A golden sphere shot out at the very instant the Four Red Yang Formation shattered. After flying a certain distance, it split apart, revealing several figures inside.
It was Rasa, using sand gold to carry Chiyo, Ebizo, and Yashamaru out. Only the four of them had escaped.
"Karura!"
Rasa looked back at UzUzushiogakure, now engulfed in flames, his heart filled with grief.
Karura had been on the front lines, continuously bringing the wounded down for treatment. The distance had been too great—he hadn't been able to bring her out in time and could only save himself first.
Now… her chances of survival were grim.
Ebizo said weakly,
"Go. Return to the village as fast as possible. Yashamaru, keep maintaining your Scorch Release fireballs. You didn't get poisoned—those insect toxins should be afraid of fire."
Although he had temporarily suppressed the poison insects inside his body with medicine, those drugs were far from gentle. Even with carefully balanced counteracting properties to minimize harm, the strain was severe.
Both he and his sister had lost their combat strength. If they didn't return quickly to prepare proper medicine, death was inevitable.
On the Iwagakure side, things were no better.
Shi Shi had only survived the explosion by relying on Earth Release.
"Roshi, don't come near me. And don't deactivate your Lava Release or the Four-Tails' chakra," Shi Shi said urgently.
"The high temperature of your Lava Release should repel those poison insects—that's why you weren't infected."
Then he straightened, his voice firm.
"As commander of this force, I order you to return to the village immediately and report everything to Lord Ōnoki. Tell him… Shi Shi has failed his trust."
He knew he was likely finished. Those poison insects were terrifying—his chakra could barely suppress them, and he wouldn't last much longer.
No one knew what other hidden moves Konoha still had. If Roshi stayed and tried to carry him, neither of them would escape.
And with the entire force wiped out, he had no face to return anyway.
"Shi Shi!"
Roshi clenched his fists, unable to understand how everything had collapsed so suddenly.
"Go! Konoha may have more killing moves prepared. They're still being held back by the Cloud ninja—leave now. That's an order."
Shi Shi spat out another mouthful of black blood. He couldn't allow Roshi to fall here too.
Roshi wasn't just powerful—he was also the Four-Tails' jinchūriki. Even with an imperfect seal and frequent rampages, he was still an irreplaceable asset to the village.
"I'll tell Ōnoki everything. I swear—I'll avenge everyone here."
Swallowing his grief, Roshi leapt away from the ruined UzUzushiogakure.
He had to report everything. And he had to make Konoha pay.
Watching Roshi disappear into the distance, Shi Shi's heart was filled with bitterness.
"My first time commanding an army… and this is how it ends. How unwilling I am to accept this."
Then he thought of his son, Higashi Shi.
"There's still hope… the future belongs to you."
His son had leadership talent—perhaps even greater potential than his own. One day, he would surpass him.
Staggering forward, Shi Shi began walking toward the outskirts of UzUzushiogakure, still trying to suppress the poison insects while forcing chakra through his body to prepare ninjutsu.
Even if his chances were slim, he wouldn't simply wait for death.
"Full speed ahead—target UzUzushiogakure!"
Seeing the massive firelight erupting from the village, Dodai immediately gave the order to advance.
Tamura Zairo, carrying the massive blade Samehada, followed closely behind, silently communicating with the living sword—promising it a feast.
Although he hadn't yet fully made Samehada acknowledge him as its master, it had at least stopped resisting.
Next came the real meal: devouring the chakra lingering on Uzumaki corpses.
On the other battlefield, Shimura Danzō saw the fire from UzUzushiogakure and felt a surge of joy.
The plan had succeeded.
First, the nano poison insects assassinated their targets. Then, the detonation of one hundred thousand explosive tags.
UzUzushiogakure was finished. The Sand and Stone forces had surely been wiped out as well.
But his satisfaction froze in the next instant.
A blood-red barrier suddenly rose around them.
Looking closely, he saw five red-haired shinobi, chakra erupting as they formed a sealing barrier.
"Shimura Danzō—die!"
At the same time, the Third Raikage swallowed a pill. Black lightning exploded around his body, gathering in his hand as he charged forward with Hell Stab.
Danzō slashed back, his blade wrapped in vacuum blades formed from Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere—the very technique he had used earlier to cut through the Raikage's Lightning Release Armor.
But this time was different.
The Third Raikage's black lightning elevated his strength to an entirely new level.
In an instant, he shattered both the vacuum blades and the sword itself—and severed Danzō's right arm at the shoulder.
"Retreat!"
Danzō howled in pain and rage. Without hesitation, he fled toward the still-unsealed section of the barrier.
His subordinates followed immediately—but the Third Raikage had no intention of letting them escape.
Black lightning flashed as he blocked the gap alone, halting the Konoha shinobi by sheer force.
At the same time, the Cloud Village jōnin—who had been holding back until now—finally unleashed their full strength, ninjutsu and taijutsu erupting together.
"Break through with full force!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke shouted.
"The Third Raikage is forcefully boosting himself with drugs—he won't last long!"
His words stabilized morale. The Sarutobi and Shimura shinobi rallied, resisting the Cloud attacks while focusing their assault on the Raikage.
But the Third Raikage was far from spent.
The pill he had taken wasn't a stamina drug at all—it was merely a soldier pill, used to deceive Danzō and Konoha's forces.
Soon, the barrier fully closed.
There was no escape.
Although this Five-Element Barrier was far weaker than the Four Red Yang Formation, breaking it was still no simple task—especially with the Third Raikage and over a hundred Cloud jōnin pinning them down inside.
Freed of restraint, the Third Raikage rampaged through the Konoha ranks, tearing apart formations while Cloud ninja assaulted from the outside with flawless coordination.
The massacre that had befallen the Mist ninja replayed itself.
There was nowhere to run.
Even Earth Release was useless—the barrier extended underground, preventing tunneling.
"Cloud ninja!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke roared in fury, despair flooding his heart.
It was over. Everything was over.
"Shinnosuke!"
Bloodied and wounded, Shimura Izumi rushed to his side, gripping her combined naginata, her expression resolute.
If they were going to die, they would die together.
"Izumi… we can't die here."
Seeing her steadied his mind.
With determination, he swallowed a secret pill. Vast chakra surged through him. He bit his finger, rapidly formed seals, and slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu: Monkey King Enma!"
Under normal circumstances, his chakra would never have been enough—but the pill had pushed him just past the threshold.
"Shinnosuke?"
Enma appeared in a puff of smoke, surprised that Sarutobi Hiruzen's son had summoned him—then immediately sensed the dire situation.
"Uncle Enma, quickly transform into the Adamantine Staff and smash this barrier!"
Shinnosuke gritted his teeth, enduring the pain from the pill's backlash.
They had to break the barrier—now—and lead their people out.
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