Nara Shikaku controlled his shadow whips, their movements like the wind, weaving an impenetrable black net in midair that struck precisely at the explosive tags closing in on Akimichi Chōza, knocking them away before they could detonate.
Explosions of fire blossomed continuously along the outer edge of the shadow web, like festive fireworks.
But under the unending bombardment of explosive tags, Nara Shikaku could not hold out much longer.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead as his chakra was rapidly consumed.
The movement of the shadow whips began to slow, and tiny gaps appeared in the defensive net. Occasionally, an explosive tag slipped through the defense line and burst into small sparks upon Akimichi Chōza's body.
Moreover, as Konan soared into the clouds, her enlarged form—apart from providing shadows for the Shadow Secret Technique—no longer served any decisive purpose, and had now become more of a burden than a benefit.
In a flash of thought, Nara Shikaku changed tactics once again.
"We can't hold out—shrink your size!"
At his command, Akimichi Chōza immediately released his expansion. His enormous body deflated rapidly like air leaving a balloon, and in an instant, the mountain-like giant turned back into that burly shinobi.
With such a large target gone, the explosive tags missed one after another, bursting midair with crackling sounds.
The chain of explosions formed a sea of fire in the sky, and as the scorching shockwaves spread outward, it looked like a magnificent fireworks display—an impressive sight indeed.
Konan cared little for such losses. Still suspended high above the clouds, she raised one hand and pointed. In that instant, tens of thousands of explosive tags transformed into a surging torrent, cascading down from the cloud layer like a white waterfall that enveloped the entire battlefield, beginning a carpet-like bombardment.
"Protect Naruto and fall back! The number of explosive tags is limited—she can't keep bombing forever!"
At Nara Shikaku's command, everyone responded in unison. They immediately formed a defensive formation, shielding the unconscious Naruto at the center as they began an orderly retreat.
These were all battle-hardened elite shinobi; they didn't need specific assignments—each naturally took up their role.
The rearguard shinobi split into two teams in perfect coordination, alternating large-scale offensive ninjutsu to intercept the falling explosive tags.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
The Phoenix Sage Fire transformed into dozens of small fireballs that precisely shot toward the clusters of explosive tags, while the Vacuum Wave produced razor-sharp wind blades that sliced through the sky.
The two ninjutsu worked in tandem, weaving a dense intercepting web of firepower in the air.
They did not aim to injure the enemy—only to detonate the explosive tags in advance.
These countless explosive tags dancing across the sky did not all need to be intercepted; as long as one was detonated, it would trigger a chain explosion that swept away all the tags in that area.
Massive fireballs continuously bloomed in the air, and the shockwaves from the explosions made the ground tremble, with sand, stones, and splintered wood flying everywhere.
Although they could detonate the explosive tags in advance, the shockwaves produced by the blasts still inflicted harm on the people below.
Bit by bit, the accumulated damage was still enough to be fatal.
Each explosion made the rearguard shinobi's bodies sway; some already had blood seeping from their ears and noses.
Amid the thunderous explosions, shinobi were continuously swallowed by the blasts, their screams echoing without end. Yet the remaining ones still pressed forward fearlessly, taking turns to stay behind and cover the retreat, providing protection for the withdrawing formation.
But after being chased for such a long distance and realizing that the explosive tags falling from the sky showed no sign of decreasing, Nara Shikaku was inwardly shocked.
Had the Land of Rain become so wealthy?
They were throwing out explosive tags as if they cost nothing!
Or could it be that the Land of Rain had developed some technology capable of mass-producing explosive tags?
A terrifying thought surfaced in his mind.
If the Land of Rain had truly mastered a technique for rapidly manufacturing explosive tags, the entire power balance of the shinobi world would be broken.
This discovery was even more disturbing than the crisis at hand.
Looking at his severely diminished ranks, Nara Shikaku knew they could not continue fighting like this. Before the enemy ran out of explosive tags, their own comrades would likely all be dead.
His gaze swept swiftly across the battlefield. With a single hand, he pointed forward and shouted: "Change direction—target, Uchiha Itachi!"
After saying that, he turned his head and charged toward Uchiha Yasuo's position.
He did not believe Konan would treat "Uchiha Itachi" differently; most likely, those bombardments would sweep him up all the same.
His objective was merely to kill the rogue ninja "Uchiha Itachi." Whether or not he did it personally was of little concern to him.
Moreover, based on his understanding of Elder Shimura Danzō, there was no way Root would fail to take part at such a critical moment.
It was entirely possible that Root's operatives had already arrived and were concealed somewhere, waiting to strike from the shadows.
If possible, though, he still wished to complete this mission relying solely on the strength of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio squads.
However, this kind of flying kekkei genkai was simply too overpowered; there was no way to pose any threat to it. Rather than bringing back only the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki while letting "Uchiha Itachi" escape, it would be better to cooperate with Root and eliminate this potential threat to the village in one stroke.
After noticing Nara Shikaku and the others charging toward him, Uchiha Yasuo quickly understood what he was thinking.
"Heh, Konan who can fly—now that's a broken cheat!"
"If Nagato hadn't been killed by the plot, just those six billion explosive tags alone could have easily leveled Konohagakure!"
"Since we'll all be colleagues in the future, I'm not getting into a fight with her!"
He curled his lips, stood up on the branch, and was about to use the Body Flicker Technique to leave this soon-to-be focal area and find another spot to keep watching the show.
After all, Konan had already made her move, and Pain had also appeared just now. The following developments no longer required his personal involvement.
That the small Land of Rain had inexplicably produced two shinobi with kekkei genkai—given his understanding of Konohagakure, there was no way they would turn a blind eye. Even without today's clash, the village would surely send people to investigate intelligence later on.
By then, he would only need to add a little fuel to the fire, and the two sides would inevitably fight to the bitter end.
But just as he revealed his intention to change position, Aburame Torune, who had been hiding all along, could no longer hold himself back.
Concealed within the shadows, he quickly formed a series of hand seals.
"Secret Technique: Nano Poison Bugs Technique!"
As he channeled his chakra, those nano-sized insects that had nearly crawled up to the treetops suddenly accelerated as if injected with stimulants. In an instant, they darted up to Uchiha Yasuo's feet, tightly wrapping around his calves.
They ignored chakra defenses, piercing through his clothing to attach directly to his skin, and the moment they made contact, they began releasing a special neurotoxin.
"What?" Uchiha Yasuo only felt a numbness in his legs before his body lost control, and he fell headfirst from the tree.
While his body was still in midair, a Root shinobi's figure appeared beside him. With a flash of cold light, a blade swung straight toward his neck.
...
It had to be said that when it came to assassination, Root was the true professional.
Aburame Torune's secret Rinkaichū Technique was a nanoscopic-level insect jutsu—contact meant infection, it destroyed cells, and ordinary defensive measures were useless.
He was also extremely patient. Knowing that the Uchiha possessed powerful dynamic vision through the Sharingan, he stayed hidden in the shadows, keeping still, merely releasing a small swarm of Rinkaichū that silently crawled toward the treetop where Uchiha Yasuo was.
Even as the Konoha shinobi on the battlefield fell one after another and the situation worsened, he did not move an inch.
His objective was crystal clear—to complete Danzō's order and kill "Uchiha Itachi"!
As for everything else, that had nothing to do with him!
If Susanoo were active, perhaps "Uchiha Itachi" could have blocked the Rinkaichū outside. But under normal circumstances—who would keep Susanoo activated for no reason?
So long as "Uchiha Itachi" was bitten by the Rinkaichū even once, he would most likely lose half his life even if he didn't die outright. Even if it couldn't finish him off immediately, a slow, steady erosion would still kill him in the end.
Under normal conditions, this tactic could not be considered wrong.
The problem, however, was that the "Uchiha Itachi" before him was a fake!
The toxin of the Rinkaichū was indeed unmatched; even Tsunade herself would have great difficulty detoxifying it.
But as it happened, the ability awakened by Uchiha Yasuo's Mangekyō Sharingan was "Inaba no Hakuto"—a healing-type power that could absurdly convert chakra into Yang Release.
As long as the power of Yang Release was sufficient, recreating organs or regenerating limbs was trivial; as for healing injuries or detoxifying poisons, that was even easier.
One could say that this Mangekyō ability was the natural nemesis of all toxin-based techniques.
It utterly countered the Aburame clan!
The moment he was poisoned, Uchiha Yasuo activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, regaining control of his body.
When the Root shinobi appeared to assassinate him, with a single thought from Yasuo, crimson chakra erupted like a volcano, instantly forming into a half-bodied skeletal shape, which in the blink of an eye was covered with muscles and armor, firmly protecting him.
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