Eight-Tails had immense power. With a single swing, it threw A to the border of the Land of Lightning.
With A's formidable body, he only smashed a large crater into the ground and did not suffer much injury.
It was just the death of his teammates one by one, and the abandoned Kumogakure Army...
'I hope Mabui can notify them to retreat as soon as possible.' He thought in a dejected manner.
This operation was too much of a failure. They should not have thought they could quickly deal with Hiromi. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been entangled by Hiromi, nor would they have let the Kumogakure Army face the three Kage-level combatants: Shisui, Fugaku, and Itachi.
If they had simply faced him head-on, with his and Bee's abilities, they could have briefly entangled Hiromi.
Dōdai, Darui, and Yugito could have countered Shisui and the others, and the Kumogakure Army could at least have entangled them for a while, allowing other battle lines to decide the outcome.
But now, after only one day and night of contact, they had been completely routed.
'Should we unite with Iwagakure?'
There were still nearly ten thousand ninjas in Kumogakure. In this battle, Kumogakure had not bet everything. Besides bringing all their high-end combat power, most of their troops remained in the village.
But just as this thought emerged, he remembered Hiromi's Molten God Form.
That defense, which was so terrifying that even the Double Lariat could not destroy it.
That attack which could melt everything.
And now, his speed was even comparable to his own.
Against such an enemy, even if they united with Iwagakure...
Kumogakure... has completely lost!
Suddenly, he noticed a golden light flash overhead. Immediately after, he realized something, his pupils shrank violently, and his eyes widened.
Soon, he saw a golden stream of light falling rapidly. The red flames that appeared around the golden stream of light due to air friction formed a brilliant tail flame, carrying a fierce momentum as it smashed toward him rapidly.
A's eyes were splitting with rage. "Hiromi!!!"
He did not expect Hiromi to catch up so quickly. Although he hated Hiromi, A did not act tough and immediately turned to flee.
But Hiromi in the air was making micro-adjustments to his direction, and with that ultimate falling speed, unless A fled recklessly, he simply could not escape.
Fleeing was a good choice as he was currently alone. But where could he flee to?
He did not dare to lead Hiromi to Kumogakure. He could not imagine what a disastrous scene it would be if that terrifying natural disaster of a volcanic eruption broke out in Kumogakure.
He also did not dare to lead Hiromi to the battle line near Iwagakure. After all, once Iwagakure learned that Hiromi was so terrifying, they would definitely choose to avoid him, and after easing their hostility toward Konoha, they would target Kumogakure.
Thinking clearly about this, A felt somewhat lost.
The world was clearly so big, yet he had nowhere to run.
BOOM!
As Hiromi landed, the ground shook, and cracks spread.
He looked at A, who was no longer fleeing. His golden gaze, which seemed to see through everything, landed on A.
"Once you die, I promise that I will not take the initiative to attack the Land of Lightning until the Land of Earth is destroyed."
Upon hearing this, A felt a sense of relief in his heart. He had no proof, but he instinctively knew that Hiromi was serious.
However, he had no intention of surrendering. Even if he died, he would make Hiromi bleed. Only the ignorant would hope for the mercy of an enemy.
The Lightning Chakra on A became even more intense—so intense that his body could barely withstand it, and his skin began to tear. Yet, his expression remained unchanged as he stared at Hiromi.
"What happened to Bee?"
"He will die."
"He's not dead yet?"
A glimmer of joy had just surfaced in A's heart, only to be replaced by a frown.
He knew his brother's thoughts well. After throwing him out, he must have been prepared to die in battle. If he wasn't dead, there was only one possibility: Eight-Tails had emerged and been controlled by Hiromi.
In that case, Bee being alive was no different from being dead.
A snorted coldly.
His body, missing both arms, still exuded a formidable aura.
He didn't say anything, like asking not to make Bee suffer, because he still believed in this saying—only the ignorant would hope for the mercy of an enemy.
He channeled a massive amount of Lightning Chakra into his legs and dashed towards Hiromi, regardless of the consequences.
Halfway there, he leaped high into the air, raised one leg, and brought it down in a furious strike.
A flash of white light condensed on Hiromi's hand, the terrifying heat distorting the space. A struck down regardless of everything.
Just as he was about to strike Hiromi's neck, the sound of ten thousand people murmuring seemed to arise.
"Emperor Flame: Piercing."
The scorching white fire flashed and vanished, engulfing A and annihilating him within it, as if he had never existed. Then, it shot straight into the sky and disappeared.
[Mission "You dare imitate me jumping with an ultimate in the center of the village?" completed. You have obtained Sage Body.]
Hiromi turned and left.
The masked man hiding behind a tree had an uncertain expression. "Tell Pain that Hiromi cannot be our partner, he will be a variable in our plan."
The pitcher plant growing halfway out of a thick tree branch nodded, immediately sank into the tree, and vanished.
Even though Black Zetsu had lived for a thousand years and had enough patience, this time, success was too close.
Especially since Hiromi was too strong—strong enough to threaten his existence, as if he were his natural predator.
He must be strangled in the cradle!