Just as Konoha's counterattack horn sounded, a dazzling crimson streak suddenly tore across the sky.
It was a mass of Tailed Beast Chakra compressed to the extreme, carrying a world-destroying force as it came roaring forward with a long flaming tail.
"What is that?!"
Sakumo Hatake's pupils shrank to pinpoints. The White Fang blade hummed and trembled as its cold edge instantly moved in front of him.
Arisu's heart sank.
'A Tailed Beast Bomb!'
And it was the very technique he had personally taught the tailed beasts to condense and fire back then.
Without the slightest hesitation, Arisu's hands flew through seals so quickly that afterimages appeared.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Water Release: Water Shockwave!"
Two gigantic walls of water, each capable of raising a tsunami, surged up from the ground and crashed toward the Tailed Beast Bomb.
The overwhelming torrent forcibly altered the path of that beam of death, pushing it toward the distant desert.
The next second, a deafening explosion swept across heaven and earth.
A blinding white light shot into the sky. The violent shockwave was like an invisible giant hand, blasting endless yellow sand into the air while the earth itself shook violently.
The Konoha ninja were thrown off balance by the blast. Looking at the distant sand dunes that had been flattened, cold sweat instantly soaked their backs.
That attack alone had been enough to reduce every one of them to dust.
Arisu's breathing remained steady as his sharp gaze locked onto the source of the explosion.
Atop a sand dune stood a young man in a plain monk's robe.
He was also a relatively obscure character, Bunpuku, Shukaku's Jinchuriki in the original story.
Shukaku's cloak wrapped around the young man. Patterns of partial tailed beast transformation covered his face and arms. His presence was as steady as a mountain. He was clearly in the state of a perfect Jinchuriki.
Unlike before, when they had been forced into battle, this time the tailed beasts willingly stood on humanity's side.
All the Jinchuriki had achieved true mutual understanding with their tailed beasts.
"To deflect a Tailed Beast Bomb by yourself... Shukaku, we've run into a tough opponent."
Bunpuku pressed his palms together. His tone was calm, but carried a trace of seriousness.
Shukaku's voice sounded in his mind, carrying its usual confidence.
"What are you afraid of? As long as those few tailed beasts aren't personally showing up, even if Konoha's Hokage comes, I can fight him evenly!"
Bunpuku nodded slightly and brought his palms together.
"Good. Then let's show him our power."
The next second, Bunpuku flashed directly in front of Arisu and Sakumo Hatake.
"You two are young. You are no match for me."
With his palms pressed together, Bunpuku spoke in a steady voice like the bell of an ancient temple. His gaze swept over Arisu and Sakumo Hatake, and there was a hint of reluctance in his tone.
"You have killed many of my Sunagakure comrades. However, if you are willing to take your own lives and atone for your crimes, and leave this battlefield, I will spare all of your subordinates.
"Sunagakure has rules regarding prisoners. We do not slaughter innocents indiscriminately."
Though Bunpuku stood on the battlefield and his monk's robe was stained with the smoke of war, he still held on to the compassion in his heart and did not wish to add more needless killing.
Arisu and Sakumo Hatake exchanged a glance. Chakra had already quietly gathered at their fingertips.
At that moment, inside Bunpuku, Shukaku, who had remained dormant, suddenly trembled. Its lazy beast eyes abruptly contracted, then widened completely.
"Wait! This feeling!?"
"Could it be..."
"T-Teacher?!"
Almost at the same moment, Arisu's consciousness connected with Shukaku's, and his amused voice came through.
"Shukaku, you've improved."
"The moment we meet, you send your teacher a Tailed Beast Bomb as a greeting gift from that far away?"
"Whoa, Teacher! It really is you! Ah!!"
Shukaku immediately laughed and cried at the same time.
"How was I supposed to know it was you, Teacher? If you'd said something earlier, would I have gone through all this trouble?"
It hurriedly patted its chest and said directly, "Just give the order, Teacher! Do you want me to throw the match and hold back, or should I just find an excuse to retreat? I guarantee it'll be flawless. Nobody will notice!"
Arisu chuckled and waved his hand, "No need."
"Just fight normally."
Shukaku froze for a moment, then nodded heavily. Its tone immediately became serious.
"If Teacher says so, then I'll respectfully obey! Teacher, be ready!"
It wasn't worried about hurting Arisu at all.
If it could actually injure this person through its own ability, that would be a miracle.
The instant those words fell, Arisu cleanly severed the mental connection with Shukaku.
The battle was about to begin.
After a fierce fight, Arisu and Sakumo Hatake joined forces and fought Bunpuku to a draw.
The Two Lights of Konoha became famous in a single battle.
———
The moment the battle report from the Land of Wind front line returned to Konoha, the entire ninja village was shaken.
Once the report was released, the ninja world was stunned.
With only the strength of Arisu and Sakumo Hatake, they had defeated Sunagakure's elite main force, which had mobilized in full, and even fought the perfect Jinchuriki of the One-Tail, Bunpuku, to a draw.
As the news spread, the morale of Konoha's entire army instantly soared.
Because of this, Arisu and Sakumo Hatake were given the title "The Two Lights of Konoha." From that day on, their names shook the entire Sunagakure battlefield, causing countless Sunagakure ninja to turn pale at the mention of them.
Faced with this pair of rising Konoha twin stars, Sunagakure's leadership was greatly alarmed.
The Third Kazekage immediately issued the highest-level emergency order, "Any Sunagakure ninja who encounters the 'Two Lights of Konoha' while carrying out missions may immediately abandon the mission and prioritize retreating. No approval is required!"
Thus, Arisu and Sakumo Hatake became the brightest new stars of the Second Great Ninja War.
"The Two Lights of Konoha, huh? Not bad.", Arisu smiled faintly.
He didn't care much about fame or fortune.
As for fame, his other identity, the Sage of Six Paths, was already known throughout the world and possessed endless merit.
As Arisu returned to camp, he suddenly noticed Sakumo Hatake acting intimately with a female medical ninja.
Arisu immediately understood that Sakumo Hatake had found romance.
When Sakumo Hatake saw Arisu arrive, he walked over.
"So this is why you've been staying around here all this time. Turns out you've got a girlfriend."
Arisu said with a smile.
Sakumo Hatake revealed an embarrassed expression and quickly explained, "N-No, that's not it. I was injured before, and she was the one who bandaged me..."
At this time, Tsunade had not yet carried out her medical reform.
Konoha did not assign medical ninja to every squad.
"I think it is. If you like her, just say it. It'd be a shame if you missed your chance.", Arisu said.
Sakumo Hatake gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"War leaves us with no choice. I can't guarantee that I can give her a future. What if I die? Let's talk about it after the war ends...", Sakumo Hatake said.
Arisu could not help nodding.
Sakumo Hatake was a good man.
He wasn't controlled by his lower body, and he understood responsibility.
Looking at Sakumo Hatake, Arisu could not help thinking of Kakashi.
If possible, he would really like to lead Kakashi, Obito, and Rin's team.
"If you get married, remember to invite me.", Arisu said with a smile.
Sakumo Hatake immediately replied, "Of course. You're my lifelong brother, Arisu. In the future, I'll even let you name my child!"