Undoubtedly, tailed beasts are absolute terrors—even bordering on unbeatable—for regular ninja, regardless of their skill level as Jonin.
Colossal bodies, endless chakra reserves, resistance to most low- and mid-tier ninjutsu, and strength powerful enough to move mountains—each alone is a deadly threat to even the toughest ninja.
Therefore, naturally, Jinchuriki—humans with tailed beasts sealed inside them who can tap into their chakra for battle—have become ultimate weapons in the hands of The Five Great Hidden Villages.
Although Hyuga Soushu's ability to destroy a Tailed Beast Ball in one strike was certainly assisted by the Sealing Barrier, there's no denying he completely annihilated it in one blow.
Exactly how this happened isn't important; what most people could see was only the final outcome.
"Victory!"
As soon as the order for total assault was given, the Konoha ninjas roared with joy—their morale soaring after watching the Tailed Beast Ball blasted from the skies!
Leading the charge were the fierce Uchiha warriors, followed closely by various other ninja clans charging directly into Iwagakure's Earth Maze according to their habitual formation styles.
Encountering earth walls? No problem—Explosive Tags away! The Uchiha had more than enough—they practically threw money away on explosive tags!
Sensing side passages? The Hyuga simply used Byakugan to peer through!
Iwagakure's commonly-used tactic of hiding within the maze to ambush was completely ineffective. Facing Byakugan users and Ino–Shika–Cho combinations, Iwa ninja hadn't even detected the presence of the clan warriors before Hyuga scouts marked enemy positions—and Yamanaka minds immediately hijacked enemy bodies. First came chaotic friendly fire, then Akimichi finished things off with Human Bullet Tank.
Nara ninjas' Shadow Possession Techniques especially thrived inside the dimly lit Earth Maze like fish in water—invincible and unstoppable.
As for those Iwa shinobi scattered or exposed by the vanguard forces of the clan ninjas, they were encircled and wiped out piecemeal by follow-up Konoha forces entering the battlefield.
At this moment, originally confident Iwagakure ninja who'd intended to deliver a heavy counterattack instead suffered heavy losses and retreated continuously.
"Hold your ground!"
Explosion Release Kari, commanding frontline operations, immediately changed expression, angrily shouting at the retreating Iwagakure ninja: "Don't fear! Our Stone Will that fears neither wind nor rain represents our true fighting spirit! Counterattack! All of you, counterattack now!"
However, precisely because Explosion Release Kari was yelling so loudly, Hyuga Soushu—who had just descended from midair—immediately noticed his presence.
Immediately, he activated the Shifting Body Technique and rushed straight toward him!
"Cursed!"
While still barking orders at his subordinates, Explosion Release Kari atop the Earth Maze summit also noticed the fast-approaching Hyuga Soushu. However, as commander of Iwa's Explosion Corps, he remained extremely confident in his own abilities.
"Even if I can't beat him head-on, I know this terrain better than anyone—I can hold my ground!"
Explosion Release Kari quickly made up his mind and began rapidly forming hand seals with both hands, preparing to unleash his signature Kekkei Genkai Secret Jutsu—his Explosion Release ability.
From above, Hyuga Soushu had discarded his Torch Pole Weapon, yet using only his bare hands with the Empty Palm technique, he still charged through Iwa's Ninja Force like an unstoppable force. No one could withstand him for even a single round. Within less than thirty seconds, he had cut straight through to face Explosion Release Kari.
"Explosion Release: Exploding Art Bomb Fist!"
Fully prepared, Kari immediately placed both hands on the ground and activated his prepared Bloodline Limit Secret Technique!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Continuous earth-shattering explosions quickly engulfed Hyuga Soushu in smoke and dust!
This was the terrifying nature of the Explosion Release ability.
As long as his opponent remained within the range of his secret jutsu, Kari could cause explosive attacks far more powerful than standard Explosive Tags at specific points or regions. Even if the enemy withstood the blast and charged forward, at the very moment they made contact, he could ignite their body like a living bomb—turning them into a burst of blood-red fireworks!
And precisely because his Bloodline Limit was so perfectly tailored for the battlefield, Kari carried immense confidence.
Yet, he ultimately underestimated Hyuga Soushu.
At the same time the ground exploded violently, Hyuga Soushu first stomped and leapt upward, then directly activated his ability:
[Counter Storm!]
The shockwave of the explosion crashed into a Wind Barrier and stopped dead. Although the blast left Soushu momentarily stunned, he took no direct damage.
Then, out of the explosion burst Hyuga Soushu himself—completely unharmed—and charging straight toward Kari with murderous intent blazing. His Byakugan eyes, blue-veined and piercing, locked onto every vital point across Kari's body.
Such open, unrestrained killing intent sent chills even through the seasoned frame of Explosion Release Kari.
"Come on!"
But now was absolutely not the time to retreat. Thus, Kari completed Hand Seals and thrust both hands forward toward Hyuga Soushu:
"Explosion Release: Air Bullet!"
"Poom!"
An invisible, formless air-blast shockwave rocketed toward Hyuga Soushu!
Within the narrow maneuvering space of the Earth Maze, such a move was nearly impossible to dodge.
Moreover, unlike ordinary Explosion Release techniques, this air bullet delivered more than just physical shockwave damage—the intense sonic boom would directly rupture eardrums, causing loss of balance and disorientation in his target.
In battle, losing bodily control meant certain death.
Still, despite his own confidence in strength, Kari maintained vigilance until he clearly saw Soushu dead. Immediately after firing the aerial blast, he completed a rapid retreat while simultaneously preparing another set of Hand Seals for yet another secret technique.
[Watchtower Totem!]
[Deploying Ward Behind!]
Hyuga Soushu instantly used the [Watchtower Totem] to place an invisible ward behind Explosion Release Kari, then activated his Q Ability, vaulting over the attack range of the air bullet and appearing directly behind the rapidly retreating Kari.
"Tsk!"
Just as he finished preparing his new secret jutsu, Kari felt everything blur before his eyes. The Hyuga Soushu standing before him had suddenly vanished. Though he couldn't tell exactly what kind of ninjutsu this was, his mind automatically heightened its alertness.
[Blood Slash!]
[Hunger Hydra] was the first skill Hyuga Soushu activated—the crimson shockwave struck Explosion Release Kari like a heavy blow, scattering his once-refined chakra. Immediately afterward came another strike: [Ignite]!
"GAAAAAH!"
Suddenly engulfed in flames from an unknown source, even the iron-willed Explosion Release Kari couldn't suppress his piercing scream of agony.
Right behind this came a hand—piercing through his chest from behind and emerging right before his eyes.
His own heart now impaled upon those fingers.
"Guh… gurgle…"
Once feared across the land, Explosion Release Kari let out a dying scream like a rooster's crow, then sank into eternal darkness.
After successfully eliminating this heavyweight Jonin from Mist, Hyuga Soushu activated his Body Flicker technique again, charging deeper into the Earth Maze.
For Soushu, accustomed to harvesting enemy heads, this was just another routine kill; however, for the Iwa ninja now thrown into disarray, it was nothing short of devastating news—a thunderclap in the clear sky.
Worse still, constrained by the terrain of the Earth Maze, the Iwagakure ninja could not deploy in large numbers. Instead, they were scattered across dark corners in squad-sized units, waiting patiently for the perfect moment to strike. Yet under such circumstances, any large-scale enemy assault would heavily depend on command directives from their leaders.
Unfortunately, the Coalition Force of Ninja Clans' chaotic fighting style immediately stunned these Iwa ninjas who had planned to ambush their foes. The loss of Explosion Release Kari further threw command into confusion. Although Iwa's established command structure allowed an Elite Jonin to quickly assume leadership, this transition inadvertently sent one unmistakable message to every Iwa ninja following the new orders—that their former commander, Explosion Release Kari, had fallen into grave danger or worse, been eliminated entirely.
The most troubling consequence was the massive blow this dealt to Iwa ninja morale.
Hyuga Soushu did not linger—he continued surging forward relentlessly.
Protected by [Counter Storm], Hyuga Soushu brushed off nearly every attack hurled his way. With deadly palm strikes, he cut down enemies as he surged forward—within moments, he had pierced deep into the heart of the Earth Maze.
While Hyuga Soushu single-handedly threw Iwa's forces into chaos, Konoha's Northwest Border Defense Forces also succeeded in seizing the outer left-wing positions surrounding the Earth Maze. Under their commander's orders, they advanced methodically into the maze itself.
Though not as powerful as the Coalition Force, these regular Konoha ninja still applied immense pressure on Iwa's forces. With limited manpower already stretched thin, Iwa had no choice but to shift forces to reinforce the left flank, desperately trying to avoid a pincer movement.
This withdrawal from the reserves further stripped Kitsuchi of any strategic flexibility.
An extremely critical turn of events.
"Would a Tailed Beast Ball barrage be feasible?" Kitsuchi bit his thumbnail, turning to his tactical advisor.
"The Konoha ninja are advancing too quickly. They're already completely entangled with our forces, making it temporarily impossible to launch Tailed Beast Balls."
The staff ninja quickly added, "Moreover, considering the sturdy structure of the Earth Maze itself, even if we could inflict some damage on the Konoha ninja, it would unavoidably cause significant harm to our own comrades."
"Is that so."
Kitsuchi didn't say much more, but the gloom on his face grew heavier.
He had personally experienced that battle where the Iwagakure-Rain Alliance faced off against Sakumo Hatake and Hyuga Soushu's forces.
He fully understood the impact Soushu could have on the battlefield; furthermore, he was very certain that even if he himself took action, the results likely wouldn't be much better than what Explosion Release Kari achieved.
But the key issue was—he couldn't just sit idle!
Because with both divisions of Konoha's ninja force now committed to battle, especially under the relentless assault of enemy clan ninja on the front lines, the Iwa forces were retreating constantly, nearly on the verge of total collapse.
If the Iwa ninja—renowned for their discipline and unit coordination—were completely routed and driven out of the Earth Maze area, then Iwagakure's fate would probably be far worse than any defeated nation's record from the Second Great Ninja War.
Not only that, but this defeat in Herb Country would surely affect the front line in Bird Country as well.
Currently, under the leadership of Third Tsuchikage Onoki, the Iwa ninja had been maintaining an orderly advance, gradually squeezing Sunagakure out of their occupied territories and pushing them further from Bird Country's land.
If news of the defeat in Herb Country reached Sunagakure, it would undoubtedly reignite their confidence and encourage them to reinforce aggressively, eager to tear another chunk from the severely weakened Sunagakure forces.
Then, the consequences would be far graver than just losing a minor allied state.
"Sigh..."
The more you knew, the more you'd worry—it just piled on the stress and dread.
"How many reserves do we still have available?"
After a long silence, Kitsuchi finally asked again.
"There are ten remaining squadrons, though combined strength is less than a thousand."
The Iwagakure staff ninja answered cautiously.
Those retained as reserves were relatively lower-tier fighters from Iwagakure who were at least in decent physical condition. Their primary function had been to pursue and expand victories after frontline ninja drove back enemies deeper into the maze. But clearly, deploying these reserve forces directly into the crumbling front lines wasn't an ideal option.
"Understood!"
Still, the staff officer accepted the order and immediately arranged for messenger ninjas to relay instructions.
There was no other option—ignoring them wouldn't solve anything anyway. Leaving them on standby wouldn't achieve anything useful—we sure couldn't hope that Konoha ninja would just get tired of fighting and back off on their own!
Yet before Iwagakure's reserves could even enter the battlefield, the forward combat zones began seeing retreating Iwa soldiers, while the relentless Hyuga Soushu drew ever closer to Kitsuchi's deep command center within the Earth Maze.
[Prepare ninjutsu! Trigger ground collapse directly!]
Kitsuchi clenched his teeth, deciding that he'd rather harm his own village's ninja than let Hyuga Soushu—a major threat—escape.
"But—"
A strategist ninja hesitated.
"Their sacrifice is worth it! If that white-eyed man from the Hyuga clan doesn't die, then we will!"
Kitsuchi growled furiously.
The strategist ninja ceased all argument and immediately obeyed orders.
[Earth Release: Earthquake Core Bomb!]
[Earth Release: Earth-Splitting Turning Palm!]
[Earth Release: Ten-Thousand-Li Earthen Wall!]
Unwilling to accept defeat, the Iwagakure ninja began executing Ninjutsu techniques under their respective Jonin commanders. They fortified the Earth Maze defenses, constantly raising new walls and collapsing pits, attempting to shrink Hyuga Soushu's battlefield space and crush him outright beneath mountains of earth.
However, Soushu had never fought this battle alone.
The first to break through Iwagakure's heavy defenses and appear deep within the Earth Maze was Uchiha Fugaku, covered in blood.
Following closely were powerful Konoha clans like the Uchiha, Hyuga, Sarutobi, and Ino–Shika–Cho, who successively arrived along the path taken by Hyuga Soushu.
Though both sides had nearly equal numbers, judging purely by the war's progression and achievements, Konoha was rolling like a landslide!
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>