Chapter 149: The Battlefield Where Only Orochimaru Gets Hurt!
"A perfect Tailed Beast Transformation?"
Minato stared at the figure not far away, his blue pupils clearly reflecting the image of the Five-Tails. He had "fought" the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchuriki for years but had, at most, only ever seen them in a partial transformation state—the "Tailed Beast Cloak" that Han had just been using. This was the first time he had ever witnessed a full transformation that had completely shed its human form and returned to that of the Tailed Beast itself.
"Is this a physical manifestation of Tailed Beast chakra?"
Minato pondered for a moment before deciding on a swift retreat. It wasn't that he lacked the means to deal with colossal creatures; under normal circumstances, he could simply summon a great toad from Mount Myōboku. He couldn't expect it to defeat the Five-Tails, but it could at least stall for time. Although the creature before him looked like the Tailed Beast, it was, in reality, just another form of the Jinchuriki, still using a human body to wield the beast's chakra.
And according to Minato's intelligence, only a legendary perfect Jinchuriki could wield their Tailed Beast's power for extended periods without harming themselves. He was certain that this full transformation couldn't be maintained for long.
The problem was, the mission Minato had received from the village wasn't just to "support the front lines." He had an equally important task to carry out: "destroy Iwagakure's supply lines." His three subordinates were, at this very moment, likely on their way to Iwagakure's supply hub—Kannabi Bridge—to carry out that mission. Minato had to conserve enough chakra to handle his subsequent objectives.
Orochimaru's battlefield judgment, however, was different. From his perspective, if they could capture the Five-Tails Jinchuriki here and now, Iwagakure's top-tier power would be significantly diminished, putting them at a disadvantage for the rest of the war. Conversely, if Konoha could unseal the Five-Tails from Han and assimilate its power, it would be an immense benefit to the village's future.
And setting aside the Five-Tails itself, Han was a rare Kekkei Genkai user of Boil Release—a high-quality experiment material.
Orochimaru made his decision. "Minato, assist me. We're keeping the Five-Tails here."
Seeing Minato retreat to his side, Orochimaru showed no displeasure, simply giving the order as he formed hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu!"
He slammed his palm on the ground, and a complex array of summoning symbols formed beneath it.
Poof!
With a soft sound, Orochimaru's strongest summon, Manda, was once again called to the field.
"Manda—"
Before Orochimaru could even speak, Manda glanced at the Five-Tails in the distance and immediately started cursing.
"Orochimaru, you bastard! You summoned me to get my ass kicked again!"
Poof!
The summoned serpent dispelled the jutsu himself and returned to Ryūchi Cave. Feeling the large amount of chakra drain from his body for nothing, Orochimaru's expression became incredibly stiff. A summoning contract was a two-way agreement, not a slave pact. There was no rule stating that a summoned beast must obey its master's orders.
"Ah, well, Orochimaru-san..." Minato offered an awkward but polite smile. "Should I summon Gamabunta?"
Gamabunta, Jiraiya's personal summon, was on the same level as Manda. With Jiraiya's help, Minato had signed contracts with many of the toads of Mount Myōboku, including the chief toad himself.
"No, that won't be necessary." Orochimaru's expression was rigid as he performed another summoning jutsu. "Minato, you go and disrupt the Five-Tails' movements. Don't let it escape the battlefield. I am going to capture this Jinchuriki!"
Manda may have been his strongest summon, but that didn't mean he was the only snake Orochimaru could command. In Ryūchi Cave, you couldn't find a two-legged toad, but snakes with one tail were everywhere.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
As Minato flickered away, Orochimaru summoned another colossal serpent. Unlike a normal snake, this one's body split into three mid-section, giving it three distinct heads—a rare, three-headed serpent.
"All units, fall back to a safe position," Orochimaru commanded the other Konoha shinobi. He himself stood atop the central head, guiding the giant snake towards the Five-Tails.
Minato reappeared at his previous position, maintaining a relatively safe distance from the Five-Tails, not making any rash moves until it acted first.
'Come to think of it... the Five-Tails doesn't look nearly as ferocious as the Nine-Tails. Its chakra doesn't contain that same intense, negative hatred.'
Watching the beast, Minato quietly took out a Flying Thunder God kunai and gripped it tightly.
'But the most important question is, why isn't it moving?'
Han had unleashed the Five-Tails with the intent of using its destructive power to crush the Konoha shinobi. But the beast, Kokuō, wasn't acting as he had imagined. It stood quietly in place, its head raised, looking towards the sky.
'It's that ninja from last time, Nara Keisuke...'
Kokuō saw that Keisuke was fighting the Third Tsuchikage, with neither able to gain the upper hand. It lowered its head again, looking at the closest person, Minato.
'He wears the same symbol as Nara Keisuke. Is he also a Konoha ninja?'
In its entire life, Kokuō had only met two shinobi from Konoha. One was Hashirama Senju. The other was Nara Keisuke. It held a deep resentment for Hashirama. But as for Keisuke...
"Ninja of Konoha," Kokuō said, lowering its head slightly to look at Minato. "You're holding a weapon. Do you intend to make me your enemy?"
Faced with the Tailed Beast's question, Minato suddenly felt the kunai unsteady in his hand. He knew there were highly intelligent ninja beasts in the world, some of which had even developed clear social structures, like the toad clan of Mount Myōboku. He had spoken with them many times. But having a calm conversation with a Tailed Beast... this was a first.
After a moment of silence, Minato put the kunai away and said seriously, "If possible, I would rather not fight you."
"You're a strange ninja, too," Kokuō said, staring deeply at Minato before looking over at Orochimaru, who was approaching on his snake. "As for that one... the malice radiating from his body is truly nauseating!"
Kokuō began to move, not to retreat, but to charge directly at Orochimaru.
'A strange ninja, too? What other strange ninja has the Five-Tails met?' Minato stood his ground, confused. 'But Orochimaru-san told me to keep the Five-Tails here, and now it's running straight at him... I probably don't need to do anything, right?'
Faced with the charge, Orochimaru was completely baffled. What did I even do? Why is it charging at me?
After a moment of racking his brain, he couldn't figure out why the Five-Tails would attack him while ignoring Minato, who was much closer. He could only attribute it to the savage and brutish nature of Tailed Beasts.
"As expected, an unthinking beast!"
Orochimaru knew the Five-Tails' general abilities and that his three-headed snake was no match for it. Faced with its high-speed charge, he chose to summon again.
"Summoning: Triple Rashōmon!"
Three immense, ghastly gates descended upon the battlefield, blocking the Five-Tails' path. But the beast had no intention of avoiding them. It simply lowered its head, aimed its five thick horns at the gates, and accelerated.
"Horn Breaker!"
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The force of Kokuō's full-power charge was no less destructive than one of its own Tailed Beast Bombs. The defensive walls of the Triple Rashōmon were as fragile as paper, pierced through one after another with thunderous roars. As the smoke cleared, the gates vanished. Kokuō shook its head, reoriented on Orochimaru, and charged again.
Orochimaru marveled at the beast's power, which only strengthened his resolve to capture it. While the distance was still short and Kokuō hadn't reached its top speed, he decisively sent his three-headed snake forward to entangle it, restricting its movement. The two giant monsters collided on the plains, the sound of their bodies slamming together echoing like dull thunder.
In the sky, Keisuke and Ōnoki also saw what was happening below. Ōnoki was frantic. He valued the Five-Tails even more than his own son, Kitsuchi, yet now he could only watch helplessly as it was tied down by Orochimaru and Minato, unable to intervene.
"Looks like the Five-Tails will be returning to Konoha's hands after all," Keisuke said, not a hint of panic in his voice, even finding the mood to taunt the Tsuchikage. "Ōnoki, I almost feel bad for you in this battle. Your thousand-man army was wiped out, and now you're about to lose your Jinchuriki. If I were you, I'd go back to the village and commit seppuku to atone for my failure."
"Shut up, you sharp-tongued brat!" both Ōnokis yelled, hopping mad.
Keisuke's eyes lit up. Seeing his opponent enraged, he immediately increased the frequency of his attacks. But while Ōnoki was angry, he hadn't lost his tactical sense. He once again used the Super Light-Weight Rock Technique to evade the Spiraling Shadow Piercing Bullets.
Keisuke couldn't inflict any real damage, but Ōnoki couldn't do anything to him either. Now that the Yellow Flash had arrived, any thought Ōnoki had of rescuing his forces had evaporated. Trying to save someone from right under the nose of the Yellow Flash... even as Tsuchikage, he didn't have that confidence. One wrong move, and his own life would be forfeit.
'Is retreating the only option left?' A cold chill filled Ōnoki's heart. Keisuke's taunts had enraged him only because they were true. The losses Iwagakure had suffered in this one battle were so catastrophic that even the Third Tsuchikage could not ignore them. The worst part was, if they had at least inflicted some meaningful damage on Konoha, it might have been justifiable.
But had they? Ōnoki didn't even know. All he knew was that if he didn't abandon the Five-Tails Jinchuriki now, he would die alongside him.
Fighting while retreating, retreating while fighting, Ōnoki soon used his jutsu to put significant distance between himself and the battlefield. After a brief, fruitless pursuit, Keisuke chose to turn back. Whether the Tsuchikage escaped or not wasn't important. What was important was that the Five-Tails remained.
Keisuke had originally planned to "savor" Kokuō all by himself. His plan was to find a way to release it from its Jinchuriki, use the Flying Thunder God Technique to instantly teleport to Han, deal with him, and then sign a summoning contract with the freed beast. That was his plan. But given the current situation, it was most likely ruined.
"No matter what, the Five-Tails will be mine. Not even the Hokage can take it away. I've decided!"
Keisuke guided his Shadow Creature back to the battlefield. By the time he returned, the battle between Kokuō and the three-headed snake was over. The scene was incredibly brutal and not for snake lovers. Kokuō was now chasing Orochimaru relentlessly. Minato didn't know if he should intervene. The other Konoha ninja knew they didn't have the ability to.
The battlefield where only Orochimaru gets hurt had been achieved.
Keisuke's return immediately drew the attention of the Konoha forces. But what truly surprised everyone was that the Five-Tails also stopped its pursuit at almost the exact same moment.
The Shadow Creature landed gently. Kokuō gazed quietly at Nara Keisuke, an unreadable emotion in its sea-blue eyes. Then, its chakra voluntarily receded back into the seal within Han's body.
Orochimaru panted heavily, a strange feeling washing over him that he had been played again. Why did the Five-Tails back down the moment that Nara kid came back? It makes it look like he was the one who scared it off...
On the ruined battlefield, Han slowly opened his eyes. He had expected to see the Sage of Six Paths. But before him stood only Nara Keisuke, Namikaze Minato, and Orochimaru.
"You..." Han felt the state of his own body. His chakra pathway system had been ravaged by the Five-Tails' rampage; he couldn't mold a shred of chakra.
"Don't come any closer..."
The Five-Tails Jinchuriki: successfully captured.
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you