Shinichi scanned the area for a moment, then withdrew his gaze, just about to turn to the two reconnaissance members—Aburame Shishō and Inuzuka Tsume—to ask about the situation.
But at that very instant, a sudden chill surged up from his tailbone.
It came without warning, yet it was so sharp it felt like an ice spike stabbing straight into his spine—as if an unseen venomous snake were flicking its tongue in the dark, locking onto him with a deadly stare.
[Ominous Sign]
"Abort the mission! Full retreat!"
Shinichi spoke decisively, without the slightest hesitation.
The moment his words fell, every member turned to look at him in shock. This was the first time Captain Higashino had ever issued an order to abandon a mission.
In their impression, this young captain was always someone who planned before acting, someone who calculated everything flawlessly. No matter how dangerous the mission, he could always find a way to break through and lead them to success—often exceeding expectations. He had never once shown fear or hesitation.
But this time, before the mission had even truly begun—before they had even made contact with the enemy—he had directly ordered a retreat?
One of the new members who had just joined yesterday couldn't help but lower his voice and speak up, "Captain, we haven't fully confirmed the situation in the village ahead. Shouldn't we at least scout it out first…?"
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear. A ninja's duty was to complete the mission. Abandoning it without even trying went against everything they stood for.
Moreover, the painful lesson of Hatake Sakumo—the White Fang of Konoha—who had abandoned a mission to save his comrades only to fall from grace and take his own life, was still deeply etched in the hearts of Konoha's ninja.
"This is an order! I'll bear all responsibility myself."
"Withdraw immediately!"
As his words landed, the veteran members' near-blind trust in their captain instantly overrode their doubts. They moved at once, following the command. The newer members, seeing this, quickly fell in line as well.
The squad soon vanished soundlessly into the night, leaving behind only the faint rustling of wind and swaying branches.
Behind them, the abandoned village remained deathly silent, as if everything that had just happened were nothing more than an illusion.
But only a moment later—
BOOM!!!!!
A savage, feral, and violently oppressive aura erupted from the center of the village like a long-dormant volcano exploding to life!
In the next instant, a half-human, half-beast figure—wrapped in violently surging crimson chakra, crackling with endless scarlet lightning—burst through the village walls like a cannonball. With overwhelming brutality, it charged straight in the direction of the Fourth Independent Combat Unit's retreat!
Where it passed, the ground trembled, trees were torn apart, and the raging red lightning lashed out like serpents, sweeping across everything in its path. The air exploded with continuous thunderous roars—the sight was utterly terrifying!
And this was only the beginning.
At the very moment that crimson figure shot out, countless silhouettes surged forth from every corner of the village and the surrounding forest shadows like a rising tide, following closely behind as they charged forward!
Under the moonlight, cold weapon glints flashed. A rough count put their number at no fewer than five hundred!
This was no hidden supply station of Kumogakure.
This was a massive trap, meticulously prepared by Kumogakure—a deadly snare meant to devour the entire Fourth Independent Unit.
…
Within the dense forest, a hundred figures shot forward like arrows released from a bow, racing across the rugged terrain.
At that moment, Kuromaru, the ninja hound running at the front flank, suddenly let out a warning bark.
Inuzuka Tsume, who had been in charge of scent tracking and rear surveillance, sharply inhaled through her nose. Her expression changed drastically as she spoke urgently: "Captain Shinichi! From the rear flank—there's an extremely powerful presence, full of violent aura. It should be a jinchūriki! He's closing in on us at an incredible speed! Distance is less than two kilometers! And behind him—there are a lot of scent trails. At least five hundred people!"
A jinchūriki! Five hundred!
The moment her words fell, every member felt their hearts jolt violently!
Only now did they fully understand why their captain had been so decisive in ordering a retreat before the mission even began.
If they had followed the original plan and infiltrated the village, they would have already been surrounded by Kumogakure's forces—led by a jinchūriki—and trapped in a certain death scenario!
Shinichi's gaze sharpened instantly as he turned to look back.
The night was deep, mist thick, and the dense forest canopy blocked most of the view.
But within his perception, far in the distance, a massive crimson figure—like an ancient beast—was charging forward with unstoppable force, smashing through every obstacle in its path, rapidly closing the distance!
Even from such a distance, that overwhelming pressure was enough to make one's very soul tremble.
Seeing this, Shinichi shouted sharply: "Don't stop! Keep moving at full speed! Don't look back! Leave the rest to me!"
The instant his words fell, blazing flames ignited at the tips of his fingers.
His hands blurred like afterimages as he struck out in rapid succession toward the fast-approaching figure behind him—left and right, unleashing a flurry of attacks like lightning!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several Dark Brushing Flames screamed through the air, transforming into streaking arrows of fire that tore through the night as they shot toward the pursuing enemy!
The blazing arrows churned through the sky, igniting the branches and foliage along their path in an instant, forming a raging wall of fire!
"Hm?!"
"Just like the intel said—instant Fire Release without hand seals?!"
"A Fire Release nin-taijutsu?"
Facing the surging tide of flames, the rapidly closing crimson lightning figure—Blue B—showed a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
But his speed did not slow in the slightest.
Behind him, eight massive tails—fully formed from solid crimson chakra—lashed out like gigantic red serpents, each one moving as if it possessed its own will and intelligence!
The tails were unbelievably agile, carving elegant yet deadly arcs through the air as they precisely intercepted the roaring Dark Brushing Flames!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
Deafening explosions erupted in succession as the Dark Brushing Flames collided violently with the crimson chakra tails, bursting into showers of sparks and savage shockwaves that instantly reduced a large swath of forest into scorched wasteland!
In the flickering firelight, Blue B's half-tailed-beast-transformed, ferocious face—and those iconic eight crimson tails—were clearly reflected in Shinichi's eyes.
Blue B!
Kumogakure's Eight-Tails jinchūriki!
Shinichi's gaze sharpened, and without hesitation, he called out to Might Duy ahead, who had also turned back: "Duy-senpai! Seventh Gate!"
"Understood!"
Might Duy nodded, saying nothing more. He crossed his arms sharply over his chest—then slammed them downward!
A terrifying shockwave burst from his body!
The chakra pressure surged outward like something tangible, spreading wildly in all directions. Trees around him snapped at the waist, the ground cracked, and shards of stone blasted outward!
Duy's skin flushed an unnatural crimson. The chakra around him first turned a blazing blue, like burning azure flames—then that blue gradually took on streaks of red, as if he were a war god wreathed in fire!
At almost the same moment, the temperature around Shinichi began to skyrocket!
The air itself seemed to ignite as countless flames surged into existence around him, converging toward his right fist like rivers flowing into the sea!
The flames compressed—then compressed further—then condensed again upon his fist!
At this moment, his right hand seemed to be gripping a miniature sun, radiating a heart-pounding aura of destruction!
The surrounding air twisted violently from the heat, forming visible ripples!
In the next instant, Shinichi's eyes narrowed. He turned and faced the crimson figure still closing in—wrapped in endless red lightning and violent pressure—and threw a punch!
Boom!
A colossal wave of blazing light erupted from his fist with a thunderous roar!
The beam spanned dozens of meters in width. Wherever it passed, space itself seemed scorched and warped. The air ahead was violently forced aside, forming a fan-shaped vacuum zone hundreds of meters tall, visible to the naked eye!
Everything along its path—trees, rocks, even the lingering mist—was shattered, incinerated, and vaporized the instant it came into contact with the beam, leaving not even ashes behind!
This overwhelming wave of destruction tore through the night sky, crashing forward toward Blue B like an unstoppable force!
Secret Technique: Ultimate Art — Vermilion Heaven Purge!
This was another ultimate nin-taijutsu technique born from Shinichi's perfect fusion of Monster Strength and Fire-attribute chakra.
Unlike Heavenly Collapse, which condensed all its power into a single point and unleashed it only at the moment of impact for a precise "point kill," Vermilion Heaven Purge represented the opposite extreme.
It still relied on compression—still on condensation—but instead of focusing everything into a single point, it pursued the absolute limit of energy release and wide-area destruction!
The fire-attribute chakra, compressed to its utmost limit, was fully unleashed at the moment of release—transforming into a sweeping wave of annihilation!
In simple terms, among all the Fire Release nin-taijutsu Shinichi currently possessed, this was the most violent in raw power, the widest in coverage, and the most suitable for clearing the battlefield or cutting off large-scale pursuit—a true map-clearing, ultimate finisher!
And just as Shinichi unleashed Vermilion Heaven Purge, in another concealed spot within the forest, Isshin had already reverted to his original form and was quietly lying in ambush.
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