Chapter 173: Seven-Tails Sealed After Nine Days
"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
On the battlefield of the Cloud Shinobi, a loud shout echoed.
A golden figure soared into the sky, holding a massive blue energy sphere surrounded by rapidly spinning white shuriken-like gusts. The figure hurled it toward a burly, dark-skinned man with a tattoo on his arm, who was currently bound by octopus tentacles.
As the blue energy sphere flew toward him, the man, with empty eyes and an expressionless face, made no move to avoid it, allowing the sphere to strike him directly.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted. The senjutsu chakra, capable of instantly killing 130 trillion cells in a human body, combined with the extreme wind nature transformation, spread like a storm. In an instant, a massive white sphere of light formed, pulverizing the ground and the curtain of drizzling rain, spinning like a top in place.
The terrifying residual energy and shockwaves forced the surrounding Cloud Shinobi and White Zetsu clones to keep their distance. Even the Fourth Raikage and Killer B, who had been teaming up with Naruto's shadow clone to attack the enemy, quickly leaped back to avoid the blast. Killer B even severed his octopus tentacles without hesitation.
"Such terrifying chakra... and this is just a shadow clone?" The Fourth Raikage, observing Naruto's shadow clone with a serious expression, felt a heavy weight in his heart.
It was clear that Naruto's shadow clone's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken posed a significant threat to him. A ninjutsu of that level, even if he took it head-on, would kill him instantly. The instincts of a strong warrior didn't lie—the Fourth Raikage sensed a deadly danger emanating from that rapidly spinning energy sphere.
What weighed even more heavily on him was the fact that the person who had unleashed such an attack was merely a shadow clone of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki from the Leaf Village. And there were hundreds of such clones scattered across the battlefield.
Was this the true power of the strongest Tailed Beast? Just a single Jinchūriki had reached such a level. Had the Leaf Village's overall strength already surpassed that of the Cloud Village?
If they were to destroy the Rinnegan and the vessel capable of sealing Tailed Beasts, would there be any force left in the shinobi world capable of stopping the Leaf?
Should they continue to push forward?
At this moment, the Fourth Raikage, much like Ōnoki, felt a sense of hesitation.
After all, this Fourth Great Shinobi War was different from the original. There was no grand mobilization, no heartfelt speech from Gaara to resolve hatred. Even though Naruto had kindly sent hundreds of shadow clones to assist, the other villages remained wary.
If it weren't for the immense threat posed by the Akatsuki, and the fact that if they didn't act, the Leaf—who was leading the charge against Akatsuki—would fall, and they would be next.
Similarly, if they didn't participate and the Leaf emerged victorious, both the Rinnegan and the vessel capable of sealing Tailed Beasts would fall into the Leaf's hands. By then, the Leaf would possess two legendary Kekkei Genkai.
Once they revealed their ambitions, they would undoubtedly turn on the other villages.
Moreover, Akatsuki's next targets were his younger brother and the Leaf's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki...
If not for these factors, the Fourth Raikage truly didn't want to participate in this war.
Glancing around at the gruesome scene of corpses littering the ground, and recalling the heavy losses suffered at the start of the battle, the Fourth Raikage knew they had no way out. They had already lost so many people. If they didn't continue fighting, the Cloud Village might face retribution afterward.
But if they won, they could use public opinion, the momentum of victory, and even their hidden trump card—the Chakra Cannon—to intimidate the Leaf.
With this in mind, the Fourth Raikage's wavering resolve solidified, and his eyes grew determined.
Naruto's shadow clone, of course, was unaware of these thoughts.
After launching the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, he kept his eyes fixed on the Third Raikage, who was engulfed by the energy sphere. Around them, the sealing team stood ready to act.
However, when the energy sphere dissipated, everyone—Naruto, Killer B, and the surrounding Cloud Shinobi—was left wide-eyed and stunned.
The Third Raikage, who had been hit by the senjutsu-level Rasenshuriken, was completely unharmed. Not only had he suffered no damage, but the attack had also freed him from the octopus tentacles binding him.
"H-how is this possible?!" Naruto's shadow clone trembled in disbelief.
The Wind Release: Rasenshuriken was Naruto's strongest technique at the moment. After all, his current form was only the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, not the perfect Jinchūriki mode with Kurama. He couldn't fully transform into the Tailed Beast, nor could he release a Tailed Beast Bomb or create a mini Tailed Beast Bomb like he could with the Rasengan.
Thus, the Rasenshuriken was his ultimate trump card.
To see his strongest attack ignored, failing to even scratch the enemy, was not only shocking for Naruto but for anyone witnessing it.
"Don't be surprised. This is my father's strongest shield," the Fourth Raikage explained. "Back then, even ten thousand Rock Shinobi couldn't harm him. They could only exhaust him to death through sheer numbers."
"One-on-one, even the Eight-Tails couldn't defeat the old man," Killer B added.
"Incredible..." Naruto's shadow clone was once again awestruck, witnessing the true strength of the pinnacle of the Five Kage.
Even among the Five Kage, the dark-skinned man before him exuded a pressure far greater than the others, including Killer B, who had taught him how to control the Tailed Beast's power.
As the Third Raikage's body once again crackled with blue and white electricity, Naruto's shadow clone asked, "What do we do now?"
"We can't defeat him. We'll have to seal him," the Fourth Raikage said, no longer distracted by other thoughts. His body also became enveloped in blue and white electricity as he spoke firmly. "I'll take the lead. B, and you, Naruto kid, assist me."
"Understood!"
Naruto's shadow clone and Killer B responded in unison.
The three of them then charged toward the Third Raikage, with the Fourth Raikage leading the way.
Around the battlefield, the Cloud Shinobi, each skilled in ninjutsu and taijutsu, fought valiantly.
Despite suffering heavy losses, making them the village with the most casualties among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, the Cloud Village had something admirable: every one of them was a true warrior. As long as the Raikage didn't issue a retreat order, they would fight to the death without backing down.
Unlike other villages, which were rife with scheming and dark-hearted individuals, the Cloud Village had only produced two traitors in its history: Gold and Silver Brothers.
Beyond that, no other powerful traitors had emerged.
In terms of unity, the Cloud Village indeed surpassed the others, second only to the Leaf under Yagyu's leadership.
However, this very unity made the Cloud Village Yagyu's primary target.
He needed to cripple the village to the point where it would take decades to recover, ensuring they would be too afraid to entertain any rebellious thoughts.
Thus, a figure quietly appeared on the battlefield.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of blades piercing flesh echoed.
"It's Akatsuki's Hundred Faces! The Third Raikage was likely resurrected by him using the Impure World Reincarnation. Kill him!"
"That bastard actually showed up in person. We can't let him get away!"
"..."
Cries of hatred and anger filled the air, revealing the identity of the figure.
Indeed, it was the Hundred Faces' incarnation clone.
At that moment, he was slaughtering mercilessly.
His body was covered in sharp bones, exuding a bone-chilling cold and crackling with blue and white electricity.
Every move he made either pierced through his enemies' bodies, severed limbs, or sent freezing cold into their bodies, destroying their internal organs.
Additionally, fierce winds howled around him.
With one hand wielding a bone sword and the other holding the Gunbai, he deflected the Cloud Shinobi's attacks, absorbing their ninjutsu and lightning chakra before using the Uchiha Reflection to counterattack and kill them.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Collision Wave!"
Similarly, on the Mist Village's battlefield, Kisame Hoshigaki was wreaking havoc.
"Hahaha... admire my explosive art, yeah!"
Despite it being their first time working together, Kisame and Deidara had an unexpected synergy.
While Kisame used his massive water techniques to restrain the enemy on the ground, Deidara rode his white clay bird in the sky, dropping clay bombs like a bomber, causing a series of explosions.
The Mist Village, already struggling against the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, the prodigy Mangetsu Hōzuki, and the numerous powerful Mist ninja resurrected by them, found themselves in an even more dire situation with Kisame and Deidara joining the fray.
Although these two were only incarnation clones, far weaker than their true selves, this limitation didn't affect Kisame, known as the "Tailed Beast without a Tail," much, nor did it diminish Deidara's ninjutsu power.
In an instant, the Mist Village, which had previously suffered the least casualties alongside the Rock Village, now faced heavy losses.
However, Mei Terumī, unlike Ōnoki, didn't consider retreating. Instead, she became even more determined to ally with the Leaf.
She would rather see Yagyu become the new God of Shinobi and lead the Leaf to achieve what even the First Hokage couldn't—unifying the shinobi world—than witness Akatsuki, a terrorist organization filled with S-rank criminals and monsters, become the dominant force.
If the shinobi world fell into Akatsuki's hands, not only would the balance of power among the Five Great Villages be shattered, but the entire shinobi world, including the surrounding islands, would descend into chaos and darkness.
Even if the Mist Village suffered heavy casualties and fell from its position as one of the Five Great Villages, she was determined to contribute her strength.
Thus, Mei Terumī led the charge.
The same was true on the Sand Village's battlefield!
White Zetsu clones, the Impure World Reincarnation army, elite reincarnated units, and Akatsuki members' incarnation clones...
These four forces were more than a match for any of the Five Great Villages one-on-one.
Facing the Second Tsuchikage, known as the "Non-Person," the Rock Village suffered heavy losses.
However, unlike the Rock Village, which chose to retreat from the Land of Rain, the other four Great Villages and even the samurai of the Land of Iron refused to back down, despite their heavy casualties.
Confronting Akatsuki at full strength, Gaara and the others realized the gravity of the situation.
If just a portion of Akatsuki's forces could hold them off, how terrifying would their full strength be?
Akatsuki had the power to easily destroy a major village.
Though it was unclear why they hadn't chosen to conquer the villages one by one before, this was undoubtedly their only chance.
If they chose to flee now, regardless of which side emerged victorious, they would face retribution.
Thus, they decided to go all out.
And so, for nine days, the Five Great Villages and the Land of Iron fought fiercely against Akatsuki's army of 100,000 White Zetsu clones, the Impure World Reincarnation army, elite reincarnated units, and Akatsuki members' incarnation clones.
No longer scheming against each other, they fought with everything they had.
After nine days of battle, the Five Great Villages hadn't made much progress, as they were effectively blocked by Akatsuki's four forces.
The fearless White Zetsu clones and the Impure World Reincarnation army were simply too difficult to deal with.
Moreover, in such a chaotic battle, even if the Five Great Villages managed to defeat the reincarnated shinobi, the sealing teams needed time to seal them away.
During that time, the enemy wouldn't just stand by and watch.
Many sealing team members were assassinated while preparing their techniques.
Given the high status and limited numbers of the sealing teams, the Five Great Villages prioritized protecting them. If the sealing teams were in danger, they would abandon the sealing process to save their lives.
Thus, over the nine days, the Five Great Villages failed to completely eliminate the relatively small Impure World Reincarnation army.
However, the White Zetsu clones and the lower-ranking shinobi of the Five Great Villages had been largely depleted.
Across the Land of Rain, whether under a light drizzle or a heavy downpour, the battlefields were littered with corpses.
No one had the time or means to deal with the bodies.
If someone were to count, the number of corpses would likely reach 30,000 to 40,000, not including the thousands of Rock Shinobi reduced to dust.
Similarly, this didn't account for the White Zetsu clones.
If those white creatures were included, the death toll would approach 100,000.
The Five Great Villages and Akatsuki had fought to the point of madness, as if they had lost all reason.
Even when their chakra was exhausted, they didn't retreat from the Land of Rain. Instead, they set up barriers to rest briefly or moved to the rear lines for supplies.
As the number of White Zetsu clones dwindled, the supply units had already moved from the borders into the Land of Rain.
"Finally, the Seven-Tails has been sealed. I'm exhausted!"
While the Five Great Villages were consumed by the madness of battle, the Akatsuki members in the underground base were also feeling immense fatigue and numbness.
"This is the first time we've been sealing for nine days and nights straight. It's too much," Deidara complained. "If it weren't for the leader suddenly becoming stronger, significantly reducing the sealing time, the thought of having to seal for several more days would make me want to vomit."
This time, no one mocked Deidara. Instead, they all nodded in agreement.
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