The giant fist completely buried Tatsuma and the other three. Seeing this, a few of the Cloud Ninjas showed signs of despair.
After all, there were only a few people in the village capable of sealing tailed beasts, and if there were still members of Furui's team, they could be said to be the most skilled in Sealing Jutsu in Hidden Cloud Village. When they arrived, Furui's team had already suffered significant losses. They had hoped that as long as Furui was still there, even with just two remaining members, they could desperately seal the Eight-Tails.
They didn't expect that the ANBU from Konoha would use such a decisive method, willing to die with Furui to make the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki completely go berserk.
Aside from the ninjas from Hidden Cloud Village, Sakumo Hatake and Minato also felt a pang of anxiety upon seeing this. Minato clenched his fists in frustration, wondering why he hadn't caught up in time to save Tatsuma.
"Cough cough~"
Before his guilt could fully set in, Minato heard a familiar voice from behind. He turned around to see Tatsuma, with one corner of his Yaksha mask missing and a burn wound on his left shoulder, standing behind him.
"Are you okay?!"
Minato asked anxiously. Tatsuma shook his head and replied, "Don't underestimate me."
As he spoke, Tatsuma felt a bit of fear. He hadn't expected the Blue B's fist to come down so quickly. If he hadn't already planned an escape route before making a move, he might have really been caught off guard.
Indeed, tailed beasts are no easy opponents. Even in a half-tailed beast state, their power far exceeds what Tatsuma can currently handle.
In this situation, even if Sakumo Hatake intervened, he might not gain any advantage against Blue B.
It's not that Sakumo Hatake isn't strong enough, but his strength isn't well-suited for dealing with tailed beasts; he is more adept at fighting people.
At this moment, Blue B slowly raised his fist. Amidst the ruins, with blood everywhere, Furui and his two teammates had completely disappeared.
He turned his demonic head to look at Tatsuma, his massive fist still not fully restored, clumsily scratching his head as if trying to comprehend how Tatsuma had escaped.
In the next moment, he extended his hand towards Tatsuma. The black-red Chakra covering his arm extended again, bridging the distance of over a hundred meters in an instant.
"Wind Release! Wind Cutter Technique!"
Tatsuma quickly formed hand seals, and a series of invisible wind blades cut towards Blue B's Chakra arm. The blades severed the Chakra arm, but the furious Chakra immediately reconnected.
The speed was hardly impeded, and the Chakra arm quickly reached out towards Tatsuma.
However, Tatsuma keenly noticed that the giant hand's claws seemed to be deliberately avoiding his vital areas. What was the Eight-Tails planning? Playing cat and mouse?
"Whoosh~"
Just as Tatsuma was about to use Flying Thunder God to escape again, a flash of white light appeared, and the Chakra arm was severed. This time, it didn't immediately reconnect. Blue B, covered in Eight-Tails' Chakra, dramatically leaned back while continuously retracting his arm.
The severed arm that fell to the ground quickly disappeared, as it was just a mass of Chakra.
Sakumo Hatake appeared in front of the two and said, "Let's go!"
"No," Tatsuma interrupted. He glanced around and whispered, "The sensing range of Flying Thunder God isn't that far."
Sakumo Hatake frowned. He knew that Tatsuma and Minato had placed many Flying Thunder God marks within the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, so it was unlikely they couldn't sense them.
But he soon realized Tatsuma's intention. If they used Flying Thunder God to leave now, it would inevitably lead to an investigation after the Eight-Tails' rampage was dealt with in Hidden Cloud Village.
When that happens, the seals placed in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning will be removed one by one, rendering their midnight setup entirely useless.
Thus, the best approach is to break out, leave the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, and then use Flying Thunder God to escape quickly. Unless absolutely necessary, they should not use Flying Thunder God to escape within the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
Having figured this out, Sakumo Hatake nodded and said, "I'll hold off the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. You handle the others. Safety first, and look for opportunities."
"Flying Thunder God?!"
In the chaotic battlefield, some people heard their conversation and exclaimed in surprise.
Flying Thunder God is almost impossible for ordinary ninjas to detect, but elite ninjas from various villages are somewhat aware of it. However, if there is any ninja village besides Konoha that knows the most about Flying Thunder God, it would undoubtedly be Hidden Cloud Village.
The creator of Flying Thunder God, Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, died at the hands of Cloud Ninjas. Although it was an armed force led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku, they were still Cloud Ninjas.
Furthermore, due to the tense relationship between Hidden Cloud and Konoha at the time, Hidden Cloud Village never stopped investigating Senju Tobirama, both during his life and after his death.
As a result, Flying Thunder God, which is even more outstanding than their village's Heavenly Transfer Jutsu, has naturally been known to many.
Although many years have passed, and most of the ninjas from that era have either retired, died, or moved to high positions and stepped back from frontline work, their investigation results are known to many in the next generation.
Therefore, when Tatsuma mentioned Flying Thunder God, several Hidden Cloud Jonin quickly reacted. Their first reaction was disbelief, as it had been many years since Senju Tobirama developed Flying Thunder God Jutsu, and they had never heard of anyone from Konoha mastering this technique.
But soon, they thought of the Konoha ANBU wearing the Yaksha mask, who escaped from Blue B under extreme conditions. Such speed could only be achieved by Flying Thunder God or possibly by A-sama.
Tatsuma intentionally revealed this information because the three of them ultimately planned to escape using Flying Thunder God.
If they used Flying Thunder God to escape in front of many witnesses, it would certainly raise suspicions. Even if they managed to escape from the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, it would lead to a thorough investigation by Hidden Cloud Village.
By revealing this information proactively, Tatsuma aimed to create a point of reference for these Cloud Ninjas: that there were no Flying Thunder God jutsu marks within the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, and he couldn't use Flying Thunder God to escape.
This would reduce the likelihood of Hidden Cloud Village thoroughly investigating the Valley of Clouds and Lightning. Although it doesn't guarantee that Hidden Cloud Village won't investigate, any reduction in probability is a benefit.
Seeing their reactions, Tatsuma was quite satisfied. To reinforce their memory, Tatsuma pulled out several Kunai and threw them at a group of Cloud Ninjas.
He then vanished from his original position and reappeared next to a Cloud Ninja. Instead of attacking the squad's captain, he targeted a Chunin.
Rasengan formed, and almost instantly, his attack arrived.
"Boom!"
Rasengan sent the Cloud Ninja flying, leaving him lying on the ground, unconscious and possibly dead. The squad's Jonin leader snapped back to his senses and drew his Ninjato to slash at Tatsuma.
But as the blade passed, it only cut through a afterimage. The damaged Yaksha mask now seemed to lose its comical aspect, replaced by the oppressive aura of a malevolent spirit.
"Yaksha! Over there!"
At this moment, Minato also threw a Kunai. The reappearing Tatsuma quickly glanced toward the direction where Minato had thrown the Kunai.
In an instant, all the ninjas in the squad became wary of Tatsuma, fearing he might use Flying Thunder God to cause trouble. However, Tatsuma did not move.
"Bang!"
But within the squad, an explosion occurred. A cloud of smoke erupted, instantly engulfing several people. The remaining squad members kept their eyes on Tatsuma, but no one noticed that Minato, who had thrown the Kunai, had vanished.
"Puff puff puff~"
A few figures suddenly emerged from the smoke: two Hidden Cloud Chunin and one was Minato. As the smoke quickly dissipated, the four-person squad was now left with only two members. The leading Hidden Cloud Jonin, holding a Kunai, looked on in disbelief at Minato, who had just barely landed.
"He can also use Flying Thunder God!"
Others also realized this, but only after this reminder did they fully grasp the situation, their faces showing shock.
Flying Thunder God, a technique that had not been mastered by anyone other than Senju Tobirama for decades, suddenly had two practitioners?
Tatsuma caught Minato as he landed and quickly checked his condition, finding that he was unharmed. Tatsuma let out a slight sigh of relief and whispered, "Next time, use Explosive Tags."
"Underestimated them a bit, but just this once."
Minato adjusted his slightly shifted owl mask and said seriously.
"Damn it!"
Their conversation wasn't intentionally hidden, and many Cloud Ninjas heard them. They showed signs of anger and no longer carefully monitored the two but chose to take the initiative.
As long as they prevent the two from throwing that damned Kunai, what can a miraculous technique like Flying Thunder God do?
"Truly impressive, Hidden Cloud ninjas. This bold and forward momentum is something I've never seen in ninjas from other villages. However, bravery alone won't stop us."
As the Cloud Ninjas approached Tatsuma, he calmly formed hand seals.
"Water Release! Water Severing Wave!"
Another signature Water Release technique from Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, a high-pressure, high-speed water stream shot from his mouth like a sharp blade, cutting towards the incoming Cloud Ninjas.
"Clang~"
One person used a Ninjato to block, but the water blade sliced through his Ninjato with little obstruction, heading straight for his neck.
"Be careful!"
The squad's Jonin grabbed him by the back of his collar and threw him away while forming hand seals with both hands.
"Lightning Release! Thunder Bomb!"
Two lightning balls appeared in the Cloud Ninja's hands. His dual balls of lightning, surrounded by electricity, shot towards the incoming water blade.
The unshaped water stream, upon contact with the lightning, seemed to be ensnared, and the lightning spread along the water flow towards Tatsuma, the caster.
Although blood trickled from the Cloud Ninja's hands, his gaze remained resolute. As long as the lightning could reach Tatsuma, even if it only caused a momentary paralysis, it would be enough for his comrades to take significant action.
'Lightning Release, huh.'
Tatsuma couldn't help but reflect. If he had Lightning Release Chakra himself, he might not be so passive. He could use his own Lightning Release to counter this Cloud Ninja's Lightning Release. But now—
Just as he was about to use Flying Thunder God to leave, Minato's voice came from beside him.
"You continue! I'll handle this."
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