Sasuke was sprinting madly through the forest.
'Fast!'
'Faster!'
'Takeshi won't last much longer!'
'Judging by the air humidity, I'm still most likely in the Land of Water. Brother Ryosuke left the Land of Hot Water three days ago. Based on the normal route, he should have already entered the Land of Water's territory.'
'If luck isn't against me…'
'There's still time!'
Sasuke reached the mountaintop. He climbed the tallest tree, scanning the surroundings.
His heart sank to the bottom.
Everywhere he looked, there were no villages, let alone any landmark buildings, only endless stretches of forest. Farther out, he could see the edge of the island.
This was an undeveloped, uninhabited island.
Across the sea, on the far end of his vision, there was another small island. He could vaguely make out some villages there.
But it was too far. By the time Sasuke got there, found people, and then searched for a landmark, Takeshi would already be dead, and the enemy would have caught up.
Sasuke clenched his fists tightly. "What do I do… think of something fast!"
'Wait.'
A thought flashed across his mind.
'No landmark? Then let's just create one!'
Sasuke rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Style, Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball ignited the trees. Flames spread wildly, thick smoke mixed with fire shooting straight into the sky.
Sasuke stood before the blazing inferno.
"Brother Ryosuke! Can you see this?"
———
Takeshi's body was covered in wounds.
Neither Ripple nor Orochimaru-style ninjutsu could heal his injuries.
The Disc could grant Takeshi Orochimaru's jutsu, but it could not give him Orochimaru's body, modified through countless experiments and surgeries.
Yet he did not retreat.
Takeshi still clenched his fists. The snakes he summoned, wrapped in Ripple, carried less malice and more a soul-stirring sense of justice.
"A mere civilian holding me off for ten minutes is already remarkable. But this ends here."
Blue chakra of the Two-Tails surfaced again on Yugito's arms.
Rest time was over, she could once more enter the tailed-beast state.
Yugito swiftly formed hand seals. A bright azure fireball burst from her mouth. Then, with a tear of her hands, the fireball split into dozens.
'Ninja Art, Mouse-Tail Fireball Beads.'
Under the control of chakra threads extended from Yugito's ten fingers, dozens of fireballs bombarded Takeshi.
Too many, too fast. Takeshi couldn't dodge, nor had time to weave signs. He could only use his sturdy arms to shield his head.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A barrage of explosions. Fierce flames scorched every inch of Takeshi's skin. Almost instantly, fireballs infused with tailed-beast chakra burned him into charcoal black.
His eyes widened, pupils losing focus, staring up at the sky. Instinctively, his mouth opened, and a wisp of scorching, pitch-black heat escaped from his throat.
Thud!
Takeshi collapsed to the ground.
"Overestimating yourself."
Yugito turned her head toward the two snake-sages floating nearby. "He held me up. Couldn't you two at least walk a few steps more and drag Uchiha Sasuke back here?"
"Miss Yugito, what words are these?"
Ichikishimahime covered her mouth and chuckled lightly. "The agreement between Ryūchidō and the Raikage states it clearly, we are merely 'assisting,' never acting directly."
"Heh,"
Yugito sneered.
Assisting? In truth, they feared Sasuke's ninjutsu nullification. Afraid that if they slipped up, they'd be killed in a single slash, just like Tanokami-hime before them.
These so-called snake sages, after living for centuries, only grew more afraid of death.
Yugito ignored the two snake-sages and rushed in Sasuke's escape direction.
At that moment, a hand seized her.
Yugito looked down.
A charred, skin-torn, muscle-split hand, bleeding with the slightest movement, gripped her ankle tightly.
"I told you…"
"Before I die…"
"You won't take another step forward!"
Takeshi inhaled deeply. Air filled his chest as he gathered the last trace of Ripple into his palm. He aimed to wound Yugito's leg, so her speed would be hindered when chasing Sasuke.
Their gazes met, Yugito with Takeshi's ashen, empty eyes.
Such terrifying willpower.
But...
"Willpower cannot defeat reality!"
She drew a kunai and stabbed toward Takeshi's heart.
Suddenly, the two snake-sages looked toward the horizon.
"What sound is that?"
They heard a piercing, shrill detonation, distant at first, but in an instant, it was upon them. And now…
It appeared overhead.
Yugito looked skyward.
Dark clouds blotted her vision. The next second, the clouds tore apart violently, a golden thunderbolt howled downward like a missile, crashing through layers of sky.
Yugito's pupils shrank.
"Ryosuke!"
'Impossible! How could he be back so soon?!'
The Cloud Village's plan was flawless.
They knew Ryosuke could fly. Their calculations for his return time were based on flight.
Even if Ryosuke had been at the border of the Land of Water, received the news instantly, disregarded all exhaustion, and flew with everything he had,
Optimistically, it would still take at least 1–2 hours.
From the start of this operation until now, less than thirty minutes had passed. Add in their teleportation mishap, landing in an unknown jungle,
By Yugito's judgment, for Ryosuke to find them, it should take at least two hours.
But… what was going on?
If Ryosuke flew normally, yes, it would take two hours. And indeed, two hours had passed.
Except, inside stopped time.
With his physical resilience, just a brief rest, like catching breath after climbing stairs, was enough to trigger another stop-time.
Stop after stop, relentless surges. With the upgraded Hermit's Purple's ability to vaguely locate targets, plus the ten minutes Takeshi bought and the forest Sasuke set ablaze...
Ryosuke reached this sea.
"I saw it."
Ryosuke seemed to respond to Sasuke's question, and also to acknowledge Takeshi's will.
He clenched his fist, glaring down at Yugito below. Fury erupted from his chest like a volcano, "I saw it all!"
Yugito tilted her head back at Ryosuke plummeting down. Fear shoved at her heart, she retreated half a step.
Instinct told her to run, to flee as far as possible.
But reason told her, she absolutely could not retreat.
If she retreated, she would die.
"Matatabi!"
Yugito abandoned killing Takeshi, igniting full Tailed Beast Transformation. A massive azure cat-demon appeared.
'Still not enough!'
"Snake-sages!"
The two serpent sisters exchanged a glance. Their bodies twisted, transforming into two venomous snakes.
One deep blue, one misty crimson.
They slithered into Matatabi's ears, sank their fangs deep!
Their sage power surged through the venom, flowing into Matatabi's body. Under their control, it barely fused with the Two-Tails' chakra.
Pseudo Sage Mode of the Snake.
The Two-Tails Matatabi raised its head, jaws wide, tailed-beast chakra merged with sage power, condensing into a violet-green Tailed Beast Ball.
"Ryosuke! Others may fear you, but I don't...!"
Yugito roared, hurling the beast-ball skyward.
But...
'Ryosuke vanished?!'
At that same instant, a roar burst by Yugito's ear, "ORA!"
The fist, though small compared to the beast's massive body, carried earth-shattering power.
Matatabi's blue-flamed body was sent flying high.
It tried to adjust midair, to strike back, but at the peak of its flight, it saw Ryosuke again.
His fist, gleaming with golden thunder under the night sky.
BOOM!
Another punch.
The Two-Tails' cheek caved in. Spinning, it crashed into the forest, shattering countless trees, finally landing on the island's edge, half its body submerged in seawater.
"Cough… cough…"
A mouthful of blood, mixed with blue flame, spilled out.
Yugito had suffered too many wounds today. Peacock Technique, the joint ninjutsu, the Heavenly Sending Technique, all those pains paled before Ryosuke's single punch.
The Ripple's power detonated inside her like a bomb. Fine vibrations pierced every cell, destroying Matatabi's body from its very roots.
"Hey! Stay with it!"
From inside the beast's ear, Ichikishimahime shouted, "You're a Jinchūriki! How can you be felled by a mere human's fist, ah!"
Her words cut short with a scream.
"Come out."
Star Platinum seized Ichikishimahime's snake body, ripping her straight out of Matatabi's ear.
The Two-Tails roared, struggling to rise in retaliation.
But a foot slammed onto its head, forcing it down again.
Turquoise Ripple surged. Water, under Ryosuke's command, encaged Matatabi tightly.
Ryosuke looked down at the beast, locking eyes with Yugito trapped inside.
"You said… you don't fear me?"
He raised a finger.
Star Platinum appeared.
So did blades of seawater, lifted under the turquoise Ripple, gleaming crimson under distant firelight.
Yugito's eyes finally wavered.
She struggled, screamed, her whole body blazing in blue fire.
But it was useless.
As Ryosuke's hand swung down, a rain of blades and Star Platinum's fists fell together.
He did not use stop-time.
Because that would be too "quick."
Ryosuke wanted to give Yugito plenty of time, to reflect on the sins she had committed.
Blades crashed down.
The Two-Tails, riddled with wounds, its furious roars turning into wails of agony.
It glared at Ryosuke, as if to speak, but Ryosuke had no intention of conversing.
Turquoise Ripple flashed again. More weapons manifested. Star Platinum's fists clenched anew.
Blades and fists descended, endlessly.
The Two-Tails' form faded. Yugito fell onto the beach, cold seawater washing her face.
Pain, humiliation, fury, all emotions, facing Ryosuke's approach, turned gradually into despair, and another she didn't want to admit…
Fear.
"Now, are you afraid?" Ryosuke asked.
"I…"
Yugito opened her mouth, but no words came. Her head tilted sideways, collapsing on the sand.
She was dead.
[Slain the Two-Tails Jinchūriki Yugito. Obtained 1100 soul fragments]
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/XenosX
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰