Chapter 28: The Assault — Tailed Beast Bomb!

"Bee!"

After arriving on the battlefield...

The Fourth Raikage quickly learned the locations of Jiraiya and "Shisui Uchiha" from the frontline shinobi.

He turned toward Killer B and gave him a nod.

"Okay!"

Killer B flashed an exaggerated OK sign.

The Fourth Raikage immediately charged toward "Shisui Uchiha," while Killer B rushed straight at Jiraiya.

Suddenly—

A flare shot into the sky behind Konoha’s lines.

At the same time...

A large force of Konoha shinobi burst from the distant forest, charging toward the center of the battlefield from the flank.

The Fourth Raikage’s expression changed.

"Right flank!"

"Enemy ambush!"

He immediately slowed his charge toward "Shisui."

At that exact moment—

Jiraiya struck.

His hands flashed through a series of seals.

"Raikage!"

"Your opponent is me!"

Ninja Art: Wild Lion’s Mane Technique!

His long white hair exploded outward, wrapping tightly around the Fourth Raikage.

Even with the Raikage’s monstrous strength...

He couldn’t immediately break free.

"Big Brother!"

Killer B roared.

Two enormous octopus tentacles erupted from behind him.

One lashed forward.

The other swept around from the side.

Both came crashing toward Jiraiya.

"Rotation!"

Hiashi Hyūga burst onto the battlefield.

His body spun at incredible speed as a dome of chakra erupted around him.

Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!

The incoming tentacles were instantly deflected.

"You’ve entered my Eight Trigrams field."

Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!

Hiashi struck.

An elegant storm of Gentle Fist attacks rained down, instantly locking Killer B in place.

"You think this can restrain me?"

"Don’t underestimate the Raikage, Jiraiya!"

Brilliant blue lightning exploded across the Fourth Raikage’s body.

Lightning Release Chakra Mode!

His muscles bulged.

With overwhelming force...

He tore through Jiraiya’s hair restraints.

The instant the white hair recoiled...

The Raikage grabbed it.

Then yanked violently.

The tremendous force dragged Jiraiya straight toward him.

Lightning chakra surged into the Raikage’s elbow.

Lariat Crush!

In the split second before impact...

A rapidly spinning sphere of chakra formed in Jiraiya’s palm.

Rasengan!

BOOM!

The collision thundered across the battlefield.

Using the resulting shockwave...

Jiraiya launched himself backward.

His hands immediately formed another seal.

Fire Release: Flame Bullet!

Mixed with burning toad oil...

A massive sea of flames surged toward the Fourth Raikage.

Elsewhere...

"The frontline signal has arrived!"

Watching the flare rise into the night sky, Tokuma Hyūga immediately alerted the others.

"Good."

Shisui pulled out a sealing scroll.

He opened it.

At its center was a massive 「人」 character.

He formed a series of hand seals.

Then slammed his palm onto the scroll.

Poof!

Smoke erupted.

The seal vanished.

And a human figure emerged.

Shisui respectfully bowed.

"Lord Jiraiya."

"I’ll leave the rest to you."

It was...

Jiraiya.

Or rather...

One of Jiraiya’s Shadow Clones, sealed inside the scroll.

The clone nodded.

Blue chakra gathered at the fingertips of his right hand.

He pressed them against Naruto’s abdomen...

Into the Eight Trigrams Seal.

Then...

Twisted.

I can’t loosen it too much...

Otherwise, the Nine-Tails will completely break free.

Keeping that in mind...

He loosened only half of the seal.

Then stopped.

Immediately—

Crimson chakra exploded from Naruto’s body.

His clear blue eyes instantly transformed into savage vertical pupils.

At the same moment...

The three tomoe in Shisui’s Sharingan spun rapidly.

His eyes changed.

Mangekyō Sharingan!

He stared directly into Naruto’s transformed eyes.

An instant later...

Naruto’s slit pupils changed.

They took on the exact pattern of Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan...

Before gradually fading from sight.

Four Konoha shinobi immediately took position around Naruto.

Their hands formed seals simultaneously.

Four Violet Flames Formation!

To prevent the Nine-Tails’ chakra from leaking into the surroundings and alerting Kumogakure...

They imprisoned Naruto inside the barrier.

Inside the Sealed Space

"Sorry, Kurama."

"You’ll have to endure this."

"If an opportunity comes..."

"I’ll let you kill him."

Naruto looked toward the Nine-Tails.

"Hmph."

Kurama snorted.

Surprisingly...

He still retained a degree of consciousness.

He simply made no effort to resist Shisui’s control.

Nearby...

Minato occasionally glanced toward another sealed area.

Kushina...

Please don’t let this disturb your seal...

Outside

Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation...

Naruto’s face twisted in agony.

Watching him suffer...

Jiraiya’s Shadow Clone couldn’t hide the pain in his eyes.

He turned toward Shisui.

"Shisui..."

"I’m entrusting Naruto to you."

"No matter what happens..."

"Bring him back safely."

Shisui answered without hesitation.

"As long as I’m alive..."

"I’ll bring Naruto home."

Jiraiya’s Shadow Clone immediately formed another seal.

"Seal."

Poof!

The clone disappeared back into the scroll.

It existed as insurance.

If something happened to the real Jiraiya on the battlefield...

Someone would still be able to restore Naruto’s seal afterward.

Putting away the scroll...

Shisui focused entirely on Naruto.

Inside the barrier...

Naruto’s body was now completely enveloped in crimson chakra.

He resembled a humanoid fox.

Behind him...

A fifth tail emerged.

Tokuma Hyūga watched everything through his Byakugan.

His gaze constantly shifted between Naruto and the surrounding area.

So...

This is the Nine-Tails...

Remembering the disaster three years ago...

A chill ran down his spine.

Five tails...

Six tails...

Seven tails...

Seven should still be fine...

No...

Seven is easy.

Even eight shouldn’t be a problem.

Jiraiya had specifically warned Shisui to stop the chakra release once the seventh tail appeared.

But...

After personally experiencing how much control he held over Kurama...

Shisui grew bolder.

Of course...

Nine tails remained absolutely forbidden.

That would mean the complete Nine-Tails had emerged.

A moment later...

The eighth tail formed.

Naruto had essentially transformed into the Nine-Tails itself.

Only two differences remained.

Its body was slightly smaller.

And...

It possessed only eight tails.

Shisui immediately gave the order to attack.

The transformed Nine-Tails slowly opened its terrifying jaws.

A black sphere began condensing inside its mouth at terrifying speed.

"Tear down the barrier!"

"Fall back!"

Shisui shouted.

The four Konoha shinobi instantly released the Four Violet Flames Formation.

Then retreated at full speed.

The Nine-Tails fired.

Tailed Beast Bomb!

The enormous black sphere erupted from its mouth.

It tore across the landscape with unstoppable force.

The earth split apart beneath it.

A trench several meters deep and dozens of meters wide was carved through the land.

Everything in its path—

Trees.

Boulders.

The ground itself—

Was reduced to dust.

Nothing survived.

Kumogakure Camp

"What was that sound?"

Several Hidden Cloud shinobi turned toward the noise.

Then...

An overwhelming aura of hatred...

Malice...

And darkness...

Swept over them.

A terrible sense of dread gripped every heart.

"T-"

"T-"

"TAILED BEAST BOMB!!!"

One Hidden Cloud shinobi stared at the rapidly approaching black sphere.

His face twisted in terror.

Then despair.

"RUN!!"

Someone screamed.

The entire camp instantly descended into chaos.

Thousands of Kumogakure shinobi fled in every direction.

A moment later—

BOOM!!!

A gigantic mushroom cloud erupted from the center of the camp.

The explosion shook the heavens.

Blinding light tore through the darkness, turning night into day for dozens of kilometers.

The shockwave flattened every tree within several kilometers.

Hidden Cloud shinobi were hurled through the air like leaves in a storm.

Many crashed into mountainsides or boulders.

Some suffered horrific injuries.

Others died instantly.

Those with weaker bodies...

Were crushed to death by the blast itself.

When the smoke finally cleared...

Kumogakure’s encampment was gone.

Completely.

In its place...

Was a gigantic crater more than a kilometer wide.

Konoha Year 52 — January 25th

Night

Konoha’s Nine-Tails Jinchūriki launched a surprise assault on Kumogakure’s camp.

A single Tailed Beast Bomb obliterated the enemy encampment.

Hundreds of Hidden Cloud shinobi were killed.

More than a thousand were seriously wounded.

And when news of the attack spread...

The entire ninja world was shaken.