"Damn it!" Mahiru's lips turned pale. He had completely misjudged the enemy's strength; his subordinates were dying one after another, and the total annihilation of his unit was now inevitable.
They were only a surprise attack force, and their numbers were insufficient to overwhelm the powerhouse standing before them. If they wanted to surround and kill him, they had to call for reinforcements.
However...
Mahiru thought of the elite unit's mission. Amidst his hesitation, Makiya flickered behind one of the men and grabbed him by the neck, hoisting him into the air. Golden flames erupted, drilling into the man's body through every chakra point and incinerating him into ash.
"A powerhouse at the Sannin level? Konoha truly is a breeding ground for talent. I absolutely cannot let you grow any further; you must be kept here today!"
Mahiru let out a long howl. All the surviving Iwa ninja froze for a moment before immediately pulling out signal flares and aiming them at the sky. A dozen flares shot into the air, exploding into massive fireworks.
Makiya stood with his blade, not lifting a finger to stop them, merely watching as the signal flares flew higher and higher.
This was part of the plan. The Iwa ninja had called for help; he wondered if things were going smoothly on Minato's side.
Another firework rose nearby, followed by another exploding on the distant horizon like beacon fire, spreading further and further away.
"Calling for reinforcements?" Makiya retracted his gaze while standing in the lava. His clothes had already been incinerated. He lifted one foot and stepped onto a rock, his fair skin showing no signs of any burns. His two-meter fire blade pointed straight at Mahiru: "Are you sure you can survive until the moment reinforcements arrive?"
Mahiru's eyelids twitched. What was with this guy? Was he not afraid of the heat?
No, there was no one in this world who wasn't afraid of being burned. It had to be some kind of secret technique!
"Since I've stepped onto the battlefield, I've prepared myself for death!" Mahiru looked directly at Makiya, his eyes burning with resolve. "Everyone, the time for sacrifice has come! Everything for the village!"
"Everything for the village!"
The surviving Iwa ninja showed absolute determination, ready to use their lives to tie Makiya down.
It took time for fire to burn through rock, after all. They would use their lives to become the stones that delayed him until the support troops arrived.
Makiya shouldered his fire blade and laughed heartily. "Now that's the spirit! Good, I'm getting excited too. Well then... here I come!"
The war genes in his bones were activated. Makiya flashed the signature Uchiha smile, his enthusiasm soaring. The surrounding flames emitted a faint white light. A golden streak of light flashed across the battlefield as a single strike sliced through a large swamp of ninjutsu and severed the heads of the Iwa ninja.
Within the borders of the Land of Grass.
Signal flares were passed along one after another, reaching deep into the interior. The ninja of Kusagakure saw the flares from afar and froze, but they did not react; they lowered their heads and silently went back to their own business.
They were mature ninjas now and knew when to turn a blind eye. They could not afford to provoke Konoha, nor could they afford to provoke Iwagakure.
With no outlet for their resentment, they could only find amusement in bullying those even weaker than themselves, such as the survivors of the Hidden Eddy Village—specifically, that woman with the strange healing ability.
Near the Kannabi Bridge, inside a dense forest.
Minato hid among the treetops, quietly peering out to observe for a moment before his figure vanished.
In a hidden hideout, Kakashi and his two teammates were organizing the gathered intelligence when Minato suddenly appeared with a grave expression. "The situation isn't good. I didn't expect the Demolition Squad and the Five-Tails Jinchuriki to be stationed here."
Against ordinary ninja, even Jonin, Minato could clear the battlefield in a short time. But the Five-Tails Jinchuriki was different; that guy was covered in armor and had tenacious vitality. A fight wouldn't be settled quickly, and if Kakashi's trio faced the Demolition Squad, they would essentially be served as appetizers.
Suddenly, a signal firework rose. Minato's group of four looked up at the sky, looks of joy appearing on their faces.
"It's Makiya. The Iwa ninja have called for help. Makiya really is reliable."
"Of course! Our Uchiha clan is the strongest!" Obito smiled proudly. His sense of clan honor allowed him to set aside his small grudges with Makiya, feeling a shared sense of pride.
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Then why are you so different from other Uchiha?"
Because of the matter regarding the gift for his promotion to Jonin, Kakashi had been at odds with Obito lately and never missed an opportunity to tease him.
"Kakashi, you..."
"Shh, the Iwa ninja are making a move!"
Minato interrupted their bickering. There was a commotion in the Iwa camp, followed by a sudden burst of steam. A red figure shot into the sky along with the steam, instantly landing in the distant forest.
Under that massive propulsion, Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, was like a runaway train. He snapped trees and bored through mountains; everything in his path was pulverized.
Afterward, nearly half of the Demolition Squad finished assembling and quickly rushed toward the front lines along the trail Han had left.
"Makiya has won us the perfect opportunity. Let's make the most of it!" Minato retracted his gaze and began assigning tasks. "Kakashi, the three of you go and set the explosive charges. I'll take care of the Demolition Squad remaining behind to guard."
"Yes, Minato-sensei!" x3
The Fire-Grass border, the ruins of the Konoha defensive camp.
The battlefield was crisscrossed with ravines. Hamaki Mimura and several others were searching for bodies in the ruins and gathering intelligence.
Makiya had severed all five of Mahiru's limbs and cut out his tongue to prevent suicide. He now lay beside Makiya, turning his head to glare death at him.
Jiraiya's main force included intelligence experts from the Yamanaka clan who could extract a wealth of useful information from his head, which was why Makiya had specifically left him alive.
Makiya sat cross-legged atop the mountain peak, looking into the distance. A white line was gradually extending, rapidly approaching their location.
"Lord Makiya, the cleanup of the battlefield is complete," Hamaki Mimura said respectfully, appearing beside Makiya with a flicker.
"Lord Makiya?" Seeing no response, Hamaki Mimura looked up curiously. Following Makiya's gaze, he was suddenly shocked. "That's... Iwa's Five-Tails Jinchuriki, the Steam Ninja, Han?!"
As the person in charge of the Konoha front-line guard unit, Hamaki Mimura was very familiar with Iwa intelligence. He immediately spoke up: "Lord Makiya, Han is the Five-Tails Jinchuriki and has already mastered semi-tailed beast transformation. I suspect he can undergo full tailed beast transformation. He is beyond the concept of a ninja; only a Kage can rival him. We should retreat quickly!"
At some point, Makiya had activated his three-tomoe Sharingan. Frequently meeting with Soul Reaper Makiya had steadily increased his soul power, and the resulting ocular power was entirely absorbed by the three tomoe, causing his eyes to shine brilliantly like magnificent gems, emitting a mystical light.
"You guys retreat first. I'll hold him off and buy you some time," Makiya said softly.
Mahiru, on the ground, made muffled noises, his eyes filled with mockery as if laughing at Makiya's overconfidence.
"Lord Makiya, let's leave together! There's still time!" Hamaki Mimura was full of anxiety.
'True, if we retreated together now, there would be plenty of time. But why am I unwilling to leave?'
Makiya reached out and touched his eyes. Han's appearance here meant the strategic goal had been achieved. Iwagakure wouldn't let a perfect Jinchuriki act alone; there would inevitably be elites following behind. Even if they discovered they had been lured away and immediately returned, Minato's side would have enough time.
But...
His heart was pounding, and his blood was surging. A powerful enemy was right before him. Turning and fleeing without a fight was simply not Makiya's style.
'Most importantly, I can fly! Even if I'm not his match, I can retreat at any time. The Five-Tails, Kokuo, is a standard land-based creature and has no flight capabilities.'
Having made his decision, Makiya turned to look at Hamaki Mimura, his tone decisive. "Retreat immediately. That's an order!"
The magnificent three-tomoe Sharingan stunned Hamaki Mimura. He had seen the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan before—that cold, evil feeling that would instantly spread throughout the body even with a brief glance. But this pair of eyes was very special, possessing an indescribable quality.
"...Yes, Lord Makiya." Hamaki Mimura picked up Mahiru and signaled his subordinates to retreat immediately.
A moment later, the earth shook continuously. Han, like a derailed steam train, crushed all obstacles and pierced straight through the messy battlefield, plunging into the cliff beneath Makiya.
BOOM!
Steam erupted and the mountain shattered. The already scarred cliff collapsed, and rubble rolled down in all directions.
Han pushed aside a giant rock weighing him down and looked around from within his heavy deep-red armor.
He remembered clearly that an enemy had been sitting on the summit just now. Where were they? Surely they hadn't been crushed to death by the collapsing mountain? That would be too ridiculous.
"Hey, where are you looking?"
The voice came from above. Han looked up curiously, his eyes wide under his conical hat, two question marks practically popping out: How was he sitting in mid-air?
Makiya slowly rose as his chakra unfurled into the air. He took a step forward, and the golden flames transformed into a great cloak draped over his shoulders. Flames surged from his hands, condensing into a two-meter-long blade.
Han looked up at Makiya and then down at his own armor. Because he had been in a hurry, the water mist from the condensed steam had mixed with mud and stuck to him, making him look filthy and quite unsightly.
Even though the fight hadn't started yet, Han somehow felt inexplicably inferior, which made him extremely annoyed.
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