vstars Chapter 596 Above
Chapter 596 Above
However, as soon as Zhang Hai arrived above the stronghold, the scene that greeted him caused him to frown deeply beneath his mask. Thick smoke billowed, and enormous flames pierced the sky, turning half the sky orange-red. Below, chaos reigned, making it impossible to see what was happening. All he could see were ninjas unleashing various ninjutsu techniques, with flashes of light and explosions echoing everywhere.
In the center of the chaotic battlefield, a colossal figure stood out most. It was a behemoth the size of a train, its body radiating violent chakra and emitting a deafening roar. Running on all fours, it swept through everything in its path, sending Konoha and Iwagakure ninja flying as if struck by a train; the sound of bones shattering was clearly audible amidst the chaos. It indiscriminately destroyed friend and foe alike, like an ancient beast out of control.
As it ran, in its tailed beast form, it raised its chakra to boiling point in one breath, its entire body enveloped in steam, every muscle brimming with destructive power. Wherever it passed, ninjas were either killed or injured, the ground was blasted into deep craters, and buildings collapsed instantly.
"This is... the Five-Tails Jinchuriki!" Zhang Hai's heart sank, and an ominous premonition arose within him. The Five-Tails, Kokuo, was renowned for its powerful taijutsu and steam chakra, possessing destructive power surpassing that of ordinary tailed beasts. Worse still, it was right here in this logistics base. This meant his team had likely encountered an unimaginably formidable enemy.
Zhang Hai was well aware of his own strength. Although he had been promoted to Jonin and even possessed the Sharingan, it was wishful thinking to try and kill this Jinchuriki who had fully transformed into a Tailed Beast. The raw strength and destructive power of a fully transformed Jinchuriki even surpassed that of an average Kage-level ninja. An opponent of that caliber was simply beyond his ability to contend with alone.
He maneuvered the eagle, circling overhead, his brow furrowed beneath the mask. For a moment, he was at a loss. The wisest choice, without a doubt, was to turn back immediately, inform the Konoha leadership of this information, and then await stronger support.
However, for some reason, when he saw the chaotic and desperate battlefield below, and the rampaging behemoth, scenes of fighting alongside his masked teammates over the past ten days flashed through his mind. Although he had never seen their true faces, the tacit understanding, the trust, and the experience of supporting each other on the brink of life and death were etched into his heart like a brand.
He ultimately made a less-than-rational decision. He maneuvered the eagle to descend slowly, finding a relatively secluded spot. Upon landing, he immediately formed hand seals and unleashed the Uchiha clan's secret technique—"Spirit Transformation Technique."
With a surge of chakra, Zhang Hai's body became ethereal, his soul power spreading out like ripples across the chaotic battlefield, carefully sensing the fluctuations of every life. He quickly sensed the chakra of his five teammates. However, the result chilled him to the bone. One teammate's chakra had completely vanished, leaving no trace. Of the remaining four, only one maintained a relatively stable chakra level, clearly still possessing the strength to resist. The other three, however, had weakened chakra, collapsed to the ground, their lives hanging by a thread, on the verge of death.
"Damn it!" Zhang Hai clenched his fists tightly, a raging fire burning in his heart.
Zhang Hai quickly dispelled the Spirit Transformation Technique, and his body returned to solid form. Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly controlled the eagle to descend, relying on the clear memories he had perceived through the Spirit Transformation Technique and his familiarity with the chakra fluctuations of his team members. He precisely used chakra threads, like invisible tentacles, to pull his four surviving teammates one by one from the chaotic battlefield onto the eagle's back.
As the number of people increased, Zhang Hai had to increase his chakra output to maintain the eagle's balance and flight. The enormous chakra consumption caused fine beads of sweat to appear on his forehead, and the flight speed was also reduced considerably. Fortunately, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki seemed to have completely lost its mind at this moment. It was just wantonly destroying things within the base and did not notice Zhang Hai and his group flying low in the air, nor did it launch an attack on them.
Ignoring the sweat, Zhang Hai swiftly formed hand seals and cast a summoning jutsu, the shimmering white slug reappearing in his palm. Simultaneously, he activated his medical ninjutsu, channeling his chakra into his most severely injured teammate, attempting to stabilize his condition. However, as the medical chakra entered the wounded man's body, Zhang Hai's heart sank. He realized that the medical ninjutsu he had crammed into over the past few months was utterly ineffective against such severe injuries, utterly unable to heal them. Now, he could only pin his hopes on the slug's legendary healing abilities.
Zhang Hai looked at the slug in his palm with anticipation, his eyes filled with anxiety.
Sensing Zhang Hai's urgency, the slug wriggled slightly, its low, helpless voice entering Zhang Hai's mind: "I'm sorry, Zhang Hai. My abilities require the cooperation of Lady Tsunade's Hundred Healings Technique to be fully utilized. The chakra and healing power I currently possess are simply insufficient to save everyone..."
Zhang Hai's mood instantly turned irritable. Suppressing his anger, he questioned the still-capable member of the Dark Guard in a harsh tone: "What's going on?! Why did this Jinchūriki suddenly go berserk? Didn't I tell you before that when faced with unforeseen circumstances, survival is the first priority?!" His tone was now completely devoid of its previous calm, even tinged with anger. He couldn't understand why his teammate would take such a dangerous action.
The ANBU member coughed violently a few times, crimson blood dripping down the edge of his mask, clearly indicating he also had serious internal injuries. Gasping for breath, he spoke in a hoarse and labored voice, "It was... Captain. It was a last-minute decision..." He coughed violently a few more times before continuing, "Captain, your judgment was correct. After this battle... Konoha... will surely win."
Zhang Hai was filled with doubt, not understanding the deeper meaning behind his words. What did "Konoha will win" mean? Did they incite the Tailed Beasts to go berserk for this purpose?
Another ANBU member, lying weakly on the eagle's back, seemed to have overheard their conversation and struggled to add, "This...this is Iwagakure's largest logistical supply base...If we destroy this place...Iwagakure will...will lose the right to wage a protracted war against us..."