Boom—huhu!!!
The instant the Eight-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb roared forth like a beam of destruction—
It struck something unseen.
The earth trembled violently as the massive chakra sphere shattered, scattering into countless beams of light. They rained down across the surrounding hills, blasting craters and sending boulders tumbling like avalanches.
Boom!
Boom!!
Boom!!!
When the smoke and thunder subsided, the coalition's camp on the distant hilltop remained untouched.
"Th-that is…!"
The Cloud Shinobi stared in shock.
There, floating in midair, stood Uchiha Kenya, smiling faintly as he looked down upon them.
"He blocked… the Tailed Beast Bomb!?"
The soldiers felt their throats tighten.
Rumor had it he once resisted the Two-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb. But the Eight-Tails? That was on a completely different scale.
Even among the coalition, the sudden silence was suffocating.
Kenya remained suspended in the sky, calm, composed, as if the outcome of the battle already rested in the palm of his hand.
"Hyūga clan—report."
At the front lines, Mizukage Terumi Mei's gaze shifted to the Byakugan users beside her.
"Yes!"
The veins at the temples of several Hyūga shinobi bulged as they activated their dōjutsu, scanning the land.
"Radius of five kilometers—no ambush detected."
"So then, Raikage truly intends to settle the outcome here and now," Mei murmured inwardly, unsettled.
An all-out offensive… against the stronger side? Since ancient times, such reckless tactics had always spelled collapse.
No, the Fourth Raikage was not a gambler. He must have some kind of plan.
Kenya began to descend.
Each step echoed unnaturally, as though he walked upon an invisible staircase in the heavens.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The sound reverberated directly in the soul.
On the opposite ridge, Samui and the others standing beside the Raikage swallowed nervously, a tension clawing at their hearts.
Then, just two meters above the earth, Kenya stopped. His eyes narrowed, and the three tomoe of his Sharingan spun lazily.
He chuckled.
"So that's it. A hidden barrier? One I haven't seen before. It must be a unique technique of Cloud Shinobi Village."
Tutai's pupils shrank sharply. His face stiffened.
Kenya smiled faintly. "To lay down a barrier under the eyes of my coalition… I must ask, who was it that overlooked this?"
"…It was us," Hyūga Tokuma admitted through clenched teeth, sweat beading on his brow.
Kenya's tone was calm, almost reassuring. "No need to fear. Everyone makes mistakes. But in war, private affairs have no place."
Terumi Mei's eyes hardened. "After this battle ends, the Hyūga responsible will accept punishment."
"Yes…" Tokuma bowed his head, his face pale with shame. For a Byakugan user to miss such a crucial detail—it was a mercy they weren't already in chains.
Clatter.
The sound of footsteps resounded.
Both the coalition and the Cloud Shinobi turned in astonishment.
"Teacher…" Temari gasped, her eyes wide. "Didn't you say there was a barrier!? Why are you stepping into it yourself!?"
Kenya smirked.
"Why so surprised? Is it because I chose to walk into your trap? Shouldn't that make you happy?
Yet your faces show only shock. Strange, isn't it? Perhaps you've realized it yourselves—traps are only effective when the strength of both sides is close.
The gap between me and you is far too great to be bridged by such tricks."
His words, calm and edged with scorn, sent a ripple of unease through the Cloud ranks.
"You arrogant—!" Tutai barked. "Mabui, now!"
Behind him, a silver-haired, dark-skinned woman in a secretary's outfit clasped her hands together, swiftly forming seals.
"Ninjutsu—!"
A surge of azure light erupted beneath both Kenya and the Raikage, encircling them.
Kenya's eyes glimmered.
"Ah. Heavensend Technique. A space–time ninjutsu that transfers objects at the speed of light."
"Teacher!" Temari cried out, panic rising.
Kenya only raised a hand.
"Don't worry. Fight as you please—it will be over soon."
And with that, he and the Raikage vanished.
Even the Byakugan, sweeping five kilometers in every direction, failed to detect their new location.
They were gone.
"Now isn't the time to fret over them," Terumi Mei snapped, her gaze shifting to the towering Eight-Tails. "Our battlefield still holds a monster of its own."
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two blurs tore through space, reappearing on a barren plain.
It was autumn, and the grass beneath their feet had long withered to a pale yellow.
Kenya surveyed the surroundings, expression unruffled.
"It seems we've been displaced a considerable distance. I can no longer sense Mizukage Terumi Mei's chakra. So… they've truly isolated us."
He narrowed his eyes.
"The Heavensend Technique. Normally used by Cloud Shinobi to transport supplies across the front. I didn't expect they'd dare to use it against me."