On a ridge overlooking the battlefield, a squad of Konoha shinobi came running at full speed, with Yamanaka Mokuno among them.
When he saw the fierce clash ahead between Konoha and Cloud shinobi, Yamanaka Mokuno's expression darkened.
"We're a step too late," he said grimly. "Let's hope the situation hasn't completely collapsed."
At his side stood a lean man in his twenties with a long sword strapped to his back—the captain of the Third Squad, Moonlight Ryūka.
Ryūka glanced over his shoulder, then turned to look at a wounded Konoha ninja being supported by two comrades.
"Captain Inuzuka, can your injuries still hold up?"
"Don't worry," Inuzuka Yama replied through gritted teeth. "It's not fatal… but my Kumo-maru won't be coming back."
Deep gashes crisscrossed Inuzuka Yama's body, his bandages soaked red with blood.
His eyes were filled with sorrow—Kumo-maru, the massive gray-furred wolf-dog that had grown up fighting alongside him, was dead.
He'd died covering Yama's retreat.
Inuzuka Yama was the captain of the First Squad of the Second Battalion. His unit had been driven into a desperate retreat under pursuit from a Cloud squad before running into Ryūka's group midway.
Together, with their superior numbers, they had managed to repel the Cloud pursuers.
Suddenly, Moonlight Ryūka's pupils shrank sharply. He unsheathed his blade and looked toward a massive boulder not far away.
On top of that boulder stood a lone Cloud shinobi, his figure having appeared there without anyone noticing.
"Yo, Konoha fools! Kono yarō, baka yarō! You ain't goin' nowhere, yo yo!"
Noticing Ryūka's gaze, the Cloud ninja turned around, twisting his body to the beat, rapping in a bizarre rhythm as he danced.
Ryūka's expression hardened instantly—he recognized him.
It was Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki of the Hidden Cloud.
Inuzuka Yama's face paled. "Damn it… why is the Murderous Bee of the Cloud here!?"
Yamanaka Mokuno grew even more serious, eyes scanning the surroundings.
If the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki was here, then the main Cloud force couldn't be far behind.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A sudden shout split the air, cutting off Killer Bee's rapping.
The temperature around them surged violently as a roaring fire dragon spiraled through the air toward him.
In the blink of an eye, the torrent of flames swallowed Killer Bee whole.
But a heartbeat later, countless shockwaves burst from within the inferno, shredding the flames apart.
Killer Bee stood unharmed amidst the dispersing fire, calmly sliding one of his blades back into its sheath.
He had cut through the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet with a single strike.
"Swish, swish, swish—!"
The wind howled. Multiple Konoha shinobi flickered into view around Killer Bee, each using the Body Flicker Technique to surround and attack him.
"Yo yo, kono yarō, baka yarō!"
Killer Bee continued rapping and swaying his body, and just as the attacks were about to land—his figure blurred.
A storm of blinding sword light erupted in every direction.
The next instant, the light vanished.
The Konoha shinobi surrounding him all froze, crimson lines blooming across their bodies before they collapsed in a spray of blood.
Ryūka and the others had just witnessed a terrifying display of swordsmanship.
Killer Bee's movements were impossibly fast and fluid, as though he had several extra arms—each one wielding a blade with deadly precision.
"What terrifying swordsmanship… so this is Killer Bee, the Murderous Bee. Just like the intel said."
Ryūka's eyes trembled slightly with fear. As a swordsman himself who had mastered the Konoha Sword Style, he could feel the overwhelming power behind Bee's technique.
Seven blades were strapped across Bee's back—and he had wielded all seven simultaneously, each moving as if it were an extension of his own body.
In just one exchange, he had annihilated the entire assault team.
The other Konoha shinobi were equally shaken.
That was just Bee's normal attack.
And he was a jinchūriki—once he cloaked himself in the Eight-Tails' chakra, they wouldn't stand a chance.
He was a monster.
"What do we do?" Ryūka whispered to Yamanaka Mokuno.
Mokuno's eyes flickered with hesitation—he didn't know either.
Fight? Impossible.
Run? Equally hopeless.
Before such overwhelming strength, there was nothing they could do.
Just then, a new Cloud squad appeared behind them—the pursuing force.
"Yo yo, Konoha baka yarō! You ain't runnin' nowhere, yo! Kono yarō! Surrender now, fool!"
Killer Bee kept rapping as he turned his gaze toward the battlefield below—then suddenly stopped mid-beat, his dancing freezing in place.
His expression grew serious.
Down below, a lone figure darted through the Cloud ranks like a thunderbolt—Uchiha Yuan.
He moved with lightning speed, weaving through enemy lines, each flash of his blade bringing down another foe.
"So I've finally found you! Konoha's 'Fierce Tiger'—you're the one who broke Uncle Dasai's arm!"
As Uchiha Yuan slit one Cloud ninja's throat with a kunai and shifted his stance, another enemy appeared in front of him, both hands gripping a longsword and bringing it down in a fierce arc.
En caught the descending blade with his kunai, twisted his body to evade another sword thrusting from behind, and in the next instant—
High above him, a Cloud ninja finished weaving hand seals.
"Technique of the Heavenly Fire Meteor!"
This one was from a Cloud bloodline clan—his ninjutsu fused Fire and Earth release into a kekkei genkai.
A massive, flame-wreathed boulder came hurtling down toward En.
Instead of dodging, Uchiha Yuan pushed off the ground, rocketing upward. His fist ignited with power.
Rising Dragon Fist!
With a thunderous explosion, the blazing rock shattered to fragments.
"Die!"
Five Cloud shinobi roared as they leapt at him from all sides, blades slashing inward simultaneously.
The killing intent was suffocating, sealing off every path of escape.
At that critical instant, an invisible pulse surged from Uchiha Yuan's body.
His spiritual energy expanded outward—time itself seemed to slow. Every enemy's movement became crystal clear in his mind.
He shifted his stance slightly, sidestepping the first sword strike, then seized his attacker's wrist and yanked hard.
His body blurred again, twisting between the flashing blades of the others, narrowly evading three more strikes.
In the next moment, both his hands shot out—grabbing each of the surrounding Cloud shinobi in perfect, deadly motion.
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