Chapter 51: Overwhelming Strength
"Alright, just rest here. I'll come back to get you later."
Fuma waved his hand, bidding farewell to Konan.
A few days ago, after much difficulty, Danzo finally tracked down Fuma and struck a deal with him to take on Shukaku.
But faced with a threat of Tailed Beast level, Fuma couldn't guarantee Konan's safety. So, he sent Konan to the Ninneko Clan's base as a temporary refuge.
Konan held two adorable ninneko in her arms, her eyes curved into crescent moons as she sweetly waved back at Fuma.
"Stay safe, Fuma! Konan will be good!"
Seeing Konan's cute demeanor, Fuma's heart warmed.Perhaps, it was time to discuss having children with Tsunade.
But for now, he needed to complete this mission. After all, he was known as the "Konoha's Golden Substitute."
Handling business transactions with integrity was Fuma's professional principle, and he couldn't afford to tarnish his reputation.
.........
At the border of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire:
"Don't break formation! Keep it orderly as you retreat!"
"Jonin, stay behind! Use Earth Release to block the enemy! Intelligence unit, contact the Hokage again!"
"What are the Hokage's orders?! Have we been abandoned? They're going to invade Konoha!!"
The Konoha ninjas retreated in a panic, leaving the injured and exhausted on the battlefield.
With his seemingly endless chakra, wide-scale attack jutsus, and that unbeatable sand shield, Shukaku's power deeply shocked the Konoha ninjas. A disaster like this shattered their will to fight.
Bunpuku sat atop a floating sand platform, overseeing the battlefield like an emperor, his expression cold as he commanded the Suna ninjas to hunt down the Konoha shinobi.
Wherever he passed, the land gradually turned to desert, becoming a source of strength for him. The Earth Release techniques meant to slow the Suna advance were swallowed by the sands, bolstering Bunpuku's momentum.
With a wave of his hand, thick sand arms formed, sweeping away the hidden Konoha shinobi.
"How does it feel, old man? This is the thrill of human slaughter and war. Surely, you must be enjoying it."
Shukaku let out a sharp howl, looking at the battlefield's ruins with pride, satisfied with Bunpuku.
'This old man is a rare one, respecting me and knowing how to use my power. If only he'd abandon his naïve ideals, like that of the Sage of Six Paths, I'd be set for the next few decades.'
Bunpuku shook his head and replied, "I have no desire for slaughter, but it seems peace cannot be achieved through mere dialogue."
Bunpuku's mind was also in turmoil. He had never imagined that a Jinchuriki's power could be so overwhelming, nor had he expected the battlefield to be this brutal.
Ever since Shukaku was sealed within him, Bunpuku hadn't left his temple in over thirty years, living a life of seclusion.
The fierce battles of Sakumo Hatake cutting through the Suna ninjas, the tragedies of families torn apart as Chiyo had told him, and now the fields littered with corpses—these were all new experiences for him.
His understanding of peace was beginning to shift under the harsh realities of war.
How could people "understand each other and find peace" amidst the bloodshed brought by war? Bunpuku looked at the battlefield, piled high with corpses, shaking his head as he recalled Sakumo Hatake and Chiyo.
"These two, even if they understood each other, would most likely still want to take each other's heads."
Shukaku, sensing the change in Bunpuku's heart, grinned cruelly and said, "Old man Bunpuku, you've had enough fun. Now, it's my turn!"
Bunpuku sighed and said, "Minimize the killing."
Shukaku wore a mocking expression as he retorted, "In the past two days, you've killed more people than I have in a thousand years in the desert!"
Bunpuku fell silent. After all, Shukaku was telling the truth.
The vast sands gathered around him, gradually shifting and taking the form of a colossal raccoon.
This was Bunpuku's first time fully transforming into the Tailed Beast, and he wasn't yet proficient, needing some time to complete the process.
From a distance, Sakumo Hatake watched, his heart sinking.
"That form… No, I can't let him release the Tailed Beast."
Glancing back at the nearby border of the Land of Fire, Sakumo slowly drew the White Fang blade. He steeled his resolve once more. Even if it cost him his life, he had to try to stop this Suna monk.
If Bunpuku released the Tailed Beast here, the Land of Fire would face unprecedented devastation!
Sakumo focused his dwindling chakra, closing his eyes to prepare for what might be his final, most powerful strike.
"Let me handle this, Sakumo. This type of enemy isn't one you're suited to deal with."
A deep, resonant voice interrupted Sakumo's meditation. Seeing Fuma's imposing figure, he asked in surprise, "Fuma-kun, why are you here?"
Fuma smiled slightly, patting his shoulder. "As an excellent Konoha ninja and the honorary captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, dealing with someone like this is right in my line of work."
Sakumo's mouth twitched. 'So, the Konoha Military Police Force also handled the task of dealing with Tailed Beasts?'
Though he leaned more towards the samurai way, as a seasoned battlefield commander, he was highly attuned to the village's political landscape.
He was the leading figure among the civilian shinobi supported by the Hokage faction, and he was well aware of the friction between the Uchiha and the Hokage's lineage.
After a moment's thought, Sakumo still spoke up, "The enemy has an extremely fast automatic defense sand array and can cast large-scale attack jutsus. The Jinchuriki himself also possesses advanced sealing techniques, making him very difficult to deal with."
"So be careful, Fuma-kun."
Paying no mind to the village's internal conflicts, Sakumo still shared all the information he had about the enemy with Fuma.
Fuma chuckled. It seemed Sakumo Hatake was quite the honest man.
"Thanks. Now, focus on evacuating the Konoha ninjas. I can handle this alone."
Sakumo looked at Fuma with a grateful expression, thinking to himself, 'Who would have thought that the Uchiha Clan also has members who uphold the Will of Fire?'
Feeling uneasy under Sakumo's gaze, Fuma quickly said his goodbyes and walked towards the Suna ninjas.
"Wind Release: Giant Whirlpool!"
"Fire Release: Flame Tornado!"
As the Konoha ninjas retreated, the pursuing Suna ninjas were surprised to find only one Konoha ninja left behind.
"Looks like we've got a Konoha fool staying behind to die."
With cruel smiles, they unleashed their chakra, and the air filled with raging winds and blazing flames, all rushing towards Fuma.
Fuma's eyes narrowed as a thick, malevolent aura of blood enveloped him, and violent sparks of electricity crackled across his muscular frame. The application of the 'Blood Thunder Armor' had become second nature to Fuma after numerous battles.
Fuma smirked at the approaching sea of fire, his blood armor compressing the flames but only managing to keep them at a height of just over three meters.
With a swift movement, he began the slaughter.
The leading Suna ninjas didn't even realize what had happened before they lost consciousness.
Fuma rampaged across the battlefield, and with every powerful movement, the ground caved in beneath him.
Elbow strikes, punches, palm strikes, claw strikes, kicks—each basic taijutsu move, coupled with Fuma's terrifying strength, claimed the lives of Suna ninjas.
The Suna ninjas were terrified. With their vision and sensory abilities, they couldn't even catch a glimpse of Fuma.
From their perspective, all they saw were sudden, terrifying shockwaves, and the earth inexplicably collapsing into massive craters.
What followed was the sight of their comrades either being shredded into pieces, reduced to pools of blood, or scattered across the battlefield in dismembered chunks.
This nightmarish scene reminded many of the surviving Suna ninjas of the slaughter inflicted upon them by Sakumo Hatake in the last war.
"No, this isn't Konoha's Sakumo Hatake! This monster is even faster!"
"And why isn't he dodging our jutsus at all?!"
Sakumo Hatake had to dodge the widespread ninjutsu, giving the Suna ninjas some chance for counterattack.
But Fuma's formidable defense meant he didn't even feel the need to dodge these unremarkable Five Elements jutsus.
"Damn it, damn it! At least show us some respect!!"
The Suna ninjas watched Fuma stroll through the flames with a calm expression, finally breaking down and screaming in despair.
Within a matter of seconds, the pursuing Suna ninjas had been reduced to a macabre display of blood-red flowers scattered across the desolate sands.
The overwhelming scent of blood woke Bunpuku from his Tailed Beast transformation. As he emerged, the first thing he saw was a massive fist and a wide grin.
"Boom!!!"
Bunpuku was sent flying by the overwhelming force of the punch, shattering the so-called "absolute defense" of the One-Tail.
The thick sand armor that had covered his body was punctured, and his facial features were grotesquely twisted, making him unrecognizable.
Fuma sneered, his tone icy as he declared, "I won't allow an enemy as strong as you to exist!!"
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