Chapter 617: The Fifth Raikage
The Kumo shinobi supported the elderly and carried the young, evacuating the village as fast as they could.
The White Zetsu army pressed in relentlessly. As the chakra and stamina of the front-line ninja plummeted, the defensive line became riddled with holes, slowing the evacuation to a crawl.
"I'm done running! Lord Fourth, I'm coming to help!"
"If I die, I die! At my age, I'd probably hate the rice outside Kumo anyway. Let this old man bury his bones in his own village!"
"Darui, take the children and go! Don't worry about us old-timers!"
The elderly were the first to make the decision. Men and women who hadn't seen combat in twenty years picked up their weapons once more. They turned their aging bodies into a final bulwark, trading their lives for a sliver of hope for the next generation, letting out roars that, while not loud, were filled with unyielding spirit.
More than five hundred elderly shinobi charged the front line, taking the place of the younger generation, prepared to fight to the death against the encroaching White Zetsu army.
When their kunai shattered, they used their fists. When their arms were severed, they strapped explosive tags to their bodies and charged into the enemy ranks.
One by one, the elders retied their headbands, choosing to die proudly as shinobi of Kumogakure.
The young did not cry. They knew the elders would not want to see their tears.
The children were the future; the strong shinobi were the village's backbone. The elderly... were expendable.
The evacuees hastened their steps, trying to keep the column orderly, but with the White Zetsu army latched onto their rear, the retreat was agonizingly slow.
To be more accurate, the White Zetsu army's determination to devour Kumogakure whole was simply too strong.
Ino, who was now maintaining two "Head-Sealing" Gracious Deity Gates just to hold the Ten-Tails down, couldn't help but glance back. She had killed her fair share of Kumo ninja on past battlefields, but this scene moved her.
Her left hand was busy suppressing the Ten-Tails while her right was draining its chakra; she had no hands to spare.
She shouted across the battlefield, "Madara! Does seeing this move you at all?"
Madara sneered. "What do you know? I've seen things ten times more cruel than this. Your ninjutsu is acceptable, but your mentality? You're far too soft."
Ino could feel his disdain was genuine, and it was frustrating. When it came to mentality, she, a person from a modern world, truly couldn't compare to people who had been killing on battlefields since they were five. Her attempt at "Talk-no-Jutsu" failed before it even began.
"Sasori! Aren't you the genius puppeteer of Suna? Give them a hand, they're moving too slowly!"
"Fine." Sasori was only a soul now. Controlling the Fourth Kazekage with chakra threads was simple, but he no longer had the regeneration core that allowed him to micromanage his Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets.
He switched from controlling the Fourth Kazekage with one hand to using two.
The puppet's operational precision instantly multiplied.
While the puppet continued to block Madara's Limbo shadow with taijutsu, it simultaneously manipulated Gold Dust to strike the White Zetsu army.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Tsunami!" A countless volume of Gold Dust rained down, washing over the White Zetsu like a massive wave, throwing them into disarray.
A jutsu of this scale usually results in friendly fire, but Sasori's micromanagement was in a league of its own. Even controlling the Fourth Kazekage puppet, which in turn controlled the Gold Dust—a layer removed—his precision was flawless. Hundreds of golden pillars surged, thrusting, sweeping, and smashing, striking only the White Zetsu and never hitting an ally.
"Is that really the Fourth Kazekage?" The Fourth Raikage stared. They were Kage of the same era; he was intimately familiar with Rasa's techniques.
Ino was too busy to speak, but she managed to shoot him a knowing, "figure-it-out-yourself" glance. The Fourth Raikage's mind reeled. Holy hell. Does this mean Orochimaru didn't kill the Fourth Kazekage? Sasori did? Is this bastard addicted to killing Kazekage?!
The Fourth Kazekage's Gold Dust was never very effective against skilled opponents. It was flashy, but it prioritized overwhelming range over concentrated power. Against the White Zetsu, however, it was perfect. The massive, dense army of Zetsu was completely halted by the golden waves, buying the Kumo evacuees precious time.
"Darui! From this moment, you are the Fifth Raikage! Take them and leave! This is my final order!" The Fourth Raikage's eyes were wide and fierce, his voice booming.
The normally languid Storm Release user, Darui, closed his eyes for a moment, his face grim and solemn. He nodded heavily, accepting the burden. Beside him, Mabui handed him the Raikage's hat.
He knew exactly what this meant. Kumo's losses were staggering. Whose fault was it? The Fourth Raikage was taking all the blame onto himself.
Besides, they had called for Konoha's aid. Could they really, as a village, turn tail and flee, leaving a Konoha ninja to cover their retreat? It was unthinkable.
The Fourth Raikage was resolved to die here. He had no intention of leaving his village alive.
If he was to die, it would be here.
He had to answer to the Kumo dead, and he had to answer to Konoha.
Darui put on the hat. He raised his voice and gave the order. "Retreat! Evacuate Kumogakure!"
The Fourth Raikage threw himself back into the battle.
But being resolved to die didn't mean throwing his life away uselessly. He quickly assessed the three ongoing fights.
Kumo's traditional method for subduing a Tailed Beast was simple: beat it senseless. It was either "I knock the beast out" or "the beast knocks me out." There was no third option. But the Ten-Tails, having absorbed the Eight-Tails, was on another level. Its size, power, and stamina were despairingly immense. The traditional method was useless. He couldn't help there; he had to leave Ino to her stalemate.
The Sasori/Kazekage fight was... confusing. The puppet seemed to be fighting empty air. The Raikage couldn't understand that battle.
Too much bizarre crap happening. He made his choice, charging to help Izuna fight the real Madara.
Ino shouted from the distance, "Hey! You're not the Raikage anymore, so are you still just 'A'? What's your actual name?"
He snapped back, "What the hell does my name have to do with you?"
Ino's tone was just as harsh. "You've got to have a name, don't you? Or should I just keep calling you 'Hey'?"
"I am the Raikage until the day I die!"
Darui, now the Fifth Raikage, watched as the Fourth charged back to fight Madara. Missing an arm, wounded, and emotionally shattered, the Fourth was far from his peak. He was quickly beaten back, spitting blood. Darui desperately wanted to draw his own blade and join the fight, but the weight of his new duty held him fast. He could not die here.
The Kumo ninja and villagers fled the village borders, with a swarm of White Zetsu hot on their heels.
They fought a running battle, and just as they crossed the border from the Land of Lightning into the Land of Frost, they ran into the Konoha reinforcements led by Asuma.
The Konoha shinobi were exhausted from a half-day forced march, but under Asuma's command, they immediately engaged, coordinating with the Kumo ninja to repel the Zetsu pursuers.
Yugito Nii, Samui, and the other critically wounded received emergency aid from the medical-nin, but the conditions were primitive. They could only stanch the bleeding. The seriously injured needed to be transported to Konoha for surgery immediately.
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