This was the first time Haseo had employed a Kinjutsu using Two-Tails' chakra. Judging from the results, the power and effects of the [Ninjutsu] were naturally grander, but surprisingly, the burden it brought felt slightly less than expected.
In a way, the tailed beast's chakra seemed even less damaging to Haseo's internal physiology than his own chakra. To put it metaphorically, tailed beast chakra was strong, hit hard, and went straight to the head—but after drinking it, it didn't seem to hurt the liver much.
However, precisely because the tailed beast chakra erupted so violently and quickly, it also consumed itself at an abnormal rate. Therefore, the tube of Two-Tails chakra provided by Katsuyu was soon completely drained.
Before Haseo's technique ended, he had already achieved his goal. After several heavy blows, the enemy with the severed arm could no longer stand up. Blood continuously flowed from his nose, mouth, and shoulder wound, seeping into the dry, dark brown earth.
Until the end, Haseo never managed to break through this opponent's [Lightning Release Mode] defense, though honestly, his chosen attack style had never aimed to do so.
[Earth Release] enhanced Haseo's strength, making every strike transmit shockwaves capable of traveling through the enemy's sturdy "armor" and reaching his internal organs. After repeating these attacks multiple times, internal ruptures and bleeding inevitably ended the man's life.
Haseo lifted his head to glance upward, then nodded toward Sakumo Hatake.
Immediately understanding that this battle was over, Sakumo didn't say anything further—he simply vanished in a flash. Other battles still raged on, and he rushed toward another battlefield.
Standing upright, Haseo leaned on his injured arm, slowly climbing step by step out of the small "crater" he had created.
His arm was badly hurt. Haseo just hoped it wasn't a shattered bone or nerve damage—because if it left lasting issues, maybe it was time to retire.
Wildfire nearly engulfed the entire village now. Everywhere flames reached, skirmishes large and small continued to break out.
Haseo approached a half-collapsed stone wall. He reached forward, pulling his long blade back out before sheathing it once again.
Then, after thinking for a moment, he decided to pick up Samehada. The weapon felt stiff and unyielding, its surface bristling with iron-hard spines… maybe because, now that he thought about it, it really wasn't alive anymore.
Still, regardless of what happened, the ability to rapidly absorb external chakra made it extremely unique and useful.
Haseo gave the massive, heavy weapon an experimental swing—blood immediately splattered across the ground. Hmm, seems still usable enough. Still...
How to put it... Yeah, there was no way Haseo could handle Samehada with actual sword skills. All he could manage was treating it like a spiked club—just swinging it around to smash enemies down.
Suddenly, a curtain far darker than the night itself unfurled at one corner of the battlefield. It spread outward, devouring everything in its path and reducing all content to nothingness... Haseo had seen this technique before—or more precisely, he'd once nearly been swallowed by it.
[Reverse Four Symbols Seal], its appearance here wasn't surprising at all.
Whether it was the Four Symbols or the Reverse Four Symbols, both originally belonged to the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques.
But still...this indicated that someone had sacrificed themselves in such a tragic way.
Frowning, Haseo watched the black sphere expand until reaching its limit, then vanish instantly. He realized the battle couldn't go on with this kind of sacrifice.
Every ounce of victory came at an equal cost of sacrifice. If the Uzumaki sought "total victory," they would blow up the entire village—taking both enemies and allies with them.
With their remaining barriers, the Uzumaki might indeed be capable of something like that, but it was unnecessary.
Haseo calculated the time in his mind. If the last group of departing Uzumaki villagers had crossed the sea at top speed, they should have already reached the Land of Fire by now.
Gripping Samehada with one hand, he quickly climbed onto the rooftop of a half-burnt house already ablaze. His eyes scanned the smoke-filled, fire-lit village until he soon located his target.
Haseo darted rapidly across the battlefield. The high-speed movement tugged at his wounded arm, the piercing pain causing him to grimace involuntarily.
Before long, he arrived beside the old clan leader.
The massive Samehada slammed down from above a weakened enemy's head. Without exerting much effort, the weapon seemed heavy enough to crush the opponent into pieces upon impact before embedding itself into the ground.
After loosening his grip on Samehada, Haseo took another step forward and spoke to the elder clan leader, "Clan Leader, the fighting must stop. In another one or two hours, our objective of stalling will be achieved.
That means the enemy's plans will collapse entirely.
Clan Leader...
Trading lives like sacrificing valuable pieces in Go isn't our goal. There's no reason for the Uzumaki to pursue sacrifices."
Haseo's sudden arrival made the three Uzumaki shinobi guarding the clan leader tense momentarily, though their basic wariness eased somewhat once his appearance became fully visible.
He just wanted to remind the Uzumaki not to lose their heads in all this.
A bystander sees more than those caught up in it. Right now, it was the Uzumaki village suffering extensive invasion and destruction. Therefore, regardless of how much self-control they possessed, emotions—grief and rage—were bound to take over.
Even the wisest elders wouldn't necessarily maintain their usual clarity of judgment. After all, he was the clan leader—the person most emotionally invested in the clan. In some ways, he was also the angriest man alive here.
The elder clan leader looked deeply at Haseo for a moment, then exhaled heavily and turned to one nearby Uzumaki shinobi, saying, "Send out signals. Gather the rest of our people at the westernmost barrier."
As the signal spread, the Uzumaki's combat strategy shifted from counterattacks to defense. Engaging in battles while retreating gradually, they moved toward the western edge of the barrier.
Before anyone realized it, the flickering firelight's shadows began to dim. The moon and stars paled as the pale glow of dawn crept over the eastern horizon. The cool morning sunlight and deep blue sky filtered through the dark red barrier membrane, bathing the Uzumaki village in a crimson glow like that of a setting sun.
The Uzumaki ninja stood with their backs against the sturdy barrier. Exhausted and battered from an entire night of fighting, they faced enemies in similar condition.
By this point, the enemy had already lost more than half its forces.
If the enclosed barrier remained active, one side would have to be completely annihilated before either could escape this deadlock. It was like a cornered beast fighting for its life. At present, it seemed neither side could fully wipe out the other.
Even if such a goal were achieved, the outcome for the survivors would be obvious.
Their purpose of stalling had already been accomplished.
Haseo watched as several Uzumaki ninja began forming hand seals together once more. Moments later, the dark red barrier curtain began to dissipate.
The Uzumaki still held the coastline firmly. They no longer insisted on killing their enemies, but if anyone wanted to cross them and head onto the sea surface, the battle would continue.
What good would breaking through this blockade do anyway? Their momentum had already been exhausted within the Uzumaki village. Naturally, Konoha Anbu across the coast would have already detected this barrier and battle.
The Third Hokage had promised to assist the Uzumaki retreat; he wouldn't break that promise now. Therefore, that previous sealing barrier was actually protecting these nearly spent enemies.
Now, the Uzumaki's battle was over.
Konoha Anbu's hunt had just begun.
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