The arm of the Third Raikage fell to the ground.
"Ah—!!"
The scream that tore from his throat wasn't only pain—it was disbelief.
The Third Raikage never imagined this outcome.
He had lost.
Lost to the man he had once dismissed.
And because of that arrogance… he had lost an arm.
"Daddy!!"
A, who was still restrained by Ino–Shika–Chō, snapped his head toward the sound. His pupils shrank violently.
That towering figure he had admired since childhood—the invincible Raikage—was missing an arm.
How could this be real?
Shiki stood amid the shattered ground, swords held loosely in his hands, their tips angled forward, pointing straight at the Third Raikage.
"Your Lightning Armor," Shiki said calmly,
"is far more fragile than you think."
"Hmph!"
Even with one arm gone, the Third Raikage stood tall, his presence undiminished by fear of death. If he still had the strength, he would charge forward and kill Shiki without hesitation.
In Kumogakure, very few shinobi feared dying.
Shiki took a step forward, clearly intending to finish it...
but a massive, octopus-like tail whipped down between them.
"Yo! So you're the Golden Lion, huh? And I'm—"
Killer B didn't get to finish.
"Chibaku—no. JIROLL."
Shiki shifted his footing lightly.
The earth answered instantly.
The ground surged like a living tide, jagged stone exploding upward. Killer B's eyes widened—
—and before he could shift forms properly, the torrent of rock slammed into him and sent him flying.
The opening was enough.
A seized it immediately, grabbing his father and retreating at full speed.
"Retreat!! All units, retreat now!!"
A didn't even look back.
His father had lost an arm.
That fact alone erased any thought of continuing this war.
Cloud shinobi hesitated—faces filled with shock and disbelief but they obeyed. One after another, they disengaged, pulling back from the battlefield.
"So you think you can just leave?"
Shiki's voice carried across the field, sharp and amused.
"Leaving in front of me is really starting to feel like an insult."
"Stone Dragon!"
"ROAR—!!"
A massive stone dragon erupted from the ground, coiling skyward before diving straight toward A and the wounded Third Raikage.
"Ninpō—Cat Tail Flame Ball!"
Blue flames tore through the air.
The stone dragon shattered mid-charge.
"Yugito!"
The Third Raikage stared at the woman blocking the path ahead—Matatabi's jinchūriki, Yugito Nii.
Her breathing was steady. Her stance unshaken.
"Raikage-sama," she said firmly. "Leave. I'll stop him."
To stand before someone who had defeated the Third Raikage head-on...
Yugito didn't underestimate Shiki for even a second.
The Raikage clenched his jaw.
"…Kumogakure will not abandon you."
That was all he said.
Then he and A vanished into the retreating forces.
Shiki didn't pursue.
Instead, his gaze settled on Yugito, who now stood alone before him.
"So they left you behind," he said mildly.
"Two-Tails' jinchūriki."
"Hmph!" Yugito snorted. "As long as Raikage-sama escapes, I'll find a way out too."
There was pride in her voice—perhaps even confidence.
After all, she was a jinchūriki.
If she couldn't win, she could still run.
Shiki smiled, but there was no trace of amusement in it...only mockery.
"To say that so casually," he said,
"you really must be underestimating me."
Before Yugito could respond...
Shiki sheathed both blades.
The movement made Yugito hesitate for a split second.
"…You're not using your swords?"
Her doubt didn't last.
"Earth Style" — Shiki spoke calmly —
"Four Guardian Beasts Manifestation."
The ground shattered.
"ROAR—!!"
Four colossal figures tore themselves free from the earth, each formed entirely from compressed stone and chakra.
To the east, a massive stone dragon coiled skyward, its roar shaking the clouds.
To the west, a white stone tiger slammed its claws into the ground, crushing it beneath sheer weight.
From the south, a blazing, winged beast of stone swept upward, scattering debris like feathers.
And from the north, a towering, shell-covered colossus rose, unmoving, impenetrable.
They surrounded Yugito completely.
"…You've got to be kidding me…"
Shiki didn't bother explaining.
"If you want to deal with a monster," he said evenly,
"you answer it with monsters."
The next moment...
Matatabi fully manifested.
Blue flames exploded outward as the Two-Tails roared and clashed against the Four Sacred Beasts. Stone shattered, firestormed, and thunderous impacts shook the land.
It wasn't a battle.
It was a collision of monsters.
"…This is insane."
Shikaku Nara stood near Shiki, watching the devastation unfold. With Kumogakure fully withdrawn, only Yugito remained on the battlefield.
Even knowing how terrifying Shiki had become—
Seeing it firsthand still left him speechless.
"This," Shikaku muttered,
"is a real monster."
Shiki glanced sideways.
"Is that an insult?"
Shikaku laughed softly. "On the contrary."
"In times like these, Konoha needs monsters."
Their eyes met.
Neither said more.
In the crowd behind them, Sarutobi Shinnosuke watched in silence, brows furrowed.
…No.
The Ino–Shika–Chō were loyal to the Hokage.
There couldn't be a problem.
He dismissed the thought, blaming his own nerves.
The battlefield trembled again.
Even so, Matatabi was still a tailed beast.
Destroying it outright wasn't instant.
Shiki sighed.
"Enough."
He raised one hand, eyes turning cold.
"Earth Style — World Alteration."
The earth screamed.
The entire battlefield flipped, layers of land peeling upward like waves, burying Matatabi beneath overwhelming stone.
"ROAR—!!"
The roar grew weaker.
Then...
Silence.
When the dust settled, only a massive crater remained.
The cheering erupted instantly.
"Lord Shiki!!"
"The Golden Lion!!"
"He's unstoppable!!"
To the Konoha shinobi, this power wasn't just terrifying—it was reassuring.
A commander who could sever the Third Raikage's arm and crush a tailed beast…
With someone like that leading them, fear no longer existed.
Ignoring the cheers, Shiki walked to the edge of the crater.
He raised his hand.
Stone flowed upward and with it, Yugito Nii, returned to human form, restrained tightly by rock.
"You bastard…!"
Even exhausted and bound, Yugito met Shiki's gaze fiercely—though deep down, a sense of powerlessness had already settled in her chest.
She had fought him.
And now, she understood.
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