"This is the intelligence we've gathered on the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Ryūjin."
Sarutobi Kōhi took out a scroll and handed it to Sarutobi Shinnosuke, saying:
"Ryūjin claims to be the first perfect Jinchūriki in Kumogakure's history.
Her strength is immense. No matter how much Tailed Beast chakra she uses, she never loses her reason.
A single Tailed Beast Ball from Ryūjin flattened a sturdy outpost fortress."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke quickly scanned the scroll and said:
"Don't worry. Fox's Wood Release is highly effective against large, chakra-rich enemies.
We can have Fox engage Ryūjin head-on to pin her down, while the others quickly eliminate the remaining Kumo-nin.
Fox's survivability is very high; even facing a Tailed Beast, he won't be defeated quickly."
Yōkō was taken aback. Was he that important? Why was every sentence about him?
What could Yōkō do? He had to go along with it: "Advisor Shinnosuke's tactics are correct. I believe I can accomplish your tactical objective of pinning down Ryūjin."
Hippo, listening nearby to Fox-sama's perfectly timed flattery, felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.
His codename contained 'Hippo', but it couldn't compensate for his inherent lack of talent in brown-nosing.
Sarutobi Kōhi was marking the positions of the Kumo-nin forces on the map.
The Kumo-nin were only about 30 kilometers away from Konoha's temporary camp.
Behind his mask, Yōkō's eyes shifted, looking to the side.
A massive chakra signature was rushing towards this direction, completely unconcealed.
A few Seconds later, Hyūga Koe suddenly stood up, interrupting the discussion between Sarutobi Kōhi and Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
"Sir! A large group of Kumo-nin has appeared 3 kilometers away!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke frowned. He had just been studying with Sarutobi Kōhi how to deploy their forces, never expecting the Kumo-nin to preemptively attack here.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke glanced at the map and said:
"We are only 80 kilometers from the Land of Hot Water's capital. We can't retreat any further.
If we retreat further, it will be hard to explain to the Land of Hot Water Daimyō.
Fox, are you confident in holding back the Jinchūriki, Ryūjin?"
Yōkō thought it was a pity; the new Full Moon Cycle hadn't arrived yet, otherwise he could have drawn some reward from Ryūjin.
He stood up and said, "Advisor Shinnosuke, I cannot guarantee defeating the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, but delaying her for twenty minutes or even half an hour is within my capabilities."
"Excellent." Sarutobi Shinnosuke was very satisfied. He said:
"Then let's fight a major battle here. We must heavily damage the Kumo-nin, to show the Land of Hot Water Daimyō that our Konoha Village's strength remains formidable."
Everyone quickly rushed out of the tent.
Sarutobi Kōhi went to command the three battalions. Hyūga Koe observed the Kumo-nin positions.
Yōkō took a scroll from his tool pouch, preparing to unseal the Senju Broadsword.
Hippo moved closer and said:
"Fox-sama, I've seen Advisor Mitokado Homura use a large scroll half a person's height. In the portraits passed down from the First Hokage's era, he also carried a large scroll.
You already have Advisor Mitokado Homura's precious ninjato. Why not use a large scroll too?
Wouldn't it be more impactful, approaching the aura of those great predecessors?"
Yōkō was startled, turned his head and said, "Hippo, you've improved a lot following me. That flattery hits right at the heart of the matter.
I need to inscribe a seal on my body to store a large scroll half a person's height.
Unsealing a large scroll during battle would indeed have more presence than this palm-sized scroll."
From the low hills and mounds came a cry, like a cat yet also like a leopard.
A Tailed Beast Ball the size of a human head shot forth!
The hilltops along its path were shattered by the shockwave of the Tailed Beast Ball.
Hippo was shocked. Was the Jinchūriki starting with a Tailed Beast Ball?
"Wood Release: Wooden Arhat Technique!"
Hippo heard Fox-sama using a technique beside him.
He and Fox-sama were both shielded beneath a thick wooden shield shaped like a fanged demon face.
The Tailed Beast Ball collided with the Wooden Arhat.
Hippo saw light coming through the gaps in the center of the wooden shield.
It was the light from the Tailed Beast Ball grinding against the Wood Release!
Fox-sama's Wood Release was elastic. It compressed slightly, then bounced the Tailed Beast Ball away!
The Tailed Beast Ball was flung backward and exploded in the distance.
The Wooden Arhat opened, and only then did the explosion and earthquake arrive.
Yōkō said, "Hippo, leave this area. The fight with the Jinchūriki is dangerous. Follow Advisor Shinnosuke and help eliminate the other Kumo-nin as quickly as possible."
As soon as he finished speaking, thick maple trees sprouted all around.
Hippo was lifted by a cluster of tree branches, pushed out of the Wood Release maple forest.
Looking back one last time, he saw Fox-sama holding the Senju Broadsword, swatting the Jinchūriki, who had manifested one tail, sending her flying.
Only one tail? That seemed somewhat disrespectful to Fox-sama.
Yōkō stood on a maple tree rainbow bridge, watching the Two-Tails Jinchūriki being sent flying back by the blow.
This battle was to build a reputation for Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Then let's make it spectacular...
He didn't plan to end it quickly. He intended to fight with grandeur, with momentum, to alter the terrain, to change the face of the mountains and rivers, thus proving Sarutobi Shinnosuke's power.
If Sarutobi Shinnosuke's subordinate was this strong, one could only imagine how powerful Sarutobi Shinnosuke himself must be.
The Two-Tails Jinchūriki was sent flying, plowing deep grooves through two low hills before finally stopping.
She slowly climbed out of the trench, a second tail slowly growing behind her.
Dark red Tailed Beast chakra covered her entire body.
Finally getting serious, huh.
Yōkō unsealed his other ninjato. One thick wooden vine coiled around the Senju Broadsword, another thick wooden vine coiled around the Giant Shuriken.
Yōkō himself held the Chakra Metal Ninjato.
The Two-Tails Jinchūriki charged at Yōkō at high speed, all four claws churning the ground.
Yōkō held the hilt of the Chakra Ninjato in his right hand, his left index finger pressed against the blade.
The Chakra Ninjato was infused with a large amount of Earth Release chakra.
A thin layer of crystallized Earth Release chakra coated the silver blade.
Empowered by the Absolute Defense: Copper Light, the blade took on a reddish-copper hue, possessing the properties of crystallized Earth Release chakra, making it extremely hard.
The Two-Tails charged with extreme speed. Yōkō thrust forward, stabbing the ninjato into the Two-Tails' throat.
The Tailed Beast Cloak was extremely tough, but the ninjato still penetrated half a centimeter.
However, that was all; the blade could advance no further.
The wooden vine on the left swung in a wide arc. The Senju Broadsword, gaining immense kinetic energy, smashed into the Two-Tails' lower back, slamming it into the ground.
The wooden vine on the right also swung in a wide arc, smashing the shuriken over a meter in diameter onto the Two-Tails Jinchūriki's back.
These two giant weapons were perfectly suited for a ninja with immense strength.
To the side, Nara Kyoi had just trapped three Kumo-nin with his shadow secret technique, and the others finished them off.
Hearing the deafening impact sounds nearby, Nara Kyoi saw Fox-sama using wooden vines to wield giant weapons, repeatedly battering the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.
Truly formidable strength. Just watching it made his teeth ache.
With a roar, Yōkō was sent flying by a surge of blue chakra that suddenly appeared.
The blue Two-Tails, Matatabi, appeared.
Its body was covered in eerily flowing blue flames, two tails swaying behind it, its eyes heterochromatic yellow and green.
Yōkō stood on the rainbow bridge. The hot wind blowing from the Two-Tails billowed his white cloak.
Strong. A fully transformed Tailed Beast, a natural disaster. Truly a perfect Jinchūriki.
The Two-Tails opened its mouth and spat out a massive fireball.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
Nara Kyoi watched as the hill-sized fireball crashed into a waterfall-like Water Formation Wall over thirty meters high. He never expected an ordinary Water Release technique from Fox-sama to be so powerful.
The Fire and Water Releases collided, generating thick mist that enveloped the surroundings like a dense fog.
Within the mist, a Wood Dragon bursts through!
The Wood Dragon moved swiftly. Just as the Two-Tails was about to jump, its hind claw was grabbed by the dragon's claw and pulled back to the ground.
The Wood Dragon coiled around the massive Two-Tails like a snake, binding it.
The Two-Tails' chakra was being absorbed, and it roared in pain.
A look of terror appeared in the Two-Tails' eyes. This feeling... was just like when it was captured by Senju Hashirama forty years ago.
It had to gather a Tailed Beast Ball powerful enough to destroy the Wood Dragon in one shot, or its chakra would be drained dry.
The Two-Tails extracted chakra with all its might, forming a Tailed Beast Ball over ten meters in diameter in front of its mouth.
The Wood Dragon's head was biting the Two-Tails' washed neck. The scorching heat of the Tailed Beast Ball over Yōkō's mask.
Yōkō quickly Body flickered away.
The Tailed Beast Ball exploded right next to the Two-Tails.
It shattered the Wood Dragon, but also injured the Two-Tails itself.
The Two-Tails' left shoulder and foreleg were blown away. A massive amount of chakra manifested as blue flames, reforming its body.
Yōkō clapped his hands together, and a second Wood Dragon surged from beneath his feet.
After a quick assessment, the Two-Tails hadn't reached the Super Kage level.
For a shinobi village, Tailed Beasts represented a stable, inheritable Kage-level combat force, ensuring the village's minimum strength threshold, hence their value.
But a Tailed Beast's combat power wasn't necessarily top-tier among the Kage level.
For example, the Third Raikage could personally pin down the Eight-Tails and pummel it.
The Wood Dragon charged forth, taking advantage of the Two-Tails' recent recovery to entangle it once more.
Their battlefield moved north from the temporary camp, with the Two-Tails retreating step by step.
Yōkō had fulfilled his promise to hold back the Two-Tails.
On the main battlefield, Sarutobi Shinnosuke achieved remarkable results.
His Five Elements Unrivalled Attack was specifically aimed at areas densely packed with Kumo-nin. Each blast was equivalent to a small Tailed Beast Ball.
The battle lasted for half an hour.
During that half-hour, the Two-Tails was pinned down by Yōkō, completely unable to intervene, allowing Sarutobi Shinnosuke to Have his way on the main battlefield.
The Kumo-nin left behind many corpses as they retreated along with the Two-Tails.
After several consecutive Five Elements Unrivalled Attacks, Sarutobi Shinnosuke was too exhausted to continue fighting.
Nara Kyoi excitedly recorded the results of the battle.
Advisor Shinnosuke had led just over a hundred Konoha ninja to repel over five hundred Kumo-nin head-on, killing more than 200 of them.
Konohagakure was still the number one shinobi village in the world.
So what if we can't defeat Uchiha Madara? Can't we still handle the rest of you?
Yōkō returned to the devastated temporary camp and said regretfully to Sarutobi Shinnosuke:
"Advisor-sama, I can hold my own without losing, but my offensive capabilities are lacking. I couldn't kill the Two-Tails Jinchūriki."
Sarutobi Shinnosuke was in very high spirits and said, "It's fine. This outcome is already excellent.
After the Kumo-nin withdraw, we can return to negotiate with the Land of Hot Water Daimyō."
When the news of the Kumo-nin provocation force's major defeat and their formal withdrawal from the Land of Hot Water reached Iwagakure, Ōnoki's expression turned very sour.
"Why does Konoha have so many geniuses? How did another Sarutobi Shinnosuke appear?
Can that brute, the Third Raikage, swallow this grievance?
Is he interested in an alliance?
We should just kill this Sarutobi Shinnosuke, blunt Konoha's edge, and let Sarutobi Hiruzen taste the pain of losing a son.
We'll provide three Kage-level experts. Have Kumogakure also provide three Kage-level experts. With six people, are we afraid we can't kill Sarutobi Shinnosuke?"
***
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(End of Chapter)