Two-Tails gathered a massive amount of chakra in front of its body, but instead of waiting for the Tailed Beast Ball to fully form, it snapped its jaws shut and bit down hard—just like popping a balloon—crushing the attack with its teeth.
It was just like biting into an exploding dumpling—full of fiery burst and intense flavor. A scorching torrent spread outward in a wide fan shape, engulfing the Mist ninja beneath its fiery wrath.
That's what I call a real "mouth-fired bazooka"—pure destruction straight from the jaws of fury.
Then, everything fell silent.
Afterward, Two-Tails glanced at the chaotic battlefield, shook its body violently, and with a clinking sound, all the shuriken clinging to its fur dropped off. Then, it resumed pursuit toward Haseo, Soji, and the rest of the Konoha squad.
At this point, Konoha's squad had already reached the seashore. When the second explosion rang out, Haseo suddenly turned his head back. He only saw a blinding flash and vaguely made out figures being hurled high into the air by the blast. However... he barely restrained the urge to rush back right then.
It was well known that Haseo was a Wind Release ninja. Any Wind Release user who also wielded a sword shared one thing in common: seeing an enemy hurled away like that always sent adrenaline pumping through their veins, sharpening their senses and fueling their aggression.
Luckily, Haseo managed to suppress his instinct to rush back.
"Where is Two-Tails now?"
He asked the Hyuga ninjas.
"It was hit by our trap earlier and seems slightly injured, but not enough to hinder its movement. Then, it launched an attack on the Mist ninja. Our initial assessment indicates the Mist squad has lost combat capability. Right now, Two-Tails is chasing back toward us," Hyuga Soji reported.
With two Hyuga ninja watching closely, each equipped with Byakugan—one focusing ahead while the other monitored behind—the surrounding area was nearly exposed to Konoha's squad without any blind spots. Any subtle movements in the surroundings were clearly observed.
Haseo nodded and said, "In that case, we keep moving forward. Two-Tails really likes us. That's great."
But no one besides Haseo believed it was actually good fortune to be favored by a Tailed Beast. Moreover, Two-Tails wasn't chasing them simply out of affection… The Konoha squad left the Land of Hot Springs behind and stepped into the sea.
As they expected, the Mist squad was indeed in a miserable state right now.
The beast's furious attack had left the Mist squad with no chance to continue fighting. In fact, due to severe injuries, they could no longer confront either the Konoha or Mist squads. Anyone surviving such an attack couldn't possibly remain unscathed. At this moment, both the Konoha and Mist squads could easily finish them off.
"Cough! Cough!" The Mist squad leader pushed aside a shattered Earth Release wall lying in front of him, scanned the surroundings, paused silently for a moment, then helplessly and bitterly declared, "The mission… can no longer continue. Those still capable of action, pick up the survivors—we must retreat immediately."
Half of Mist's forces were wiped out by the Tailed Beast, and the remaining half were severely weakened. Thus, retreating immediately was clearly the wise choice.
Generally speaking, this group of people had relatively good luck—they only took a half-charged Tailed Beast Ball with non-concentrated energy, so part of them managed to survive. Two-Tails was just trying to clear the area rather than intending to kill these ninja outright.
In a way, the Mist team got hit by something they never asked for—it was a bit of an unlucky twist. But if you're going after a Tailed Beast, you should expect consequences like this.
From Konoha's perspective, this was a win-win: Two-Tails' chakra reserves were further drained, and one of the competition was eliminated.
To avoid being wiped out all at once by the approaching Kumogakure squad, the Kiri team withdrew decisively and promptly.
After their departure, the Shadow Clone Haseo left behind reappeared.
The Tailed Beast moved forward, the Kiri team turned right, while Haseo remained alone at this spot. Not long after, the Kumo squad finally arrived. From afar, they noticed someone standing ahead alone, blocking their path.
Soon after, the squad halted about ten meters away from Haseo.
"Hey there, shinobi of Kumogakure... Long time no see—any of you still remember me?" Haseo Yu smiled and greeted them.
Since it was just a Shadow Clone anyway, every extra minute counted—he could afford to mess around.
The opposing ninjas' eyes immediately turned strange. The Kumo leader inwardly thought: Who the hell is this idiot rushing in to offer his head? Are you seriously thinking you can take on twenty guys alone?
They were in a hurry—there was absolutely no reason to waste time here.
Just as the commander was about to order everyone to charge forward and eliminate this fool who tried to stop them like a fool trying to halt a truck with his bare hands, someone beside him suddenly reminded him, "Captain, that person is a Konoha jonin… Haseo Yu."
Haseo Yu naturally heard that too, so he secretly exhaled in relief, thinking it was good that someone recognized him. He should've already been the kind of name that made Kumo shinobi think twice before picking a fight.
The captain's expression darkened slightly, and his gaze toward Haseo Yu turned sharp in an instant. "You are that Haseo Yu?"
"I'm not sure which Haseo Yu you mean, but that's who I've always been," Haseo Yu replied. He was clearly stalling, eager to exchange more pointless words with them.
At this moment, the Kumo captain's patience wore thin. The Frostfield Battle years ago had been an unforgettable humiliation for Kumogakure. Wasn't this exactly the perfect opportunity to redeem their honor?
This was typical Kumo-style thinking—even though officially the village claimed the Frostfield Battle never happened, it was just self-deception. Real elite Kumogakure shinobi couldn't possibly ignore its existence.
Kumo has always believed: true courage grows from knowing shame.
"Captain,"
Thankfully, next to every musclehead, there's always someone smarter to remind him what truly matters in the moment. "Even if we fight this person here and defeat him, as long as our mission fails, we still lose... The tailed beast is what's crucial now and must not be lost."
This managed to somewhat cool the captain down, yet he still said, "We've got no choice but to deal with him. Other than dealing with him, we have no other way forward."
The Mist squad's retreat was good news for Kumo, but the bad news was that Konoha squads were already blocking their path ahead... And even worse news was that Haseo, the Konoha Jonin known for his victories over Kumo, was standing right here.
If given a choice, the Kumo captain would definitely choose to abandon chasing Two-Tails in favor of avoiding Haseo—he knew just how critical the mission was. But the problem was, there was no choice now. It wasn't that Kumo wanted to pick a fight with Haseo on purpose—it was Haseo who came looking for trouble with the Kumo squad first.
"Don't think of me as too formidable; battle can definitely be avoided. Let's talk..."
"Talk?"
"That's right. Actually, if you just leave behind the Sealing Team ninja for a chat with me, the rest of you can pass through freely. I guarantee on my honor that I won't harm those sealing ninjas at all—they'll only need to stay with me one or two hours before I let them go." Haseo said.
Since it was only a Shadow Clone anyway, might as well act cocky—after all, if he dies, so what?
"..."
The Kumo shinobi hadn't expected such a shameless proposition either. Leave behind the Sealing Team? Then what were they going after Two-Tails for—to play with cats?
Both sides knew that there wasn't even a sliver of possibility for any agreement from this negotiation.
Then, in an instant, arcs of faint electricity flickered around Haseo, and his figure vanished from the spot, reappearing among the ranks of the Kumo ninja.
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be the sealing ninja."
If one Shadow Clone could eliminate Kumo's entire Sealing Team, then Haseo would consider that a major victory.
And since Kumo didn't need to leave anyone behind, Haseo himself could identify which ninja were part of the sealing unit—and he intended to permanently take those out.
Just as his hand reached for the sealing ninja—who seemed momentarily caught off guard—a fist suddenly enlarged rapidly within his vision. Haseo barely managed to dodge even faster... After all, he was just a clone—easily destroyed with one poke.
The punch struck exactly where Haseo had been standing, sending a burst of dust flying into the air.
What kind of ninja was this Kumo ninja? Among them, the truly powerful ones were berserkers.
The Kumo Captain blocked Haseo before turning to look in the direction he fled, issuing orders: "Team Two will protect the Sealing Team. Team One follows me... Let's start this. End this quickly."
This was exactly the fight the Kumo captain longed for—and Haseo desired it even more.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>