101. Speak Faster Next Time!
Outrageous!
It was truly outrageous!
How incredibly outrageous for one person to face more than a hundred elite ninjas alone!
Hatake Kakashi could clearly see the embarrassment on the Jōnin's face as he spoke, confirming that they genuinely hadn't had time to provide assistance.
Just how powerful had Naraku become?
If he could cause such devastating destruction, did that mean Naraku hadn't even used his full strength when fighting against Kakashi and Guy?
Perhaps at this moment, Shihouin Naraku was the strongest ninja in all of Konohagakure!
Suddenly, Kakashi remembered someone else.
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato!
During the Third Ninja World War, Minato-sensei had once eliminated fifty elite Iwagakure ninjas in an instant.
With this recollection, Kakashi's surprise diminished. Perhaps such extraordinary individuals—ninjas whose strength far exceeded others—simply appeared in the shinobi world from time to time.
It wasn't appropriate to dwell on these thoughts now. Kakashi needed to focus on leading the newly arrived reinforcements to repel the remaining enemy forces.
With the addition of fresh troops, the Sand and Sound ninjas were quickly overwhelmed. More and more enemy shinobi were either killed or captured by Konoha forces.
The Sand ninja commander, Baki, wanted to retreat temporarily. After all, Konoha's reinforcements had arrived, and Gaara's plan to unleash Shukaku had failed. With the Sand ninja main force still absent, they could no longer continue fighting effectively.
However, Genma Shiranui persistently engaged him, making it impossible for Baki to lead his team to safety.
"We can't continue like this!"
Baki anxiously assessed the battlefield, growing increasingly worried as he watched his fellow Sand ninjas being eliminated one by one by Konoha forces.
In truth, his greatest concern wasn't for his subordinates, but for Orochimaru, who was fighting inside the barrier atop the building.
To be clear, Baki wasn't worried about Orochimaru's safety.
Rather, he wondered: where had their Fourth Kazekage gone?
Why had Orochimaru disguised himself as the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, and where was the real Rasa?
If the Fourth Kazekage had been impersonated for some time, then Sunagakure had been thoroughly deceived!
Baki dared not even contemplate why the real Fourth Kazekage hadn't appeared yet.
"Slash!"
Genma Shiranui didn't care what thoughts troubled Baki. Noticing his opponent's momentary distraction, Genma's hands moved with lightning speed, his kunai instantly cutting a deep gash across Baki's face.
Blood oozed from the wound, dripping down his cheek...
"Damn it!"
Baki gritted his teeth and suddenly shouted, "All Sunagakure forces, retreat!"
With a loud pop, a smoke bomb exploded, quickly spreading a thick cloud across the battlefield.
Genma Shiranui narrowed his eyes slightly, immediately spotting Baki's silhouette as he attempted to slip away. Without hesitation, Genma pursued.
"After them!"
Hatake Kakashi issued orders: "Leave half our forces to guard the civilians and the daimyō. Some should approach the barrier and find a way to support the Third Hokage. The rest of you, pursue the retreating enemy!"
Kakashi and Might Guy led the pursuit team, while Sarutobi Asuma and his squad leaped onto the roof of the tallest building, trying to determine if there was any way to break through the barrier.
The remaining Konoha shinobi stayed at the examination venue to prevent any incidents that might endanger the daimyō and other spectators.
Meanwhile, Baki attempted to escape from Konohagakure with only a few Sunagakure Jōnin. As they fled, he noticed how eerily quiet the village was.
Clearly, the civilians had already been evacuated to shelter facilities.
Baki gritted his teeth in frustration. He had to lead the remaining Jōnin to safety.
Sunagakure's losses in this failed invasion were already devastating. They couldn't afford to lose any more combat strength.
"At least Gaara escaped. Now it seems the failure of Shukaku's rampage plan was actually fortunate!"
The One-Tailed Shukaku remained with them, which meant Sunagakure still possessed their ultimate weapon!
This was the only glimmer of hope amid a sea of disasters!
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Thud!"
As Baki led several Jōnin through Konoha's narrow streets, a calm voice suddenly spoke from ahead. In the next instant, two Jōnin behind Baki collapsed to the ground without a sound.
Blood immediately pooled beneath them, soaking the dirt.
Sensing imminent death, Baki closed his eyes, raised his hands and shouted, "We surrender!"
"Sunagakure surrenders!"
"Oh?"
Baki slowly opened his eyes and instantly broke into a cold sweat. Shihouin Naraku, a high-ranking official of Konohagakure, stood before him holding a sharp blade. The pitch-black edge of Kurikara pointed at Baki's throat, hovering just a millimeter away from his skin.
He could feel the blade's chill against his neck, causing involuntary goosebumps to spread across his skin.
"Naraku!"
"Naraku is here!"
"Naraku!"
Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy arrived with their forces, surrounding the four remaining Jōnin led by Baki!
Shihouin Naraku withdrew Kurikara and gave Baki and the other three a calm look. "You almost lost to my blade. Next time, try to announce your surrender faster to avoid blood spilling unnecessarily."
Next time?
If there was a next time, it would be truly terrifying.
"Take them away and lock them up. We'll decide their fate later."
"Yes, sir!"
Baki and his three remaining subordinates were bound and then escorted to the ANBU prison by Konoha shinobi.
"How are things going over there?" Naraku asked.
Shihouin Naraku casually swung his sword, the black blade flashing with a cold gleam. Despite countless battles, it remained as pristine as new, without a single scratch.
Hatake Kakashi glanced at the two dead Sand ninjas lying in pools of blood, then replied, "The battle at the examination venue has subsided, however..."
Everyone present looked up to see the barrier still standing atop the tallest building in the venue.
Might Guy spoke with concern, "I wonder how Hokage-sama is faring?"
"Don't worry," Kakashi reassured confidently. "The Third Hokage is incredibly powerful. There's no need for concern."
Shihouin Naraku gave Kakashi a speechless glance. If he didn't know Kakashi's personality, he might have believed the Copy Ninja was truly unconcerned about the Third Hokage.
Kakashi added helplessly, "The main problem is that we can't break through the Four Violet Flames Formation barrier. Unless the Third Hokage eliminates the casters from inside, the barrier will remain intact."
In truth, there was another way to break such a barrier—through overwhelming, irrefutable strength that could crush the Four Violet Flames Formation head-on!
In the future Fourth Ninja World War, four Kage-level masters—Senju Hashirama, Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Namikaze Minato—would consume terrifying amounts of chakra to perform the Four Red Yang Formation, a barrier dozens of times stronger than the current Four Violet Flames Formation.
Yet even that mighty barrier would be easily torn apart by Uchiha Obito after he became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.
So, it all came down to raw power.
With sufficient strength, anything could be broken!
"BOOM!"
Before anyone else could react, the ground suddenly collapsed beneath them, spreading into dense networks of cracks.
Shihouin Naraku leaped high into the air, gripping Kurikara tightly with both hands. An enormous amount of chakra quickly gathered at the blade's tip!
"Nothing is indestructible! Only the strong cannot be broken!"
"Crescent Moon Sky Rush!!!"
A massive pitch-black crescent materialized and slashed through the air, cutting a channel through the turbulent airflow at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
Like lightning, the pitch-black crescent struck the powerful Four Violet Flames Formation barrier with a thunderous impact.
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