Chapter 219: A Narrow Escape—The Lone Eye Subdues the Eight-Tails!
The shockwave from the Tailed Beast Bomb blasted everything 800 meters away!
Soil, rocks, grass, trees, stumps, and embers—everything in the ruins was torn asunder, drawn into the sky in meaningless parabolic arcs.
Only a single monotonous ringing remained in the ears:
"Ng—"
It felt as if everything had fallen into silence, but in the next moment, a piercingly sharp noise surged through the void, overwhelming it with unbearable clamor.
Then—
"BOOM!!"
From the point of stagnation, an explosive wave erupted, expanding into a brilliant sphere nearly 50 meters in diameter.
Radiance, blinding whiteness, chaos, and silence—all descriptions stopped there.
Within the devastating brilliance, Uchiha Ci's eyes bulged as he watched his body repeatedly obliterated and forcibly restructured by forbidden and secret techniques.
"Arghhhhhh!!"
Every shred of flesh that was annihilated regrew instantly.
The agony was so intense it transcended human tolerance!
The urge to surrender and die surged, but the indomitable will deep within his soul, shining brighter than anything else, took control of his body, initiating a desperate resistance!
[Talent: Battle Instinct (S+)] Activated.
The excruciating pain crawled through every corner of his being, as if he were being torn apart from within.
In these long yet fleeting seconds, Uchiha Ci felt as though centuries had passed.
When everything finally settled, silence returned to the world.
Thud!
A mangled figure, barely resembling anything human, plummeted from midair, crashing into a massive crater in the ruins, raising a cloud of dust.
But within moments, this unrecognizable figure began rapidly recovering before their very eyes.
Flesh reformed, bones regrew, and charred skin sloughed off, replaced by new layers.
By the time the Zero-Tails' chakra and all of his own chakra were drained, Uchiha Ci, breathing heavily, dragged himself out of the crater.
His body bore burns, blood, and grime. The standard-issue attire of the Leaf's Anbu had long since been reduced to ashes, leaving only the durable, heat-resistant mesh inner lining given to him by Aburame Ryoma. Though torn to shreds, it still clung to his body.
"This thing may look like fishing net gear, but its defense... I can't complain."
Gripping the Kusanagi sword, Uchiha Ci used its blade to climb out of the crater.
He surveyed the surroundings—
What had once been a lush forest was now reduced to a wasteland of smoldering flames.
The moss-covered giant trees, gurgling springs, chirping cicadas, croaking frogs, and the sweet scent of grass and wood in the air—all of it was gone.
Not far ahead, the clashing sounds of jutsu echoed amidst the chaos.
The Leaf ninjas who had accompanied him were locked in their own fierce battle. While Uchiha Ci fought Killer Bee, they were engaged in a dire confrontation with Kakuzu, his four masked creatures, and his main body, each preparing deadly ninjutsu.
Further away—
The fully transformed Eight-Tails loomed tall, standing amidst a barren wasteland created by its rampage.
As Uchiha Ci took in the chaotic scene, confusion filled his mind.
Why were Kakuzu and Killer Bee, two unrelated Kage-level powerhouses, teaming up against him?
Why couldn't the Zero-Tails absorb the Eight-Tails' chakra?
Why had things spiraled to this point?
One question after another swirled, but there was no time to ponder.
In the distance—
The Eight-Tails, having just unleashed a Tailed Beast Bomb, snarled and turned its head.
Its pale, round eyes locked onto Uchiha Ci, who had barely crawled out of the crater, and its mouth twisted into a vicious grin.
"You vile Uchiha brat!"
"Die!"
"ROAR!!"
Under the silvery moonlight, the colossal beast raised its head.
A deep black sphere of pure energy began forming rapidly in its mouth—a second Tailed Beast Bomb!
Seeing this, Uchiha Ci tightened his grip on the Kusanagi sword, his heart pounding.
Sweat unknowingly seeped from his palms.
In his current state, countering such an attack was an impossible dream.
But if this Tailed Beast Bomb detonated, not only he but everyone here would perish!
His newly recruited subordinate, Yamato, his unconventional superior, Aburame Ryoma, and Chen, who had taught him precious taijutsu—they would all die!
The thought made Uchiha Ci clench his teeth and fists in frustration.
This overwhelming helplessness filled him with humiliation, pain greater than being torn apart.
The inability to control his fate—it was maddening!
In his scarlet Sharingan, the two tomoe spun rapidly around his black pupils.
His intense emotions surged, only to be devoured by the Zero-Tails in his abdomen, converted into a meager amount of chakra.
Barely enough to form even a Rasengan.
What could he do?
What should he do?
What was even possible?
How could he resist the looming Tailed Beast Bomb, the harbinger of death?
Was everything destined to end here?
Yet, at that moment—
A deep, aged voice roared from afar!
"Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
The familiar voice jolted Uchiha Ci, and he instinctively looked up.
At the edge of his vision, a small figure—ant-like compared to the Eight-Tails—leapt into the air.
The figure swung a blade wreathed in flames, forming a massive sea of fire that engulfed the Eight-Tails' head.
Startled, the Eight-Tails reflexively swung its four-fingered hand, tearing through the firestorm with a gust of wind.
It raised its head to see—
A gray-haired, stern-looking old man with a single crimson Sharingan eye behind a half-mask, wielding a fiery long blade.
The elder slashed through the flames, tore apart the wind, and charged toward it.
The Eight-Tails' lone eye widened in alarm as its gaze met the elder's fiery Sharingan.
"No! This ocular power?! It can't be...!"
The Eight-Tails immediately averted its gaze, refusing eye contact.
But when it turned away, it noticed something—
The elder's blade, like Uchiha Ci's, was ablaze with flames, reflecting a single crimson Sharingan.
In that instant, their gazes intersected through the blade.
"This power... No, not good!"
The Eight-Tails panicked.
At this moment, it had forcibly taken control of Killer Bee's body by flooding his consciousness with its berserk chakra. Without its jinchūriki's awareness, it couldn't break free from genjutsu!
Realizing the danger, the Eight-Tails frantically jolted its mental realm, trying to awaken Killer Bee.
Below, Uchiha Ci's eyes brightened as he recognized the elder charging at the Eight-Tails.
"That's... the Great Elder!"
The figure soaring toward the Eight-Tails was none other than Uchiha Clan's last remaining elder, Uchiha Setsuna!
The Eight-Tails, under Setsuna's genjutsu, abruptly straightened up and swallowed the forming Tailed Beast Bomb in its belly.
BOOM!
The bomb detonated inside its body, inflating the beast like an overfilled balloon before collapsing into the ruins with a thunderous crash.
Dust erupted into the air as Uchiha Setsuna landed gracefully atop the Eight-Tails' head.
Ignoring the explosions and gales behind him, he sheathed his blade with a slow, deliberate motion.
"According to the clan records... the jinchūriki's position in full transformation should be..."
His lone crimson eye narrowed as he pinpointed a location on the beast's forehead.
"There!"
In one swift motion, the elder's blade gleamed like a crescent moon under the night sky, slashing the Eight-Tails' brow open to reveal its layered flesh and the unconscious Killer Bee nestled within, protected by the beast's chakra.
"No wonder this beast was so cooperative," Uchiha Setsuna sneered.
"So it's lost control."
His cold gaze fell on the unconscious jinchūriki. Without hesitation, he raised his blade, aiming the tip at Killer Bee's throat.
Then, with unwavering resolve, he plunged the blade down!
But in that instant—
Killer Bee's eyes snapped open, awakened by the Eight-Tails' desperate struggle!
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