This tug-of-war ended with the rope snapping.
But the outcome was something Gaara, as a jinchuriki, couldn't endure, for a jinchuriki who loses their tailed beast faces only one fate—death!
Thud.
With a muffled sound, Gaara collapsed to the ground.
"No!"
Kankuro roared in fury.
Temari stood frozen, her face blank with shock.
Yakumo's expression was one of despair. She had thought sealing Gaara would turn the tide, but she never expected Hiruko to wield such a terrifying sealing technique, using the combination of Dark Release and Ghost Bud to forcibly snatch One-Tail from their grasp.
At the other end, Hiruko, now far away, grinned wickedly.
Another tailed beast secured!
Though there was a slight hiccup, failing to seal Gaara along with One-Tail, at least Shukaku was in his grasp.
He glanced sideways at Ranmaru, who was fending off Hidden Leaf shinobi, and his eyes narrowed.
Ranmaru's eerie Hogan shadow clones caught his attention, making even Hiruko, with his Mangekyo Sharingan, marvel.
No physical form yet capable of casting ninjutsu, paired with Ranmaru's Transparent Release—these Hogan shadow clones were nearly impossible to counter.
"That kid dared to lie to me…"
In an instant, Hiruko realized Ranmaru hadn't been truthful earlier.
The Bloodline Fusion Ritual at the snowy mountain peak hadn't just enhanced Ranmaru's Transparent Release—it had also amplified his Hogan!
Hmph!
With a soft snort, Hiruko calmed his surprise and suppressed the greed in his eyes. Now wasn't the time to turn on Ranmaru.
Shifting his gaze, Hiruko looked at the grief-stricken Yakumo, Shion, and the others, his lips curling into a wide smirk.
The Seven-Tails jinchuriki from Hidden Waterfall, Fū, was temporarily sealed in a scroll. Though living beings typically couldn't be sealed in scrolls, jinchuriki were an exception—their immense vitality ensured they wouldn't die immediately.
With One-Tail Shukaku sealed within him, and aside from the escaped Nine-Tails jinchuriki, their mission was mostly complete. The burden on his shoulders lightened, and he could retreat at any moment.
Thus, he decided to unleash one final massacre before withdrawing, leaving Hidden Leaf with an unforgettable lesson.
Noticing Shion beside Yakumo, a thought struck him: "The Priestess of the Land of Demons, huh? If I capture her, Moryo would surely be grateful!"
Saa.
Without hesitation, he flashed toward Shion.
Yakumo, Shion, and the others, still reeling from Gaara's death, saw Hiruko charging and were forced to respond hastily.
Unable to deploy Wood Release in time, Yakumo stepped forward, engaging Hiruko in fierce taijutsu combat.
Bang bang bang.
The battlefield echoed with the low thuds of fists and feet clashing.
"Kurama Yakumo, I hear you're Tsunade's student. If I kill you here, she'll be furious, won't she?"
Hiruko kept up his assault while taunting Yakumo.
Yakumo remained silent, gritting her teeth and holding her ground.
Without her Koryugan, her perception and taijutsu were no match for Hiruko, who wielded Swift Release, Steel Release, and Mangekyo Sharingan.
Even using Strange Strength Fist couldn't change the situation.
Strange Strength Fist required a wind-up, which could be masked against ordinary foes with skill. But against Hiruko, with his Mangekyo Sharingan and Swift Release, its drawbacks were magnified infinitely.
No matter how powerful, a technique that couldn't hit was useless.
"I'll kill you!"
Kankuro and Temari, seeking vengeance for Gaara, joined the fray despite the danger.
Hiruko's lips twitched.
Yakumo shouted in alarm, "Don't come closer!"
Before her words faded, Hiruko flickered, and Kankuro and Temari were sent flying like kites with cut strings.
As a puppeteer, Kankuro, and Temari, who relied on ninjutsu, couldn't pose a threat in taijutsu combat, let alone hinder Hiruko.
As Yakumo's pressure mounted and she teetered on the brink of defeat, whoosh—a flock of black crows surged in, and a blackened sword, devoid of metallic sheen, struck at Hiruko from within the flock.
Hmph!
Hiruko snorted, activating Steel Release and grabbing the black sword with one hand!
But as he prepared to snap it, wooden stakes shot from the ground, spiraling toward him.
Simultaneously, a cascade of cherry blossom petals fell from the sky, and the surroundings began to shimmer with illusions.
"Wood Release?! And genjutsu?!"
Hiruko immediately used Swift Release to escape the encirclement.
Landing nearby, he glanced back, realizing his attackers were four Hidden Leaf jounin.
The crows were controlled by Yamashiro Aoba, using the Scattering Thousand Crows Technique.
Hidden in the flock, striking with the black sword, was Namiashi Raidō.
The Wood Release came from Yamato, and the cherry blossom genjutsu was cast by Yuhi Kurenai.
Seeing Hiruko target Yakumo and Shion, the four jounin rushed to assist, though their condition was poor from the prolonged battle, many bearing injuries.
"You think you lot can stop me? Laughable!"
Hiruko turned, slowly raising his arms to form hand signs.
Boom!
As his chakra erupted, a thunderclap shook the sky!
The sound halted the entire battlefield. Yakumo, Shion, Yamato, and the others, as well as Kakashi, fighting Ranmaru elsewhere, stopped and looked up at the rapidly forming black clouds.
Completing his hand signs, Hiruko coldly declared, "Secret Technique: Storm Dragon!"
As his words fell, a dragon-shaped bolt of lightning writhed in the thickening black clouds above, followed by rolling thunder that darkened the sky.
"What kind of ninjutsu is this?"
"The range is insane!"
"Damn it!"
The Hidden Leaf shinobi exchanged glances, their instincts screaming that the technique above was incredibly dangerous!
Ranmaru, also looking up, gasped, "Is this the power of Storm Release?"
Only now did he understand why Hiruko had recommended he fuse Storm Release.