When hope was about to shatter—something fell from the sky.
"The Uchiha clan isn't supposed to be aligned with Konoha, are they?!"
"Why are they on the battlefield?!"
Before the clash with Konoha,
Kumogakure had thoroughly investigated the village's internal situation.
And according to their intelligence—
The Uchiha clan and Konoha were practically at each other's throats.
Yet now?
The Uchiha clan had appeared on the battlefield in full force.
Their clan head was personally leading the charge.
Yugito Nii and Killer B both wanted to drag the intelligence officer responsible out and beat him to death.
This was "at odds with Konoha"?!
This was practically marching hand-in-hand!
Facing rows upon rows of glowing Sharingan—
especially under the cover of night—
The psychological pressure was overwhelming.
Several Cloud shinobi on the front line were already on the verge of collapse.
At this rate, they'd break formation and attack wildly even before Konoha made a move.
Seeing this, Yugito and Killer B exchanged a glance.
They had no choice.
If the two of them didn't step in now,
the frontline forces would be wiped out completely—and they'd become sinners of Kumogakure.
"All units, retreat!!!"
"Fall back toward the Land of Lightning!"
"We'll hold the line here!"
The order was given without hesitation.
These were expendable forward troops anyway—
keeping them here would only mean pointless deaths.
At least if they withdrew, they could still be used later.
Cloud shinobi immediately fled south—the only direction not fully encircled.
Meanwhile, Yugito and Killer B stepped forward,
meeting the Uchiha forces head-on.
"Let's go all out."
"Got it."
As they locked eyes,
terrifying chakra surged from both of them.
Killer B was instantly shrouded in a crimson cloak of tailed-beast chakra.
Yugito's transformation was even more drastic—
Blue, flame-like chakra patterns wrapped around her body.
Her hair rose without wind, and her eyes turned completely white.
Their presence skyrocketed.
Killer B didn't hesitate—
his gaze locked onto the foremost figure, Uchiha Fugaku,
and he charged.
"Lariat!!!"
With the tailed-beast cloak boosting him,
Killer B closed the distance in an instant,
driving a brutal elbow strike toward Fugaku's head.
At the same time, Yugito unleashed her signature technique.
"Fire Rat Jade!"
Blue chakra flames exploded outward,
forming a blazing barrier that blocked Konoha's pursuing forces.
BOOM—!
A chain of violent explosions halted the advance completely.
But in the next instant—
Yugito found herself surrounded by Uchiha shinobi.
Facing a circle of Sharingan,
her pressure spiked sharply.
As for Killer B,
he and Fugaku clashed head-on, neither giving ground.
"Ha! Come on, Konoha!"
"Let's dance!"
Yugito's limbs morphed into razor-sharp claws as she lunged forward.
The battlefield erupted.
Yet no matter how strong a jinchūriki was—
They were still heavily restrained by the Sharingan's illusion techniques.
Even with their tailed beasts constantly warning them,
Yugito and Killer B were gradually forced onto the defensive.
After blasting their opponents back,
the two regrouped at the center.
Surrounded by glowing red eyes,
their expressions were grim.
The Uchiha's endless genjutsu chains were simply too oppressive.
Then—
Shouts erupted from the south.
Both Yugito and Killer B's faces changed instantly.
Not good.
The retreating units—!
"You didn't seriously think we left you an escape route out of kindness, did you?"
Fugaku's mocking voice cut through the chaos.
Their faces darkened further.
Sure enough—
In the southern sector,
Hyūga shinobi and the Ino–Shika–Chō formation had already intercepted the fleeing Cloud forces.
"Finish it!"
"Then reinforce Fugaku-sama!"
The sounds of battle quickly died out.
Now—
There was truly no retreat left.
A ruthless glint flashed through Yugito and Killer B's eyes.
Their chakra surged violently.
Seeing this, Fugaku immediately ordered all Konoha shinobi to fall back.
His Sharingan locked onto the two jinchūriki,
his mind racing.
Do I… reveal the Mangekyō now?
Before he could decide—
The transformations completed.
Two colossal beings slammed into existence.
The Two-Tails, Matatabi.
The Eight-Tails, Gyūki.
The moment the tailed beasts appeared,
Fugaku ordered a full retreat.
This was a battlefield no ordinary jōnin could survive.
"Running now?!"
"Too late!!!"
Even in full tailed-beast form,
Yugito and Killer B retained control.
Seeing Konoha attempting to withdraw intact,
they drove their massive bodies forward in pursuit.
Fugaku clenched his teeth.
If he didn't go all out now,
Konoha would suffer devastating losses.
His three tomoe spun violently—
a pinwheel-like pattern beginning to emerge.
Then—
A sharp whistling sound cut through the battlefield.
"What was that?!"
"Something's coming—fast!"
"Wait… is that a person?"
"A person… flying?!"
Everyone looked up.
A humanoid figure was plummeting from the sky like a meteor,
tearing through the air—
Straight toward the pursuing tailed beasts.
Yugito and Killer B instinctively pulled back.
BOOM—!!!
The impact shook the earth.
Dust and debris erupted skyward.
All eyes snapped toward the crater.
Through the settling smoke—
A single figure could be seen.
One knee pressed into the ground.
Both hands braced casually on his hips.
A pose like a god descending from the heavens.
And when he slowly lifted his head—
Those closest to the battlefield realized something chilling.
This wasn't a shinobi arrival.
This was—
Alaric's landing.
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