On the main battlefield, the Allied Forces' shinobi were fighting the Ten-Tails clones in squad formations.
Each Ten-Tails clone was huge and bloated—most of them stood three to four meters tall, disgustingly fleshy, and the way they ran made people think of the weird, loping Titans.
Even so, the Allied squads fought with surging momentum, clashing with the clones in a fever of blood and adrenaline.
Over here, the Ino–Shika–Chō squad was in the thick of it.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
"Partial Expansion Jutsu!"
Bam! As Chōji's massive fist hammered down, the Ten-Tails clone—pinned by Shikamaru's shadow—was smashed flat.
As for Ino, the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques weren't very useful in this situation, so she focused on reading the battlefield and calling out warnings to her teammates.
Nearby, a family of three rode the chaos with their ninja dogs.
"Fang Over Fang!!!"
Kiba fought alongside his mom, Tsume, and his sister, Hana, coordinating with their dogs to unleash the clan's secret technique. Three spinning drills tore through three Ten-Tails clones in quick succession.
Tsume's confidence practically overflowed. "Hmph! The Ten-Tails is nothing in front of Fang Over Fang!"
Kiba's forehead twitched. Yep. That's my mom.
In reality, Fang Over Fang wasn't some unstoppable move. From the beginning of his career to the end, it never really changed—great for mowing down fodder, but the moment you ran into something actually strong, it stopped being enough.
But Tsume stayed cocky anyway—probably a dog-owner delusion.
As for why Kiba wasn't teamed up with Hinata, it was simple: Shino wasn't here, and Team 8 was originally built more for reconnaissance. Right now, this battlefield needed combat more than scouting, so it made more sense for Kiba to run with his own ANBU group.
Hinata was currently with her father, Hiashi, along with several other Hyūga powerhouses.
They'd formed a large unit, cutting down enemies at speed while staying tightly clustered around Neji—terrified that anything might happen to the clan's greatest hope.
But after the Hyūga reforms, the overall atmosphere in the clan had turned positive. Even many main-branch members who once rarely left the compound were now actively fighting on the front lines, not inferior to the branch family at all.
And honestly—the Hyūga's Gentle Fist really was strong.
Even Hinata, who was still comparatively weaker, could break a Ten-Tails clone after unleashing Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
The older generation like Hiashi fought with effortless mastery. One Rotation could fling a Ten-Tails clone away, and the Hyūga moved across the battlefield with an almost arrogant freedom, showcasing their strength to everyone watching.
Of course, the most dazzling one was still Neji.
Where Neji's Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Gods Vacuum Palms passed, the Ten-Tails clones flew up like grasshoppers—bodies splitting apart as they died, utterly and completely.
Squads from other villages passed by and couldn't help giving a thumbs-up.
"As expected of the prestigious Hyūga clan—this is insane!"
But really, it wasn't the Hyūga as a whole that was ridiculous.
It was Neji.
Then there was a combined unit of Team 7 and Team Guy.
Sakura, Sai, and Lee formed a trio under Guy's lead, pushing forward at speed.
Three of the loping "weird-type" clones blocked their path, baring fangs and flailing claws. Even without techniques, just their massive bodies carried a heavy pressure.
"Leaf Hurricane!"
Lee and Guy both met them head-on with snapping whip-kicks.
But Guy's body was still in the recovery phase, so he couldn't output his full strength—and he couldn't one-shot them.
Sakura stepped in with monstrous strength, driving a punch that sent one Ten-Tails clone stumbling back.
She'd always had that brute-force talent, and after two years training under Tsunade, her strength had grown fast. But she wasn't delusional—she hadn't "awakened" into some legendary state, and she didn't think she'd caught up to Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto and Sasuke were improving too quickly. For Sakura, closing that gap was getting harder and harder.
At this point, she couldn't even team with them anymore—because those two were fighting near the Ten-Tails' main body, and that was a battlefield she simply couldn't enter.
"Super Beast Scroll!"
Sai rapidly sketched several enormous tigers. The moment they sprang to life, they surged forward and helped finish off the three clones that had been tied down.
After Danzō's death, Sai had completely broken free of Root's control and could finally get along with everyone normally. The only issue was his mouth—he was still sharp-tongued, and Sakura still occasionally flattened him for it.
And because Naruto and Sasuke were so overwhelming, Sai often looked less impressive by comparison.
But here, on this battlefield, Super Beast Scroll was finally getting to shine.
Even so, Team 9 was shining even brighter.
Even though Natsuki had already left Team 9, and even though Aoba was no longer leading them, Yakumo Kurama, Tomoya Yamashiro, and Megumi Katō were still cutting a swath through the enemy.
The three of them took on five Ten-Tails clones at once. Tomoya used the Scatter Thousand Crows Technique to harass and disrupt. Megumi used Water Vines to bind and restrain. And Yakumo—calm and elegant—painted without haste, finishing in a few strokes.
Five bolts of lightning dropped.
Five Ten-Tails clones instantly dropped dead.
Their kill speed was absurd.
Yakumo really was strong—she'd reached elite jōnin level.
Tomoya and Megumi were a bit behind, but their roles were different: one leaned toward intelligence gathering, the other toward medical ninjutsu. Their support was excellent, and their synergy was sharp.
"Yakumo, Tomoya—there are wounded over there. Let's go help!" Megumi hadn't forgotten her responsibility as a medic.
"Sure," Yakumo said gently, her smile soft. "Same as always—Tomoya scouts, I protect, and Megumi treats."
Tomoya, however, looked distracted. His eyes kept drifting toward the Ten-Tails' main body. He knew Natsuki was strong, but he couldn't stop the worry.
"…Who do you think Boss is fighting right now?"
Megumi smiled. "Boss is definitely fighting the strongest enemy. That's what he always does—front line, every time. He even had Madara pinned to the ground and grinding him into the dirt."
That was true… but still.
Tomoya didn't answer. He just kept staring—and then he finally caught sight of Natsuki.
"I see him! Over there! Boss is beating up the Ten-Tails!" Tomoya shouted, practically vibrating with excitement.
Yakumo and Megumi looked immediately.
They saw Natsuki leap up and smash one of the Ten-Tails' hands into a burst of gore—then, with a full three-thousand-six-hundred-degree spinning roundhouse, he actually kicked the gigantic Ten-Tails off the ground.
The Ten-Tails was easily over a thousand meters tall, with a mass that had to be terrifying.
And yet Natsuki kicked it airborne.
It was beyond ridiculous.
Yakumo's smile turned sweet and proud. "Boss is Boss. He's the strongest."
Tomoya and Megumi nodded hard. "Yeah! Boss is the strongest!"
At that moment, after launching the Ten-Tails into the air with the spinning kick, Natsuki didn't stop for even a second. He drove out punch after punch, compressing the air into cannon-blasts that hammered into the Ten-Tails again and again.
No matter how tough its body was, the Ten-Tails still took visible dents—fist marks punched into its flesh—while it howled and shrieked in pain.
(End of Chapter)
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