Chapter 306: One Person Is Enough

Kaede carefully transferred Mei back into Pakura's arms.

Pakura accepted her and met his eyes.

Those eyes usually carried a trace of indifference.

Sometimes helplessness when he looked at Tsunade.

Sometimes quiet indulgence when facing Mei.

Now, all of that was gone.

Pakura wanted to say something.

Kaede had already turned away.

"Find somewhere safe. Protect yourself and take care of her."

Pakura nodded almost automatically.

Then she watched Kaede walk toward the breach, firelight outside stretching his shadow behind him.

At that moment, golden light suddenly flashed through the ruins.

Minato appeared out of thin air.

He swept his gaze across the wreckage, his brows tightening more with each detail.

His eyes settled briefly on Mei in Pakura's arms before moving away.

"All the Tailed Beasts in the east withdrew. I sensed something was wrong and came over with Flying Thunder God immediately. I didn't expect the west to already be like this."

Kaede turned toward the voice.

Minato quickly reached him and explained in a rapid tone,

"I've arranged the rear defenses. Jiraiya-sensei is personally guarding Kushina. The Third is holding the eastern sector. I'm handling mobile communications. The rear should be secure for now."

Then he looked through the breach at the seven Tailed Beasts.

Even Minato's expression became ugly.

"Seven... all of them came here?"

After staring a moment, he turned back, and rare hesitation entered his voice.

"Kaede, the breach is too large, and the western sector doesn't have enough people. Should we... let them inside and fight them within the village defenses?"

He pointed toward the rear.

"We can use the terrain, gather reinforcements, and defeat them one by one."

"No."

Kaede rejected the idea immediately.

He pointed toward the white tide in the distance.

"There are still tens of thousands of White Zetsu underground. They can become anyone."

"Once they enter the defensive line and mix into the population, we'll have our own people killing one another. Cleaning that up would be a nightmare."

Minato pressed his lips into a thin line.

He knew that perfectly well.

But given the situation before them, no better answer seemed obvious.

"If we don't let them in, how do we handle seven Tailed Beasts?"

Kaede looked at him.

"I'll hold them by myself."

Minato's voice stopped.

For the first time, genuine disbelief appeared in his eyes.

He thought he'd heard wrong.

But there was no trace of humor on Kaede's face.

Minato swallowed.

He didn't ask why. He didn't question the possibility.

"All right. I'll use Flying Thunder God to take Mei to the central hospital so Tsunade-sama can—"

"Don't take her there."

Kaede interrupted.

"Bring Tsunade directly to the western sector."

Minato froze.

Kaede looked across the White Zetsu army, his voice turning cold.

"Black Zetsu has concentrated every available force here. From this point on, the west should become the main battlefield."

"Instead of transporting the wounded one by one to the rear, it's better to have Tsunade command medical treatment directly at the front."

He looked at Minato again.

"Also inform the other three camps. Leave only small security detachments. All main forces regroup in the western sector."

Minato studied him deeply.

"Understood."

Golden light flashed, and he disappeared.

Only Kaede remained in the ruins with Pakura farther behind holding Mei.

He turned and continued walking toward the breach.

"Kaede!"

Pakura's voice came from behind.

Kaede stopped and looked back.

Pakura held Mei tightly, her voice trembling.

"Have you lost your mind? Seven Tailed Beasts... alone?"

Kaede looked at her.

Pakura rarely showed this kind of expression. She was normally calm and controlled.

But now...

The coldness in Kaede's face softened slightly.

"Relax. I never do something I'm not confident about."

He looked directly at her and added seriously,

"Stay here and wait for me to come back."

Pakura bit her lip hard.

In the end, she nodded.

Kaede turned and walked beyond the wall.

Alone.

His silhouette stood against the fire-filled night.

Compared to the seven Tailed Beasts and the pale ocean behind them, he looked almost impossibly small.

Kaede brought his hands together.

Boom!

Wood Release instantly sealed the breach dozens of meters wide.

A brand-new wooden wall rose and placed Pakura, Mei, the wounded, and the entire vulnerable rear securely behind him.

Far away, Black Zetsu emerged from behind a tree trunk.

It looked at the enormous wall that had appeared from nowhere and then at the lone figure standing before it.

For one second, it stared.

Then it laughed.

"Does that brat actually think he's Hashirama Senju?"

Black Zetsu turned toward Fu.

"He wants to fight seven Tailed Beasts alone?"

"Then grant his wish. Crush him into paste!"

Fu silently nodded.

"ROAR!"

The seven Tailed Beasts attacked.

Shukaku moved first, opening its mouth and firing dozens of Wind Style sand bullets like a violent storm.

Matatabi followed. Blue-black ghost flames erupted around its body and transformed into hundreds of fireballs that wove together into a net of death overhead.

Kaede didn't meet them head-on.

His body flickered through the tiny openings between the sand bullets and flames at extreme speed, leaving afterimages behind him.

His hands moved through seals at the same time.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Jutsu!"

The earth split apart.

A massive wooden dragon comparable in size to a Tailed Beast erupted from below.

Its head slammed directly into Isobu.

Wood splinters flew, but the brutal force drove the Three-Tails backward.

The huge dragon body coiled around it with lightning speed and locked down all four limbs.

Kaede never stopped moving.

He formed another seal.

Countless thick vines shot from the ground like living giant snakes and wrapped around the legs of Son Goku and Kokuo.

No matter how violently they struggled, they could no longer advance.

Kaede wasn't trying to defeat them.

He was using continuously appearing Wood Release to completely restrict their movement.

All seven Tailed Beasts exerted force simultaneously.

Cracks spread across the dragons and vines binding them, the wood creaking under the impossible load.

Yet Kaede never allowed a single Tailed Beast to cross the line he had drawn.

He moved at high speed through gaps between attacks capable of destroying the landscape.

Every landing avoided a lethal blow by the smallest margin.

Every technique reinforced whichever restraint was closest to failing.

One person had pinned seven Tailed Beasts in place.

But while the beasts were restrained, tens of thousands of White Zetsu flowed around the main battlefield like water.

They clung to the wooden wall with all four limbs and climbed in dense layers.

In moments, the entire wall was covered like a living infestation.

The highest White Zetsu were already reaching the top.

Under the extreme mental strain of controlling multiple Wood Release techniques, Kaede caught the image from the corner of his eye.

His attention shifted for a fraction of a second.

That was enough.

From his blind spot, Isobu's enormous tail crashed downward.

Too late to evade.

BOOM!

A blue-white bolt of lightning descended like a meteor.

Just before the massive tail struck Kaede, the Fourth Raikage, wrapped in Lightning Release Armor, drove a fist into it and knocked the mountain-like limb violently sideways.

A short figure descended from the sky immediately afterward.

Onoki floated above the battlefield.

He looked down at Kaede standing in the middle of seven Tailed Beasts.

Aside from heavier breathing, even his clothes were undamaged.

Onoki clicked his tongue.

"You brat..."

"You're a complete monster."