Chapter 218:
"Konoha Village really is enviable. The younger generation has already grown to this level," Darui said. "Look at me—just to be part of this operation, I had to have Lord Fourth Raikage temporarily take over my duties."
"Same here. Honestly, I'm starting to worry if that old man back home can still handle the job of Tsuchikage," Kurotsuchi said with a chuckle.
Among this group, Gaara had it the worst. Without a previous Kazekage to rely on, he could only temporarily hand off his responsibilities to Kankurō.
With the Kazekage's aide present, Kankurō should be fine—so thought Gaara as he interrupted the small talk: "It's about time we got started."
Passing through the space-time tunnel, they arrived in a new world.
Desolate. Nothing in sight—not even weeds. Just rocks.
"Is this really the foundation of Kara's base?" Kurotsuchi asked Ao while scanning the surroundings.
"..."
Ao didn't respond. Instead, a familiar voice came from behind the group.
"Looks like the plan went smoothly, Ao."
Ao slowly stepped forward and stood beside Evilmoku. "I'm merely following the orders of the Daimyō."
"Ao! Why would you do this?!" Chōjūrō stared at him in disbelief.
"Why? That's a laugh, Chōjūrō. My opinion of you has never changed—you don't understand what it means to be a shinobi. In your heart, there's no true loyalty to the nation! Everything I've done is for the sake of making the Land of Water great again!"
Ao's expression twisted with fanaticism.
As Chōjūrō tried to say more, Naruto stepped forward, face tense with caution. "Ōtsutsuki Isshiki…"
"How many times do I have to tell you? My name is Evilmoku now," the other replied calmly.
Even though a battle was inevitable, Evilmoku remained composed. On the other side, Naruto's group was clearly on high alert, each of them ready to strike at any moment.
"Evilmoku, there's no escape for you today!" Tentō said, staring him down. He pulled a Light and Shadow Stone of Fire from his backpack and shouted, "Flame Dragon Armor—Unite!"
Shinki followed up, unrolling a sealing scroll and summoning the Light and Shadow Stone of Wood. "Wind Eagle Armor—Unite!"
Red and blue lights flashed, and the Flame Dragon Armor and Wind Eagle Armor appeared before Evilmoku.
"You've got it backward. The ones who won't be escaping—are you. The only reason you're here is because of that little girl's Rinnegan, right? If I kill her now, none of you are getting back!"
"Damn it—Sarada!"
Naruto immediately entered Sage Fox Mode, but he was too far away to protect Sarada in time.
Evilmoku appeared in front of her in an instant. At that distance, only Shuyu, who was standing next to her, could act.
Although Shuyu was quite gifted, Naruto had never expected someone her age to react in time.
"Susanoo!"
But Shuyu did react. A red humanoid armor formed around her, enveloping both herself and Sarada.
Evilmoku's kick landed squarely on Susanoo, sending the entire structure—and the two girls inside—flying.
"Sorry, Shuyu—are you okay?"
Sarada quickly rolled off Shuyu, who had cushioned her fall, her face blushing with embarrassment.
"I'm fine."
Shuyu climbed to her feet, not even looking at Sarada. Her eyes remained fixed with grim intensity on the battlefield ahead.
Since Evilmoku's first strike had failed to yield results, the five village leaders had enough time to rush in and intercept him.
Facing the five Kage and two armored warriors in tandem, Evilmoku was instantly overwhelmed—but defeating him quickly was still out of the question.
Ao didn't join the fight. Instead, he approached Sarada and Shuyu, muttering to himself, "Everything I've done… is for the Land of Water…"
"Wood Style: Thorn Killing Technique!"
Vine-like wooden tendrils wrapped around Ao's limbs.
The current Ao was no match for the younger generation.
"Argh!"
Bound and restrained, Ao let out a cry of pain. Black mist began to seep from his body.
"What's happening to him?" Sarada asked, confused. She knew her jutsu was only meant to immobilize—it wasn't supposed to cause real harm.
"Sarada, stay alert," Shuyu warned instinctively.
As the black mist fully dissipated, what stood before them was no longer Ao—it was a monster.
Tiger-like limbs, a long tail, a terrifying beast's head, a blade in the right hand, and a shield in the left.
Taowu—one of the Four Great Ancient Aberrant Beasts.
Though immensely powerful, it possessed no intelligence.
With ease, Taowu broke free from Sarada's wooden restraints and began walking toward her step by step.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball—far larger than Shuyu herself—burst from her mouth and surged toward Taowu. But the creature simply raised its shield and blocked the entire attack with minimal effort.
Then, white destructive beams shot from Taowu's eyes.
"Sarada, dodge!"
Shuyu warned her while dodging herself.
Although both managed to evade, the force of the explosion when the beams hit the ground still sent them flying.
"That kind of power… even Susanoo couldn't withstand it…"
Shuyu analyzed the battle data with a grim look.
Though Taowu had only demonstrated one type of attack, it was already more than Shuyu could handle.
"Shuyu! Sarada!"
The destructive beams naturally caught Naruto's attention mid-battle.
"That's Taowu, an ancient aberrant beast from the distant past. It may lack intelligence, which is a shame, but in terms of raw power, it surpasses even me!"
Taking advantage of Naruto's distraction, Evilmoku kicked him away and created distance.
"Priority is to protect Sarada!" Naruto shouted as he climbed back to his feet.
Even without his command, everyone knew that was the plan—after all, Sarada's Rinnegan was the only way for them to return.
"Leave this monster to us!" Tentō stepped forward and turned the dial on his belt. Shinki followed suit, rotating his own belt dial.
Through battle, they'd discovered something: when they unleashed their special attacks together, the Flame Dragon Armor's finishing move became significantly more powerful.