Chapter 66: Lava Release, Ley Lines
Tsukasa Kaede's figure suddenly paused, and he said sternly, "Everyone, speed up!"
"Tsukasa Kaede-sama, what happened?"
"I largely understand what the enemy's plan is. Our comrades are in an extremely dangerous situation. The worst-case scenario is total annihilation."
Total annihilation?
Everyone was startled, their expressions shifting as they suddenly accelerated, keeping pace with Tsukasa Kaede and rushing north, sparing no effort.
Such dreadful terms should have been far removed from the people of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Another three hours passed.
Iroha suddenly pointed ahead and shouted, "Look, what's happening over there?"
A bug appeared on Shibi's finger. Man and insect communicated, and Shibi's brows furrowed deeply, his eyelids beneath his sunglasses twitching frantically.
In this border region between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water, one could faintly feel a slight tremor even when standing still.
The deeper they went into the Land of Hot Water, the more violent the tremors became. Not only that, but the sky in the distance also changed abruptly, transforming from azure to blood-red, as if stained with blood or like a sunset at dusk.
This wasn't a premonition of Hidden Stone Village's demise, but rather that the Hidden Leaf Village's forces were about to be annihilated.
"The ground is cracking, extending from north to south, all the way from the northern coastline of the Land of Hot Water deep into its territory! Large amounts of lava are erupting from the fissures. What exactly is going on?"
Iroha was stunned. Among the many people present, he was probably the only one who perceived the scene most directly, and only he could clearly feel the terrifying impact of nature's great power.
"Is it an earthquake?"
"No, if it were an earthquake, then both friend and foe would be affected. But judging by Tsukasa Kaede-sama's implication, this indicates it's the enemy's plan."
"What kind of plan can change terrain and Celestial Phenomena? Unless—"
The chatter ceased abruptly as everyone's minds conjured an image of a monster—a dreadful existence truly capable of creating natural disaster effects.
A Tailed Beast!
No one present, not even Tsukasa Kaede, had ever personally witnessed the might of a Tailed Beast, and no one had experience fighting against one.
"Hmph, Hidden Stone Village truly made a grand move, sending a Tailed Beast to open a second battlefield. How daring! Aren't they afraid of the Tailed Beast being captured by the Hidden Leaf Village's forces?" Tsukasa Kaede said in a deep voice.
He had first learned from White Zetsu that Roshi was leading a thousand Iwagakure Ninja to the border of the Land of Hot Water.
But even Tsukasa Kaede hadn't expected the enemy to go this far. If they had simply and crudely indiscriminately blasted with Tailed Beast Bombs, that would have been one thing. But now, it seemed they were using the power of the Four-Tails to pry open the Ley Lines of the Land of Hot Water?
"The Four-Tails' Lava Release, the Land of Hot Water's Underground Volcano... I see. It's an unexpectedly perfect combination, fully utilizing the power of the Ley Lines."
Tsukasa Kaede remembered Sasuke's Kirin and Madara's Tengai Shinsei—both powerful Ninjutsu that could utilize Celestial Phenomena, capable of inflicting terrifying damage, each equivalent to an S-rank Forbidden Jutsu—or even beyond the scope of rank assessment.
So, this battle is probably when Kato Dan will die.
"Everyone, further increase your speed. Let's try our best to save as many of our comrades as possible. Kaedence we've come, we can't do nothing; we must make the enemy pay."
Tsukasa Kaede quickly said, "The temperature is changing rapidly, and with a significant amount of water vapor here, there might be drastic climatic changes. This could further impede our actions. Everyone, be mentally prepared."
A perfectly good support plan instantly turned into a rescue operation. Everyone present was dumbfounded, feeling completely caught off guard.
*Swoosh!* Tsukasa Kaede acted first. His hands slid from his waist, and two scrolls spun rapidly, appearing in each of Tsukasa Kaede's palms. He then flicked them in two directions, left and right. As the scrolls unfurled, a large number of Zombies emerged from them.
Figure after figure transformed into black shadows and spread out, completely disregarding the fact that such overexertion of their bodies would cause physical damage, thus greatly reducing the lifespan of these Zombies.
These fifty Zombies, under Tsukasa Kaede's will, gathered around him, moving at high speed to form a substantial troop formation.
"Gate of Life, open!"
Might Dai, moreover, activated the Eight Gates Released Formation. Under the astonished gaze of the others, Might Dai looked at Tsukasa Kaede, waiting for his next command.
"Don't rush in too fiercely. Pay attention to maintaining distance from others," Tsukasa Kaede said. "The enemy's forces probably won't push deep into the Land of Hot Water at a time like this, which will ease the pressure on our side."
"Tsukasa Kaede-sama, what about you?"
"I must find Kato Dan no matter what. The Village's elite Ninja shouldn't die because of an enemy's plot."
Tsukasa Kaede led the team officially into the Land of Hot Water. The central and southern parts were actually fine, but the further north they went, the greater the topographical changes became.
His Zombies spread out, exploring in every direction. As long as one Zombie found traces of Kato Dan, Tsukasa Kaede would know.
Iroha closely followed Tsukasa Kaede, using his Byakugan to search for traces of fellow Village Ninja, and soon made a discovery.
"Are they reinforcements?"
"There are dozens of people... Wait, many of them don't seem like normal people. Their bodies are damaged, but no blood is flowing out. Could they be the corpses controlled by that Tsukasa Kaede?"
"Kaedegh, the reinforcements are too few. Our forces have already been defeated. This small number of people is useless. We can't rely on a pile of corpses to quell this disaster, can we? And there aren't that many corpses here to use."
Some Konoha Shinobi were in a sorry state, barely escaping with their lives. But similarly, hundreds of Konoha Shinobi fell into the fissures, swallowed by high-temperature steam and lava.
Along the coastline, sea waves also continuously surged towards the land. This, too, was a Natural Disaster.
Occasionally, Ninja from the Land of Hot Water appeared, watching, tears welling but unable to fall, as their once beautiful country transformed into this state. However, whether it was Iwagakure or Konoha, no one cared about the feelings of the Land of Hot Water Ninja.
In the face of the Great Shinobi Villages, unless it was the Hidden Rain Village with Hanzo in charge, or the Hidden Waterfall Village that controlled the Seven-Tails, ordinary small villages had no say whatsoever.
The only thing the Ninja of the Land of Hot Water could be thankful for was that the topographical changes only occurred along the northern coastline. Most of their territory was still normal.
Once the War ended and the Ley Lines stabilized again, the Land of Hot Water might still be the country famous throughout the Shinobi World for its hot spring wellness.
Tsukasa Kaede's expression was serious. Regardless of whether the surviving Konoha Shinobi were excited or despairing, he did not stop his pace. For those who could be saved, he readily sent Zombies to pull them out. For those who couldn't, he didn't dwell on it too much.
Until one Zombie's discovery caught Tsukasa Kaede's attention.
"Finally found it. Is the Four-Tails Jinchuriki fighting with Kato Dan?"
Tsukasa Kaede glanced at the gradually changing weather. Hopefully, that guy Kato Dan can hold out a little longer. The Spirit Transformation Secret Technique must not be lost just like that.
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