BOOM! BOOM!
The sheer volume of the thunder made every shinobi on the battlefield look up, their faces pale with terror.
And then!
They saw it—a colossal bolt of lightning in the shape of a massive Kirin. It roared as it took form, diving from the sky and slamming down onto the Eight-Tails.
BOOM!!!
The blinding blue light exploded in all directions!
The Eight-Tails, massive as it was, couldn't dodge in time and was instantly consumed by the Kirin's mighty lightning strike.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
At that moment, the whole battlefield hummed with crackling electricity.
"Aaaaahhhhh!"
The Eight-Tails screamed in pain, its roar echoing across the plains.
The impact was devastating!
Not only the Eight-Tails but any Cloud shinobi unlucky enough to be nearby were caught in the blast, disappearing into the searing light, transformed to nothing but charred corpses by the heavens' wrath.
In an instant.
Everything within a few hundred meters around the Eight-Tails had been cleared out entirely!
The Kirin from above came down with the force of an apocalypse!
A moment later, as the brilliant lightning faded, two figures emerged on the battlefield once more—Killer Bee and Yugito Nii.
But now, both had collapsed, completely unconscious, their Tailed Beast transformations canceled. They lay on the ground, smoke wafting from their injuries, utterly beaten.
No joke!
This was the power of the S-rank technique Kirin, delivering a double-layered blow with immediate and lethal efficiency!
Such a violent display of energy was far beyond what Killer Bee and Yugito Nii could hope to withstand.
"We did it!!!"
Across the battlefield, the Leaf shinobi erupted in cheers.
The tension had been unbearable!
No one could believe that in the face of absolute doom, Lord Kazuya had stepped up, cutting down the two jinchuriki from the Village Hidden in the Clouds as if they were nothing!
An unbelievable victory!
It felt like a dream!
"So strong…"
Kurenai, who had started to rush forward, stopped in her tracks, frozen in awe as she gazed at Kazuya's back.
This man…
He was simply overwhelming!
"He's a monster! A being even more terrifying than the Tailed Beasts!"
Even Uchiha Fugaku was stunned by the sight.
What incredible power!
This Konoha ANBU, Kazeya, was even scarier than Minato!
...
As the Kirin's light faded, the remaining Cloud shinobi were struck with horror, frozen in disbelief.
What… what just happened!?
Why were both their leaders beaten after just one single strike from above!?
Dear god!
What was this madness!?
Among the shocked shinobi, a jōnin from the Cloud finally regained his wits, shouting, "Quick! Protect Lord Bee and Yugito! Don't let the Leaf get their hands on the Tailed Beasts!"
Without another word, he grabbed his kunai and charged at Kazuya with desperate determination.
"This is a matter of life or death! Buy them time to escape!"
"Charge!"
"Block the Leaf shinobi!"
"For Lord Bee!"
"Aaahh!"
Dozens of Cloud shinobi screamed defiantly, weapons drawn, charging Kazuya with reckless abandon.
Even if they lost the war, they couldn't let the Tailed Beasts fall into the Leaf's hands!
Watching this, Kazuya couldn't help but feel a pang of respect.
The Hidden Cloud Village treasured their jinchuriki, unlike Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchuriki, who had always been scorned and isolated…
Still…
Did he go too far?
Behind his mask, Kazuya's gaze turned thoughtful.
To be safe, he had poured half his chakra into that Kirin, and with the added boost of Sage Mode and the double-damage buff, the power had been immense.
Hopefully, those two jinchuriki experience packs could survive it.
Fortunately!
Moments later, Kazuya saw the blonde, Samui, sprint over to Yugito, scooping her up and retreating as quickly as possible. Yugito's chest rose and fell slightly, showing she was still breathing!
Meanwhile, Killer Bee, who was heavily wounded, was lifted by two towering Cloud jōnin, who hastily escorted him away.
"Perfect finish…"
A smile played across Kazuya's face.
He had made immense gains in this battle.
The Indra Bloodline—obtained!
Lightning Release skill—maxed out!
And now, he had both Tailed Beast power and a massive chakra boost!
Presently, Kazuya's chakra and Tailed Beast power stood at:
[Chakra: Lv5 (156,500/1,000,000)]
[Tailed Beast Power: Lv4 (17,000/100,000)]
...
Five hundred shinobi from the Hidden Cloud.
The Uchiha Clan!
And two invaluable "experience packs"—Killer Bee and Yugito Nii!
Altogether, they had dropped 150,000 chakra points and 17,000 Tailed Beast power points!
Not to mention!
His visual prowess had now leveled up to Lv3 (4,200/5,000)—just shy of Lv4!
It was a massive haul, an astonishing breakthrough!
"Next time we meet, I hope you'll both be stronger…"
Kazuya thought, looking forward to their inevitable reunion.
A moment later, his body swayed slightly, as if weakened by the sheer amount of chakra he had used.
"Kazuya-kun!"
"Captain!"
Two figures appeared at his side in an instant.
Kurenai and Yugao were there, each steadying Kazuya as he swayed.
In their beautiful eyes, it was impossible to hide the worry and admiration they felt.
"I'm fine…" Kazuya managed, though his voice was weak as he leaned closer to Kurenai.
"Kazuya…" Her eyes shimmered with tears, her heart aching at the sound of his faltering voice. Kazuya had always shielded her, always facing down the fiercest enemies and fighting the bloodiest battles, never retreating, never complaining.
Such a man…
She was at a loss for words to describe him.
But then…
"That Leaf ANBU is exhausted! Finish him off!"
"Protect our commanders!"
"Charge!"
"Lightning Style: Scatter Thunder Blitz!"
"Lightning Style: Thunderball!"
"Lightning Style: Shockwave!"
"Lightning Style: Furious Thunder Tiger!"
Charging at him, the Hidden Cloud shinobi roared and unleashed a chaotic mix of lightning-style jutsu. The air buzzed with crackling energy, the sky lit up with flashes of lightning—it was a sight to behold.
However…
Kazuya didn't even need to make a move himself.
From behind him, a chorus of battle cries erupted.
"Protect Lord Kazuya!"
"Cloud Village weaklings, your opponent is me!"
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"
"Wind Style: Giant Vacuum Sphere!"
"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!"
"Shuriken Jutsu: Random Wild Toss!"
"Idiot, you missed again with that shuriken, Tobichi!"
The Leaf Village reinforcements had arrived!
A torrent of wind-style jutsu overwhelmed the Cloud shinobi's lightning techniques. Wind overpowered lightning!
With Kazuya taking down two Cloud jinchuriki single-handedly, Leaf's morale surged, quickly crushing any spirit the Cloud shinobi had left!
[You've picked up 100 Chakra Points.]
[You've picked up 100 Chakra Points.]
[You've picked up 30 Wind Style Talent Points.]
[You've picked up 20 Wind Style Talent Points.]
[You've picked up 40 Yin Style Talent Points.]
[You've picked up 20 Indra Bloodline Points.]
[You've picked up 100 Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere Skill XP.]
[Your Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere is now Max Level: Lv. 5.]
...
Golden orbs of energy flooded into Kazuya's body, and his spirit reignited.
The experience bundles were rolling in!
Feeling reinvigorated, Kazuya dropped the pretense of fatigue, casually batting away a rogue lightning orb as he bellowed, "For the Leaf! For the Hokage—charge!"
Without a second thought, Kazuya launched himself into the Cloud formation.
Even with half his chakra remaining, he was more than a match for the Cloud shinobi!
"For the Leaf!"
"For the Hokage!"
"For Lord Kazuya!"
"Charge!"
"Brothers, with me!"
The Leaf shinobi roared in unison, inspired by Kazuya's bold leadership. Their gazes filled with respect and awe.
It had been so long since they had followed a commander who would lead the charge with them!
Moved to the core, they surged forward with renewed vigor. With Lord Kazuya on their side and the enemy jinchuriki already down, there was no better time to strike while the iron was hot!
"Kill!"
"Wipe out the Cloud shinobi!"
"For Lord Kazuya!"
"Forward!"
The Leaf shinobi, fervor in their veins and fighting spirit at its peak, plunged into the Cloud ranks like berserkers, filling the air with battle cries.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Unleashing his monstrous strength, Kazuya single-handedly crushed three Cloud Jonin on the front lines!
Escape was futile!
The regular Jonin couldn't keep up with his speed, and unlucky ones found themselves eliminated in a heartbeat!
Such was the terror of his brute strength—against lower-level opponents, it was an absolute, crushing dominance!
It was this very strength that turned Tsunade into the tank-style medical ninja legend on the battlefield.
Now, with Kazuya at the lead, the Leaf's morale was soaring, and the Cloud formation was shattered in moments!
"Hold the line!"
"Hold them off at all costs!"
The Cloud commander's desperate shouts echoed across the battlefield.
Their ranks were crumbling fast. Now, it was a fight for survival, to buy the commanders time to retreat.
But…
Before the words had even left his mouth, a streak of white flashed by his side.
Bam!
With a single, bone-crushing blow, Kazuya continued forward, leaving the Cloud commander's shattered body behind, a rain of crimson staining the ground.
Whiz!
Whiz!
Whiz!
Kazuya zipped across the battlefield, weaving between Leaf and Cloud shinobi alike. Wherever he passed, the Cloud shinobi, held up by Leaf forces, fell in an instant, unable to defend against him.
His monstrous strength erupted in wave after wave, drenching the battlefield in blood.
Without a Kage-level opponent to hinder him, Kazuya was unstoppable.
Unmatched, invincible!
Every Cloud shinobi unfortunate enough to cross his path met a swift death, without so much as a chance to resist.
Chunin, jonin, elite jonin—it didn't matter. Below Kage level, Kazuya's monstrous strength delivered an instant kill.
The combination of his Flying Thunder God and brute strength made him more lethal than even the Fourth Hokage!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Blood sprayed in torrents as one by one, the Cloud shinobi, despite their courage, finally broke under the relentless assault.
"Monster!"
"Aaaah, he's a monster!"
"Someone save me, please, anyone, help!"
Terror-stricken, some Cloud shinobi dropped to their knees, begging for mercy.
And finally…
They broke.
The Cloud's lines crumbled completely.
Close to a hundred Cloud shinobi lay dead, and Kazuya alone had slain more than half.
Unmatched! Unstoppable! Unparalleled!
He was a killing force, cutting through everything in his path!
Countless Leaf Village ninjas gazed at Kazuya with awe, their eyes burning with admiration.
"Lord Kazuya... Long live!!!"
The battlefield was alive with Leaf ninjas cheering for Kazuya. They understood well that he was the linchpin in this battle. Without him overpowering and crushing the two Jinchūriki, it would have been them lying dead in droves.
"Fight on!"
The Cloud Ninjas' numbers were dwindling rapidly!
Finally, when the last elite ninja from the Village Hidden in the Clouds fell under Kazuya's monstrous punch, the remaining Cloud ninjas broke formation and fled in panic!