Boom!
A sudden explosion echoed from a nearby forest area.
Nagashima Tomohisa exchanged glances with the Iwagakure Special Jōnin next to him. Together, they quickly activated the Body Flicker Technique and headed toward the blast site.
However, by the time they arrived, there were only a few corpses of Iwagakure Chūnin and Genin, one of which had been blasted beyond recognition—clearly hit at close range by an explosive tag.
As for the other bodies… Nagashima Tomohisa inspected them closely. Each of the fallen had been struck in a vital spot with lethal precision, with no opportunity to resist. The weapon that had killed them was a short sword.
The situation was all too clear: the one responsible was undoubtedly Aoming.
Ironically, they had just been trying to locate him, only to find out that he'd already slipped in under their noses and taken down several of their comrades.
More disturbingly, this was likely just the beginning.
As they were thinking this, another scream rang out in the distance.
Without hesitation, the two immediately rushed to the scene. At the far end of their line of sight, they glimpsed a shadow quickly disappearing into the forest.
They refrained from pursuing recklessly and instead stopped at the scene.
There were two survivors left on-site, likely spared either because of the sheer number of Iwa-nin gathered there or the limited time available to the assailant.
Nagashima Tomohisa looked at the two survivors, asking sternly, "Who was the enemy?"
Although he already knew the answer, he wanted confirmation.
"It was 'Demon Blade'!" both survivors replied in unison, their voices trembling slightly.
Clearly, they were quite shaken.
Hearing this confirmation, Nagashima Tomohisa felt a heavy weight settle in his chest. This was bound to be trouble.
They had initially planned to assist Lao Zi, but it was clear now that survival had to take priority.
Boom!
Another explosion echoed, accompanied by a scream.
Clearly, yet another squad had taken a heavy hit.
With a grim expression, Nagashima Tomohisa turned to the Special Jōnin beside him, instructing, "Hanashu, inform the other squads to hold off on their actions for now. From this point forward, all teams are to regroup and prevent any further instances of the enemy picking us off one by one."
"Yes, Captain!" Yamanaka Hanashu responded with a serious tone before departing.
Meanwhile…
At the site of the explosion, Aoming withdrew his short sword from the chest of an Iwagakure Chūnin, casting a brief glance at the empty forest around him with a hint of disappointment.
From the moment he disguised himself as an Iwa-nin and saw Nagashima Tomohisa in the company of Lao Zi, he knew this person must be another commanding figure. Eliminating him would have surely disrupted the chain of command among the Iwa-nin on the mountainside.
For that reason, he had deliberately left an opening just now, hoping that the other would pursue him.
If Nagashima Tomohisa had indeed taken the bait, Aoming was fully prepared to unleash his full power and eliminate him in the shortest time possible.
But the other had proven to be overly cautious and didn't take the chase.
Aoming sighed inwardly, feeling a hint of disappointment.
However, it was nothing more than a minor letdown. After all, with the strength of these Iwa-nin, no amount of command could really pose a threat to him.
So, if they didn't follow, they didn't follow.
At worst, he'd simply reduce his kill count and let Yamanaka Kiku's team handle a bit more pressure.
Yamanaka Kiku: 😐
After sheathing his short sword, Aoming leapt to the treetops, scanning the battlefield below. He locked onto another Iwa-nin squad and sped toward them.
Thus, even before Yamanaka Kiku and her group launched their offensive, Aoming had already started cutting down the Iwa-nin squads one by one.
In doing so, he was able to restore his chakra reserves a bit, replenishing the chakra he had spent sparring with Lao Zi until he was back to full capacity.
Once Yamanaka Kiku's team began their attack, Aoming lowered his own frequency of attacks.
Occasionally, he would use the Mystical Palm Technique to channel Yang Release chakra to strengthen his body, prioritizing efficiency with minimal effort.
He wasn't deliberately leaving pressure on Yamanaka Kiku but rather directing most of his attention toward the battle between Lao Zi and Minato Namikaze.
Their battle's outcome was the deciding factor.
As for the fight here…
It wasn't that Aoming underestimated them, but their presence simply wasn't critical!
Brutal as it sounded, it was the reality.
Hence, Aoming was determined to avoid excessive bloodshed.
In the blink of an eye, nearly half an hour had passed.
The fighting on the outskirts had grown fierce, and the battle inside was equally intense.
After more than twenty minutes of hard combat, Lao Zi was clearly starting to lose ground.
One could sense the diminishing strength of his Tailed Beast aura, and the chakra cloaking his body had visibly dimmed.
It was becoming clear that, at this rate, defeat was inevitable.
This wasn't only Aoming's assessment; even Minato Namikaze and Gamabunta felt the same.
Yet, fate had a way of defying expectations.
Just as they all assumed Lao Zi was finished, readying themselves to intercept his escape should he attempt it…
Without warning, either from having fought for too long and allowed his mind to be overwhelmed by the Tailed Beast's will or as a deliberate act, Lao Zi tore open his seal.
In other words, Son Gokū was out of control.
Roar!
An enraged roar shattered the air, and the two tails behind Lao Zi instantly multiplied to four, transforming rapidly from a chakra-based cloak into solid form.
Swish swish swish…
The four crimson tails swung out like a net, sealing off Minato's path as he moved to close in and execute a sealing technique, forcing him back.
"This is a real problem…"
Returning to Gamabunta's side, Minato watched as Lao Zi continued to transform, murmuring under his breath.
Gamabunta, bearing several new wounds, looked on with uncharacteristic seriousness. "It sure is."
Whoosh…
A figure appeared beside Minato.
It was Aoming, who had come to assess the situation. Taking in the half-transformed, Tailed Beast-infused form of Lao Zi, he suggested, "Should we get out of here? This guy won't be easy to handle. We might as well let Iwagakure deal with their own problem."
Minato looked at Aoming with surprise.
He had expected that with such strength at such a young age, Aoming might be prone to overconfidence. And with his Uchiha bloodline, surely he wouldn't be willing to leave without even facing the real form of their enemy.
Yet, Aoming was already recommending a tactical retreat at the first hint of danger.
However, retreat was not an option.
It wasn't that Minato was too righteous to leave Son Gokū to run amok—it was the simple fact that the Four-Tails' wrath would immediately turn upon those nearby should he depart.
Among them…
There were plenty of Iwa-nin, but a fair number of Konoha shinobi as well. Minato wasn't about to let them fall needlessly.
Thus, he resolved to stay, for now.
That said, others could still make their escape.
With this in mind, Minato addressed Aoming, "I'll stay here to hold him off. You take the others and withdraw immediately."
"Aha, just as I thought!" Aoming thought to himself.
Without another word, he gave a quick nod and vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.
Watching Aoming's seamless departure, Minato found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
plz support me if you can.
patreon.com/Mano99
all the fanfic is 30 chapter a had and you will get 1 chapter everyday.