Fūmori Masaki was seeing a rampaging Tailed Beast form for the first time. Crimson Chakra had completely eroded Ginkaku's skin, and his eyes seemed to have vanished, leaving only two hollow sockets emitting white light. Though he appeared blind, Fūmori Masaki clearly felt a gaze lock onto him.
Fūmori Masaki sprinted away without looking back, moving so fast that he was a mere afterimage to ordinary people. However, Ginkaku's speed was even faster.
Sensing the wind rushing from behind, Fūmori Masaki stopped running forward. Instead, he spun around and swung his blade. With a loud bang, he was swatted away by Ginkaku as easily as one might swat a mosquito.
However, this was exactly what Fūmori Masaki had hoped for. He had no intention of fighting the current Ginkaku; regardless of whether he could win, staying here was a death wish, and he lacked the confidence to defeat Ginkaku anyway. Thus, he had intentionally engaged Ginkaku to borrow his immense strength, letting the impact propel him even further away.
Being swatted away by Ginkaku was part of Fūmori Masaki's planned escape route. He could already sense the positions of the others, and the direction he was sent flying was exactly toward them.
As Fūmori Masaki drew closer to a warehouse, he utilized the surrounding Natural Energy to provide himself with a burst of force. He twisted his body slightly and swung his blade, carving a hole through the warehouse. Holding Sora, he flew straight inside and continued to slash through the obstructing walls.
Senju Touka and the others suddenly heard a massive crash, followed by the sight of Fūmori Masaki flying out of a warehouse while holding a blonde girl. His speed gradually slowed as he landed on the ground, though his feet still carved two deep furrows into the earth.
"Masaki, you..." Senju Touka seemed to realize something.
"Run! There's no need to continue! That guy has unleashed Nine-Tails Chakra; he's a monster now. It's best to leave early!" Fūmori Masaki caught his breath and immediately shouted.
"Haha! You won't escape! Lord Ginkaku is a descendant of the Six Paths Sage; even the Nine-Tails Chakra was obtained by him and Lord Kinkaku!" A dying Kumogakure Ninja laughed loudly upon hearing Fūmori Masaki's words. He was an admirer of the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers; though he was near death, he was not afraid, believing Ginkaku would avenge him.
Among the Kumogakure Ninja captured by Konohagakure, there had been intelligence suggesting Kinkaku and Ginkaku had devoured the flesh of the Nine-Tails to obtain its Chakra. However, it was so bizarre that people were skeptical. Seeing this now, Senju Touka realized the intelligence was true and immediately ordered, "Retreat!"
Just as they were preparing to leave, several crimson hands stretched out from the other side. These were condensed from Tailed Beast Chakra and easily pierced through warehouses and tents. Obstacles along the way collapsed in a series of explosions, leaving only a single crimson figure standing there.
"Fūmori—" the crimson monster whispered.
"I guess he's targeted me," Fūmori Masaki said with a wry smile. He tossed Sora onto the back of Inuzuka Shigeru's Ninken. "Take her and go. If she's a hassle, just knock her out, then have Kei seal her Chakra points. She's an important figure for Kumogakure—I'll handle this guy for now. All of you, leave."
Inuzuka Shigeru quickly knocked out the struggling Sora. He didn't offer to stay and help Fūmori Masaki; he saw clearly that the monster's pressure was terrifying and beyond their ability to handle. With Fūmori Masaki's speed, he might have a chance to stall Ginkaku. If they stayed, they would only throw their lives away, and in the end, they wouldn't even be able to bring the prisoner back.
Tobirama had said from the beginning that the mission must come first and one should not disregard it for personal feelings. Inuzuka Shigeru knew this well. Although they were retreating, he could distinguish what was more important. He could only say, "Take care," before leaving with the other companions, though one person remained behind.
At that moment, Ginkaku sent the six Chakra hands behind him attacking toward Fūmori Masaki.
Fūmori Masaki concentrated his mind and lunged upward. His blade struck one of the Chakra hands, but instead of cutting through, he was repelled by the immense force.
Fūmori Masaki wasn't surprised at all; he had expected this result. This Tailed Beast Version 2 Chakra cloak couldn't even be pierced by the world's sturdiest kusanagi sword. Even with Wind Release Chakra, it was impossible for him to sever a hand made of such condensed Chakra at his current level of strength.
Using the repelling force, Fūmori Masaki twisted his body and struck another Chakra hand. After several exchanges, he managed to parry all the Chakra hands. In just a single breath, he escaped the encirclement of the six hands.
Fūmori Masaki exhaled softly. Though he wasn't injured, the repeated impact of the repelling force was incredibly powerful. Even after dissipating the force, his body felt numb. Fortunately, in Sage Mode, this discomfort quickly vanished.
"Why haven't you left yet?" Fūmori Masaki stared at the crimson figure in the distance. Ginkaku hadn't approached yet, standing there and attacking only with his Chakra hands, which gave Masaki time to speak to the person who stayed.
"I told Satomi I would bring you back safely," Senju Touka said while forming hand seals. "Besides, I am the team leader. If anyone stays, it should be me. How can I let a subordinate stay behind?"
"In that case, I am also the disciple of the Second Hokage, making me more qualified to stay. The strong should protect others' safe retreat." Fūmori Masaki watched the rippling trajectories of the Chakra hands and dodged backward. Ginkaku seemed to be attacking wildly, his Chakra hands destroying the remaining intact tents and warehouses.
"Oh? Are you saying you're stronger than me? Don't get arrogant, kid." Senju Touka cast a Genjutsu on Ginkaku. "Heh, the power of a Tailed Beast is truly something, but at least it worked to some extent."
Fūmori Masaki truly admired Senju Touka's Genjutsu prowess. The principle of Genjutsu was to disrupt the opponent's Chakra, and disrupting such a massive amount of Tailed Beast Chakra was not something an ordinary person could do. Although Uchiha Madara could control the Nine-Tails with Genjutsu, Fūmori Masaki felt that was because the Mangekyo Sharingan had a natural suppression over Tailed Beasts, making them unable to resist.
However, Senju Touka must be consuming a lot of Chakra. Even for a member of the Senju Clan, she wouldn't be able to sustain it for long. Fūmori Masaki felt he couldn't hold Ginkaku back for too long either; he still needed to find an opportunity to leave.
Watching Ginkaku frantically destroy everything around him, Fūmori Masaki grew thoughtful. Perhaps he didn't need to look for an opportunity; one might present itself soon.
#
After using Dust Release to dissolve the city wall, Ōnoki stayed outside. He used Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique to reduce his own weight and float in the sky. This was the Secret Technique of his teacher, Second Tsuchikage Mu. As his disciple, Ōnoki had naturally learned it.
Ōnoki looked at the grain storage area engulfed in a sea of fire and thought the Konoha Ninjas were moving quite fast. Although he hadn't joined the assault, he wasn't idle; his duty was to use Dust Release to sweep away any pursuers that might emerge after the Konoha Ninjas escaped.
Dust Release was best suited for dealing with large numbers of enemies. His teacher had once used it to annihilate a Samurai Corps of over a thousand men in one go, shocking the entire Land of Earth. However, while Dust Release was powerful, it wasn't easy to use. Combining three Chakra natures was extremely troublesome, so the casting speed was not fast. This was why Ōnoki stayed outside; he didn't want to deal with a complex indoor environment where the extremely fast Kumogakure Ninja could close in before he even had a chance to use Dust Release.
Suddenly, Ōnoki sensed a powerful burst of Chakra from the grain storage area. Vaguely, he could see a red deeper than the flames flickering within, which startled him.
"What is that?" Ōnoki hesitated over whether to approach. It was possible the Konoha Ninjas were in trouble, but if they weren't, his intrusion might mess things up. While he was hesitating, he saw Inuzuka Shigeru and Sarutobi Kōnosuke running out of the storage area.
At the same time, Hyūga Kei, Yamanaka Takuma, and Senju Risa appeared to meet them. Ōnoki descended from the sky. He was surprised to see a blonde girl on the back of the Ninken, but he was more concerned about something else. He asked, "Where are your captain and Fūmori Masaki?"
"They're in trouble! It turns out it's true that Ginkaku has Nine-Tails Chakra!" Sarutobi Kōnosuke said, still shaken.
"Nine-Tails Chakra?" Ōnoki was shocked. Iwagakure had only recently joined the battlefield and didn't know about this. Fūmori Masaki and the others hadn't realized Ginkaku was here either, so they hadn't told him.
"Yes, I saw it. It's truly terrifying Chakra," Hyūga Kei said solemnly.
"What should we do? Go back directly? Or find a way to help Lady Touka and Masaki?" Senju Risa asked worriedly. Senju Touka was an important figure in the Senju Clan, and Fūmori Masaki was the Second Hokage's disciple; neither should be abandoned.
Hyūga Kei had been observing the area with his Byakugan. His expression was solemn at first, but it gradually relaxed. He said to the others, "Don't worry, we just need to wait. Lady Touka and Masaki will return."