This attack was equivalent to an enhanced version of the Tailed Beast Bomb.
"Impressive," Shinho said with a faint smile in his terrifyiong face. "But this is where it ends."
"Go to hell!" Yugito Nii spat through gritted teeth.
The barrel of the Chakra Cannon trembled before unleashing a pale blue laser.
The ground split apart wherever the beam passed, leaving a deep crater in its wake.
Samui moved her lips but remained silent.
Standing behind Shinho, she was directly within the attack's range.
There was no doubt, this would be her end.
She felt some regret, but more than that, relief.
If killing Shinho meant her sacrifice, then it was worth it.
That way, victory for Kumogakure would be secured.
Yet, at that moment, she felt an oppressive wave of deathly energy fill the air.
The bone-chilling cold made her hair stand on end, as if she had descended into the depths of hell.
Trembling, she looked up.
The source of this overwhelming presence was none other than Shinho.
He was cloaked in a swirling aura of four colors, sky, earth, water, and fire.
An unending torrent of deathly energy surged skyward, faintly revealing the spectral forms of dragons and elephants.
The night grew even darker.
His eight arms, brimming with violent power, reached out toward the laser.
A cracking sound echoed.
The laser, like fragile glass, shattered into countless fragments.
Samui collapsed onto the ground.
She had been saved, but she wished she hadn't been.
This being was no human.
He was a demon.
"How... how is this possible?!"
Yugito stumbled back half a step, her face pale.
The Chakra Cannon had been rigorously tested by Kumogakure.
Powered by Tailed Beast chakra, it was capable of devastating destruction, far stronger than a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Yet, before Shinho, it was as harmless as a kitten.
How could this be?
At that moment, blood dripped from Shinho's hand.
Was he injured?
A glimmer of hope ignited in Yugito's eyes.
No one could survive the Chakra Cannon unscathed, not even Shinho.
He wasn't a god after all!
Her gaze fixed on his hands, where a wound about ten centimeters long had appeared.
But in the next instant, it healed completely.
Yugito froze.
An impenetrable defense, unstoppable attacks, and now an unmatched regenerative ability.
What more could be said?
"Ahhh!"
Yugito let out a furious roar.
Blue chakra with feline patterns surged wildly around her.
Her tail stood upright as her body became engulfed in chakra.
A massive cat appeared, a fully transformed Two-Tails, Matatabi.
Samui's heart skipped a beat, a glimmer of hope emerging in her heart.
Perhaps they could still win.
Yugito opened her giant maw and released a fireball the size of a small mountain.
The twisting heatwave swept across the battlefield, incinerating all vegetation in its path.
Shinho sidestepped the fireball with a single step, charging directly at Yugito.
An unprecedented sense of danger surged through her.
Yugito crouched slightly, tensing her limbs before leaping with all her might.
Boom!
The ground she had just stood on shattered.
"Too slow," Shinho muttered, grabbing one of her tail mid-air.
Yugito let out a pained scream.
Twisting her massive body, she swung her chakra-clad claws at Shinho, aiming to shred him to pieces.
Shinho didn't hesitate.
He met her attack head-on, punching her paw squarely in the center.
"Ah!"
The sharp pain caused Yugito to scream again.
Before she could react, six of Shinho's other arms delivered successive punches to her body.
The chakra waves around her stilled for a moment.
Yugito's massive form was sent flying, crashing into the ground and leaving a deep crater.
The once-imposing Matatabi now appeared utterly drained.
Shinho approached, clenching his fist, and delivered another powerful strike.
The ground trembled with each blow.
"Yu... Yugito..."
Samui, witnessing the brutal assault, muttered in a trembling voice, her legs feeling weak.
Moments later, Shinho paused, his relentless attacks ceasing.
The blue chakra surrounding Yugito dissipated, revealing her human form.
She lay unconscious, her clothing tattered and exposing patches of pale skin.
Despite her vulnerability, she made no response, having completely lost consciousness.
Shinho glanced around the battlefield.
Every Kumogakure ninja lay defeated.
This was the reality of war:
Kill, or be killed.
Finally, his gaze fell on the sole remaining ninja still conscious, Samui.
"No... please, no..."
Samui stammered, scrambling backward in terror.
Samui's voluptuous hips formed a shallow depression in the ground as she scrambled backward.
Normally calm and composed, she was now completely panicked.
If this were a normal defeat, she could face death with dignity.
But Shinho's overwhelming presence, akin to a demon, sent shivers down her spine.
Coupled with Yugito Nii's miserable state and the field littered with corpses, she was on the verge of collapse.
Shinho blinked thoughtfully.
It seemed he had truly taken on the role of the villain this time.
Still, it would be a shame to kill someone as stunning as Samui.
In his opinion, she was one of the best candidates to serve as Hokage's secretary in another timeline.
With a casual wave of his hand, Shinho summoned three serpentine maidens.
"Keep an eye on them," he instructed.
Ichikishima-hime looked up at the towering Shinho, her jaw dropping in awe.
It was her first time witnessing the Six-Armed Heavenly Zombie King form.
If we... will I die?
The chilling thought crept into her mind.
Tagitsu-hime and Tagori-hime, on the other hand, moved swiftly, one heading toward Yugito and the other toward Samui.
Unlike Ichikishima-hime, they weren't bogged down by such morbid speculation.
Shinho leapt into the air, propelled by his Sky Strength Gu, and sped toward Konoha's main camp at an incredible pace.
The Fourth Raikage's strategy was solid.
By sending Yugito to attack Otogakure, Konoha would have to dispatch reinforcements.
To counter a Jinchūriki, those reinforcements would undoubtedly be elite ninja.
With the Chakra Cannon added to the mix, their defeat was almost certain.
Even in the worst-case scenario, the delay would cost Konoha at least half a day, providing Kumogakure with enough time to capture Konoha's main camp.
However, reality was unforgiving.
They had utterly underestimated Shinho's strength and speed.
The entire operation and round trip took less than ten minutes for him.
As Shinho approached, he sensed an enormous yet chaotic chakra ahead.
Just as expected.
Kumogakure and Konoha forces were already locked in battle.
Sensing the situation further, Shinho couldn't help but sigh.
Kumogakure had committed heavily this time, deploying seven to eight thousand ninja.
By contrast, Konoha had divided its forces into three, leaving fewer than three thousand at the camp.
Yet, Konoha was not at a disadvantage.
The reason was simple: Nagato and Konan.
Nagato alone was holding off the Fourth Raikage and Killer B simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Konan's mastery of her Paper Ninjutsu and the endless barrage of explosive tags created devastating large-scale destruction.
Kumogakure's numerical advantage was, paradoxically, becoming a liability at the moment.
The downside, however, was chakra expenditure.
Konan wouldn't last long.
And what of Obito and Black Zetsu?
Shinho paused mid-flight as the thought crossed his mind.
If he appeared now, Obito and Zetsu would undoubtedly flee.
He decided to wait.
Dismissing his Six-Armed Heavenly Zombie King form, Shinho activated his Stealth Scales Gu, rendering himself invisible.
…
The sounds of explosions echoed relentlessly.
Mabui, her lips pressed tightly together, wore a deeply worried expression.
She hadn't anticipated the absurd strength of Nagato and Konan.
These were supposed to be defeated individuals who had surrendered to Konoha.
Yet here they were, holding their own against the Fourth Raikage and Killer B.
What shocked her most was Konan.
In Nagato's battle against Shinho, Konan had seemed insignificant, barely mentioned in the reports.
But now, her Paper Ninjutsu and explosive tags left Kumogakure forces at a loss.
Her ability to fly compounded the issue.
Attempts to bring her down with ninja tools and ninjutsu proved futile.
The only viable option was using ballistae, but Konan's speed and Konoha's supporting ninja made that nearly impossible.
Despite their numerical superiority, they couldn't gain the upper hand.
Mabui couldn't shake a growing sense of doom.
How had Shinho defeated Nagato and Konan?
Could Yugito and Samui, with the Chakra Cannon, turn the tide?
If they failed, Kumogakure would plunge into an abyss of despair.
In the shadows at a distance, two indistinct figures watched the battlefield.
"Nagato's legs have been healed. His strength has increased significantly," Obito through aloud with a slight frown.
His Kamui was a powerful weapon for surprise attacks, but against a fully mobile Nagato wielding the Rinnegan, his chances of success were slim.
"Troublesome indeed," Black Zetsu agreed, "Fortunately, the Fourth Raikage and Killer B are strong. We just need to wait for the right moment."
"Any updates on Shinho?" Obito changed the topic.
"None," White Zetsu replied.
At the moment, Black Zetsu and White Zetsu were united, not operating separately.
Just as Obito was about to ask another question, his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Killer B is finally getting serious. Our chance might come soon."
Black Zetsu perked up at this.
A dark red chakra erupted skyward, dyeing the night sky crimson.
The combatants turned their heads instinctively.
Killer B was now fully enveloped in dark red chakra, eight tails spread out like a peacock's display.
Though his face was no longer visible, his humanoid form was faintly discernible.
This was partial Tailed Beast Transformation.
"Killer B-sama!"
Kumogakure ninjas erupted in cheers.
They were well aware of the terrifying power of the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.
Their morale soared, contrasting sharply with the Konoha ninja, whose spirits were visibly dampened.
With the Hokage away and no Jinchūriki present, their only hopes rested on Nagato and Konan.
But could they truly withstand the Fourth Raikage and a Tailed Beast-transformed Killer B?
join my patreon for the completed story: patreon.com/HyppoTL