294. That Man Has Arrived!

As a massive amount of ocular power poured from Shisui's eyes, the area within his gaze—especially the enormous, mountain-like tailed beast—was instantly engulfed in raging black flames!

This was the infamous Amaterasu, the black flames said to never extinguish!

The flames bloomed like a sudden black lotus, covering most of the Eight-Tails' body.

The intense heat scorched its flesh, and the searing pain forced the Eight-Tails to thrash wildly on the ground.

Even this monstrous creature, known as a natural disaster, couldn't help but let out agonized howls under the terrifying assault.

"Well done, Shisui!" Fugaku appeared beside Shisui, not holding back his praise.

In the eyes of the Uchiha clan leader, this young prodigy, barely in his teens, had already surpassed his predecessors.

What's more, he was the chief disciple of Danzo—the inheritor of the "Darkness of the Shinobi"!

If this trend continued, even if Shisui didn't become Hokage, he would undoubtedly secure a position as an advisor or elder.

This was undoubtedly a great boon for both the village and the Uchiha clan.

"You flatter me, Clan Leader," Shisui replied humbly.

However, in the next moment, his eyes, overused from the intense ocular technique, began to bleed profusely.

At the same time, Shisui's vision rapidly blurred.

This change made his heart sink.

Was this the side effect of overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan that his teacher had warned him about?

Seeing this, Fugaku's expression turned serious.

He immediately patted Shisui's shoulder and said, "Protect your eyes. Leave the rest of the battle to me."

Fugaku's words were genuine.

After all, Shisui was the hope of the Uchiha clan.

As the clan leader, Fugaku would rather go blind himself than let Shisui take even the slightest risk.

Without waiting for Shisui to respond, Fugaku left him behind and charged toward the Eight-Tails.

With the Eight-Tails writhing in pain, the battlefield's dynamics shifted dramatically.

The Cloud ninjas, who had been holding their ground against the Earth Branch Squad thanks to their numerical advantage, were now shaken to their core.

The fall of the Eight-Tails dealt a massive psychological blow—
If even a tailed beast couldn't stand against the enemy, could they?

This psychological shock quickly turned into fear.

Coupled with the relentless assault from the Earth Branch Squad and the counterattack from the border forces, the Cloud army's momentum crumbled.

"Killer Bee..." The Fourth Raikage, locked in combat with the Earth Branch Squad, also noticed the Eight-Tails' fall.

A trace of concern flashed across his face.

"Hmph, you should worry about yourself first, Raikage," Jiraiya suddenly appeared behind the Fourth Raikage and unleashed a Rasengan without hesitation!

Under Minato's guidance, Jiraiya had mastered the Rasengan.

"Boom!!"

The Rasengan exploded, sending a cloud of smoke billowing into the air.

Unfortunately, the Raikage's speed was too great.

Despite Jiraiya seizing the moment of distraction, the Raikage managed to escape.

"Tch, as expected of a man who can rival Minato. What a pain," Jiraiya muttered, shaking his hand in frustration.

By now, the markings of Sage Mode had appeared on his face.

The two toad sages of Mount Myōboku stood on his shoulders.

In other words, Jiraiya was now in his full-powered Sage Mode!

"Enough chatter, Jiraiya!"

"We're ready for that move," Fukasaku Sage suddenly spoke, its crimson mouth exuding a dangerous aura.

Hearing this, Jiraiya's spirits lifted.

Thanks to their years of parternship, Jiraiya knew exactly which technique Fukasaku was referring to.

Against an enemy with such incredible speed, large-scale ninjutsu was the best option.

And among those, wide-range genjutsu was the top choice.

Coincidentally, the two toad sages possessed just such a technique!

"Then I'll leave it to you, old man, old lady!"

With absolute trust in the sages, Jiraiya charged straight at the enemy.

But to the Raikage, Jiraiya's speed was laughably slow.

Just as the Raikage was debating whether to continue fighting Jiraiya or break away to support Killer Bee, the two toad sages on Jiraiya's shoulders opened their mouths.

"Demonic Illusion: Toad Confrontation Chant!"
As they sang, an invisible sound wave spread out, instantly enveloping a large area.

The Raikage's body froze mid-movement.

The battlefield before him vanished, replaced by walls of pulsating flesh.

Four giant toads, each inscribed with the characters for "Do Not Move, King of the Underworld," surrounded him.

Clad in armor, they wielded blades in one hand and aimed their other hands at him.

A powerful barrier erupted from their hands, forming a dark cube that trapped him completely, rendering him immobile!

Back in the real world, Jiraiya had already taken the giant stone sword from the toad sages.

Seizing the moment while the Raikage was trapped in the genjutsu, Jiraiya rushed forward, ready to plunge the sword into his enemy and end the war!

But at the critical moment, a massive shadow suddenly surged from the side, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind, slamming into Jiraiya!

Forced to abandon his opportunity, Jiraiya leaped back.

His decision proved wise, as the ground where he had stood was now shattered by the impact.

Had he not dodged, he would have been reduced to a bloody pulp...

When Jiraiya finally got a clear look at the shadow, his expression darkened.

"Killer Bee? How are you here?"

Indeed, the one who had saved the Fourth Raikage was none other than Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki.

This left Jiraiya baffled.

The Eight-Tails should have been writhing in agony under Shisui's Amaterasu...

Facing Jiraiya's confusion, Killer Bee adjusted his sunglasses.

"What you saw over there was just a clone of mine."

"Bakayaro, Konoyaro!" With no time to waste, Killer Bee extended a tentacle from his back, wrapping it around the Fourth Raikage.

A thick cloud of ink erupted from his body, plunging the battlefield into darkness.

Under the cover of the ink, Killer Bee swiftly carried the Raikage away from the battlefield.

As they fled, Killer Bee continuously infused chakra into the Raikage, helping him break free from the "Strongest Genjutsu of Mount Myōboku."

The moment the Raikage regained consciousness, he demanded, "What's going on?!"

The Raikage knew Killer Bee's survival skills well.

There was no way his brother would be taken down so easily.

But if Killer Bee had come to his aid, something unexpected must have happened.

In this critical moment, Killer Bee didn't hold back.

"Lord Third is in trouble. We need to retreat immediately."

Though he had braced himself, the news hit the Fourth Raikage like a thunderclap.

If not for Killer Bee's tentacle holding him, he might have frozen in place...

"Brother, are you okay?" Killer Bee asked, concerned.

He understood the Raikage's feelings.

After all, even he had been deeply shaken by the news, let alone the Raikage, who was the Third's own son.

But the Fourth Raikage was, after all, the leader of Kumogakure.

He knew that no matter what, he couldn't afford to break down now.

Otherwise, the entire village would be doomed!

Suppressing his grief, the Raikage's gaze turned resolute.

"I'm fine."

He patted the tentacle wrapped around him, signaling that he was okay.

Once Killer Bee released him, the Raikage spoke calmly:
"If the old man is dead, there's only one man who could have done it."

"That means Danzo is likely on his way here."

"Our top priority is to withdraw from this war."

"We need to preserve as much of our fighting force as possible to deal with what's coming next."

The death of a leader had a monumental impact on the village.

Even though the Third Raikage had stepped down, in the hearts of many Cloud ninjas, he remained the unparalleled leader of Kumogakure.

If this news reached the front lines, it would devastate morale and lead to a complete collapse.

To prevent this, the Raikage had to ensure an orderly retreat before the situation became irreparable!

Nodding, Killer Bee immediately entered a partial tailed beast transformation.

He fired several chakra orbs into the sky, which exploded like signal flares above the battlefield.

Seeing this, Yugito, who had been battling Aburame Ryoma, frowned.

"The retreat signal?"

Though confused, this was the prearranged signal.

Upon seeing it, all Cloud ninjas were to retreat immediately.

Without hesitation, Yugito disengaged.

"I'll let you off this time, but next time, I'll tear you to shreds!"

After hurling this threat at Ryoma, Yugito swiftly retreated.

Not just her, but Cloud ninjas across the battlefield began to realize what was happening.

Under the leadership of their jonin, they began to withdraw in an organized manner.

Though the Earth Branch Squad wanted to pursue, the enemy's numbers were simply too great.

Once they decided to retreat, there was no way to stop them all!

Just then, a figure descended from the sky, landing alone amidst the retreating Cloud forces.

A single, blood-red eye glowed with terrifying killing intent, overwhelming everyone on the battlefield.

When they saw the man's face, fear uncontrollably spread across their expressions.

"The Darkness of the Shinobi..."
"He's here!!"