Chapter 175: Trapped Like a Turtle in a Jar
This scene left all the ninja completely stunned.
None of them had expected the red light barrier to be so powerful—not even Earth Release techniques could stop it.
But some refused to believe it.
More and more Iwagakure ninja began to make their moves.
"Everyone, attack together! We have to stop it!!"
"If we let it spread any further, we're dead!!"
Cries rang out from within the crowd.
Immediately, dozens of jōnin stepped forward to join forces.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Rampart!!"
They used the same technique again.
But this time, since dozens of jōnin were acting in unison, the power was incomparably greater than before.
Massive, solid walls of earth erupted from the ground, towering straight up into the clouds.
And it wasn't just a single layer—multiple walls appeared at once, rising in front of everyone.
The sky-piercing barriers quickly blocked their line of sight entirely.
They could no longer see the eerie red light screen ahead.
For a moment, nothing seemed to happen.
"Did it... actually work?"
One of the Iwagakure ninja asked in a tone of uncertainty.
The others began snapping out of their daze, turning to try and block the red light screen from spreading in other directions.
"Quick, block the left, right, and rear barriers too!! It's closing in!"
Seeing that the coordinated Earth Flow Rampart had apparently worked, the other ninja quickly followed suit.
They broke off into small squads, forming lines along the left, right, and rear flanks, using Earth Release techniques simultaneously.
Giant walls rose like a canopy to block the sky, and it truly did seem that they'd successfully stopped the red light screen from advancing any further.
After this frantic effort, everyone had consumed a large amount of chakra.
Looking up at the seemingly endless barriers towering into the sky, the alliance army—composed mainly of ninja from the Land of Earth's Iwagakure—breathed a collective sigh of relief.
"Whew... we're finally safe."
"But what's going on here? Is Konoha attacking us?!"
Someone asked, still shaken and unsure.
Only now did they finally have a moment to breathe.
Finally, they could start figuring out what had just happened.
"This must be some kind of barrier jutsu."
Kurotsuchi muttered, staring at the red glow still faintly radiating from the sky above.
His words made everyone tense.
"This is a barrier-type technique called the Four Red Yang Formation."
Ōnoki spoke gravely.
But what he didn't tell them was just how powerful the Four Red Yang Formation truly was.
Nor did he mention another secret: the specific conditions required to activate it.
Kurotsuchi shot his father a deep look but said nothing.
Still, unease gnawed at him from within.
He'd heard of the Four Red Yang Formation before.
It was rumored to be an exceptionally powerful barrier jutsu.
More importantly, activating it required four Kage-level fighters to work together in perfect unison.
If this really was an attack from Konoha, that meant one thing:
Konoha had at least four ninja whose strength had reached Kage-level!
That was a very bad sign for the allied forces from the Land of Earth.
"Lord Third Tsuchikage, it looks like we're trapped here. What should we do?"
The Shadow of Oni from the Land of Oni's Oni Shadow Ninja Village asked.
Ōnoki was pondering the same question.
When he looked around, he saw that all eyes were on him.
They were the ones who had come to Iwagakure seeking protection.
And it was he who had urged them to send troops and cooperate in fighting Konoha.
Otherwise, with their own strength, they wouldn't have dared to challenge Konoha even if they'd had a hundred times the courage.
Now, having personally led this expedition, he had clearly become the spiritual pillar for these people.
"Don't worry. I'll go up and see what's going on!"
Ōnoki declared, then looked to the sky before flying straight up at high speed.
As he rose higher and higher, the ninja below all wore anxious expressions.
Elsewhere, near the now-trapped allied army from the Land of Earth, atop a vantage point—
Uchiha Dali gazed at the red square light pillar in the distance with great satisfaction.
But those beside him—Minato Namikaze, Shisui Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha, and others—felt very differently.
"Lord Fourth Hokage, I can't believe you activated the Four Red Yang Formation all by yourself…"
Minato spoke in admiration after recovering from his initial shock.
From the moment the Four Red Yang Formation was developed, it had been established that the jutsu could only be used through the combined effort of four Kage-level individuals.
It was a forbidden technique, and the chakra consumption was immense.
If someone's strength fell short and they tried to use it forcefully, the technique would not only fail—it could even backfire and harm the user.
Minato had already mentally prepared for this.
He had planned to perform it alongside Uchiha Dali, Shisui, and Fugaku.
But to his surprise, the moment Uchiha Dali brought them to the battlefield and located the allied army from the Land of Earth, he immediately activated the jutsu on his own.
And he had actually succeeded.
Now, the Four Red Yang Formation spanned a massive area, its walls reaching so high they blotted out the sky, completely trapping every invading enemy inside an enormous square light pillar.
Anyone could tell the barrier had lost none of its power.
If anything, Minato and the others felt that the version Uchiha Dali had cast on his own was even stronger than what four regular Kage-level ninja could achieve together.
"Unbelievable…"
Minato couldn't help marveling again.
Naturally, the same sense of shock was shared by Fugaku, Shisui, Kakashi, Hiashi Hyuga, and the others.
These elite fighters had all expected Uchiha Dali to follow Minato's suggestion.
None of them had imagined that the moment he reached the battlefield, Uchiha Dali would simply create four shadow clones and instantly cast the Four Red Yang Formation.
Everyone was still reeling from that moment of shock.
By contrast, Uchiha Dali showed little reaction, his demeanor calm and relaxed, as if he'd done something utterly trivial.
"It looks like the barrier's been blocked."
Fugaku observed.
Uchiha Dali, of course, saw it too.
But he didn't make a move—he had let them do it on purpose.
After all, his main objective was already accomplished:
He'd successfully trapped the enemy here.
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