Then, one of Kumogakure's shinobi managed to break through the defensive perimeter formed by Root and Konoha's forces around the Jinchūriki.
It was Dodai.
His clothes were torn, several wounds covered his body, and his breathing was heavy. He had already spent almost all of his chakra during the battle, but he still had enough left for one final technique. The moment he saw Killer B chained down and surrounded by enemies, he knew he could not hesitate.
Dodai brought his hands together and gathered every last bit of chakra he still possessed.
"Lava Release: Rubber Tsunami!"
A massive amount of rubber erupted in front of him and expanded rapidly until it formed a gigantic wave that surged across the battlefield like a true tsunami, dragging dirt, rocks, abandoned weapons, and everything else in its path. It was heading directly toward Danzō's formation, Baku, and the members of Ino–Shika–Chō. If it reached them, it would break apart their formation and separate Konoha's shinobi from Killer B, giving Kumo a chance to rescue him.
Baku reacted immediately. The massive beast opened its mouth and activated its powerful suction, causing the air to twist violently around it. Dirt was ripped from the ground and debris scattered across the battlefield began flying toward its jaws, while the rubber wave itself shifted slightly and started being drawn in as well.
The summon tried to absorb it, or at the very least hold it back long enough for the others to secure Killer B's capture.
But before it could succeed, a spear of Black Lightning tore through the air at incredible speed.
The attack struck Baku directly.
The beast roared in pain as black electricity spread across its entire body, running through its limbs and forcing it to lose concentration. Its suction stopped immediately, and after trembling for several seconds, Baku disappeared in a massive cloud of smoke.
The one who had launched the attack was none other than Darui.
The Kumogakure shinobi stood several meters away, breathing heavily and covered in wounds. His clothes were torn, and bruises and impact marks covered his body. He had managed to escape from Guy, but he could barely remain standing.
Behind him, Guy was still pursuing him.
The young Konoha shinobi was completely exhausted as well. Maintaining the Fifth Gate demanded an enormous amount of energy, especially for someone of his age. Although Guy was already capable of temporarily opening the Sixth Gate, he knew doing so in his current condition would be far too dangerous. If he opened it now, he probably would not be able to maintain it for more than thirty seconds, and once that time passed, his muscles would suffer severe damage and his body would be nearly useless.
For that reason, Guy had chosen to hold back and continue fighting with only the Fifth Gate. Unfortunately, that decision had given Darui the opening he needed to escape and reach the area where Killer B was being captured.
Guy clenched his teeth when he saw the Black Lightning Spear force Baku to disappear.
"Darui!"
The Kumo shinobi did not answer. He had used almost all of his remaining chakra in that attack, and both his arms and legs were trembling from exhaustion, but he had accomplished what he needed to do.
All he had to do was clear the way for Dodai's Rubber Tsunami.
Without Baku holding it back, the massive wave regained its full momentum and surged directly toward Danzō, Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chōza. They all looked up as the enormous mass of rubber approached, dragging dirt, rocks, and debris across the battlefield.
Killer B was still chained at the center of the formation, but with every passing second, their chance to capture him was slipping away.
Seeing that the tsunami was about to reach them, Chōza gathered the last of his remaining strength.
"Super Expansion Jutsu!"
His body began growing once again. His arms, legs, and torso rapidly increased in size, and for a few seconds, it seemed as though he might become large enough to serve as a barrier and stop the massive wave of rubber.
But when he had barely reached half the size he had achieved during the fight against the Eight-Tails, the transformation suddenly stopped.
Chōza had completely run out of chakra.
His body violently returned to normal, and he dropped to his knees before collapsing onto the ground.
"Chōza!" Inoichi shouted.
The Akimichi Clan leader could barely move his arms. He had used the Super Expansion Jutsu several times, consumed both the Spinach and Curry Pills, and fought directly against the Eight-Tails for far too long. His body had finally reached its limit.
Inoichi and Shikaku rushed toward him. Both were completely exhausted as well, their chakra reserves nearly empty after maintaining the Ino–Shika–Chō formation against a Kage-level opponent for so long. With great effort, they grabbed Chōza by the arms and began dragging him away from the tsunami's path.
Every step was difficult. Inoichi felt like his legs could give out at any moment, while Shikaku was barely able to maintain enough focus to keep moving. Even so, neither of them was willing to abandon their teammate.
They barely managed to escape before the massive rubber wave tore through the position where they had been standing.
The tsunami slammed into the ground with a deafening crash.
Rubber spread in every direction, destroying part of the formation and covering several of the scrolls maintaining the chakra chains. Four of Danzō's shadow clones were struck directly and disappeared one after another in clouds of smoke.
The chakra they still possessed returned to the original Danzō, along with all of their memories and experiences, but so did the exhaustion and strain they had accumulated during the battle. A violent wave of fatigue tore through Danzō's aging body.
The twelve chakra chains began to tremble.
Four of them weakened dramatically, while the remaining eight struggled to keep Killer B restrained.
The Jinchūriki immediately sensed the weakening of the technique and began fighting against his bindings again. Although his chakra was almost completely suppressed, he still had enough physical strength left to strain the links and accelerate their collapse.
Danzō clenched his teeth.
He could not allow Killer B to escape after everything they had sacrificed to capture him.
Seeing that the Jinchūriki was still within reach, he tried to perform one final technique.
"Infinite Advance Jutsu…"
His hands barely managed to form the first seal.
At that exact moment, the strain of maintaining the chains, the sudden return of chakra and exhaustion from the destroyed clones, and the effort of attempting another technique completely surpassed the limits of his body.
Danzō's eyes widened as a crushing pressure shot through his chest.
Then he vomited a large amount of blood.
All strength left his arms, and he collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"Lord Danzō!"
A squad of Root shinobi immediately appeared around him. Two agents grabbed him by the arms while the others formed a defensive perimeter, preventing Kumogakure's shinobi from taking advantage of his weakened state.
Danzō tried to resist.
"I can still… continue…"
He attempted to raise one hand and send more chakra into the chains, but his fingers barely responded.
His body had already reached its limit.
Although Danzō still dreamed of gaining more power and becoming Hokage one day, at this point in time one of his arms remained severely injured, and he had not yet received the Hashirama-cell implant that would later enhance his body. In his youth, he had possessed strength close to that of a low Kage-level shinobi, but with the passing years, injuries, aging, and physical decline had significantly reduced his power.
In his current condition, he could barely be considered quasi-Kage level.
He had compensated for that weakness with experience, intelligence, sealing knowledge, and the support of Root, but even those advantages had limits. The Twelve Chains of Suppression had nearly emptied his chakra reserves.
"Get me out of here…" he finally ordered, gritting his teeth in frustration.
The Root shinobi obeyed immediately. They lifted Danzō and began carrying him toward a safer position while the remaining agents covered their retreat.
At the same time, Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chōza were also forced to withdraw. Together, the Ino–Shika–Chō formation could face a Kage-level shinobi and even restrain one for a period of time, but they had already given everything they had while fighting Killer B in his full Eight-Tails transformation.
Chōza was barely conscious. Inoichi had almost no chakra left, and Shikaku was so exhausted that he could no longer extend his shadow. None of them were in any condition to keep fighting.
From a distance, they watched in frustration as Darui and Dodai finally reached Killer B.
The chains still restraining him began disappearing one after another, weakened by the destroyed scrolls, the vanished clones, and Danzō's collapse. One chain broke apart around Killer B's arm, another vanished from one of his legs, and within seconds the remaining links dissolved into small particles of chakra.
Killer B fell forward, completely unconscious and too weak to support his own body.
Dodai reached him first and caught him before he could hit the ground.
Darui arrived beside him only a moment later.
Both men were badly injured and almost completely out of chakra, but they gathered what little strength they had left and lifted the Jinchūriki between them. Darui took one of B's arms and draped it over his shoulders, while Dodai took the other.
"We need to get him out of here" Dodai said between heavy breaths.
Darui silently nodded.
The two began slowly retreating, carrying Killer B between them.
Guy watched from several meters away. His body was exhausted from maintaining the Fifth Gate for so long, but the frustration of seeing the Jinchūriki escape forced him to move.
"You're not getting away!"
He took a step forward and tried to pursue them, but before he could launch himself after them, Shikaku raised his voice.
"Guy, stop!"
Guy turned toward him in frustration.
"I can still catch them!"
"It isn't worth it" Shikaku replied seriously. "You're exhausted, Darui is still dangerous, and we don't know how many Kumo reinforcements are nearby. The Jinchūriki is already escaping."
"But we almost captured him."
"Exactly. We almost did" Shikaku replied as he looked at his exhausted teammates. "Chasing them now will only cause more casualties."
Guy clenched his fists.
The anger was obvious on his face.
He knew he could still open the Sixth Gate and catch Darui, Dodai, and Killer B. But in his current condition, he would not be able to maintain it for more than thirty seconds. After that, his body would be nearly useless.
Even if he managed to catch them, he would still have to fight Darui, deal with Dodai, and prevent Killer B from recovering even a portion of the Eight-Tails' chakra. There was no guarantee he could defeat them before the Sixth Gate destroyed his muscles.
Shikaku was right.
Continuing the pursuit would be far too dangerous.
Finally, Guy relaxed his body and allowed the Fifth Gate to close. The chakra surrounding him disappeared, and the moment the transformation ended, his legs trembled from exhaustion. He was forced to place one hand against the ground to keep himself from falling.
From a distance, Konoha's shinobi could only watch helplessly as Darui and Dodai carried Killer B away.
They had defeated the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki and pushed him to his limit. They had proven that they could restrain him.
But after everything Danzō, Baku, and the Ino–Shika–Chō formation had sacrificed, the opportunity to capture him had slipped through their fingers by only a few moments.