His sword was very fast. He wondered if Purple Cat's spirit had returned in time, hoping she wasn't accidentally injured by his blade.
Seeing that Purple Cat was fine, he jumped up into a tree and looked towards the distant main battlefield.
The Adamantine Staff, Dust Release, Wind Release, Earth Release, Fire Release – the entire battlefield was in chaos.
However, none of these was the most eye-catching sight.
Yōkō saw a person!
In the valley, Uzumaki Mito slowly walked out.
Unaided.
At this moment, Uzumaki Mito bore no resemblance to her frail, elderly self.
She reached the outside of the valley and clasped her hands together.
Her chakra boiled over, rapidly condensing into a physical form.
An ominous aura permeated the foot of Ushiga Mountain.
The air felt cold, yet a murderous restlessness rose in their hearts.
This was the Nine-Tails' chakra.
The chakra surrounding Uzumaki Mito surged, slowly forming into a ferocious demon fox head.
More and more chakra poured out, manifesting as an increasing amount of the Nine-Tails' power.
A complete, translucent Nine-Tails appeared within the valley.
Chains coiled around the translucent Nine-Tails' body, and its shoulders, waist, hips, and other key joints were pierced through by iron chains.
This was a special Tailed Beast cloak form never seen in the original story.
Only the top-tier sealing masters of the Uzumaki clan could utilize the Nine-Tails in such a way, using the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
The Nine-Tails lifted its head, and a Tailed Beast Ball rapidly formed in front of its gaping maw.
Ōnoki's miserable cry echoed through the night sky.
"It's a trap! Uzumaki Mito is nowhere near death!"
Seeing Uzumaki Mito's powerful display, Yōkō finally understood. Today was never the day for the Nine-Tails' transfer.
Tonight was a feast prepared by Konoha for its enemies!
There weren't many forces with the power to interfere in Konoha's Nine-Tails transfer, and Iwagakure was one of the strongest among them.
Releasing false information was bound to lure the enemy in.
This was the best chance to weaken Konoha, and the powerful Iwagakure absolutely couldn't resist such temptation.
Lure Iwagakure in, then let them witness the power of the strongest Tailed Beast!
Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki who had released three tails, was no match for the Nine-Tails at all.
Han's Tailed Beast Ball was only the size of a fist, while the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball was dozens of meters across, like a small hill.
The difference was too vast.
Iwagakure's sealing techniques were practically garbage, a world apart from the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts.
Over the decades, Uzumaki Mito had long been close to a perfect Jinchūriki, having developed her own methods for utilizing the Nine-Tails' power.
Not many Konoha shinobi had been deployed this time.
This now showed the advantage of having fewer people, as the Konoha forces desperately fled backward.
The Iwa-nin didn't give up, erecting multiple Earth-Style Wall barriers.
But against the Nine-Tails' massive Tailed Beast Ball, those Earth Release defenses were as flimsy as a stack of old playing cards.
Yōkō looked down and shouted at Purple Cat, "Run! Run now!"
Not daring to look back, Yōkō sprinted at full speed.
He channeled chakra into his legs, pushing his taijutsu and Body Flicker Technique to their limits.
Purple Cat also knew the Body Flicker Technique and wasn't slow either.
They had only run for a few dozen seconds when a terrifying explosion suddenly erupted behind them.
Yōkō quickly tackled Purple Cat to the ground, both of them pressing themselves tightly against the earth.
The shockwave easily shredded the tree canopy. The trunks tilted at a 45-degree angle, almost falling over.
They were already a kilometer away from the blast, yet it still had such force.
The Iwa-nin at the center of the explosion must have suffered terribly.
Maybe ten seconds, maybe fifteen, the shockwave finally subsided.
Yōkō climbed to his feet, immediately pulling out a telescope, jumping onto a tilted tree trunk, and looking back towards where the Iwa-nin had been.
Where the Iwa-nin had been, only a massive crater remained.
Hovering above the crater was a figure.
Ōnoki had used his flight ability to evade the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Ball attack.
He was carrying another person in his hand: the unconscious Jinchūriki, Han.
As for the ground below, it was a barren wasteland, stripped bare to the color of soil, devoid of any grass or a single human figure.
"Shimura Danzo! I will definitely kill you!"
It seemed Ōnoki believed the Konoha Anbu, specifically Danzo, had orchestrated this trap.
Espionage and counter-espionage, intelligence and disinformation – these were all part of the Anbu's work.
...
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(End of Chapter)