Chapter 298: Emergency Situation (Part 2)
Above the Eastern Sea.
Waves surged toward the sky. Seeing the identities of the attackers, Blue Bee had no illusions of escaping unscathed. He immediately sent a message to the village.
His old companion, the Island Turtle, couldn't help, having already submerged into the deep sea.
Blue Bee activated his Version 1 Tailed Beast Cloak immediately, emitting an ominous aura. Yet, it was difficult to withstand the ferocious offensive.
To be precise, even escaping was difficult!
"Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!"
A giant cube enveloped Blue Bee, instantly transitioning from transparent to glowing white. Blue Bee dared not stay a second longer, sprinting across the water toward the Land of Lightning.
WHOOSH!
A curtain of black Iron Sand attacked from all directions. A tendril of Iron Sand wrapped around Blue Bee's leg, then formed a giant hand, grabbing him and lifting him into the sky.
Mid-air, Onoki, who had been waiting, flew in. His fist, encased in rock, struck with all his might.
"Earth Release: Rock Fist!" "Earth Release: Super-Weighted Boulder Technique!"
The terrifying force slammed into Blue Bee's chest, skipping him across the sea like a stone. He tumbled violently, smashing through a reef.
Even with a Jinchuriki's resilience, this blow caused Blue Bee to momentarily black out.
The message transmission in his mind became intermittent.
But it wasn't over.
A black throwing knife flew in, cutting Blue Bee's cheek.
In the next instant, Sakumo Hatake appeared beside Blue Bee. He struck Blue Bee's back with a palm, then slashed with his short sword, tearing deep into the Tailed Beast Cloak. Blood sprayed from Blue Bee's wound.
But when Blue Bee swung his sword to counterattack, Sakumo had vanished.
Yes, vanished.
Not because of speed. Blue Bee's Three-Tomoe Sharingan had terrifying dynamic vision, yet it didn't catch a single trace of movement. Sakumo had truly disappeared.
"Rasengan!"
A voice sounded from behind. A massive twisting force hit his back. Minato Namikaze had appeared behind him unnoticed.
Attacked from both front and back.
Soon, the master and disciple duo attacked Blue Bee relentlessly like lightning and flint, seemingly teleporting infinitely. Within seconds, Blue Bee was bleeding profusely.
Blue Bee realized that while they initially needed throwing knives and kunai to teleport, afterward, they could appear around him at will.
From the encounter until now, only two or three minutes had passed, yet Blue Bee was already in critical danger.
Onoki kept his hands ready to use Particle Style, while the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand supported him in the air.
"Is he finished?"
Onoki said gravely, "Not that simple. Jinchuriki have extreme vitality and regeneration. The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was trapped in the Four Violet Flames Formation in Konoha before, yet he persisted until Yotsuki Dana rampaged through the village, forcing Konoha to retreat."
Hearing "rampaged through Konoha," the Third Kazekage looked worried again. He drove the Iron Sand to restrain Blue Bee once more.
For today's battle, he had brought a massive amount of Iron Sand sealed in scrolls.
Onoki charged forward, joining the melee.
Just then, rainbow lights streaked across the horizon—the Cloud's Heavenly Transfer Technique.
Although they had anticipated it, they didn't expect the Cloud to react so quickly under such sudden circumstances!
It had only been a few minutes, and reinforcements were already here?
If not for having two Space-Time Ninjutsu users, the Cloud would truly have no weaknesses.
Onoki shouted, "Cloud reinforcements are here! Move!"
Blue Bee also saw the rainbow lights and was greatly encouraged, forcing himself to rally.
However, in the next instant, Sakumo suddenly appeared behind him, placing a hand on his back.
Blue Bee's vision blurred. He found himself on an unfamiliar island.
"What?!"
What remained unchanged was the lethal blade.
Sakumo gave Blue Bee no time to recover; his slash was as fierce as before.
On the other side, Minato appeared beside Onoki and the Third Kazekage.
"I can only take one at a time!"
Onoki roared, "Cut the crap! The Cloud is about to land! Go!"
In a flash, Onoki's vision blurred, and he too appeared on the island. prepared, he immediately joined the siege on Blue Bee.
After transporting one person, Minato returned to the Kazekage via the Flying Thunder God mark and brought him to the island as well.
By now, Blue Bee had been forced to activate full Tailed Beast Mode, yet he still couldn't escape.
The Eight-Tails' massive tentacles were severed, bound, or disintegrated into molecules.
His life hung by a thread!
Above the Eastern Sea, the Third Raikage, furious beyond measure, released the delivery pod mid-air. Wielding the Storm Axe, he crashed into the sea like a meteor, then sped toward the coordinates. His speed was so fast it sliced the ocean surface. He pushed his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to the limit, but he saw only a chaotic sea.
The Communication Snail rang in his mind, from the Cloud's Heavenly Transfer Base.
"Raikage-sama! Blue Bee-sama's coordinates have changed!"
"What?! Tell me quickly! Where is he?!"
"Blue Bee-sama is in... the Northern Sea! Distance from you... over 2,400 kilometers."
"Damn it! Launch reinforcements from the village again! Don't give up! Hurry!"
The elite Anbu beside him asked, "Raikage-sama, what do we do?"
The Third Raikage's face was dark enough to drip water. The enemy had Space-Time Ninjutsu. If they could transfer once, they could transfer a second or third time. And given the enemy lineup Blue Bee reported, it was already too late for him to run to the Northern Sea.
After a long pause, he looked at the dozen elites who came with him and roared, "To the Land of Fire! If they want war, I'll give them war!!"
Then he spoke to Arashi via the Communication Snail: "All units, enter alert status! The war has begun!!"
Mid-air, Dana flew rapidly. passing over Dodai, he briefly explained the situation, telling him to organize the aftermath in Suna, bring the contestants back, and informing him that the war had started.
Rushing to aid Blue Bee was impossible. Dana had never imagined the Flying Thunder God could be used for such a tactic. It was a heavy blow.
Priority one: minimize losses!
"We have to plan assuming Blue Bee is captured... The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki's achievements in the last war were too dazzling—suppressing the Mist alone, causing massive casualties to Konoha at Mount Tenmoku. Plus, wandering alone for long periods creates a huge opening. That's why these guys targeted Blue Bee first."
"Since they initiated the attack, they must be fully prepared. Once Blue Bee is captured, they will likely extract the Tailed Beast. The Cloud will lose not only a top-tier combatant but also the Eight-Tails."
"So the urgent task is to make them hesitate to act, to not be led by the nose. We must obtain enough leverage or pose enough of a threat as soon as possible. The logic is the same as when I rampaged in Konoha, but Sunagakure has tens of thousands of 'human shields'! We can't touch the most convenient target. Damn it, did they calculate this too...?"
In his mind, the Third Raikage said, "You and I thought of the same thing. The village will send reinforcements to Blue Bee's location, but I can't make it in time. I'm closest to the Land of Fire."
Dana gritted his teeth mid-air. "Old Man, be careful. I'm going to the Land of Earth!"
The Third Raikage replied gravely, "You too."
With that, Dana's speed increased further.
Sure enough, when the second wave of reinforcements was transported to the Northern Sea (behind the Land of Wind), which Dana was unfamiliar with, Blue Bee's coordinates changed again, appearing in the distant Land of Rainbows.
Before the third wave could arrive, the golden slug on Blue Bee was destroyed by the shockwaves of battle.
The chance of Blue Bee escaping was now microscopic.
All of Dana and the Third Raikage's efforts were based on the premise that Blue Bee was captured, not killed.
If he was killed, even if they retaliated afterward, it wouldn't be what Dana and the Third Raikage wanted to see.
Most importantly, after plotting in secret for so long and devising such a comprehensive plan, would the three Great Ninja Villages be unprepared for the Cloud's reaction?