Chapter 412: The end of the second battle between Konoha and Sand Village!
Shukaku's Tailed Beast Ball didn't blast towards Shinya, but instead turned towards the Slug, which had just inflicted unforgettable pain upon it!
If it weren't for the Slug's split bodies, which all possessed the ability to greatly divide, causing the Slug to split into countless tiny individuals the moment Shukaku spat out the Tailed Beast Ball, successfully evading its attack... otherwise, the Slug split body summoned by Fujiwara Tetsuya would likely not even have had the chance to return to Shikkotsu Forest...
"Tetsuya, leave the Third Kazekage to me... you go seal the Ichibi first!"
Just as Fujiwara Tetsuya used the Water Mirror Technique, and the reflected Water Mirror Clone of the Third Kazekage was destroyed...
Sakumo Hatake, clutching his blood-soaked abdomen, stumbled and appeared behind Fujiwara Tetsuya.
"Sakumo-senpai, your injuries..."
Looking at Sakumo Hatake's pale expression, a hint of surprise flashed in Fujiwara Tetsuya's eyes.
Based on his understanding of Sakumo Hatake's strength, Chiyo alone could not possibly defeat Sakumo Hatake, let alone inflict such severe injuries upon him.
Could it be a hidden power of Sunagakure?
"Don't overthink it. Chiyo isn't qualified for that!"
"It was merely to end the battle with her quickly, I deliberately exposed a weakness to lure her in."
As he whispered, Fujiwara Tetsuya quickly retreated, his left hand activating the Mystical Palm Technique... to rapidly stop the bleeding for Sakumo Hatake.
"Chiyo? White Fang... what did you do to Elder Chiyo?"
Hearing Sakumo Hatake's explanation, the Third Kazekage, breathing heavily, looked even more grim.
Chiyo! Ebizo!
Although he also feared the power that Chiyo and Ebizo, the siblings, held in Sunagakure...
Neither he nor the politicians in the capital could ignore one issue.
That was, the existence of Chiyo and Ebizo propped up half of Sunagakure, allowing Sunagakure to maintain its position among the Five Great Ninja Villages after the death of the Second Kazekage.
"Don't worry! Chiyo is still alive. Just as I had severely wounded her and was about to finish her off, your Sunagakure puppet squad happened to break in and rescue her."
"However, with injuries like that... even if Tsunade were here, she wouldn't be able to heal them quickly..."
"So, Third Kazekage-sama, you needn't expect her to do anything more for this war."
With a cold sneer, Sakumo Hatake pushed away Fujiwara Tetsuya's right hand and charged directly at the Third Kazekage.
In this war... only Konoha can achieve final victory!
"Hatake Style Sword Art: Lightning Moon Eight Trigrams!"
In high-level battles, it wasn't just Chiyo who collapsed!
After Uchiha Mikoto's forceful entry into the battle, Rasa, who had been confident of victory, was also forcefully suppressed by the combined efforts of Uchiha Mikoto and Akimichi Torifu.
As for Ebizo, although he was manipulating several Sunagakure Jonin and barely maintaining a relatively balanced situation, the massive consumption of Chakra was gradually wearing Ebizo down.
Beads of sweat, as large as beans, continuously rolled down his forehead, soaking his clothes, and finally dripping onto the scorching yellow sand, turning into wisps of mist...
"Water Release: Water Dragon Exploding Bite!"
The moment he arrived at Shukaku's location, Fujiwara Tetsuya raised his hand and directly released an S-rank Water Release Ninjutsu, biting off Shukaku's right arm in the gap of Shukaku being entangled by Shinya and the Slug.
"It's you... you damn Konoha brat!"
Looking at Fujiwara Tetsuya in the sky, and then at Shinya not far from him... Shukaku's memory seemed to return to the last time, the darkest moment when he was jointly sealed by Fujiwara Tetsuya and Shinya.
A Tailed Beast losing to a Tailed Beast, that's understandable!
But a Tailed Beast losing to a human... especially a powerful, strongest Tailed Beast like Lord Shukaku.
That was an absolute humiliation that could never be washed away in its entire life.
Without a doubt!
Shukaku, in this state, went berserk again. No matter how Bunpuku called out in the sea of consciousness, he couldn't awaken Shukaku from its rampaging state.
"Ninja Art: Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Amidst a flurry of chaotic sounds, dozens of Shadow Clones instantly appeared below Fujiwara Tetsuya.
"Go support the other battlefields. I will end this battle as quickly as possible..."
"Shinya! Slug! Let's go... and seal this rampaging fellow."
Having witnessed Shukaku's condensed Tailed Beast Ball, Fujiwara Tetsuya naturally wouldn't give Shukaku another chance to release one... Various Water Release, Lightning Release, and Ice Release Ninjutsu continuously inflicted countless wounds on Shukaku... This was to probe the location of the Jinchuriki Bunpuku, and also to restrict Shukaku's attacks.
"Shinya! Slug... stay back."
"Forbidden Technique: Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags!"
The various Ninja supplies obtained from the Sunagakure Ninja armory, especially highly sought-after items like explosive tags...
Were enough to support Fujiwara Tetsuya through several, or even a dozen, high-intensity battles... As the scroll unfurled, tens of thousands of explosive tags fluttered in mid-air... then precisely detonated at Shukaku's weak points... The towering fire waves were no less powerful than the Tailed Beast Ball Shukaku had just shot at the Slug.
"Is he here?"
Looking at the rolling smoke and dust ahead, a crimson flash flickered in Fujiwara Tetsuya's eyes... Though only for a brief second, it allowed Fujiwara Tetsuya to accurately pinpoint Bunpuku's location.
"Sealing Technique: Four Symbols Sealing Technique!"
Strictly speaking, killing Bunpuku at this moment, causing Shukaku's death... and acquiring a large amount of kill points would be the choice most aligned with Fujiwara Tetsuya's personal interests.
However, at present, he was, after all, the deputy commander of Konoha's frontline, and what he had to do must be based on Konoha's interests.
Capturing Shukaku would give Konoha absolute leverage in negotiations after the war ended...
"Shukaku... lost again?"
Looking up at Fujiwara Tetsuya, who was holding Bunpuku's broken body atop Shinya's head.
Many Sunagakure strongmen felt a sudden realization... When did it start?
The Ichibi Shukaku, which symbolized absolute power and required the entire Sunagakure to concentrate its forces to suppress, had actually begun to become so weak?
"Cough ~ Slug!"
"I need to go to Sakumo-senpai's location now. To end the war with Sunagakure, Konoha has already paid too many lives."
"I'll also have to trouble you to split into as many clones as possible to treat the Konoha Ninja who were severely wounded in battle..."
Although Fujiwara Tetsuya, working with Shinya and the Slug, suppressed Shukaku in just half an hour...
The process was not as simple as imagined.
Due to Chakra depletion, Fujiwara Tetsuya had long since exited the Eight Gates mode... At present, he was only barely able to maintain a standing posture by forcibly refining Chakra with newly developed military rations pills.
"I understand, Tetsuya-sama... leave the healing to me!"
... The moment Fujiwara Tetsuya, Shinya... and the once again unconscious Bunpuku appeared in the Third Kazekage's line of sight, the Third Kazekage's expression instantly became incredibly desolate... He even lost the desire to continue fighting Sakumo Hatake, merely waving his hand to recall the endless iron sand, and stood straight in place.
"Kazekage-sama! This time, you have lost... This war should end ~"
"Yes ~ it's over! Everything is over!"
"This time, you won, Konoha's brats... and White Fang Hatake Sakumo!"
"However, there is one thing I hope you can convey to your Kage: if the situation between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind remains unchanged, if the Land of Fire continues to unscrupulously plunder vast wealth from the Land of Wind... then the fierce winds blowing across the Land of Wind will never cease."
"Even if there is no Third, there will be a Fourth..."
"Sunagakure Ninja, heed my command, withdraw from the battlefield immediately... This war! We have lost..."
Looking at the Third Kazekage's desolate retreating figure, Sakumo Hatake and Fujiwara Tetsuya both felt a lump in their throats.
If they were in his shoes, if they were in the Third Kazekage's position?
How would they reverse their fate? Fight for their village? For their comrades?