Vast chakra reserves, unmatched vitality, the additional chakra from the Nine-Tails, plus the Senju Clan's monstrous strength technique—all these factors combined had turned Kushina into an unstoppable force on the battlefield.
The flare that had been fired for assistance had already been spotted by Sunagakure's forces, and the news had promptly reached Ebizo.
Upon hearing it, Ebizo's face darkened. "You three, guard the camp. I'll lead reinforcements to save Rasa. I hope we aren't too late."
The Third Kazekage was gone, Chiyo was preoccupied by Sakumo Hatake and unable to leave, Sasori had defected, and Pakura had been captured. If Rasa were to be killed or captured now, Sunagakure would be thrown into chaos.
Ebizo felt a cold sweat drip down his back as he considered what a state of disarray Sunagakure would fall into. There would be no suitable candidate for the position of Kazekage, leaving a dangerous power vacuum.
The others could be lost, but not Rasa. He was too important for the village's future.
"I hope we're not too late," Ebizo thought, taking a team of shinobi with him, his heart full of unease. Rasa needed to hold on until they could arrive.
What had started as a controlled battle for Sunagakure had turned into an uncontrollable mess after the capture of Pakura, the death of the Third Kazekage, and Sasori's defection. Their plans had completely unraveled, and Ebizo had no choice but to try and protect their last hope.
On the other side of the battlefield, Sakumo Hatake and Chiyo were locked in a heated battle. Though Chiyo wasn't quite Sakumo's match, she was fighting with the support of Sunagakure's renowned puppet brigade.
Sakumo couldn't afford to be reckless. He wasn't about to end up like Danzo during the Second Shinobi War. Back then, Danzo had overestimated himself and gotten cornered, ultimately losing an arm and an eye.
Konoha's individual strength might surpass Sunagakure's, but Sunagakure had more shinobi overall. This had led to a deadlock, with both sides constantly fighting for every bit of advantageous terrain, never giving an inch.
"That old woman Chiyo is really tough!" Sakumo cursed, shoving back the puppet brigade again. He looked at the wound on his arm, grimacing as he swallowed an antidote.
Even though he was the worst possible opponent for a puppet master, the sheer number of puppets made it challenging, and all their weapons were poisoned. Thankfully, Chiyo hadn't developed a new type of poison recently, or Konoha's casualties would have been even worse.
Meanwhile, back on Takuya's battlefield, Rasa was growing increasingly desperate. "Magnet Release: Raging Waves!"
Since he couldn't outright defeat Kushina, he aimed to wear her down instead—both her chakra and her stamina. He doubted that Kushina's chakra reserves were limitless, Jinchuriki or not. How much chakra could she possibly draw from the Nine-Tails?
"Boom!"
Golden sand waves surged towards Kushina, continuously disrupting her attacks, making her stomp her feet in frustration.
Despite having overwhelming strength, her lack of battle experience was showing.
In the sealed space within her, the Nine-Tails was laughing so hard it almost hurt.
Kushina had the strength to crush Rasa, but because she lacked experience, she ended up being repeatedly repelled once Rasa changed his strategy. The Nine-Tails found this endlessly amusing.
"Damn fox! Why are you laughing?! Help me!" Kushina shouted in annoyance. These waves of golden sand were driving her crazy.
"Do you really want my help?" The Nine-Tails was genuinely surprised. It had expected Kushina to go into Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, but instead, she chose to ask for its assistance directly.
"Just do it! I'm getting tired."
High-intensity battles drained one's mental energy quickly. It was Kushina's first major battle, and after a while, she began to feel exhausted.
"Since you're so sincerely begging me, fine! I'll graciously grant your request," the Nine-Tails said smugly, folding its arms.
"...Can you not imitate Takuya's tone?" Kushina retorted, feeling a headache coming on. It was just a big fox; why was it mimicking people?
Kushina's relentless attacks were starting to falter. The waves of golden sand Rasa was manipulating were taking their toll on her, and she was no longer able to push forward.
"What a pity," Takuya murmured to himself.
Magnet Release had potential, but the users in Sunagakure always seemed to have limited chakra reserves. If a member of the Uzumaki Clan wielded Magnet Release, the sight of endless waves of sand covering the battlefield would have been incredible.
Ice Release was another underutilized power. With a massive chakra pool, freezing the entire landscape would have been nothing short of awe-inspiring.
Takuya sighed, recalling the Third Mizukage's supposed Ice Release—which looked more like someone playing with snowflakes and ice cubes.
Seeing Kushina panting and pausing in her pursuit of Rasa, Takuya knew she was exhausted. It wasn't that her physical stamina had given out or her chakra was depleted—it was mental fatigue.
After all, it was her first proper battle, one where she was thrown directly into a confrontation, surrounded by hundreds of enemies, trying to harness her full power. Mentally, this kind of stress was bound to be draining.
"How will this end?"
Kushina had reached her limit, which meant the Nine-Tails would be taking over.
And if the Nine-Tails took over, the battle was as good as over.
Konoha's shinobi perked up at Takuya's words, bracing themselves.
"Roar!"
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Kushina, who had paused her attacks, suddenly changed. The dark red chakra cloak she had been using vanished, replaced by a gigantic golden Nine-Tails enveloping her.
Kushina wasn't Naruto, and she hadn't yet perfected her bond with the Nine-Tails.
But with control now handed over to the Nine-Tails, it decided to fight in the style it preferred most.
A colossal golden Nine-Tails appeared on the battlefield, whipping up fierce winds that swept across the area. The ground beneath it cracked and shattered from the sheer force, forming a massive crater as terrifying chakra surged upward.
Every shinobi on the battlefield was stunned.
Even Manda, the massive snake, seemed to remember something. It shivered, and in the blink of an eye, it undid the summoning jutsu, slithering back to Ryuchi Cave as fast as possible. It had no interest in sticking around to be collateral damage.
"What... What kind of monster is this..." Rasa's expression went blank as he stared at the golden fox.
If given a choice, he would rather continue being chased all over the battlefield by Kushina in her chakra cloak than face this golden beast.
A Tailed Beast rampage? No, this wasn't exactly that.
"A... A monster!!!"
Many Sunagakure shinobi were so terrified that they collapsed where they stood, staring wide-eyed at the Nine-Tails, whose tails whipped around like gigantic pillars.
It wasn't just the enemy that was terrified—even Konoha's shinobi were taken aback. They had just been preparing for battle, but now they were dumbfounded, instinctively looking back at Takuya, wanting to ask:
"Sir, are we still going to charge in?"
What in the world was this? Could a Jinchuriki do something like that?
Pakura and Sarutobi Shiji were equally stunned, their eyes wide open.
"Wait it out. Wait until everything settles before advancing," Takuya said.
The Nine-Tails had taken over the battle, so charging in now would be suicidal—better to wait for it all to end.
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Next Bonus: 300 power stone
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 450+ at Patreon com/ Emik01.
And Visit Me On Scribble_Hub for the other chapters
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