Faced with Uchiha Kaede's spiraling, out-of-control crimson sun, Hatake Kakashi rapidly wove hand signs, releasing a Water Dragon.
However, under the blistering heat radiated by the artificial sun, the water dragon shattered and evaporated into steam instantly.
The fusion of Sunny Day and Flash Fire made this crimson sphere exceptionally fierce. Furthermore, as it traveled, it continuously absorbed the residual fires it had started along the path; in its high-speed rotation, it was actually significantly larger now than when it first manifested.
Seeing no other option, Kakashi's hand erupted with lightning. He transformed his Chidori into a blade of pure electricity and thrust it directly into the core of the fireball.
The intense heat forced a sharp intake of breath from Kakashi.
By piercing the core, he successfully disrupted the centrifugal force of the rotation, but the fractured fireball still collapsed, raining down like a meteor shower.
A massive wave of superheated air swept across the area. A dozen samurai from the Daimyo's guard were caught in the aftershock, falling unconscious from the trauma.
Lord Lop Nur, who had been right in the path of the largest fragment, was struck directly and collapsed.
"Lord Lop Nur!"
Kakashi rushed forward to check on him. The nobleman's clothes were charred black, and his skin was covered in burns.
Though he wasn't dead, his condition was critical. Kakashi felt a massive headache coming on.
"You idiot! Why would you use a jutsu you can't control!?" Kakashi's voice was harsh, his eyes narrow as he glared at a perfectly healthy Uchiha Kaede.
"Apologies, Kakashi-senpai. I really couldn't rein it in. But my opponent was Killer Bee... and besides, why are you even here? This is supposed to be the mission's combat zone."
Killer Bee?
It stood to reason that Kaede would resort to desperate measures against the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. Kakashi couldn't entirely blame him, but right now, the priority was saving their client.
If Lop Nur died, not only would the Hokage be furious, but the Daimyo would likely demand answers as well.
"Kurenai, contact the nearest medical team!"
"Yes!"
The Leaf had maintained stationary medical outposts established during the war years. Every major town had a team on standby. Kakashi didn't dare delay, immediately arranging for emergency resuscitation.
The Hidden Actor
While Kaede stayed with Kakashi's squad, Uchiha Itachi and the Cloud ninja were still deep in the forest, chasing the Seven-Tails.
The pursuit had become grueling. The entire forest was now saturated with a strange, iridescent toxic powder that caused paralysis in anyone who inhaled it.
Chomei (the Seven-Tails) was clearly on high alert, leaving behind massive cocoons that accelerated the hatching of insect soldiers to slow down its pursuers.
Itachi wasn't afraid of the poison, but several of his teammates were showing signs of distress, forcing him to slow his pace.
Conversely, the Cloud squad seemed to be accelerating; the denser the poison grew, the more accurately it mapped out Chomei's flight path.
Chomei was a high-tier threat. While the number of tails didn't strictly dictate power, the quantity and quality of chakra were generally divided along those lines.
Only a powerhouse like the Third Raikage could famously suppress a Tailed Beast in a head-on clash.
Even with someone like Killer Bee on their side, the Cloud didn't underestimate the destructive potential of the Seven-Tails.
Deep in the forest, as Chomei flickered through the trees to evade the ninja, a pool of slime on the ground began to coalesce.
It rose, forming a humanoid shape that eventually took on the exact likeness of Lord Lop Nur.
Donning a high-collared black cloak adorned with red clouds and a silver mask, the "Lop Nur" figure looked up at the Seven-Tails hovering above. "Yo. So you're the Seven-Tails."
Chomei's response was a concentrated beam of Tailed Beast Bomb energy.
Lop Nur didn't flinch. As the Dragon Seal marks flared around his eyes, the Ancient Crane Sage Seal activated, forming a shimmering iris of pressurized water.
The seal had been refined over the years; it was no longer just a shield. With a flick of his hand, Lop Nur reversed the seal's polarity, transforming the water into a massive cage that snared Chomei mid-air.
Chomei let out a furious shriek, spitting bright red blood that vaporized into a toxic fog, only for the mist to be sliced apart by the air currents swirling around Lop Nur.
Seeing this, even the Tailed Beast was stunned. These creatures were highly intelligent; they possessed an innate sense of the world's strongest humans.
To easily block a Tailed Beast Bomb and neutralize its toxic defense required someone on the level of Madara Uchiha or Hashirama Senju.
After a long silence, Chomei spoke in a low, resonant voice. "The power of a Tailed Beast offers little benefit to someone like you. Why interfere?"
"Because only by returning to the Hidden Waterfall can the interests of all factions on this continent be balanced," Lop Nur replied, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.
Enraged by the cold logic, Chomei's powder began to ignite into sparks of fire. No more words. Only battle.
"Scale Powder Blast!"
Chomei ascended, spinning its body into a cocoon shape and diving toward Lop Nur like a drill. The high-speed rotation generated a massive tornado that ignited the scale powder, resulting in a colossal explosion.
Facing the Seven-Tails' strongest Wind Style, Lop Nur slowly levitated. He gathered the surrounding atmosphere into a vacuum sphere, clashing his own localized storm against Chomei's Great Tornado.
The Confrontation
Explosive gales ravaged the earth. By the time Killer Bee and Uchiha Itachi's teams arrived at the clearing, the battle was over. The Seven-Tails lay on the ground, defeated.
A mysterious figure in a silver mask stood over the beast, the air currents around him slowly dissipating.
Lop Nur—dressed in the unmistakable garb of the Akatsuki—ignored the newcomers. He produced a sealing artifact shaped from the Sword of Nunoboko, which could change form based on the user's will. With a gesture, he began drawing Chomei into the seal.
The sight of the Seven-Tails being handled like a stray dog by this mysterious stranger left the onlookers in a stunned silence.
Red clouds on a black cloak?
Zetsu, who was tailing the groups for the real Akatsuki, felt like cursing out loud. Which bastard dares to impersonate our organization!?
"Is there something you want?"
Having finished the preliminary sealing, the masked Lop Nur looked up at the gathered crowd, a cold sneer audible in his voice.
"I must ask you to hand over the Seven-Tails," Itachi said, stepping forward despite the overwhelming pressure.
Lop Nur laughed, a chilling sound that sent a shiver through the woods. The wind began to pick up again. "Hand it over? To you... And those Mangekyo eyes?"
Itachi's expression changed instantly. This man had seen through his greatest secret with a single glance.
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