Yugito could clearly feel her chakra continuously draining away, and with it, her physical strength as well.
At this rate, in less than twenty seconds, her chakra would be completely absorbed, and her strength was gradually slipping away from her body.
A deep sense of powerlessness rose from the depths of her heart. As her chakra diminished, a sense of impending crisis seeped through her body like an icy chill, creeping up from her feet and slowly reaching her chest.
The areas consumed by the cold turned rigid and numb, rendering her unable to move.
It was as if she were sinking into a swamp, her body slowly descending into a bottomless pit of despair. As she sank to her chest, even breathing became difficult.
The towering wooden pillars that bound her were despair-inducing, yet Yugito was not ready to give up completely. She had not abandoned her struggle. But since she couldn't break free on her own, she could only place her hopes on her comrades from the village.
Slash!
A sharp tree root mercilessly pierced through a Cloud ninja's chest. As blood sprayed into the air, the root yanked the screaming ninja upwards before slamming him violently onto the hard ground.
Fragments of stone scattered. The scream was abruptly cut off. The light of life vanished in an instant.
The scene repeated itself over and over again, one sharp, ruthless root after another tore through the defenses of the Cloud ninjas, penetrating one heated body after another before embedding themselves deep into the earth.
Fiery bursts of Fire Release, Wind Release, and Lightning Release techniques flared brilliantly in the darkness of the night, but they could do little to halt the relentless surge of trees. Many roots were cut down by jutsu, yet more continued to emerge, displaying the raw vitality of life itself, unceasing and unstoppable.
The technique seemed almost alive, its energy inexhaustible, its growth unending. It could be resisted for a time, but not forever.
After an overwhelming wave of ninjutsu was unleashed, the tree trunks, like giant pythons, slithered into the enemy ranks, ensnaring a Cloud ninja who failed to evade in time. The trunk coiled tightly around him midair and then suddenly twisted... Crack! His bones shattered into countless fragments.
Beyond the tree trunks, the most lethal force was the roots that could impale their targets.
In total, two hundred Cloud ninjas had been devastated by Ye Zi's pseudo-Deep Forest Emergence, powered by Yugito's chakra. The weaker chūnin were the first to fall.
With Yugito's massive reserves of chakra fueling the technique, the range of the pseudo-Deep Forest Emergence was immense. Given the terrain's natural limitations, the available space for evasion was severely restricted. As a result, many chūnin perished after releasing just one or two waves of jutsu, crushed or impaled by the merciless trees.
Nearly a hundred Cloud ninjas had been annihilated in a crushing onslaught, while the remaining ones barely managed to hold on.
Among them, a group of about thirty Cloud ninjas had formed a defensive line. Their shared characteristic was the use of large, heavy swords that could easily cleave through the roots. Working together, they defended in all directions and, for the time being, successfully repelled the relentless advance of the trees.
The defensive line they established granted the other Cloud ninjas a brief reprieve, allowing them to regroup.
Seeing that the Cloud ninjas had barely managed to hold the line, Ye Zi remained unfazed. His target was Yugito. If he could eliminate the Cloud ninjas, he would, but if not, he wouldn't allow them to rescue her.
"About five seconds left," Ye Zi muttered coldly, his gaze fixed on the struggling, now-weakened Tailed Beast host.
The rate at which Wood Release absorbed chakra was impressive, within thirty seconds, it could completely drain a jinchūriki of all their chakra. Now, only five more seconds were needed for Yugito to fall unconscious from chakra depletion.
Yugito had pinned her hopes on the two hundred nearby Cloud ninjas, but she was met with bitter disappointment. Her body was growing weaker; even raising her arm had become a tremendous effort.
The thirty Cloud ninjas wielding heavy swords had managed to hold a defensive line, but they were unable to break through the Wood Release assault. They could not reach Yugito in time. Moreover, maintaining their formation was becoming increasingly difficult, the pressure was mounting and signs of collapse were beginning to show.
Five seconds…
Four seconds…
Ye Zi cast a glance in that direction. Suddenly, four or five roots burst forth from the ground beneath the Cloud ninjas, instantly skewering five of the sword-wielding warriors through their chests. In that moment, their defensive line completely collapsed.
The impaled Cloud ninjas were lifted into the air, and as the light faded from their eyes, their heavy swords slipped from their grasp, plummeting toward the ground.
At that instant, the blood-soaked roots abruptly retracted, snatching the fallen swords in midair. Their former wielders, now lifeless, tumbled limply to the ground like discarded sacks.
Now armed with five heavy swords, the roots lashed out wildly, unleashing a storm of bloodshed within the Cloud ninja ranks.
Like the writhing tentacles of an octopus, the roots swung the swords with reckless abandon, no precise technique, only brute force and overwhelming speed. Any Cloud ninja caught in their path met an instant, fatal end.
Three seconds…
Two seconds…
The final line of defense formed by the Cloud ninjas crumbled in an instant before Ye Zi's eyes.
Yet, Ye Zi did not relax. Instead, he suddenly lifted his gaze and stared in a certain direction, a formidable chakra presence was rapidly approaching.
Zzt zzt!
Through the darkness of the night, an intense bolt of lightning streaked through the air, slicing past the raging Wood Release technique.
Shhk!
A faint sound rang out, barely noticeable amidst the chaos.
Ye Zi's gaze slightly narrowed. As the afterimage of the lightning flickered in his eyes, he remained completely still, yet countless tree roots and trunks were instantly severed, sent flying into the air.
A tall and powerfully built, bare-chested man came to an abrupt stop. Transitioning from extreme motion to complete stillness, his stance was as solid as a boulder, a testament to his astonishing physical strength.
The man fixed his cold gaze on Ye Zi. His body continuously emitted the radiant glow of Lightning Release chakra, making him particularly striking in the darkness of the night.
The man known as the "Monster", the Third Raikage, had arrived at the very last second. In an instant, he obliterated the Wood Release assault and saved the remaining twenty or so Cloud ninjas.
Seeing the Third Raikage arrive, the Cloud ninjas who had been utterly helpless against Ye Zi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now that the Third Raikage was here, Yugito could be saved.
Zzt!
Another figure shrouded in lightning arrived, stopping beside the Third Raikage. The two men were of similar build and bore a striking resemblance to one another.
The two strongest men in the Hidden Cloud Village had arrived.
Boom!
At that moment, Yugito's Tailed Beast Transformation suddenly dissipated without warning. She reverted to her human form, falling from a low altitude. Her eyes were tightly shut, she had lost consciousness.
"Yugito…"
Inside the sealed space, Matatabi struggled desperately to keep its eyes open. It wanted to save Yugito, but there was nothing it could do.
With Yugito's full Tailed Beast Transformation undone, the massive sealing pillars now loomed over an empty space.
The five seconds had passed, exactly when the Third Raikage had arrived. The chakra that had been absorbed had reached its limit, cutting off the energy supply to the pseudo-Deep Forest Emergence. Naturally, the technique ceased functioning.
As a result, it appeared as if the Third Raikage had destroyed the pseudo-Deep Forest Emergence, when in reality, the chakra supply had simply run out. Otherwise, even if the Third Raikage had destroyed a large portion of the tree trunks, more would have continued to emerge endlessly.
Ye Zi was the closest to Yugito. In a single flash step, he swiftly caught the unconscious Yugito.
The Cloud ninjas were instantly alarmed. At that moment, the Third Raikage suddenly moved. As Ye Zi reached for Yugito and was about to take further action, the Raikage's massive figure flashed directly in front of him.
For an instant, in midair, their gazes locked, two pairs of eyes filled with vastly different intents.
Lightning crackled like a manifestation of killing intent, gleaming brilliantly.
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Currently on Chapter 552 - The Pivotal Moment