The Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee turned together, looking at the Otsutsuki branch elder who suddenly emerged from the forest.
Seeing the opponent's murderous aura and the battle scars all over his body, they both felt a sense of foreboding.
They already knew that this entire situation was a trap set by the Akatsuki, so anyone in this area who wasn't from their own Hidden Cloud had to be part of the Akatsuki's setup.
Therefore, they exchanged a glance and then leapt apart, lunging from different directions toward the central Otsutsuki elder: "Lightning Plow Hot Knife!"
Swish! Swish!
In his "Lightning Release Chakra Mode," the Fourth Raikage moved with incredible speed, like a streak of blue lightning. Wrapped in the Tailed Beast cloak, Killer Bee moved just as swiftly, like a flash of fire. In an instant, they both reached the Otsutsuki elder, each swinging an arm!
Their combined technique was known as "Lightning Release: Absolute Bull Lightning Plow Hot Knife"!
It involved both using "Lightning Plow Hot Knife" from different angles, using their blinding speed and immense strength to instantly decapitate their target.
This move had proven effective time and time again, earning them a solid reputation in the Shinobi War.
However, just as their arms were about to intersect, the Otsutsuki elder, harnessing the power of the giant Tenseigan on the moon, suddenly unleashed a repulsive force!
Boom!
In an instant, both the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee were flung backward by the repulsive force.
The Otsutsuki elder's expression darkened, his eyes filled with deep caution and a burning desire to kill!
If he hadn't fought with Shinji for so long and remained on high alert, he might have been decapitated by the "Absolute Bull Lightning Plow Hot Knife" of the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee.
Their speed was so incredible that he could hardly react in time.
"You despicable shinobi, you dare offend my clan repeatedly! Unforgivable!"
Feeling like he had just brushed past death, the Otsutsuki elder shouted in anger and shame.
"Again!"
The Fourth Raikage, unscathed from being thrown back, leaped up and charged toward the Otsutsuki elder once more.
Seeing how strange the elder's techniques were and noticing he possessed the Byakugan, Killer Bee feared for the Fourth Raikage's safety and quickly followed suit.
The Otsutsuki elder's face twisted in a snarl.
With his Byakugan, he could see that Killer Bee housed a Tailed Beast within him, his chakra levels immense. He assessed that Killer Bee was the greater threat compared to the Fourth Raikage.
Thus, he aimed one hand at the Fourth Raikage, using a repulsive force to push him away again, while his other hand pulled Killer Bee towards him with an attractive force, grabbing him by the neck.
"This—!?"
Killer Bee was shocked.
The Otsutsuki elder's use of both repulsive and attractive forces didn't require hand seals or incantations, seemingly at will, leaving Killer Bee with no time to defend.
As Killer Bee prepared to unleash the Tailed Beast's power, the Otsutsuki elder quickly formed a Tenseigan chakra sphere with his free hand and struck Killer Bee in the chest with it.
Swish!
In an instant, just as he was about to fully transform into the Tailed Beast, Killer Bee was horrified to find that his chakra was flowing out of him like a flood, pouring directly into the Otsutsuki elder.
Neither he as a Jinchuriki nor the Eight-Tails within him could stop the rapid chakra drain, and within just a breath or two, they found their immense chakra reserves completely depleted.
The Otsutsuki elder stared at the Tenseigan chakra sphere in his hand, his face growing tense.
He hadn't expected to absorb so much chakra, and while he was secretly shocked, he quickly began looking for a target.
Because the external chakra absorbed by the giant Tenseigan couldn't be converted for his own use, he needed to release it immediately.
The larger the quantity absorbed, the shorter the time he could hold it.
And as Killer Bee was the Jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails, his internal chakra was among the greatest in the shinobi world, forcing the Otsutsuki elder to decide quickly how to utilize this absorbed chakra.
Rumble...
At that moment, Moryo, the demonic beast with countless giant tentacles, caught up to them, crushing trees underfoot with a thunderous noise.
Sensing the vast and malevolent chakra emanating from Moryo, the Otsutsuki elder was startled once more, thinking, "Just how many members does this organization have?"
Moryo roared as he approached, "Hahaha, did you think you could escape from me?"
Clearly, the "you" that Moryo referred to was the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer Bee, who had abruptly disengaged from their fight.
However, to the Otsutsuki elder, Moryo's words seemed aimed directly at him.
"How insolent!"
With a furious shout, the Otsutsuki elder unleashed all the chakra he had drained from Killer Bee straight at the advancing Moryo.
Whoosh. Boom boom boom!
This attack, fueled by all the chakra taken from Killer Bee, was far more potent than a typical "Tailed Beast Bomb."
So, accompanied by a blinding beam of light, the massive form of Moryo was completely vaporized.
And after vaporizing Moryo, the energy wave continued, flattening a vast section of the forest before landing in a distant lake.
Boom!
Another explosion rang out, and the ground trembled violently in its wake!
Tobi, who had been watching calmly, suddenly froze, staring at the massive water spout rising in the distance.
Beside him, Zetsu was equally stunned: "What just happened over there?!"
On a distant cliff.
Watching the water spout reaching into the sky, Konan's usually calm expression changed dramatically.
From her high vantage point, she had a clear view of what had just transpired.
She had seen a beam of light suddenly flash from the forest, erasing the writhing, tentacled Moryo from existence.
Then, it was as if the forest had been wiped clean by an eraser, leaving a swath of devastation.
Finally, the energy wave struck the lake, launching its waters skyward, leaving behind a barren, sunken lakebed.
Splash.
At that moment, the enormous water spout collapsed, drenching the entire forest in a downpour, leaving fish and shrimp scattered across the ground.
In the distance.
Watching the rain fall, Shinji was equally astonished.
Beside him, Deidara exclaimed, "Such an explosion is true art! Who could have pulled this off?"
Shinji halted Deidara's eager movements, "First, get me a clay bird, then you can go do whatever you want!"
Shinji, intent on leaving, had just encountered Deidara, who was patrolling the area from above.
If he had run into other Akatsuki members while carrying the unconscious Yugito, Shinji might have been forced into another battle.
Luckily, it was Deidara he encountered.
Deidara still believed that Shinji was a leader of the inner circle of the Akatsuki, and that he himself was an undercover member, so he quickly descended when he saw Shinji.
At Shinji's command, Deidara quickly sculpted a small, delicate clay bird and then formed a seal with his hands, "Hah!"
Poof.
With a puff of smoke, the small clay bird transformed into a sleek, white bird with a wingspan of over seven or eight meters.
Shinji leapt onto the bird's back, carrying the unconscious Yugito and Neji, then turned back to Deidara, instructing him, "Remember, don't tell anyone you saw me!"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it!"
Deidara waved dismissively, clearly distracted.
His mind was already focused on the distant battlefield. For him, joining the Akatsuki was merely a means to better pursue his art.
If art was right before his eyes, he wouldn't care about the Akatsuki at all.
Shinji, now solely focused on escaping quickly, wasn't interested in anything else. After leaving those instructions with Deidara, he ordered the clay bird to take flight, heading towards the Land of Fire.
Back on the battlefield.
After releasing all the chakra he had absorbed from Killer Bee, the Otsutsuki elder used his Byakugan to scan the surroundings. He noticed several figures closing in on his position, each possessing considerable chakra.
Realizing that the situation had turned against him, the Otsutsuki elder suppressed his raging killing intent, sighed, and swiftly withdrew from the battlefield.
Swish!
After the Otsutsuki elder's departure, the Fourth Raikage immediately dashed over to Killer Bee's side.
Seeing Killer Bee lying unconscious on the ground, the Fourth Raikage was shocked.
He never imagined that the Otsutsuki elder could defeat Killer Bee so effortlessly, and while feeling a surge of fear, he also sensed an unprecedented sense of danger.
Now, with Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, unconscious, and Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, missing, if anything were to happen to him as the Raikage, the Hidden Cloud would be finished!
His sense of duty as the leader of a village quickly brought him back to his senses.
He knew that continuing to fight within this trap laid out by the Akatsuki would only bring more enemies, so after some deliberation, he made the painful decision to abandon the search for the missing Yugito. He lifted the unconscious Killer Bee, picked up the injured Xi, and prepared to retreat from the battlefield.
As a sensory ninja, Xi, ignoring his own injuries, activated a sensing technique and pointed shakily in a direction, "Raikage-sama, there... there shouldn't be any enemies that way!"
"Hm!"
The Fourth Raikage reluctantly nodded, then used the Body Flicker Technique to carry Killer Bee and Xi away from the battlefield.
Both the Otsutsuki elder and the Fourth Raikage retreated decisively, so when Tobi, along with Zetsu and Shennong, arrived at the scene, only the body of the Hidden Cloud's Magnet Release user, Gassatsu, remained.
Swish!
Sasori descended from the sky, returning to the battlefield.
Earlier, he had defeated the Hidden Cloud elites Xi, Karui, and Gassatsu, severely injuring one, capturing another, and killing the last.
But after leaving the area, he noticed renewed fighting in the distance and decided to return.
Shortly after, Deidara, riding his clay bird, also arrived on the scene, asking, "What just happened here? Hmm!"
Tobi ignored Deidara and instead crouched down, inspecting the battlefield.
The traces of battle between the Hidden Cloud's "AB" duo were evident, making it easy to deduce that the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee had fought someone here.
At that moment.
Kakuzu, supporting Hidan, also arrived.
Soon after, with a flurry of paper flying through the rain, Konan appeared on the battlefield as well.
In a matter of moments, all the Akatsuki members involved in the ambush operation had gathered at this, the most intense battlefield.
Konan turned to Tobi and asked, "What happened here?"
Tobi glanced at Konan and replied, "You tell me. Who did you arrange to ambush the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki here?"
Konan looked at Sasori and Deidara.
Sasori and Deidara both shook their heads.
Konan then turned her attention to Kakuzu and Hidan.
The others also looked toward Kakuzu and Hidan, their gaze lingering on the massive hole in Hidan's chest.
Hidan muttered weakly, "It must've been that damned old man!"
Konan furrowed her brow, "Old man?"
Kakuzu tossed Hidan to the ground and briefly recounted their encounter with Shinji and the Otsutsuki elder, as well as how Shinji took Yugito and their battle with the elder.
Hearing this, Tobi glanced at Konan and thought, "Nagato did indeed have a backup plan. It seems he never intended to give me the Two-Tails Jinchuriki."
Konan, on the other hand, turned to Tobi, "Who is that elder with the Byakugan?"
Tobi shook his head, "I have no idea."
Konan's face instantly grew cold, thinking, "Did he deliberately arrange for an elder to intervene, taking the Two-Tails Jinchuriki from me? What is he planning? Is he trying to use this as leverage against Nagato?"
With Konan questioning Tobi, the tension on the battlefield rose sharply.
At that moment, Deidara broke the silence, "Hey, did anyone see what caused that explosion earlier? Hmm!"
Hearing Deidara's question, the group's focus returned to the earlier explosion.
Even though all present were prominent figures in the shinobi world, none had ever witnessed an explosion of such magnitude.
It was known that a "Tailed Beast Bomb" had enough power to wipe out an entire village.
Yet the energy wave from earlier was clearly even stronger than a "Tailed Beast Bomb," as evidenced by the almost dried-up lake nearby. The entire lake's water had either evaporated instantly or been blasted into the air, now falling as rain over their heads.
With this thought, Konan once again questioned Tobi, "What happened to the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki?"
Tobi, wearing a grim expression, shook his head, "He must have escaped!"
"Escaped!?"
Konan's disbelief was clear on her face.
With such a commotion earlier, it was impossible that only one Hidden Cloud Jonin's corpse remained on the battlefield. The only explanation was that someone had cleared the scene before they arrived and taken the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki away.
"Could it be that both the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki fell into his hands?"
The thought that the Hidden Cloud's two Jinchuriki might have both ended up in Tobi's hands sent a chill of danger through Konan.
What troubled her even more was the mention of the mysterious elder by Kakuzu.
The abilities of repulsive and attractive forces might seem strange to others, but to her, they were all too familiar.
Because these were the unique powers of Nagato's Rinnegan!