Chapter 100: Ōnoki's Fear
As soon as the Fourth Raikage finished speaking, Killer Bee stepped forward with his notebook and pen, launching into another impromptu rap performance.
"Yo, yo, yo~
This foe's way too strong~
Big bro's cryin' all night long~
Me and lil' B tag along~
And the enemy's dead before too long~
Yo~!"
The Fourth Raikage's forehead throbbed with a vein of irritation, but with the enemy right before them, he suppressed his anger and gave a serious briefing on everything he'd learned about Yusuke's abilities.
As he finished, both Darui and Killer Bee grew increasingly grim.
"Didn't think there were monsters like that in this world~ yo!" Killer Bee said with astonishment.
Darui sighed deeply. "Sigh… What a troublesome opponent."
Yusuke, having enjoyed Killer Bee's performance, now turned his eyes toward Darui, whose expression had grown bitter.
Since the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki needed to be captured alive, Yusuke decided to start with Darui.
"Fire Style: Illusory Crow Technique!"
Yusuke clapped his hands together, and two fiery crows shot from his body, perching on either of his shoulders. Each one had Sharingan identical to his own.
At the same time, all three sets of Sharingan—Yusuke's and the two crows'—locked onto Darui.
Darui felt an inescapable killing intent bearing down on him, and instinctively guessed that Yusuke was going to use that terrifying eye technique that ignited targets with just a glance. He instantly weaved hand seals and cast a defensive jutsu.
"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
"Solar Flare."
Just as Darui had anticipated, the moment the water wall finished forming, it ignited with a hiss, enveloped in searing crimson fire.
"Lightning Style: Double Liger Bomb!"
The voices of both the Raikage and Killer Bee rang out simultaneously as they flashed to Yusuke's front and rear. Their left arms targeted his throat from above and below.
A direct hit would undoubtedly mean decapitation.
But they struck nothing.
Yusuke had used Blazing Flash Step, vanishing into the flames now clinging to the Water Wall, and reappearing right in front of Darui.
With a single slash, he cleaved through the water barrier and faced Darui—only to discover it wasn't the real Darui.
"Shadow Clone?"
A moment later, the real Darui appeared behind him. In sync with the clone in front, both raised their right hands—each palm crackling with black lightning.
"Lightning Style: Dual Black Panther!"
But just as they unleashed the attack, Darui realized Yusuke had already vanished again—and his right arm was suddenly racked with pain.
He felt killing intent just behind him. Turning his head slightly, he met a cold, flame-wreathed pair of Sharingan tomoe staring him down.
Despite his clever maneuver, Darui had been caught in the field of vision of the flaming illusion crows on Yusuke's shoulders. One had triggered Solar Flare, igniting his shoulder with crimson fire.
Just when Darui thought his life was over, the ground beneath his feet gave way, and he sank into the earth.
It was Dodai, who had been observing the battle from afar. Alarmed by how dangerous Konoha's commander Yusuke truly was, he had acted instantly—using Earth Release to pull Darui to safety just in time.
Yusuke let out a cold snort and drove Ryūjin Jakka into the ground beneath his feet.
A red sealing formula spread outward from the point of impact, forming a complex array that expanded rapidly across the terrain.
Every patch of land touched by the sealing mark instantly dried up and cracked open. Thick plumes of steam and scorching heat surged from the fissures, as if the earth itself were boiling from within.
When Darui reappeared, it was far away, next to Dodai. But his condition was dire—his entire body was flushed red and emitting the scent of cooked flesh. It was clear that beneath the ground, he had suffered severe burns from Yusuke's jutsu.
Dodai immediately shouted for medical-nin to begin emergency treatment. Given the extent of Darui's injuries, he was completely out of commission—he wouldn't be rejoining the fight.
---
While the final battle between Konoha and Kumogakure raged on at Cloud Leap Gorge, a third force had quietly approached from the western border of the Land of Lightning.
At its head was none other than Ōnoki the Fence-Sitter, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.
To ensure the secrecy of his operation, Ōnoki had chosen to travel underground using Earth Release techniques as he drew near the battlefield. As a result, neither Kumo nor Konoha realized there was another dangerous faction lurking just out of sight.
Ōnoki was already envisioning a perfect outcome—once Konoha and Kumo had weakened each other through mutual destruction, he would launch a sneak attack and annihilate the survivors of both sides.
He'd finally resolve Iwa's long-standing feud with Kumo by crushing them when they were at their lowest.
And once Kumogakure's upper-tier forces were gone, he would rally Iwagakure's full strength to sweep in and end the conflict once and for all.
---
At that moment, Iwa's scouts returned to the forward base with the latest intel on the Kumo-Konoha battle.
As he listened, Ōnoki's expression shifted dramatically.
At first, hearing that Kumo had suffered heavy losses and was being suppressed by Konoha, he looked relaxed—even pleased.
Though it wasn't the mutual destruction he had hoped for, seeing his longtime rival Kumo beaten down still brought him some satisfaction.
But the more details the scout provided, the darker his expression grew.
Konoha's combat strength had far exceeded all his expectations. What's more, the one tipping the scales in their favor was none other than a Uchiha—and that made Ōnoki deeply uneasy.
When he heard that a young Uchiha had summoned a massive red-armored warrior onto the battlefield, a flicker of fear crossed his eyes.
Having faced Uchiha Madara during the First Great Ninja War, Ōnoki knew all too well what that colossal red figure symbolized.
The news tore open old scars in his memory—memories of the sheer, paralyzing terror brought on by Uchiha Madara's overwhelming power.
"This Uchiha Yusuke's own disciple has Mangekyō Sharingan... and they've already captured the Two-Tails Jinchūriki alive. On top of that, Yusuke himself is fighting the Fourth Raikage, Killer Bee, and Darui—all at once—and still holding the advantage."
"Could this Uchiha Yusuke be another Madara?"
Ōnoki's brows furrowed deeply as dread seeped into his heart.
No one understood your strength better than your enemies.
And as one of Kumogakure's oldest rivals, Iwagakure knew the power of the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee well. Ōnoki had never once imagined that anyone in the current shinobi world could stand against both of them simultaneously.
Originally, he had come hoping to take advantage of the chaos—to stab Kumo in the back and ideally take down the Fourth Raikage.
But now, after learning the true nature of the situation, Ōnoki's entire strategy had been upended.
"The Shinobi World cannot afford a second Uchiha Madara."
His mind made up, Ōnoki ordered his forces to move—this time toward the battlefield.
Ironically, when he'd first left Iwagakure, he had intended to strike down his enemies.
He never expected that, upon arrival, those enemies would become the ones he'd need to save.