Chapter 63: Chapter 63
’Failed, huh? As expected, with my current strength, completely restraining a Tailed Beast is still too difficult.’
Kiriya had awakened Wood Release only recently, and he had not yet fully developed its power.
In the past, his combination of binding and energy absorption had worked almost every time.
But against a complete Tailed Beast, it was clearly not enough.
The energy inside his previous opponents was, at most, like a sink.
Open the drain, and the effect was immediate.
But now?
He was trying to drain an entire swimming pool.
There was no way to cripple a Tailed Beast’s movement that easily.
"Kid, die!"
Saiken opened its mouth and released a violent gale.
Mixed into the wind was a thick white mist. Wherever it passed, whether trees, leaves, rocks, or soil, everything was corroded and dissolved at terrifying speed.
Even Kiriya did not dare touch it carelessly.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough."
Kiriya’s figure flashed again and again.
Even while moving, his hands formed seals, and he blew out a fierce wind that pushed the acidic mist straight back, splashing it across Saiken’s face.
"How does your own breath taste?"
Kiriya snorted.
Then the world in front of him suddenly darkened.
Alarm bells screamed in his mind. He immediately tried to withdraw and dodge, but Kusui’s control over the Tailed Beast was extremely practiced.
Several tails came from above and below, from left and right, sealing off every route of escape.
"Now you can’t dodge!" Kusui laughed proudly.
"Who said I planned to dodge?"
Kiriya smiled.
His new technique was ready.
Boom!
Several tails slammed down hard, but they did not hit Kiriya. Instead, they were blocked by several thick wooden arms.
Immediately after, a giant wooden figure rose from the ground.
It stood eight meters tall, with a compassionate face, one head, and eight arms, like some divine being or asura from myth.
"What?"
Kusui froze for a brief instant at the sight of the enormous wooden figure.
And in that instant, Kiriya had already commanded the wooden giant to move.
Eight arms swung out and locked down Saiken’s tails, restricting its movements while continuing to drain its chakra.
The two remaining arms clenched into fists and came crashing down toward Kusui.
Boom, boom, boom!
The sound of the blows rang out one after another, like a giant hammer striking the earth.
While Kiriya and the Six-Tails jinchūriki were locked in fierce battle, things inside the valley had also begun to change.
...
A few minutes earlier...
"That’s Kiriya-kun. He’s here!"
The moment Might Duy heard Kiriya’s voice, he shot to his feet, clenched his fist, and swung it hard through the air.
"Great! Everyone, we’re saved!"
Then he raised his thumb toward the others.
"Everyone, get ready as quickly as you can. We’re breaking out!"
But to his surprise, the people around him did not look happy.
Instead, their faces darkened, carrying the frustrated look of people who wished they could grab someone by the collar and shake some sense into him.
"Idiot! Why would he shout like that? Isn’t he just giving away his position?"
In the valley, the jōnin leading the group heard Kiriya’s voice and immediately paled, unable to stop himself from cursing.
"Exactly. He’s a ninja! How can he have no sense for secrecy at all?"
"What kind of infiltration is that?"
"He’s here to save us? I’ll be grateful if he can keep himself alive."
One after another, the trapped Konoha ninja voiced their dissatisfaction.
It was not hard to understand why.
They had already been trapped here for two days.
During that time, they had been harassed constantly, and their bodies and minds were both nearing the limit.
After hearing Might Duy praise Kiriya so highly, and remembering the rumor that Kiriya had slaughtered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, they had naturally placed a lot of hope in him.
And now?
The higher the hope had been, the deeper the disappointment.
He did not even know how many enemies were ahead, yet he had rushed in and exposed his position so carelessly.
How stupid did a person have to be to do that?
"No. Kiriya-kun isn’t an idiot. If he’s doing this, he must have his own plan. Right—he’s deliberately drawing the enemy out, pulling their attention toward himself to create a chance for others to rescue us. Yes, that has to be it."
Might Duy tried his hardest to defend Kiriya, but no one really listened.
"Stop fooling yourself! He’s the only one who came, I haven’t seen reinforcements from any other direction."
A chūnin from the Hyūga clan shook his head.
"The enemy has over a hundred people. That so-called baiting only pulled away one person."
"And that person’s chakra... is terrifying. They’re probably Kirigakure’s jinchūriki."
The moment those words came out, the entire cave went silent.
A jinchūriki.
Especially one from Kirigakure who had already matured into their power.
That was strength on the level of the Kage.
The enormous chakra alone was frightening enough, and when paired with indiscriminate attacks that could level an area, just thinking about it made their scalps go numb.
Kiriya...
Could a reckless kid like him really hold out?
But what happened next went far beyond what the Hyūga ninja expected.
Kiriya was actually keeping the upper hand.
The discovery made the Hyūga chūnin suck in a sharp breath, and his evaluation of Kiriya rose again and again.
Especially when he saw Kiriya summon that giant one-headed, eight-armed arhat, the shock nearly overwhelmed him.
"That’s... Wood Release!"
The words burst from his mouth.
"What? Wood Release?"
Everyone present stared in disbelief.
"Are you sure?" a chūnin asked urgently.
"I’m sure! My Byakugan won’t make a mistake," the Hyūga ninja said firmly. "Right now, that jinchūriki is being... beaten down by Kiriya-sama."
"..."
The cave fell silent.
Only the sound of heavy breathing remained.
"I’m going to fight."
Even so, after letting out a sigh, the most experienced jōnin made his decision.
It did not look like the wisest choice.
Kiriya had the upper hand, yes, but the enemy had only sent out one jinchūriki. Their main force had not moved yet.
If they stayed here, perhaps they could cling to life a little longer. It was pathetic, but at least they would still be alive.
As long as they were alive, there was still hope.
Once they rushed out, however, it would become the bloodiest kind of encounter battle.
With their current condition, the odds were clearly against them.
But...
So what?
He had had enough of hiding in this suffocating hole.
If staying meant slowly waiting to die, then they might as well charge out and gamble.
If luck was on their side, they might break through and survive.
If luck was not on their side, then at least they could die in a way worthy of shinobi, instead of letting more comrades get lured here to repeat the same disaster.
"I’m going too."
Might Duy’s blood immediately boiled.
"My youth will bloom right here, right now!"
"I’m going too."
"Me too..."
Their fighting spirit spread to the others.
One by one, the exhausted shinobi forced themselves up, their morale rising as they shouted and rushed toward the valley entrance.
...
"You’re kidding me! That boy is actually pushing Kusui back?"
Mei Terumi’s eyes widened, disbelief written all over her face.
She could not stand Kusui, but that was mostly because of their difference in taste and personality.
When it came to strength, Mei absolutely acknowledged that bandaged freak.
At the very least, Mei herself would be the one getting pressured if they fought, with almost no chance to fight back.
Yet someone that strong was unable to gain even the slightest advantage against Kiriya.
No, worse than that—she was being suppressed.
Was the world going insane?
It was not only Mei.
The other Kirigakure ninja were also trapped in shock, unable to pull themselves out.
In the end, Ao was the first to react.
He gritted his teeth and said, "That boy is dangerous. We cannot let him live."
"Agreed."
Mei quickly snapped back to herself and nodded.
"If we leave him alive, he’ll become a disaster."
"Mei, Ao, take twenty people and move in. Find a chance to kill that boy. We absolutely cannot leave him alive."
"Yes."
The two answered without hesitation.
They were just about to lead people away when thunderous battle cries erupted from the valley behind them.
The Kirigakure ninja turned back at once and saw Konoha shinobi charging toward them at high speed.
The one leading the charge wore a green bodysuit, had a bowl cut, and thick eyebrows.
It was one of the main targets of this operation—Might Duy.
"They’re breaking out!"
"Prepare for battle!"
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