Chapter 308: Help Me Over There

The balance of the battlefield was beginning to tilt toward the alliance.

High above, Onoki used Earth Style: Light-Weight Rock Technique to weave through the air.

Gyuki’s tentacles lashed again and again, yet couldn’t even brush the hem of his clothes. The Eight-Tails had been reduced to a living target.

Rasa controlled his Gold Dust and wrapped Shukaku inside a massive dark-gold cocoon.

Elsewhere, Isobu was being knocked around like a spinning top by the Raikage.

If the Three-Tails’ hard shell hadn’t absorbed blow after blow, Ay would probably have hammered the beast directly into a sealing formation by now.

Orochimaru and Manda, Hiruzen and Enma, and Minato with the Flying Thunder God had all pinned down their own targets.

The Two-Tails, Four-Tails, and Five-Tails were being forced into smaller and smaller areas.

Even the Seven-Tails circling the outer battlefield had been cornered by the allied sealing squads’ barriers.

Kaede stood in the middle of it all without joining the suppression of the Tailed Beasts.

His gaze passed through the explosions and flashing ninjutsu, scanning the ruined battlefield.

The masked man still hadn’t personally fought since the battle began.

He had done nothing beyond exchange one distant glance with Kaede.

Why?

Kaede rapidly reconstructed the enemy’s intentions.

BOOM!

A sudden explosion came from Rasa’s direction.

Kaede looked over.

Rasa, who had been hovering on a Gold Dust cloud and maintaining the seal, was suddenly struck by an enormous invisible repulsive force and blasted away.

He tumbled several times through the air before forcefully gathering another cloud of Gold Dust behind himself and barely regaining balance.

Without his continuous pressure, the dark-gold cocoon below exploded apart.

Shukaku regained its freedom and threw back its head with a shriek that tore through the air.

And where Rasa had been floating, a black-robed figure slowly descended.

For the briefest moment, the entire allied offensive hesitated at the unexpected change.

Kaede’s gaze locked onto the falling figure instantly.

’Finally decided to show yourself.’

The moment Fu’s feet touched the ground, his speed exploded.

Ay was pressing down on the Three-Tails’ head and preparing another heavy punch when a faint rush of air came from his blind spot.

Fu appeared behind him with a black metal rod in his hand and swung directly toward the back of Ay’s neck.

Ay reacted immediately.

At the final instant, he twisted his body aside.

The rod grazed his shoulder.

Slash!

The nearly indestructible Lightning Release Armor was actually torn open by that simple-looking black rod.

Before Ay could counterattack, Fu vanished again.

Near Orochimaru, Manda’s enormous body was wrapped tightly around Kokuo.

Fu passed directly through the space beneath Manda’s belly.

His right hand rose.

"Almighty Push!"

Violent repulsive force exploded outward from his palm.

Manda’s body was knocked aside, instantly loosening its constriction.

Kokuo seized the opening, dug all four hooves into the ground, and forcefully broke free.

Too fast.

From appearing, to injuring Ay, to releasing the Five-Tails—there had been no wasted motion and no pause.

The suppression chain the alliance had worked so hard to establish was shattered by one man using nothing but raw speed and force.

Kaede’s eyes tracked Fu’s movement without blinking.

Dynamic vision and reflexes at this level, combined with those irregular changes of direction, made wide-range ninjutsu bombardment meaningless.

He needed to close the distance.

Who would Fu target next?

The greatest threat currently trapped in a casting motion...

In midair, Onoki held both palms facing one another.

His aim had already settled on the roaring Eight-Tails below.

Suddenly, Fu appeared directly behind him.

A black rod formed in his right hand, its tip aimed at Onoki’s heart from behind.

Without hesitation, he thrust.

At that exact instant, a hand reached in from the side.

Five fingers clamped around Fu’s wrist like a hydraulic vise.

His entire arm froze in midair and could not advance another inch.

Kaede had appeared beside him.

Fu turned his head.

Their eyes collided in midair.

Beneath the mask, the Rinnegan reflected Kaede’s calm face.

’Got you.’

...

Behind the defensive line, Mei’s eyelashes trembled.

Her consciousness slowly emerged from heavy darkness.

She forced her eyes open, vision still doubled and blurry.

A face marked with a diamond-shaped seal gradually became clear.

Pale-gold hair. Slightly knitted brows. An unmistakably forceful presence.

Mei stared for three full seconds.

Tsunade?

"Why are you here?"

The words scraped from her dry throat almost instinctively.

Tsunade’s hands remained over Mei’s wound.

She didn’t even lift her eyes.

"If I weren’t here, you wouldn’t have to worry about being in pain now."

"I’d be notifying Kirigakure to come collect your corpse for the funeral instead."

Mei choked on the answer.

She looked at Tsunade, who was still concentrating completely on treatment.

The dinner at Kaede’s house came back to mind.

Back then, the two of them had fought over every inch, neither willing to yield.

Now...

Mei bit her bloodless lower lip.

"Thank... you."

Tsunade didn’t answer.

She only nodded faintly as the green light around her hands slowly diminished.

Then she called over a larger Katsuyu fragment and placed it against Mei’s freshly closed wound.

"Your life is safe."

Tsunade stood and glanced at the nearby medical shinobi.

"Watch her. She rests quietly now. No moving around."

After giving the order, she turned away, accepted the latest casualty report from an assistant, and began reading with knitted brows.

Mei ignored every word.

She braced one hand against the bed, clenched her teeth, and forced herself upright.

Pakura, who had been guarding her, immediately pressed down on her shoulder.

"Are you insane? Having the wound stitched doesn’t mean you’re healed!"

Mei grabbed Pakura’s arm with one hand.

"What’s happening now?"

"Where’s Kaede? How is he?"

Pakura looked at Mei, who clearly didn’t care whether she lived or died, and complicated emotions filled her eyes.

She pressed her lips together.

"After you lost consciousness..."

"The western defensive line was breached."

"He stood there alone and fought all seven Tailed Beasts to buy time."

"He held them until the other Kage-level fighters arrived..."

Mei’s fingers tightened violently around Pakura’s arm.

"Alone..."

"Seven of them..."

Her breathing immediately lost its rhythm, and her lips trembled.

That bastard really thought he was invincible, didn’t he?

The next second, Mei forced her legs off the bed.

"Help me over there."

Pakura instinctively prepared to stop her.

But when she met Mei’s stubborn, almost insane gaze, every argument stuck in her throat.

Pakura remained silent for two seconds.

Then she gritted her teeth, carefully pulled Mei’s arm over her shoulder, and helped her stand.

Tsunade stopped turning the pages of the casualty report.

She looked back quietly at the woman who could barely stand yet was still forcing herself toward the front line.

Complicated emotion rolled through her light-brown eyes.

After a brief pause, Tsunade looked toward her medical deputy.

"Are there any critically wounded patients left who still require me personally?"

The deputy froze, then quickly shook his head.

"No, Tsunade-sama. Most of the critical casualties have stabilized."

"The remaining light injuries can be fully treated by Katsuyu’s fragments."

Tsunade nodded and handed him the report.

"Then you’re in charge of everything remaining."

She turned toward the distant wooden wall and looked past it at the battlefield burning with fire and constant explosions.

"I’m going to reinforce the front."