Chapter 112

Chapter 112"Retreat, now!" Chiyo didn’t hesitate—without those three, they stood no chance against Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others. Staying would be a death sentence.

“You want to leave now? Don’t you think it’s too late!” Hiruzen’s voice rang out across the battlefield, shaking the hearts of the many shinobi. 

Their goal was the complete annihilation of these invaders; letting them escape was out of the question.

“Damn, it’s the barrier!” the Takigakure leader cursed, realizing in horror that the barrier surrounding Uzushiogakure, which they had shattered earlier, was somehow back up.

Uzumaki ninjas were already reinforcing it, preventing any chances of retreat.

Elsewhere in the Land of Whirlpools, a group of shinobi continuously funneled chakra into the barrier. At the center of this effort was Uzumaki Mina. 

It was part of Mochizuki Hui’s plan: once Hiruzen and Danzo entered the battle, they were to restore the barrier.

Chiyo felt a shiver run through her. As Hiruzen approached, she felt her scalp prickle with fear.

This was no ordinary shinobi but a Kage-level figure who had shone brightly in the last Shinobi World War. She knew she was entirely outmatched.

Her only hope now was that they could hold out until their own Kage-level leaders returned. If not, they were as good as dead.

With their escape route cut off, Chiyo and the remaining allied shinobi could only grit their teeth and prepare for battle.

The war raged on, but the tables had turned completely.

Meanwhile, Mochizuki Hui could sense that Ōnoki and the other two were closing in on him. His plan was working.

“Damned brat, you can’t escape us!” Ōnoki shouted from the air, hands clasped as he readied Dust Release to block Hui’s escape.

Ay activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode, transforming into a streak of blue lightning that was nearly upon Hui.

The Third Kazekage, using Magnet Release, shaped his iron sand into wings, taking to the skies as well. Although fast, his speed lagged slightly behind Ōnoki and Ay.

All four of them were Kage-level shinobi, and before long, they had left the vicinity of Uzushiogakure.

Suddenly, Hui formed hand seals and created two shadow clones, each clone running off in a different direction. The three Mochizuki Huis split up.

The tactic threw Ōnoki and the others off for a moment before they scoffed inwardly. Foolish.

Using the Shadow Clone technique in a battle of this scale was nothing short of reckless. Shadow clones required substantial chakra and produced only partial replicas of the original’s power, often leading to a decrease in the user’s own chakra reserves.

“What a waste of chakra,” Ōnoki thought. “One for each of us,” he called out, deciding they would each pursue one clone. 

Even if they couldn’t determine which was the original, it didn’t matter; shadow clones were fragile, dissolving with even minor damage. They could quickly eliminate the clones and converge on the real Hui.

Ay and the Third Kazekage split off, each pursuing a different Hui. Surprisingly, Hui’s shadow clones moved with impressive speed.

Of course, Hui would never make such a rookie mistake. His Shadow Clone technique was one he’d modified extensively. 

With his chakra reserves equivalent to ten Kakashis, as well as his remarkable chakra recovery rate, he had refined the technique to better suit his own strengths. His “Shadow Manifestation” clones retained a full ninety percent of his power, making them nearly as effective as the original. S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

However, these clones came with a limit—he could only maintain two. But two, combined with himself, was more than enough.

Now, the chase resumed in full force.

In the direction pursued by the Third Kazekage, Hui decided the distance was sufficient and stopped abruptly.

“This is far enough,” he said, turning to face his opponent as he removed his mask, revealing his youthful, striking features.

The Third Kazekage paused, landing on the ground opposite Hui with a hint of surprise in his gaze. 

Though he knew the Konoha's Ghost was only fifteen years old, seeing his boyish face in person was still jarring.

“You actually stopped. Are you inviting death, Konoha's Ghost?” the Third Kazekage taunted, his hands forming seals as he spoke. 

The black iron sand surrounding him split apart, floating menacingly before consolidating into needles, all aimed at Hui.

“Why don’t you come find out on your own?,” Hui replied coolly, though the Kazekage seemed done with conversation. He was intent on testing whether the young shinobi before him was indeed the real Hui.

“Iron Sand Drizzle!”

The Kazekage launched his attack, sending the iron sand needles hurtling toward Hui. They were densely packed and covered a broad area, making it impossible to evade with taijutsu alone.

Earth Release: Earth Wall!

Hui quickly formed hand seals, raising a wall of earth from the ground to intercept the needles.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The iron needles embedded themselves in the wall, but the Kazekage immediately manipulated them to fly over and around the wall, aiming once more for Hui.

Of course, Hui had anticipated this. 

As he formed the Earth Wall, he activated a technique that allowed him to move stealthily through the ground. Emerging from beneath the Kazekage, he unsheathed his blade and slashed upward.

The Kazekage reacted swiftly, condensing a shield of iron sand to block the strike. Spikes jutted from the shield’s surface, aiming to impale Hui.

Hui leapt back, keeping his distance.

“Offense and defense together? Impressive,” he commented, eyeing the Kazekage’s hovering iron sand.

“Is that so? Then let me show you just how impressive it really is,” the Kazekage replied, reforming his wings of iron sand and ascending once more.

As he rose, he released a volley of iron sand feathers from his wings, each feather a deadly projectile aimed at Hui.

These feathers moved at incredible speed, almost invisible to the untrained eye.

But Hui’s perception was remarkable. 

Although his clones couldn’t fully replicate the abilities of his “Heavenly Eye,” they retained his exceptional dynamic vision. 

The iron sand feathers were clearly visible to him, allowing him to dodge them with ease.

Watching his target evade his attacks, the Third Kazekage’s eyes narrowed.

“It seems you’re no ordinary brat after all,” he muttered, his expression growing tense as he readied for the next exchange. 

Hui remained composed, a slight smile playing on his lips as he prepared to continue their duel.