The commotion on the battlefield quickly drew attention from both sides' strongholds.
"Akihashi, Akimina, Shio, Suzaku, and..." Danzo quickly made his decision and glanced at one of his most trusted subordinates. "Yamanaka Kaze, you and a thousand other ninjas head to the target location immediately to assist Might Guy."
"Yes!" echoed from all around, and no one dared object.
After all, everyone knew Danzo's role and his power within Konoha, especially among the clans of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. They were familiar with his ruthlessness and tactical acumen. While they would have preferred Shikaku as commander, since he best understood their clan's combat strategies, Asuma's role as a rising leader on the battlefield necessitated some backup.
The Third Hokage wasn't comfortable letting his son go without a top-level strategist by his side.
And with Danzo's adept use of Wind Release, his capabilities were well-suited for countering Kumogakure.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Darui, acting as commander, wasted no time dispatching Yugito Nii, the jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, to confront the enemy.
The scale of the battle was rapidly escalating, with more forces pouring in from all sides. The warzone grew wider, and more chaotic.
Arcanine, unsure of which side was which, continued to flee, carrying Naruto and Saiken (the Six-Tails) on his back. But he couldn't always run away smoothly, especially when encountering highly skilled ninjas capable of matching his strength.
"Grrr..." Arcanine growled as he dug a tunnel deep underground, using his Dig ability to hide Naruto and Vulpix inside a concealed space.
"Stay here. Do not come out," he ordered, his voice firm.
Naruto and Vulpix, sensing the seriousness in Arcanine's tone, could only watch in concern as the giant fire dog prepared to leave.
"Will you be alright, Arcanine?" Naruto asked, worried.
"Woof," Arcanine barked softly, reassuring them both. 'I'll be back soon.'
Without wasting any more time, Arcanine dug his way back to the surface.
Minutes later, he burst from the ground, only to find himself surrounded by a thousand Kumogakure shinobi.
"You all head to assist C and the others at the front. I'll handle this one," Yugito Nii commanded, her gaze sharp as she eyed the massive Arcanine. "It's just a summoning beast—it won't take long."
The Kumogakure shinobi didn't hesitate, quickly moving toward their target, knowing the main battlefield was far more important than dealing with an unexpected summoning.
Within moments, the only ones left were Yugito Nii and Arcanine.
"So... that sea of fire, was it your doing?" Yugito asked, casually tossing a kunai in her hand.
Unlike regular ninjas, Yugito was a jinchūriki with a close relationship with her tailed beast. While her own sensory abilities couldn't detect anything particularly unusual about Arcanine, the voice of Matatabi, the Two-Tails within her, had a different perspective.
'Be cautious, Yugito. That creature is no ordinary dog. Don't underestimate it,' Matatabi warned.
Yugito frowned, confused for a moment. "Dog? This looks more like a lion, Matatabi."
Despite her doubts, Yugito prepared for battle. Arcanine, sensing her tension, stretched his body and bared his teeth, adopting an imposing stance.
This was Arcanine's way of intimidation—a signal that he didn't want to fight.
He had sensed something within Yugito, something similar to what Naruto carried, though not as powerful. It wasn't enough to pose a lethal threat, but it was still dangerous.
Yugito, however, mistook his stance as a challenge.
"No time to waste here. Let's wrap this up quickly," she muttered, summoning her chakra. "Fireball Jutsu!"
A blue, cat-shaped fireball shot from Yugito's mouth, heading straight for Arcanine.
"..."
Arcanine easily dodged, leaping several meters away. But the blue flames split into smaller projectiles, continuing to chase him.
Ember.
Arcanine responded with a small burst of flame, neutralizing the blue fireballs instantly.
"A summoning beast that can use ninjutsu without hand signs?" Yugito was startled.
While there were some summoning creatures capable of ninjutsu, they were rare. Creatures like the toads of Mount Myoboku, the snakes of Ryuchi Cave, and the slugs of Shikkotsu Forest were powerful but mostly relied on their physical prowess.
The ability to perform handless ninjutsu was an exceptional feat, and if Konoha's new summoning creatures could all do this...
Yugito's mind raced. Could it be that Tsuchikage Onoki was right? Konoha might be trying to unite the ninja world with these creatures!
But before Yugito could dwell on the thought further, Arcanine decided it was time to act. His fur bristled as his body became enveloped in a blue aura of energy. He dashed forward, using his Extreme Speed.
Arcanine moved faster than Yugito could follow, his speed matching that of the Raikage's Lightning Release Armor.
'Yugito! He's coming!' Matatabi warned in a panic.
But it was too late. In the blink of an eye, Arcanine slammed into Yugito with an Iron Tail powered by Armament Haki, sending her flying and coughing up blood.
'What kind of strength is this?!' Yugito thought in shock as she tumbled across the ground. If this attack had landed on a regular jōnin, it would have been fatal.
Heat Wave.
Without giving her a chance to recover, Arcanine unleashed a scorching hot wind, visible to the naked eye, directly at Yugito's face.
But she wasn't done yet. Reacting quickly, Yugito released Matatabi's chakra, entering her Partial Tailed Beast Mode. Her body emitted a bright blue chakra, her eyes turning white as two chakra tails appeared behind her.
In this form, Yugito could resist most fire-based attacks, but the speed and power of Arcanine's blows continued to overwhelm her.
"Is that... scorch release?" Yugito muttered, recognizing the intensity of Arcanine's heat attack. It reminded her of the Scorch Release techniques used by Pakura from Sunagakure.
Cat's Claw.
In her half-beast form, Yugito slashed at Arcanine with chakra-imbued claws, but he countered by transforming into a rolling wheel of fire, executing Flame Wheel.
The two collided with a tremendous force, causing both to be flung backward. Neither sustained much damage—Yugito's fire resistance was strong, and Arcanine's Haki and speed mitigated her blows.
Both fighters locked eyes, understanding the battle was at a stalemate. Their fire-based abilities were ineffective against each other.
Yugito, adhering to shinobi tactics, knew she needed to switch strategies. But lacking Water Release techniques, she resorted to basic taijutsu attacks.
Arcanine, on the other hand, considered his next move carefully. He knew his opponent's fire affinity made most of his fire-type moves useless, so he turned to his ground-type abilities.
Both combatants had come to a decision and resumed their battle, each aiming to lead the other toward the main battlefield.
Yugito hoped to reach the main battlefield to maximize her power through full transformation into Matatabi, while Arcanine sought to distance Yugito from Naruto and Saiken, hoping to cause enough chaos to escape unnoticed.
Agility.
With a sudden burst of speed, Arcanine outpaced Yugito, who, despite her enhanced abilities, couldn't catch up. Frustration and panic began to build in Matatabi.
'How much farther until we reach the main battle? I can't hold back anymore. I want to tear this dog apart!' Matatabi growled within Yugito.
"Almost there, just hold on!" Yugito replied.
The battle moved quickly across the landscape, and soon enough, the two had reached the boundaries of the larger war zone.
(End of Chapter)
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