Chapter 196: Konoha! It Must Be Konoha!
On the outskirts of Hell Valley, atop a relatively intact rock ridge.
Darui appeared unusually disheveled at this moment.
His signature white broom head was covered in dust and bloodstains, his dark Cloud Village Jonin vest was torn in multiple places, revealing blood-soaked bandages underneath.
He leaned against a massive weathered rock, panting heavily, his eyes filled with indescribable shock and helplessness.
Beside him, Xi was half-kneeling on the ground, his hands emitting a soft green chakra glow, pressed against Troy’s mangled chest.
Troy’s face was pallid as paper, his breathing faint, the massive square shuriken dropped beside him, covered in cracks and scorch marks.
The other three surviving Anbu ninjas were either sitting or lying down, all injured, their auras weak, masks shattered, their exposed faces etched with the shock of survival and bone-deep exhaustion.
They had just endured a joint assault from nine eerie summoned beasts and Kakuzu and Kisame Hoshigaki.
If not for Darui’s Storm Release holding off at the cost of his life, Xi’s timely medical support, and the Tailed Beast Bomb clash from the main battlefield allowing both sides in the fight to desperately escape the core area, their elite squad would have fared even worse.
Even so, Troy was critically injured and on the brink of death, while the others had lost all combat capability.
“Damn it! Those eerie summoned beasts—there were actually nine of them!” Darui coughed, recalling the battle three years ago when Shura had beaten him all the way to the Raiden Building.
Two floating summoned beasts had already worn them down; now there were even more!
And there were two powerful ninjas whose strength far surpassed that of ordinary elite Jonin.
Where on earth had Shura recruited such ninjas?
However, before Darui and the others could tend to their own dire state, their gazes were firmly drawn to the terrifying battle at the canyon’s center, one beyond mortal imagination.
Deafening roars and earth-shattering collisions resounded like endless muffled thunder, rolling from Hell Valley’s core area, each massive boom making the ground beneath their feet tremble.
Even from thousands of meters away, the violent energy fluctuations felt like tangible gales, whipping their clothes and stinging their cheeks.
Darui forced his body to hold up, climbing to the edge of the rock ridge, his pupils under the white hair contracting sharply.
Rumble—!!!
In his field of vision, two colossal beasts like mountains were engaged in frenzied slaughter!
The deep purple Eight-Tails Gyūki, its eight tentacles thrashing wildly, emitting pained shrieks.
The deep blue Two-Tails Matatabi, its burning flames flickering, its massive cat claws striking with grief and fury again and again.
And their opponent was also cloaked entirely in tailed beast chakra, condensing a terrifying dark red Tailed Beast Bomb!
The Tailed Beast Bombs fired by the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails collided with an even more sinister and brutal dark red Tailed Beast Bomb, like three falling stars of death, screeching as they tore through space, slamming together!
Rumble rumble rumble—!!!!!!!!
An indescribable horrific explosion occurred! Blinding white light instantly swallowed everything in view!
Even from thousands of meters away, Darui and the others felt their vision go stark white, their ears ringing with a buzz, temporarily deafened!
The shockwave that followed was like an invisible giant wall, smashing ruthlessly into the rock ridge where they hid, sending gravel cascading down!
A massive orb of light mixed with three colors of destructive energy rose slowly from Hell Valley’s center, like a newborn sun, yet radiating an aura of death that annihilated all!
“Tailed Beast Bomb… clash…” Darui murmured in shock, the destructive glare carrying a powerful airflow blast. The surrounding mud and gravel were flung wildly by the gale; he instinctively formed hand seals with both hands, casting an Earth Release Ninjutsu to shield his companions from the intense airflow.
But at the same time, Darui glanced toward the battlefield center, his worry deepening.
To force Cloud Village’s two perfect Jinchūriki into a desperate Tailed Beast Bomb clash, Lord Raiden seemed to be at a disadvantage as well.
Just how terrifying was that Shura’s power?!
Suddenly, a drastic change occurred!
In the smoke after the explosion, a body even larger than the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails emerged!
“That… that’s…” Darui’s voice was hoarse and dry, trembling with disbelief.
From the smoke charged a pitch-dark red Nine-Tails Fox Demon, its nine massive tails whipping like burning blood-red flames, its entire body exuding a dark, brutal aura that made souls shudder!
With an invincible posture, it surged forward, pinning the Eight-Tails down dead!
It swatted the Two-Tails flying with a single tail as it tried to charge up!
Every claw strike, every tail whip carried mountain-shattering, ridge-breaking terror, leaving deep, bone-exposing wounds and corrosive dark red energy on the massive bodies of the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails!
Darui’s voice hoarse and dry, trembling with disbelief: “The Nine-Tails? Konoha’s Nine-Tails… how could it appear here?!”
He couldn’t comprehend it, couldn’t accept it.
A Nine-Tails Jinchūriki attacking Cloud Village?
Come on! The three previous Ninja Wars were so brutal—even one nearly reached Konoha’s doorstep—and Konoha never once deployed a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!
Xi, fully focused on maintaining the healing ninjutsu, had beads of sweat on his forehead. Hearing this, he arduously lifted his head, gazing at the three colossal shadows battling like mythical creatures in the distance, his eyes filled with equal horror.
“Captain Darui… I… I’ve never seen the real Nine-Tails either… but that power suppressing the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails—nothing but the Nine-Tails comes to mind… and only a perfect Jinchūriki could reach that level…” His voice was feeble from chakra consumption and inner shock.
Troy, lying on the ground with slightly clearer consciousness, arduously rolled his eyes toward the battlefield center. His pale face from excessive blood loss twitched slightly, and he ultimately just shook his head heavily.
As an experienced Jonin, he too could sense the terror of that dark red Nine-Tails; it was no power an ordinary ninja could possess.
Xi finally temporarily stabilized Troy’s injuries, the green chakra glow dimming.
He wearily stood up, walked to Darui’s side, watching the distant battle like an apocalyptic scroll, his brows furrowed under his blond hair: “Captain, should we… try to intervene? Lord Raiden and Lord Bee, they…”
He didn’t finish his words, but the meaning was clear.
Even knowing it was suicide, they couldn’t just watch the village’s pillars fall.
Darui’s gaze fixed firmly on the battlefield, watching that dark red Nine-Tails toy with and suppress the Eight-Tails, watching it condense a dark red Tailed Beast Bomb in its mouth radiating destructive fluctuations.
His fists clenched tight, fingernails nearly embedding into his flesh.
“Intervene?” Darui’s voice was low and hoarse, thick with bitterness and helplessness: “Xi, look clearly. That level of battle… is beyond our domain. Rashly approaching would turn us to ash in an instant.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over his severely wounded companions behind him, his voice even heavier: “Our mission now… is to hold the outskirts, guard against Shura’s other companions, and… guard against those eerie summoned beasts reappearing.”
When he mentioned “summoned beasts,” a flicker of lingering dread passed through his eyes.
Those nine summoned beasts of varied forms, each with elite Jonin strength, plus the two mysterious rogue ninjas from Kirigakure and Hidden Waterfall Village—this clash had inflicted heavy losses on their Anbu elite squad, leaving an indelible terrifying impression.
As for pursuing the Blood Pond Clan?
Darui glanced back at the dying Troy on the ground and the other three Anbu elites nearly incapacitated, sighing deeply and helplessly.
The mission had utterly failed.
Now, all they could do was pray that Lord Raiden and the others could create a miracle, or… try to preserve these remaining companions.
·
The Dark Nine-Tails’ all-around suppression left Darui and the others watching from the outskirts with grim expressions.
As one Tailed Beast Bomb blasted the Eight-Tails into disarray, before the glare and rumble fully dissipated, an even deeper chill that made Darui’s soul shudder abruptly rose!
In the explosion’s center, the smoke and dust not yet dispersed, the Dark Nine-Tails’ massive body suddenly vanished.
A blast orb emitting eerie white light was rapidly expanding along a suffocating path of destruction!
Even from afar, Darui could feel the terrifying chakra within!
Instantly, his hairs stood on end!
This sight… this palpitating sensation… Darui knew it too well!
“That… that’s!!!” Xi also screamed in shock, his face instantly pallid as paper.
“Cough… it’s… that guy… last time… the ninjutsu… that destroyed the Raiden Building…” Troy, lying on the ground, coughed arduously twice.
Three years ago, it was this dark purple energy orb that detonated in Cloud Village’s center, destroying half the Raiden Building and claiming hundreds of Cloud Village ninjas’ lives!
That hellish scene remained a lingering nightmare for many Cloud Village ninjas!
Rumble—!!!
Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar, the massive orb rapidly expanded, like a mushroom sprouting from the ground!
Wherever the “white light mushroom” passed, all matter was annihilated!
The earth collapsed and vanished like a fragile sandcastle!
A gigantic sinkhole, deeper and more perfectly circular than any Tailed Beast Bomb crater, with edges of lava flowing like waterfalls, was born amid the dark purple destructive glow!
The soaring white orb rapidly approached.
“Water Style: Water Formation Wall!” Seeing he couldn’t evacuate the wounded, Darui formed hand seals, channeling all his chakra into a defensive ninjutsu.
Rumble—!!!
The massive white light instantly engulfed them.
Darui gritted his teeth hard, his gums nearly bleeding.
Fortunately, they were at the edge of the main battlefield; the explosion’s aftershock stopped there.
“Cough cough—” Darui looked at the Hell Valley ahead, its terrain utterly altered by repeated blasts, forcing himself to calm down as he roared hoarsely at Xi: “Xi! Look after the wounded! Hold here!”
Before his words finished, ignoring his own injuries and exhaustion, he shot out like an arrow from a bow, desperately racing toward the area just swallowed by the dark purple destructive glow!
He had to confirm the survival of Lord Raiden and the two Jinchūriki!
At Hell Valley’s center, the terrain had been completely transformed.
A massive ring-shaped crater encircled an even deeper gigantic sinkhole, lava slowly flowing in the pit bottom and crevices, emitting scorching heat waves and pungent sulfur stench.
The air was thick with heavy gunpowder smoke, charred smells, and blood scent.
Darui frantically searched through the chaotic lava rock piles, his heart sinking to the depths.
Finally, at the edge of a deep pit in a rock layer flipped and half-buried by immense impact force, he found his targets!
The sight was so gruesome it suffocated.
The Fourth Raiden, A, leaned against a scalding rock, his bare upper body covered in charred marks and deep, bone-exposing wounds. Most shocking was his left arm!
From the elbow down, it was completely gone, the stump charred black, forcibly cauterized by violent Lightning Release chakra, but the gruesome cross-section of muscle and bone was still visible.
Raiden A’s face was pallid, breathing faint, his remaining right hand dangling limply, eyes unfocused. But upon seeing Darui, a faint light forcibly gathered in those scattered pupils.
Beside A, Yugito Nii lay unconscious, having exited Tailed Beast Transformation, her Cloud Village uniform shredded, large expanses of pale skin exposed yet covered in bloodstains and scorch marks. Her chest was deeply pierced by sharp gravel fragments, blood staining the rocks beneath her, her aura so faint it was barely detectable.
And the most gravely injured was Killer Bee.
He too had exited Tailed Beast Transformation, lying face-up at the lava pit’s edge, scarcely an inch of intact skin on his body!
Charred wounds exposed bone, multiple bones twisted unnaturally, blood nearly soaking the rocks beneath him.
His consciousness seemed to retain a sliver of clarity, lips quivering faintly, yet no sound emerged.
Darui could clearly see that around Killer Bee’s body, the ground bore strange spiral tearing marks.
These were the remnants after the Eight-Tails Gyūki’s ultimate defense ninjutsu “Tailed Beast Eightfold” had activated!
Evidently, at the final moment, Killer Bee had gone all out, using his powerful body and chakra to form a spiral storm shielding Raiden A and Yugito Nii, while he himself bore the core destructive impact of the Great Spiraling Ring!
“Lord Raiden! Lord Bee! Lady Yugito!” Darui’s voice cracked with sobs as he rushed to A’s side, wanting to help him up but fearing to disturb that horrific severed arm wound.
A arduously rolled his eyes toward Darui, his throat emitting hoarse sounds. With his last ounce of strength, he squeezed out fragmented words: “Med… medical… ninja… call… support…”
Each word seemed to drain his life force.
Darui nodded frantically, immediately pulling out a signal flare and igniting it without hesitation!
A piercing red flare streaked into the dim sky shrouded in gunpowder smoke and dust, shrieking shrilly!
Having done this, Darui knelt on one knee beside A, gazing at this Raiden who once stood unyielding like an iron tower, now severed of an arm, gravely wounded, and gasping; at the genius Killer Bee lying like a broken doll beside the lava; at the powerful Yugito Nii with countless gravel shards embedded in her chest.
An indescribable surge of grief, rage, and helplessness welled in his heart.
A’s remaining right hand gripped Darui’s arm with astonishing force, his bloodshot eyes staring firmly at Darui, burning with unwillingness, anger, and a trace of bone-deep dread he himself was loath to admit.
“Cough… Shu… ra…” A’s voice was like a worn bellows, thick with searing hatred: “Cough! It must be… Konoha! Cough… Nine-Tails… question them… cough!”
He roared hoarsely in fragments, coughing blood with every few words.
In Raiden A’s mind involuntarily surfaced the figure from Ninja World legend: the man who could capture the nine great Tails barehanded, suppressing an era like a deity—Hashirama Senju!
What terror must such power hold?!
And now, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was repeatedly attacking Cloud Village!
This pushed his anger and suspicion toward Konoha to the peak!
Damn Konoha! Damn you, Danzō!
