Naruto: Promotion is my Ninja Way

"Sizzle..."

Shihouin Naraku's powerful slash wasn't intended to deliver a killing blow to his opponent, but rather to manipulate Darui's positioning on the battlefield.

Countless shuriken and kunai whistled through the air and found their marks, piercing Darui's body without a single projectile missing its target. Darui's entire body shuddered from the impacts, and the light in his eyes began to fade rapidly.

The sole successor to the Third Raikage's legendary Black Lightning techniques, the Fourth Raikage's most trusted bodyguard, the future Fifth Raikage who had been expected to lead Kumogakure—Darui died on the battlefield during what was supposed to be a surprise attack.

Darui simply wasn't a match for Shihouin Naraku under the best of circumstances, and he had walked directly into an elaborate trap that Naraku had specifically prepared for this moment. With his strength reduced to less than half of its normal capacity due to his severe injuries, it wasn't surprising that he died so quickly from the coordinated barrage of hidden weapons.

"CRASH!"

"CRASH!"

"CRASH!"

Several massive tree trunks suddenly flew out of the surrounding forest and hurtled toward Shihouin Naraku's position with devastating force.

Using the Body Flicker Technique, Shihouin Naraku easily avoided the impact of the flying trees.

Shihouin Naraku applied a small amount of force with his right hand, and Kurikara's blade caught Darui's lifeless body. With a powerful kick, he sent the corpse flying directly toward the furious, half-transformed Yugito.

"ROAR!"

Yugito burst out of the forest in her partially transformed state. Before she could clearly see what was flying toward her, her razor-sharp claws instinctively tore the incoming object into pieces in an instant.

By the time she realized what she had done, it was already far too late to stop herself.

"Da... Darui?" Even in her half-tailed beast form, Yugito retained clear consciousness and rational thought. When she realized exactly what—or rather, whom—she had just shredded with her own claws, she froze in complete horror.

The death of her friend and comrade drove Yugito into a state of absolute madness.

When she looked up from the remains, she witnessed another scene that completely shattered her sanity. Under the coordinated siege of multiple Konoha shinobi, the two other Kumogakure ninja who had survived the initial explosion had been defeated and killed.

"Damn it!" she screamed with pure rage.

"Damn you, Konoha shinobi!"

"I'll kill every last one of you!"

Yugito no longer attempted to suppress the murderous intent that was surging through her entire body. Her pupils, which no longer resembled human eyes in any way, became completely covered in crimson red.

"Swish!"

Naraku appeared directly in front of the jinchūriki like a flash of lightning and brought his dark blade slashing downward. With a wet tearing sound, he carved a deep, bleeding wound across the Two-Tails' cat-like form, causing blood to flow freely from the gash.

"AHHHHH!" With such overwhelming pain and stimulation, Yugito's claws suddenly swung down toward Naraku with lethal intent.

A piercing, inhuman cat's cry that sounded nothing like any human voice rang painfully in everyone's ears. Shihouin Naraku quickly dodged the attack of her razor-sharp claws.

"That's one incredibly powerful scream!" Naraku commented, rubbing his ears reflexively. The cat's cry had been so sharp and penetrating that it made his ears ring uncomfortably.

"Lord Naraku!" his subordinates called out with concern.

"Lord Naraku!" they repeated urgently.

Shihouin Naraku raised his hand in a gesture, signaling his men not to approach any closer to the battle. "This fight is not for you to participate in. Send someone immediately to inform Shikaku that the enemy assault force has been completely defeated! According to our original plan, begin the counterattack without delay!"

"Tell all our forces to drive every last Kumogakure shinobi out of the Land of Hot Water!"

"I don't want to see a single enemy ninja remaining in the Land of Hot Water when this is over!"

"This is a direct order!"

"Yes, sir!"

The Konoha shinobi present immediately obeyed the command and dispersed quickly to relay the crucial information to their allies.

However, Morino Ibiki and two other Konoha shinobi remained behind, understanding that a battle against a tailed beast jinchūriki was not something that ordinary ninja could participate in safely.

The three men had made a silent pact that if anything unexpected happened during this dangerous confrontation, they would bring Shihouin Naraku back safely even if it cost them their own lives.

Shihouin Naraku noticed the remaining three retreating into the forest and couldn't help but think to himself with dark humor, "Fighting against a tailed beast, there's really no point in retreating just that far. A single Tailed Beast Bomb would easily cover that distance and vaporize them."

However, Naraku also understood that the three were genuinely worried about his safety, fearing that he might be killed by the powerful Tailed Beast jinchūriki.

"BOOM!"

The overwhelming presence of an apex predator came crashing down on the battlefield, and Shihouin Naraku's hair whipped wildly in the powerful winds generated by the transformation.

Yugito, who had reached the ultimate level of fury and rage, went completely berserk and instantly entered her complete tailed beast transformation.

The Two-Tails, Matatabi!

One of the legendary tailed beasts belonging to Kumogakure!

This was a gigantic cat demon that specialized in Fire Style techniques and had distinctive blue chakra flames spreading across its entire massive body!

The enormous cat was covered in mesmerizing blue chakra flames that made it appear both mysterious and beautiful, with two long, powerful tails swaying menacingly behind its form.

"ROAAAAR!"

The Two-Tails roared with unbridled anger, its enormous pupils fixed directly on Shihouin Naraku. Its massive mouth opened wide, revealing rows of deadly sharp fangs that gleamed in the firelight.

"Look at that—she's absolutely furious," Shihouin Naraku observed calmly as he casually flicked Kurikara to remove the blood from its blade. There was no trace of worry or fear on his face whatsoever.

Far away in the forest, Ibiki and the two other Konoha shinobi stood with their mouths hanging open in complete shock and disbelief.

"What... what effect could we possibly have against something like that?" one of them whispered in terror.

The Two-Tails' massive mouth looked large enough to swallow a grown man in a single bite. Not only would getting close be impossible, but even from their supposedly safe distance in the forest, they felt paralyzed by the overwhelming threat emanating from the tailed beast.

"Stay quiet! Keep your eyes on Lord Naraku at all times!" Morino Ibiki commanded in a harsh whisper. "Lord Naraku must not come to any harm, even if it costs us our lives!"

"Yes, sir!" came the whispered response.

Morino Ibiki quietly wiped cold sweat from his forehead. Although he spoke with confidence and determination, he was also terrified by the sheer presence of the tailed beast.

Setting aside the concerns of the distant Konoha trio for the moment, Shihouin Naraku looked directly at the Two-Tails with its blue flames dancing across its massive form, and his fighting spirit grew even stronger.

"Go to hell!" Yugito's voice could be faintly heard from within the tailed beast.

"ROOOM!"

A massive fireball erupted from the Two-Tails' wide-open mouth, accompanied by scorching waves of superheated air that swept across the entire battlefield.

"You're trying to hit me with Fire Style techniques? Really?" Shihouin Naraku asked with amusement.

Looking at the enormous fireball bombarding toward him and feeling the intense heat waves washing over the area, a confident smile appeared on Shihouin Naraku's lips.

"Wait, why isn't Lord Naraku dodging?" one of the observers called out in panic.

Seeing the massive fireball approaching their leader while Shihouin Naraku showed absolutely no intention of moving out of the way, the three Konoha shinobi were completely dumbfounded.

Naraku smiled calmly and extended his left palm to face the rapidly approaching fireball attack.

"BOOM!"

The tremendous blast of air whipped Shihouin Naraku's clothes and hair wildly around his body.

But this was the absolute maximum damage that the fireball could inflict on him. Naraku's left palm pressed against the huge fireball and abruptly stopped its terrifying impact force in its tracks. Most importantly, the fireball didn't explode upon contact.

Naraku stood directly in front of the Great Fireball technique, with scorching air blowing around him and flames licking at his body, but that was all the attack could accomplish.

The three Konoha shinobi stared at this completely impossible scene in absolute amazement. Shihouin Naraku had actually stopped a massive fireball attack with just one hand!

Even the Two-Tails was stunned when it witnessed this incredible display.

The enemy hadn't dodged the attack, nor had he released any defensive ninjutsu to counter the assault. He had simply stood there and blocked the powerful fireball with a single outstretched hand!

The opponent hadn't moved at all—he had just extended one hand and completely neutralized the attack!

"Since you seem to enjoy Fire Style so much, let me give you a proper taste of it," Naraku said with dangerous calm.

Naraku gripped the Great Fireball tightly with his left hand, and in the next second, a terrifying force exploded outward. The fireball was instantly launched back toward its source, aimed directly at the Two-Tails.

"Fire Fist!"

"BOOM!"

A massive fist made entirely of roaring flames erupted forward and struck the Two-Tails with devastating force. The tailed beast's enormous body was instantly sent flying through the air and crashed into the distant forest, crushing trees and creating a path of absolute destruction.

The incredibly powerful impact force combined with the terrifying flame explosion left the Two-Tails in an extremely battered condition. The blue flames covering the creature's massive body dimmed significantly from the overwhelming attack.

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