Chapter 406 – Coercion
"Ha… ha…"
The Fourth Raikage stared at the pale golden giant before him, breathing heavily.
He was exhausted.
So exhausted that he felt he could collapse and fall asleep on the spot.
He couldn't even remember the last time he had been pushed this far.
Even when he lost to Minato Namikaze, he had never been this weakened, this battered.
Uchiha Fugaku—
This man was practically a humanoid tailed beast.
No wonder he had been able to deal with the Nine-Tails back then.
Though, according to intelligence, he had subdued it with genjutsu?
The Raikage shook his head.
However Fugaku had done it, that no longer mattered.
What mattered was this:
The man's danger far exceeded expectations.
The Raikage's entire body was riddled with injuries.
The bones in his remaining arm were fractured.
Both legs had suffered severe damage from overusing Lightning Release-enhanced taijutsu.
He knew—
If he continued fighting, he would die here.
But he also knew—
Fugaku was not in good condition either.
Blood streamed heavily from his eyes.
His breathing had grown labored.
Most telling of all—
The pale golden chakra giant behind him had shrunk compared to earlier.
Clearly, the strain was enormous.
No one could fight at that level and remain untouched.
"While I can still move… I need to withdraw."
The Raikage inhaled deeply.
Every movement felt as if his body were tearing apart.
But if he didn't move—
He truly would be torn apart here.
He glanced at the forces behind him.
He didn't know the exact casualty count—
But it would not be small.
Konoha's losses were surely heavy as well.
This battle—
He had lost.
But oddly enough—
He wasn't entirely dissatisfied.
He had obtained valuable intelligence.
Now he understood Fugaku's technique.
"Next time… Uchiha Fugaku."
The Raikage straightened, though pain racked every nerve.
Even battered, he stood proud.
"Next time, I will kill you."
Fugaku's voice was icy.
"If this is your limit… then next time, you will die."
Their gazes locked one final time.
The Raikage studied the towering golden Susanoo.
Then—
He raised his hand.
"Retreat!"
Without hesitation, he turned and withdrew.
The Cloud shinobi followed their commander swiftly.
They all understood something clearly.
The Raikage could have ignored Fugaku and attacked Konoha's troops directly.
But had he done so—
That overwhelmingly destructive shinobi would have annihilated them from behind.
The balance of terror was mutual.
And neither side could afford to push further today.
If that had happened, they would likely all be dead by now.
Whatever the final result of this clash was, none of them could clearly tell anymore. But one thing was certain—
This nightmare of a battle was finally over.
And neither the Cloud nor the Leaf shinobi had any desire to remain in this place a second longer.
Because what had just unfolded between those two men…
Was nothing short of a living nightmare.
Kilometers of terrain had been utterly reshaped.
Massive craters scarred the earth.
Black flames still burned in patches across the wasteland.
Who would believe that this had once been a dense, thriving forest?
Now—
Nothing remained but ruin and desolation.
Not a trace of life in sight.
---
Fugaku watched silently as the Fourth Raikage and the Cloud forces withdrew.
After a long moment, he exhaled deeply and deactivated his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Dizziness hit him almost immediately.
His chakra consumption had far exceeded his expectations.
His condition was terrible—
But he did not move.
He was genuinely worried that if he took even a single step, he might collapse on the spot.
"Commander Fugaku."
At that moment, Hyūga Kaiten approached, accompanied by Uchiha Kawa and Uchiha Ryū.
"Should we pursue them?"
All three were stained with blood. Hyūga Kaiten appeared worse off, but Kawa and Ryū seemed largely unharmed.
Despite having been surrounded earlier, the two Uchiha were formidable combatants—both wielding double-tomoe Sharingan. On a battlefield, that alone placed them among the stronger fighters. As long as they didn't act recklessly, chaotic melee was unlikely to claim their lives.
Fugaku shook his head.
"No need."
"But the Raikage is severely injured," Hyūga Kaiten pressed regretfully. "If we chase now, he may not be able to resist."
"Return. Tally the casualties."
Fugaku turned to leave—
And nearly stumbled.
He steadied himself before speaking again, voice calm but heavy.
"He is the Fourth Raikage, after all. I may not be visibly wounded… but my chakra reserves are nearly exhausted. And I cannot catch him."
It was the truth.
His Third-Stage Susanoo had virtually no mobility.
Even if it did—
He still likely couldn't match a speed-type ninja like the Raikage.
That was his limitation.
His strengths were overwhelming.
So were his weaknesses.
"Are you alright, Clan Head?" Kawa supported him quickly, with Ryū stepping in as well.
"I'm fine," Fugaku replied. "Just overextended. Let's withdraw."
They nodded.
None of them could deny the terrifying speed and destructive power the Raikage had displayed.
If Fugaku had fought that monster for so long and emerged completely unscathed—
That would have been stranger still.
Yet even as they withdrew, Fugaku's thoughts lingered elsewhere.
Where was the Cloud's flanking force?
He had never seen them on this battlefield.
Had the Third Hokage lured them away?
Though he held little personal fondness for Sarutobi Hiruzen—
This was war.
And he did not wish for Konoha's forces to suffer disaster.
---
Hack… hack…
Hiruzen clutched his chest and coughed violently.
His condition was dire.
Worse than dire.
That damned Eight-Tails Jinchūriki—
He wasn't fighting like a mindless beast.
He possessed tactical awareness.
Whether that awareness belonged to the Eight-Tails itself or to its host—
Hiruzen had clearly seen several Cloud shinobi protected by chakra atop the beast's head.
There was only one explanation.
This Eight-Tails was under control.
A Perfect Jinchūriki.
His worst suspicion had been confirmed.
Kumogakure possessed one as well.
The realization filled him with disbelief—
And a trace of despair.
A Perfect Jinchūriki meant harmony between host and tailed beast.
Or a seal and strength powerful enough to force cooperation.
Konoha had once held that advantage.
Now Cloud had achieved it in silence.
Hiruzen's thoughts grew conflicted.
He did not want Konoha reinforcements to approach.
They could not possibly handle such a monster.
Dispersing and retreating was the safest option.
And yet—
He desperately wanted someone to survive and carry this intelligence back to the village.
He had long prepared himself for death.
But this information must reach Konoha.
He forced himself upright.
His bones were fractured in multiple places.
His internal organs likely damaged.
He had barely survived the earlier Tailed Beast Bomb—blocking with every ounce of chakra and the Enma staff.
The staff had already dissipated, returning to the summoning realm.
But he still had to fight.
If possible—
He would capture the host.
And use his final technique.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A torrent of ninjutsu suddenly surged from behind him.
Thousands of techniques slammed into the colossal Eight-Tails.
Explosions thundered.
Even Hiruzen was blasted away by the shockwaves—too weakened now to withstand them.
"Lord Hokage!"
A Sarutobi shinobi appeared via Body Flicker and caught him.
"Are you alright?!"
"Retreat… Perfect Jinchūriki…"
Hiruzen spat blood mid-sentence.
"Retreat! Spread out! Deliver this intelligence to Konoha! Send Kushina—if necessary, summon the Fourth!"
Perfect Jinchūriki?
The shinobi froze—
But before he could respond, a furious roar tore through the smoke.
The Eight-Tails emerged unscathed.
Thousands of techniques—
And it showed no visible injury.
A tentacle smashed down.
The earth split open like an earthquake.
Then—
Its head lifted.
Its mouth opened.
A black sphere condensed.
Tailed Beast Bomb.
Hiruzen's eyes widened.
He had witnessed this devastation once before.
He shoved the shinobi aside and began forming hand seals.
If he could stall it—even slightly—
"Lord Hokage… if he truly retains his rationality…"
The Sarutobi shinobi muttered suddenly.
"Then… perhaps we're not doomed."
Not doomed?!
Hiruzen nearly wanted to strike him.
But before he could respond—
He heard another voice.
"Nara Shikajo."
The young Nara stepped forward from the crowd.
Behind him—
Over a hundred Leaf shinobi stood, holding captured Cloud prisoners.
"Lord Killer B," Shikajo called out loudly.
"I know who you are."
"My superior, Uchiha Kei, informed me before departure—you are a Perfect Jinchūriki."
"Even in this form… you retain your mind."
His voice rang across the battlefield.
"Then tell me—are you willing to annihilate your enemies…"
"And slaughter your own subordinates in the process?"
His heart pounded violently.
He was gambling everything—
On the intelligence Uchiha Kei had given him.
If that information was wrong—
They were all dead.
The Eight-Tails loomed.
The black sphere swelled.
Then—
It fired.
But—
Its head had already turned aside.