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[NTU] [ARC-13] Chapter : 172
🕑 Added 2024-09-12 22:09:14 +0000 UTCWith the sudden development on Raikage's side, Dodai quickly scanned the people around him, finally resting his eyes on Yugito. As the jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, she was the only one capable of providing meaningful assistance.
"Yugito! Can you join the fight now?"
"I'm sorry," Yugito replied, a trace of guilt in her voice. "That bastard tampered with the Seal, and now it’s unstable. On top of that... Nibi has fallen into a deep sleep, so there's no way to synchronize with it."
Seeing the disappointment in Dodai's eyes, Yugito's expression grew heavier. Her own blunder had forced Raikage and everyone else to take action, and now she could only watch from the sidelines, feeling completely useless.
"Problems with the seal... and Nibi's asleep?" Dodai muttered in concern.
Upon hearing Yugito's response, Dodai's face darkened. This was bad news. If the Two-tails suddenly awoke and went on a rampage, it would cause no small amount of trouble.
"Can you at least keep things stable? And how's the two-tails holding up?" Dodai asked, his voice tense.
"There shouldn't be any major issues for now," Yugito replied, hesitating slightly. "The Two-tails hasn’t shown any unusual signs yet... but if this drags on, I can’t promise the situation will stay under control."
The two-tails had remained asleep so far, and as for the seal’s condition, Yugito didn’t know much beyond that.
"For now, let's wait for Raikage to defeat the enemy," Dodai said, his tone resolute. With Raikage in the battle, things were more secure. The situation with Yugito could be addressed later—once Raikage emerged victorious.
"Dodai, are we really just going to stand by? Shouldn't we attack?"
A nearby Cloud ninja, unable to contain his battle-hardened instincts, glanced from the intense fight in the distance to the Konoha camp, eager for action.
"Attack?" Dodai repeated, his eyes narrowing as he studied the breach in the outer perimeter of the Konoha camp.
The camp was eerily quiet, shrouded in darkness like a predator waiting to strike. It felt as if it was lying in wait, its jaws ready to close on any who dared approach.
"We hold for now," Dodai finally said, his tone firm. "Once Raikage and B finish off the enemy, the decision to launch a full assault will rest with Raikage."
The commander of the Konoha camp on the other side was clearly no pushover. Dodai believed it was wiser to wait for Raikage to finish his battle and let him decide whether or not to launch a full-scale assault.
With the combined strength of Raikage and Killer B, breaking through this camp wouldn't be too difficult. The real challenge was whether they wanted to risk an all-out war with Konoha afterward—a decision that required careful thought.
Meanwhile, within the Konoha camp itself:
"Any word from the Hokage?" Shikaku Nara asked, his sharp eyes also catching the shifts on the distant battlefield. Despite the situation, he felt a sense of relief but turned to the communications squad next to him with concern.
"If the Hokage's reinforcements are delayed, holding this camp could become a serious issue."
At the same time, Shikaku was silently relieved that the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki hadn't fully transformed into a tailed beast within Konoha’s camp. Had that happened, they might have withstood a couple of blows, but beyond that, the rest of their defenses would have been little more than decoration.
Realistically, their camp wouldn't last beyond two strikes. Even someone as strong as Choza wouldn’t be able to withstand the unrestrained fury of a tailed beast.
"I just hope Uchiha Toshiro's strength holds up."
He quickly turned to the communications squad. "Send an urgent message to Hokage-sama again. Make sure they understand the gravity of our situation—if we don't get reinforcements soon, whether this camp survives will depend entirely on the whims of the Raikage."
With no response from the Hokage and little faith in Toshiro's ability to turn the tide, Shikaku urged the communications team once again to keep pressing for reinforcements. At the same time, he found himself reflecting on Konoha’s leadership—was it time for a younger Hokage?
Looking at the relentless Raikage on the battlefield and comparing that to the sluggish support from the Third Hokage, Shikaku couldn’t help but question the wisdom of continuing the alliance between his clan and the Sarutobi clan.
"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"
After two failed attempts to outmaneuver the Eight-Tails—both times intercepted by the Raikage and forced to retreat—Toshiro decided to change tactics. He jumped back, avoiding the wild swings of the Eight-Tails, and prepared to summon his Loyal summon Shiromari to confront the towering beast.
Though Toshiro's "Frost Sky" could easily sever the Eight-Tails’ tentacles or tails, the creature's ability to regenerate them nearly infinitely made it an exhausting battle. The Raikage's constant interference left him unable to deal significant damage, while he had to remain on high alert for surprise attacks from both the Eight-Tails and Raikage.
"Master Toshiro, even for someone like me, fighting enemies of this caliber is no small feat!" The newly summoned Shiromari grumbled, eyeing the colossal Eight-Tails.
"First it was the Nine-Tails, and now the Eight-Tails? Even with my strength, there's only so much I can endure!"
"Enough complaints! Their next attack is incoming!" Toshiro snapped, focusing on the incoming threat.
As the Eight-Tails charged toward them, Toshiro had no time to calm Shiromari's complaints. Instead, he quickly urged his companion to engage the enemy. Meanwhile, his gaze shifted to the Raikage, standing confidently atop the head of the colossal beast.
"It seems that without pulling out some real tricks, dealing with these two won't be easy," Toshiro muttered to himself.
Though Shiromari was formidable, it was clear that against the sheer power of the Eight-Tails, it would soon be at a disadvantage if the battle dragged on. Toshiro knew he'd have to step in. Raising one hand, he brought his middle and index fingers together in a simple 'Ram' hand seal, preparing to unleash a new strategy.
Given that the other side had initially outnumbered him, Toshiro felt it was only fair to level the playing field. Though he now had some backup, he still felt outmatched, so he decided to have some fun with the situation.
"Ninja Art: Shadow Clone – Three Heads, Six Arms!"
With a faint puff of smoke, Toshiro, standing on top of Shiromari, initiated a transformation. Two additional heads and four more arms sprouted from his body, giving him an imposing new form.
Transforming wasn’t exclusive to his opponents—he, too, excelled at them. Rolling his neck and flexing his new arms, he took a moment to adjust to the disorienting multi-angle vision and extra limbs.
"Surprised?" he asked, his voice brimming with confidence.
Seeing the slightly stunned expressions on A and B's faces, Toshiro chuckled and clarified, "It’s just another variation of the Shadow Clone jutsu."
Indeed, it was. After mastering Sage Mode, Toshiro had been constantly improving his approach to maintaining it for extended periods. Though traditional shadow clones helped, they had their limitations, requiring preparation in advance and often creating a gap in his battle flow.
To overcome these shortcomings, he had devised this specialized form of the Shadow Clone —the three-headed, six-armed version—granting him a unique advantage in combat.
