Chapter 62: Susanoo — Yasaka Magatama
Deep within the dark forest, three figures raced through the trees at high speed, heading straight toward the central command post of Konoha.
"Jinpachi, they're sending you to your death. What are you thinking? Don't tell me you're planning to defect?"
The question came from beside the jinchūriki.
The mission required the jinchūriki to charge directly into the enemy formation, release the Tailed Beast, and inflict massive casualties on the enemy forces.
For a jinchūriki, that was practically suicide.
Tailed Beasts were powerful deterrents in wartime, but they weren't the pinnacle of shinobi combat. The highest level of battle was still decided by the elite shinobi of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
And there had always been established methods for dealing with Tailed Beasts.
"Jinpachi, don't put it that way. I believe Hitō will complete the mission, and so will we. This time, we have to inflict even greater damage on Konoha."
Fubuki Shirō spoke calmly.
A twisted scar resembling a centipede ran across his left cheek, marring his originally refined features. But to a shinobi, a scar was hardly worth mentioning.
Whoosh!
"As long as I can severely injure the enemy and benefit the village, I'm willing to sacrifice myself."
Hitō spoke firmly, then slapped his right hand against his chest.
His eyes were filled with determination.
"Is that so? How boring."
Jinpachi shrugged.
"If it were me, I'd have run away a long time ago. Seriously, what were they thinking when they decided to send me out here to die?"
"Jinpachi, talk less."
Shirō was speechless.
Jinpachi merely shrugged again as the trees blurred past behind him.
"I wonder if Tenka and the others can intercept Konoha's reconnaissance team. According to the intelligence, Konoha has sent out a very powerful squad."
"The Deep-Sea Terror Barrier used by that squad is a ninjutsu capable of suppressing a Tailed Beast for an extended period. As long as Tenka and the others are careful and successfully deploy it, they could even hold off the Hokage for a while."
Shirō's expression remained serious.
"We're still half a day's journey from Konoha's central command post. Let's hope the intelligence provided by our spy is accurate."
"This is my first time participating in a war involving a Tailed Beast."
Jinpachi grinned.
"Heh. This is going to be interesting."
"Let's speed up. Konoha may have pursuit teams, and there could be more than one."
"Relax, relax. How many experts can Konoha possibly have? Once they know we're bringing a Tailed Beast onto the battlefield, they won't dare send cannon fodder after us, right? We're not exactly helpless either."
...
A gigantic barrier stood in the forest.
It was pitch-black, like the depths of the ocean.
Every so often, bulges appeared along the barrier's outer surface before quickly returning to normal.
The phenomenon continued again and again.
"Damn it... Konoha's shinobi are too troublesome. Captain Tenka, we can't hold out much longer."
One of the Mist shinobi maintaining the barrier spoke with difficulty.
He could clearly feel the rapid depletion of his Chakra, as well as the chaos within the barrier.
The Chakra flowing through his hands gradually weakened until his connection with the barrier was completely severed.
It wasn't just him.
Other shinobi with similar Chakra reserves also began running out of Chakra one after another, their connections to the barrier slowly disappearing.
As they withdrew, the sound of crashing waves echoed through the forest.
Water surged outward from the barrier.
Seeing this, Tenka's expression darkened.
"Damn it! Help me!"
He refused to retreat.
He had to hold the position.
As his subordinates withdrew one after another, the barrier's power gradually weakened. Tenka had no choice but to pour even more Chakra into it, supplementing the enormous amount he was already supplying.
"Konoha actually sent someone this terrifying."
He stared into the barrier.
Through their connection to the barrier, they could sense what was happening inside.
A gigantic skeletal warrior had appeared within the barrier.
It was protecting the Konoha shinobi trapped inside.
The enormous blue-green figure swung a massive sword, violently disturbing the interior of the barrier.
That was the source of the enormous pressure tearing at the barrier.
"Shisui, are you all right? How about letting me out? I need to use my ultimate technique. Otherwise, your eyes..."
Gōenji spoke slowly as he looked at Shisui.
Blood was flowing from the young man's eyes.
The enemy had clearly come prepared.
They weren't necessarily targeting Gōenji and the others specifically. Instead, they had prepared this strategy to deal with Konoha's capable shinobi.
They were probably simply trying to delay them.
It was an extremely cruel interception strategy.
Gōenji hadn't received any intelligence about it beforehand.
Apparently, every village had its own secret weapons.
Blood and tears continued to flow from Shisui's eyes.
"I'm fine. I suspect your technique may have serious side effects as well. Save it for the Tailed Beast. We need to conserve as much Chakra as possible."
Hayama Shirakumo and Maruboshi Kōsuke stared dumbfounded at the skeletal giant protecting them.
Is this the power of the Uchiha clan?
Even the experienced Kōsuke, who had seen countless things throughout his career, had never witnessed power like this.
Suddenly, Shisui sensed something.
"The enemy's power is weakening."
His expression sharpened.
"Prepare to counterattack. I'm going to break their technique."
"Understood."
Gōenji and the other two nodded and began preparing their own strategies.
Shisui formed hand seals.
Even more blood streamed from his eyes.
His Susanoo changed.
The ribs surrounding its chest slowly opened to both sides, revealing a crimson core of Chakra within.
Countless green lights gathered inside it.
"Susanoo: Yasaka Magatama."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless green projectiles shot from the opened chest like a rain of deadly weapons.
The moment they pierced the Deep-Sea Terror Barrier, ripples spread across its entire surface.
More and more projectiles emerged, their overwhelming number and coverage visible even from outside the barrier.
The green projectiles pierced through the black membrane and reached the outside.
The Deep-Sea Terror Barrier began to collapse.
Boom!
The entire barrier shattered in an instant.
"What?! They actually broke through the Deep-Sea Terror Barrier!"
Tenka felt his connection with the barrier disappear.
At the same time, the green projectiles that had swept past him vanished from sight, crashing into the forest behind him.
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With the barrier gone, the world around them returned to normal.
The Mist shinobi emerged from their positions.
"Reverse Cross Slash."
Two Gōenji clones appeared before the Mist forces, their arms crossed.
The two clones used the Body Flicker Technique and instantly appeared among the enemy formation.
A cross-shaped slash flashed.
Four Mist shinobi were severed cleanly at the waist.
"Vacuum Continuous Slash."
Hayama Shirakumo refused to be outdone.
He rushed forward and unleashed Vacuum Sword.
Countless blades of Wind Release formed in succession, slicing through the Mist formation.
Four more Mist shinobi were cut down.
"Water Flow Slash Wave."
Maruboshi Kōsuke also moved.
A thin stream of water formed before him.
Then—
A high-pressure wave of water swept across the Mist forces.
Only three jōnin managed to evade the attack.
Everyone else was killed.
Blood flowed across the ground.
"Damn it. Retreat!"
Tenka looked at his fallen comrades.
They had exhausted their Chakra and hadn't even had time to evade.
Fury filled his eyes.
But they all understood that time was running out.
Their objective had been accomplished: they had successfully delayed Konoha.
Even if the price had been somewhat heavy, it was time to withdraw.
"Trying to leave?"
Maruboshi Kōsuke appeared in front of Tenka and raised his blade.
Countless thin blades, resembling drooping willow branches, appeared before him.
The other two jōnin were also confronted by Hayama Shirakumo and Gōenji.
The three Konoha shinobi completely blocked their escape routes.
Gōenji's eyes narrowed.
I already told you.
None of you are getting away.