Blood trickled slowly from the corners of Itachi's eyes. The immense strain on his ocular power caused him to fall to one knee.
But the cost was worth it. Just moments ago, the enemies attacking Kokoro were now all engulfed in black flames.
Of the six Cloud Ninja who had been in pursuit, one was instantaneously killed by Tsukuyomi, and the other five were struck down by two uses of Amaterasu.
Now, no matter how they thrashed, rolled, or lay flat in the water, it was all in vain.
Samui, her entire body ablaze with black fire, no longer retained her previous appearance. The intense heat had evaporated all bodily oils, leaving behind a grotesque and terrifying figure who glared at Itachi.
From her barely intact throat came a hoarse voice: "That power... and your eyes just now..."
Itachi stared back at her indifferently and said nothing. Seconds later, the five Cloud ninja were reduced to ashes.
Having used his Mangekyō Sharingan powers for the first time, Itachi collapsed to the ground. If he hadn't been on guard against a possible final counterattack, he would've fallen much sooner.
Kokoro caught him and held him in her arms. Fighting back tears, she didn't let herself grieve. She immediately carried Itachi on her back and, after one final glance at Tenma's corpse, quickly left the scene.
…
Not long after, a golden flash lit up the forest. The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and Uchiha Shisui appeared beside Itachi.
"Swish!"
Kokoro's kunai was intercepted by Minato. Upon recognizing who it was, the tension drained from her, and she broke down in tears.
"It was... it was a trap! The whole Cloud transport team it was all a trap!"
"Sensei is dead... Tenma is dead... everyone is dead!"
As her sobbing suddenly ceased, the eyes of all three turned toward the forest beyond, where Darui and the remaining Cloud ninja had arrived.
But the moment Darui saw Minato, he raised his hand to halt the group.
"The Fourth Hokage… the Yellow Flash, Namikaze Minato? You're actually here!"
Minato narrowed his eyes as he scanned the area and raised his custom kunai: "Since I'm here, that means none of you are going back."
Darui frowned, then turned to Shisui and asked: "That black flame on Samui and the others' corpses... is that an Uchiha technique?"
'Black flames?'
Shisui was momentarily stunned and turned to look at Uchiha Itachi, who was now slung over Kokoro's back.
'A unique ability... has he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan?'
'At such a young age, no wonder even the Cloud considered him a genius worth watching.'
'But now that he had lost his teacher and comrades, he'd have much to learn upon his return.'
Pushing those thoughts aside, Shisui exchanged a look with Minato.
Siwsh..
Kunai are scattered in all directions. As Shisui ran forward, his body split into eight identical forms.
Their speed was incredible.
"Pfft!"
A kunai pierced the back of a Cloud ninja, sending him collapsing to the ground, dead, blood soaking the forest floor.
Eight blades slashed simultaneously. Darui blocked the strikes in an instant, while nearby Cloud ninja surged forward to attack Shisui.
But in a blink, the blade swept through Shisui's form, only to find it was an illusion, no solid body.
Darui called out, "It's Shunshin no Shisui's technique, every version is both real and unreal. Break the genjutsu!"
At his command, the Cloud ninja began disrupting their chakra. However, one of them suddenly turned and stabbed Darui in the stomach with his blade.
"Shhk"
Blood spilled as Darui stared at his comrade in shock: "W-why!?"
The "Cloud ninja" smirked: "Because I'm with Konoha, of course!"
Another Cloud ninja shouted in disbelief: "We've been friends since birth! There's no way you're from Konoha, have you lost your mind?!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Darui saw the faint smile on Shisui's lips.
"It's an Uchiha genjutsu, restrain him!"
The "traitor" was instantly subdued, but the distraction gave Shisui the opening to kill three more opponents.
…
"Huff… huff…"
Darui clutched his bleeding abdomen, grimacing as he faced the increasingly desperate situation.
All they could do now was hold out for reinforcements.
Swish!
A golden flash, three Cloud ninja dropped instantly.
Darui twisted and slashed behind him.
Clang!
His blade met a kunai, sparks flying.
He jumped back and looked at the special kunai now embedded in the ground.\
Swish!
A shuriken knocked it aside. Darui turned to Minato and said, "As expected of the Fourth Hokage. With this kind of space-time technique, it's rare that anyone forces you to strike twice."
Minato shook his head slightly: "Your Cloud ninja are fast. The Fourth Raikage and his brother Killer B have both dodged my attacks before."
He raised his kunai: "But the only reason you managed to block me just now is because your teammate sacrificed himself. Now… you're going to die."
With that, he hurled the Flying Thunder God kunai toward Darui.
However, in the very next moment…
BOOM!
An octopus tail erupted from the ground, and a massive blue-flamed beast appeared in the sky. A blue fireball surged from its mouth.
Swish!
Minato's kunai arced through the air, combining his space-time jutsu with a sealing technique, the Flying Thunder God Barrier.
In an instant, the fireball was swallowed by the barrier and teleported away. Minato came to a halt.
Three new figures had appeared, guarding Darui behind them. This power… it would require caution.
"Damn, Hokage, you're fast! Space-time ninjutsu, man, that stuff's whack! A second later, I'd be toast. Now here I am, your ghost!"
Killer B launched into a spontaneous rap, but Minato's eyes were focused on the octopus tail, a mark left long ago on the Eight-Tails.
If they fought now…
"Fourth Hokage, I didn't expect to meet you here!"
The speaker was the Fourth Raikage, A. His body crackled with lightning, and numerous small wounds were visible, evidence of the Heavenly Sending Technique.
And the blue-flame monster overhead? That was the Cloud's Two-Tails jinchūriki, Yugito Nii.
"Fourth Raikage, I didn't expect to see you either. This war has indeed dragged on for too long."
With a single punch, the Raikage shattered a massive tree beside him. "Samui was burned alive by your Konoha ninja. Now, we've got one more reason to seek revenge. That Uchiha brat behind you, hand him over, along with Hyuga Hiashi! Do that, and Cloud will withdraw. Otherwise… we keep fighting!"
Such blatant arrogance caused Minato to frown.
Shisui remained silent; this was a matter between two Kage.
Minato sighed: "If that's the Raikage's stance, then I understand."
"From here on out, Konoha will go all out. If the Hidden Cloud ends up destroyed, the blame will fall on you, the sinner of the Land of Lightning."
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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