"The battle is over... who won?" In the distance, the seven rescued people all looked tense. Just moments ago, the Tailed Beast Ball that Uc
"The battle is over... who won?"
In the distance, the seven rescued people all looked tense.
Just moments ago, the Tailed Beast Ball that Uchiha Fugaku dodged had leveled everything in its path for hundreds of meters.
Along the way, whether rocks or trees, all were destroyed, and a deep, straight trench appeared on the ground like a dried-up river.
This terrifying destruction gave everyone—except the middle-aged woman—a vivid understanding of the Tailed Beast Ball's power and the might of a Jinchūriki.
Now that the fighting had stopped, the battle seemed to be decided. They couldn't help but feel nervous and uneasy.
Who had won—the Hokage or the enemy?
"Let's go take a look," the middle-aged woman said after a brief hesitation.
No matter what, they needed to confirm who had emerged victorious.
Besides, if the enemy had won, escaping was impossible given their strength.
When they arrived at the site of the battle, they were met with a large area of scorched earth.
It wasn't that there were never trees here—everything had been wiped away by the battle's aftermath.
With a clear field of vision, they spotted figures immediately.
Roughly a hundred meters ahead, a man lay motionless on the ground. Whether dead or unconscious was unclear.
Next to him stood another man—and from that alone, it was obvious who had won.
"The one in the Hokage cloak… it's Hokage-sama. He's the one standing!"
"The clan leader won!"
Seeing the flame-patterned white cloak, the seven finally relaxed, and their worried faces gave way to joy.
Despite the terrifying strength of the enemy—a Jinchūriki who could use the Tailed Beast Ball—it was Hokage-sama who had claimed victory.
They hurried over and looked at the fallen man.
A massive hole was blown through his body. It was clear he was dead.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama, for saving us!"
"Thank you, Clan Leader, for saving us!"
They all expressed their gratitude to Uchiha Fugaku.
"...Mm."
Uchiha Fugaku gave a slight nod, then took out a sealing scroll.
Using a sealing technique, he sealed the body of the Five-Tails Jinchūriki into the scroll.
Then, looking at the seven, he said, "The enemies have all been eliminated. There should be no further danger. Return to Konoha."
"The clan leader... won't return with us?" the middle-aged woman asked, hesitating.
"Although all the Iwagakure shinobi who infiltrated the Land of Fire are dead, the fact that Iwagakure dared to send a squad to capture Konoha ninjas cannot be overlooked."
A cold glint flashed in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes.
Iwagakure had already paid a heavy price—three elite jōnin and a Jinchūriki. But to him, that wasn't enough. They needed to be taught an even harsher lesson.
After parting with the seven, Uchiha Fugaku headed toward the Land of Earth.
A few hours later, he arrived before a stretch of continuous highlands.
Stone dwellings dotted the plateau, and a number of Iwagakure shinobi patrolled the area—clearly a border station keeping watch over the Land of Fire.
"Susanoo—"
Uchiha Fugaku summoned his armored black Susanoo without hiding his chakra at all.
It was a half-body form, wielding a black spear in its right hand and a shield in its left.
Boom—
The black spear was hurled with terrifying speed—faster than sound—toward the most densely packed area of the Iwagakure border outpost.
Boom—
In the blink of an eye, the spear crossed hundreds of meters and exploded upon impact, unleashing a massive shockwave.
Splurt—
Those closest to the blast were torn apart before they could scream.
"Aaaaaagh—!"
Those slightly farther away screamed as they were flung through the air, their bodies twisted grotesquely.
Some rolled across the ground before lying motionless.
Splurt—
Only those farthest from the explosion survived, coughing up blood as they crashed to the ground with serious injuries.
Because it struck the most crowded part of the station, this single attack resulted in dozens of casualties.
Swish—
After launching the strike, Uchiha Fugaku used the Body Flicker Technique and streaked toward the outpost in a blur.
Killing the Iwagakure ninjas who had invaded the Land of Fire wasn't enough to quell his rage.
So he decided to attack Iwagakure's border post directly and teach them a lasting lesson.
In just a few breaths, he had arrived inside the border station, which was still in chaos from the sudden ambush.
Splurt—
Susanoo swung its shield into a group of Iwagakure shinobi.
Those hit were sent flying, coughing up blood. Some died instantly. Others spat blood and collapsed.
With just one strike, over a dozen were killed or injured.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"
Shouts echoed throughout the outpost.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet—!"
"Earth Style: Earth and Stone Dragon—!"
...
Several Iwagakure shinobi quickly launched jutsu in coordination, aiming at Susanoo.
Some jutsu were simply too weak to harm it and dissipated against the armor.
Others were blocked by Susanoo's shield and reflected back, injuring and even killing several Iwagakure ninjas.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear—!"
One shinobi discovered Susanoo's weakness and attacked from below, causing jagged rock spikes to erupt from the ground and pierce upward toward Uchiha Fugaku.
"Lava Style: Protective Cloak—"
Fugaku responded by activating the Lava Style technique he had taken from Dodai of the Hidden Cloud Village.
A rubbery armor formed around him, protecting his body except for the head.
The rock spikes only dented the cloak slightly before stopping.
While this rubber armor wasn't as durable as third-form Susanoo, it wasn't something ordinary Earth Style jutsu could penetrate.
Splurt—
Within Susanoo, Fugaku turned and locked eyes on the shinobi who had used Earth Spear.
With a sweep of its extended arm—now several dozen meters long—Susanoo struck a wide arc across the outpost.
Splurt, splurt, splurt—
A swath of Iwagakure ninjas flew back, coughing blood. Whether they were dead or alive was unclear.
Among them was the one who had cast Earth Spear.
With the caster down, the spikes beneath Susanoo collapsed, crumbling into dust.
(End of this chapter)