Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several dark figures swiftly landed beside the Five-Tails Jinchūriki in the crater.
One of them, a jōnin from Iwagakure named Hiroshi, wore an Iwa headband and stared at Tsunade standing at the front in the darkness. A strong sense of unease welled up in his heart.
"It seems the enemy was prepared for us. Should we proceed with the plan?"
Hiroshi glanced at Han, who had gotten back up from the ground. The tailed beast chakra around him surged once again. He lowered his voice and asked.
Their original plan was to use a Tailed Beast Bomb to clear the way, destroying the camp's defenses and protective forces first.
Then, amidst the chaos, they would infiltrate, break through the enemy's defense, and take advantage of Tsunade's hemophobia to eliminate her.
However, their plan had already suffered a setback. From the way the enemy responded, it was clear they had anticipated this attack.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to counter the Tailed Beast Bomb so quickly.
With the enemy already prepared, the success of their mission was now shrouded in uncertainty.
"Perhaps they've already discovered the intelligence leak in Konoha. You deal with Tsunade and her guards. I'll hold them off."
Han's muffled voice sounded from beneath his mask. He had no intention of abandoning the mission. Iwagakure had sacrificed too much for this attack.
Even if the enemy was prepared, they had to see the mission through to the end—unless retreat became the only option.
Hiroshi and the other carefully selected Iwa jōnin nodded.
They had already witnessed the strength of Tsunade's two guards from afar.
One of them had withstood a Tailed Beast Bomb from Han in his half-transformed state, while the other had struck Han back in that same state with a single attack.
Both of them were formidable opponents!
"That's Uchiha Shisui, known as 'Shisui of the Body Flicker,' and his teammate, Nara Kagetsu of the Nara Clan. They are Konoha shinobi who have been active on the battlefields of Konoha and Kirigakure."
One of the Iwa jōnin with strong sensory abilities had already identified Shisui and Kagetsu and reported their identities in a low voice.
"Shisui of the Body Flicker, huh?"
Han, the Jinchūriki of the Five-Tails, grew more serious. No matter what, anyone who made a name for themselves in the Shinobi World War was a force to be reckoned with.
And that Nara Kagetsu… From that brief exchange just now, the pressure he gave Han was even greater than that of the Uchiha descendant.
Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon!
Two Iwagakure jōnin took the lead, rushing forward while quickly forming hand seals. As they finished, two massive dragons of earth and stone erupted from the ground ahead of them.
The dragons raised their heads, opened their massive jaws, and charged toward Tsunade and the others with overwhelming momentum.
Shisui's sharp hearing and keen perception immediately pinpointed the incoming attack. Within a second, he had already formed the seals for the jutsu he was most familiar with and unleashed it.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Shisui leaned forward, spewing a massive fireball from his mouth. The flames collided directly with the incoming earth dragons.
At the same time, a shadow flickered like a venomous snake through the firelight, swiftly merging into one of the stone dragons.
Shadow Puppet Technique.
The dragon, now infused with shadows, suddenly twisted midair and turned, crashing into the other earth dragon.
A thunderous explosion rang out as the two massive dragons entangled, biting and tearing at each other.
"My jutsu is out of control!"
One of the Iwagakure shinobi, who had been controlling the earth dragons, felt his connection to the jutsu abruptly severed.
He immediately cut off his chakra flow, but it was too late—the two dragons had already started attacking each other, rendering the assault ineffective.
A blazing fireball then struck the tangled dragons, engulfing them in flames. Under the intense heat, their stone bodies cracked apart.
As the night wind blew past, the dragons crumbled into shattered rubble, scattering across the ground.
Earth Release: Earth and Stone Flow!
Despite the failure of their attack, the Iwagakure shinobi did not falter. Two more rock ninja stepped forward, shouting in unison as they slammed their fists into the ground.
A surge of chakra burst forth, instantly turning the terrain ahead into a flowing river of fine sand. The two sand streams merged into a single, rushing current, rapidly altering the battlefield.
Anything in its path would be swallowed by the river and buried beneath the shifting sands.
At the same time, like a roaring steam locomotive, a crimson figure—his body seemingly ablaze—charged forward at full speed, propelled by immense bursts of steam. His target: Tsunade.
"I'll handle the Jinchūriki."
Kagetsu scanned the battlefield and immediately sensed the enemy's intention to split the battlefield and cut off their connection with Tsunade.
Since he wasn't worried about Tsunade, he actively chose a troublesome opponent.
"Be careful."
Tsunade had originally intended to engage the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, but hearing Kagetsu's words, she hesitated.
Though she was concerned for his safety, she knew Kagetsu's personality—he wouldn't make such a suggestion unless he was confident. After a brief warning, she let him leave her side.
A dark shadow extended again from the severed stone dragon, connecting to the shadow of a nearby Iwagakure ninja. In an instant, the ninja's body stiffened as he lost control over himself.
"Be careful! I've been caught by the Nara Clan's shadow jutsu!"
The trapped ninja immediately shouted in warning. Under the moonlight, shadows clashed and intertwined in the blink of an eye.
As part of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, the Nara Clan's shadow techniques were well-known among Iwagakure's jōnin.
Some had even personally experienced them, so they knew how to counteract the technique.
After alerting his comrades, the trapped Iwagakure jōnin quickly channeled his chakra and willpower to resist the foreign chakra infiltrating his body.
As long as one's spiritual strength or chakra was powerful enough, there was still a chance to struggle against the Nara Clan's shadow jutsu.
Moreover, everyone knew that the Ino-Shika-Chō formation was at its strongest when all three members were present. If one acted alone, they were troublesome but not unbeatable.
However, the Iwagakure ninja's resistance had little effect. Though his struggle caused Kagetsu some disturbance, it was barely noticeable.
To put it bluntly, Kagetsu's spiritual strength—or rather, his soul—had long surpassed that of ordinary shinobi. As a result, his Yin Release power had skyrocketed as well.
His immense soul and mental strength had even begun affecting his repeatedly enhanced body, forcing him to seek ways to seal and resolve the imbalance between his soul and physical strength.
In terms of mental power, even the Yamanaka clan, known for their expertise in this area, could not compare to him.