Chapter 219:
"Seal-Demon Slash!"
"Wind-Piercing Thrust!"
Faced with the ultimate moves of the Flame Dragon Armor and the Wind Eagle Armor, Taowu once again casually raised the shield in his left hand.
"What?!"
Tentō's face was filled with disbelief.
The finishing moves that even the Evilmoku couldn't withstand had absolutely no effect in front of Taowu's shield.
As if showing off, Taowu tapped the blade in his right hand against the shield on his left, producing a crisp clang. Then, unhurriedly, he began walking toward Sarada.
"Wind Eagle, let's do it again!"
Tentō refused to give in. Weren't the Armor Warriors supposed to be the nemesis of anomalous beasts?
"Mm."
Shinki nodded, and the two of them once again twisted the dials on their belts.
"Seal-Demon Slash!"
"Wind-Piercing Thrust!"
Brimming with confidence, their finishing moves were once again blocked by the shield. As if provoked, Taowu let out a roar and began walking toward the Flame Dragon and Wind Eagle Armors.
Although Shinki quickly reacted and swung the Wind Eagle Sword, it was blocked by Taowu's shield. At the same time, Taowu slashed the Wind Eagle Armor with the long blade in his right hand, striking sparks and knocking the Wind Eagle Armor to the ground.
"Shinki!"
Only then did Tentō react. Although he was the summoner of the Flame Dragon Armor, before all this, he had only been a young master who had never experienced real combat.
Now excited after knocking down the Wind Eagle Armor, Taowu followed up with a reverse shield bash, sending the newly-reacted Flame Dragon Armor crashing to the ground as well.
Taowu repeatedly pummeled both the Flame Dragon and Wind Eagle Armors, smashing them relentlessly until the armor dissipated.
"Tentō! Shinki!"
Naruto shouted as he activated the chakra arms of the Nine-Tails to grab Taowu. But they were instantly slashed apart by Taowu's sharp blade. Naruto then used Body Flicker to appear in front of Taowu and delivered a kick to his abdomen—yet it only forced Taowu to take a small step back.
Because Taowu was momentarily distracted by Naruto, the Flame Dragon and Wind Eagle Armors had a chance to get back on their feet.
On the other side, with the Armor Warriors—the bane of anomalous beasts—disabled, and even Naruto, one of the ninja world's strongest forces, struggling, the other four village leaders began to fall behind against the Evilmoku.
"Damn it!"
After pulling back, Kurotsuchi wiped the dirt from her face. One by one, the other village leaders were sent flying by the Evilmoku.
"Rasengan!" The Rasengan struck the shield. Taking the momentum to pull back, Naruto moved to his opponent's side and said, "This operation is a failure. We should retreat."
"Okay."
Naruto's words were met with agreement from the four village leaders, all beaten and dirt-covered. Dealing with just the Evilmoku was manageable, but now that a new anomalous beast even stronger than the Evilmoku had appeared, they couldn't hold out anymore.
"Don't think you can leave!"
As Sarada activated the space-time tunnel, the Evilmoku chased after them, thrusting his Shadow Blade at her. But Naruto suddenly flashed in front of her.
The shadow energy from the blade infected the wound, and even with help from the Nine-Tails, it couldn't heal immediately.
"Lord Seventh! The space-time tunnel is open!"
With the tunnel fully activated, Sarada called out to Naruto.
"You all go first. I'll cover the rear."
Naruto clutched the wound in his abdomen.
"But..."
Just as Sarada was about to object, Shuyu forcefully pushed her into the space-time tunnel. At this moment, someone had to stay behind and hold the enemy at bay.
Among everyone left, aside from Tentō and Shinki, whose armors had been shattered by Taowu, only Naruto had the strength to do so.
"Naruto, be careful."
Gaara was the last to say something to him.
"Don't worry, Gaara. I'm not going to die that easily."
As he continued fighting the Evilmoku, Naruto cast a glance back at the space-time tunnel where Gaara was standing.
Once Gaara stepped into the tunnel, it fully disappeared.
Knowing that he could no longer stop the others from escaping, the Evilmoku eased up on his attacks. After all, Naruto lacked the ability to open a space-time tunnel and couldn't leave this place.
"That idiot!"
The Evilmoku glanced at Taowu, who was crouched nearby, digging into the ground with his blade and shield.
Though he had tremendous combat power, his intelligence left much to be desired.
If Taowu had helped block their retreat earlier, they absolutely could have kept the whole group from escaping.
"Looks like your partner doesn't really listen to you."
Naruto sneered, both mocking and secretly relieved.
"Naruto, don't get cocky just yet. Do you know how Qing turned into an anomalous beast? All it takes is the right injection of shadow energy. No matter who it is, they can be transformed. Naruto, I can't wait to see the day you become an anomalous beast."
As he spoke, the Evilmoku began imagining the scene of Naruto's transformation, breaking into uncontrollable laughter.
After a while, he composed himself, looked at Naruto, and said, "Turning you into an anomalous beast requires a lot of preparation. So before that, I'll have to seal you away."
"What?!"
"Soul Sarcophagus!" As the Evilmoku finished speaking, he summoned two black bowl-like objects that clamped down on Naruto. "This is a treasured artifact of the Ōtsutsuki Clan. You'll never get out of it by conventional means. So rest well in there, Naruto."
Taowu walked up to the sarcophagus containing Naruto, staring at it with curiosity.
The Evilmoku glanced at him and said, "You stay here and watch over Naruto. I'll send others to assist you later."
Though Taowu was far stronger than he was, the Evilmoku still held him in contempt.
Taowu, incapable of speech, let out a series of guttural growls in response.
Late at night, Shikamaru stood at Konoha's main gate along with two newly reassigned gatewatching shinobi, seemingly waiting for someone.
The wind rustled through the area, leaves brushing and whispering.
Two figures suddenly landed in front of Shikamaru.
"Hey, Code, didn't the boss say someone would be here to meet us? Doesn't look like it."
"Maybe the person he meant is the Hokage's assistant."
As they spoke, Code and Boro appeared before Shikamaru and the two gatewatchers.
"You'd better grab Amado and leave quickly. If your actions cause my identity to be exposed, S.H.I.E.L.D. won't let you off the hook."
Shikamaru said coldly and bluntly.
"So, you're with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Code said, narrowing his eyes with a grin. "Don't worry. Whether it's me or the boss, we hold S.H.I.E.L.D. in the highest regard."