Chapter 105

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[Starting as a Class 5 Mutant]

"It's a summoned beast, a black bear. Don't be afraid, kill it!"

A Sand jōnin shouted, emboldening his comrades. The ninja world was no stranger to gigantic wild beasts, and with proper coordination, explosive tags, and ninjutsu, even these massive creatures could be brought down.

They considered such a large target as nothing more than a live practice dummy; the bear's size and loud roar were not intimidating.

"Roar!"

A more resounding roar filled Kikyo Castle, and the next moment, Gates glowed with a pale yellow light – a magical shield protecting both him and Mina, who he had placed on his back.

The shield was also meant to protect Mina, as Gates had been commanded by Yōichi to safeguard her, and she often fed him delicious treats.

"Gates, be careful not to harm any Leaf ninja," Mina cautioned, worried that Gates might accidentally harm bystanders in his rage.

"Roar!"

Gates growled in response. Although he and Mina hadn't formed a soul contract and couldn't communicate verbally, he understood her perfectly.

Boom!

Gates slammed his enormous bear paws on the ground, and a second later, a yellow light circle emanated from beneath him, spreading rapidly.

"Ninjutsu: Puppeteer's Play!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Clang clang!

Wherever the yellow light reached, Sand ninja felt as if a massive weight pressed down on them, pinning them to the ground or rooftops, cracking the ground beneath those who fell and smashing through roofs, sending those above plummeting down.

Leaf ninja widened their eyes in surprise, unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events as Sand ninja were forced down, their bodies glowing with a faint yellow light.

"What's happening?"

Only a few Chūnin and Jonin remained standing, but even they felt immense pain, especially internally.

Within a kilometer radius, Gates had applied a tenfold gravity jutsu, forcing the Sand ninja to endure ten times their usual weight. Though they could lift heavy objects using chakra, their internal organs weren't trained for such strain.

Their hearts, lungs, and stomachs now bore ten times the usual gravitational force, overwhelming the Sand ninja. Normally, circulating chakra to their limbs would allow them to lift heavy weights, but this strategy didn't alleviate the internal pressure.

Some Sand ninja managed to distribute chakra throughout their bodies to mitigate the damage, a tactic Yōichi had used against Gates. The more chakra they spread, the less they felt the gravitational pressure.

"Dammit, don't underestimate the Sand!"

Pfft!

A kunai flew, slicing the throat of a Sand puppeteer.

Leaf ninja observed the Sand ninja's body curiously. "Why was he moving so slowly?"

"Roar~!"

Another roar from Gates, followed by the ground sprouting stone spikes towards the Sand ninja. Those who saw it coming jumped away, only to be hit by Leaf ninja's thrown kunai and ninjutsu.

Under the influence of the gravity jutsu, the Sand ninja's speed was severely reduced, maintaining half their usual speed took all their effort in chakra manipulation.

For Genin who couldn't stand, the stone spikes pierced them through the heart. They couldn't even get up.

"It's the summon of Uchiha Yoichi!, counterattack, kill these Sand ninja!"

Leaf ninja quickly received the message and, exploiting their immunity to the gravity effect, rapidly moved to eliminate the attacking Sand ninja.

However, upon hearing this, the Sand ninja immediately sought to kill the conspicuous black bear.

But Gates' magical shield was not easily broken. Standing on the ground, he continuously regained strength, and Mina was with him.

Her Adamantine Sealing Chains were incredibly versatile, capable of binding and blocking ninjutsu with significant force.

Sand ninja attempting to approach Gates were ensnared by Mina's chains, flung high, and then smashed by Gates' enormous paws upon falling – a bloody spectacle even jōnin found hard to escape.

With Gates' fierce participation, the Leaf quickly eliminated all infiltrating Sand ninja.

The Sand initially sent thirteen squads to assassinate the entire medical team at Kikyo Castle's rear. They hadn't anticipated encountering such a formidable summoned beast guarding the medical team.

A Leaf ninja approached Mina, "Mina-san, the front lines are in dire straits. Can your summoned beast assist?"

Mina was in a dilemma; she couldn't normally command Gates, who acted more out of loyalty to Yōichi's orders and his own whims.

"Gates, do you want to...?"

Before she could finish, Gates turned to leave. He wouldn't have acted if the Sand ninja hadn't leaped at his face.

But after taking a few steps, Gates stopped and fiercely looked towards the outskirts of Kikyo Castle, sensing a similarly ferocious beast preparing to attack.

"Roar!!"

Gates roared a warning, but sensing the growing energy outside, he roared again, standing on his hind legs.

"Gates, what's wrong?"

Mina asked, puzzled. Ignoring her, Gates continued to gather strength, his form enlarging.

His bear paws concentrated the earth's power, and he opened his mouth to form a golden energy ball.

The glow intensified until, sensing the enemy's energy ball about to launch, Gates struck first.

Beast King's Roar Bomb!

Boom!

The golden energy ball blasted from Gates' mouth, the powerful shockwave demolishing nearby houses. The path of the Beast King's Roar Bomb tore a deep trench, destroying everything in its wake.

Outside Kikyo Castle, Shukaku, having sent the two toads flying, was also readying a Tailed Beast Bomb, aimed at the castle.

"Ha ha ha, humans, die! Die!"

But after launching the Tailed Beast Bomb, Shukaku saw a golden energy ball flying from the castle, striking his Tailed Beast Bomb directly.

The collision between the Tailed Beast Bomb and the Beast King's Roar Bomb created a blinding white flash and a deafening explosion, sending a powerful shockwave that flipped Kikyo Castle's walls and carved a massive crater in the ground, even dispersing clouds in the sky with the blast's force.

"Dammit."

Shukaku, being closer, was blown away by the explosion, tumbling on the ground,

While Gamabunta and Gamaken, less severely injured, couldn't maintain the summoning jutsu. A puff of smoke signaled their return to Mount Myōboku.

"That damned beast, daring to ambush this Shukaku-sama, and the old monk, how could you fall so quickly? You're all damned!"

Shukaku cursed continuously but soon turned to sand, dispersing, revealing a gaunt figure walking out from the sand.

Seeing Shukaku vanish, Sand ninja quickly surrounded and evacuated the Jinchuriki, Shukaku's host, without looking back, fulfilling their mission to retrieve the Jinchuriki if Shukaku disappeared.

Before leaving, they launched a signal flare into the sky, then hastened back to the Sand village.

This was their mission: to immediately retrieve the Jinchuriki if Shukaku disappeared, without concerning themselves with anything else.

The flare exploded in the sky, catching the attention of Sand ninja on various battlefields.

Rasa, engaged in combat with Jiraiya, noticed the signal and scoffed, "Jiraiya, it seems your Leaf ninja are doomed. That explosion just now must have been the Tailed Beast Bomb. If you don't want all of Konoha's ninja to die here, either bring out your Nine-Tails Jinchuriki or vacate Kikyo Castle!"

Rasa was curious whether Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki could fight. The Jinchuriki hadn't appeared in the Second Great Ninja War, as if Konoha was hiding him.

"Keep dreaming, Rasa!"

Jiraiya's hands formed seals, his hair rapidly growing longer and harder like steel. But in the next moment, it was entangled by Rasa's control over sand gold.

The two were evenly matched. If Jiraiya summoned the Great Sage Toads and entered Sage Mode, he might overpower Rasa. However, Rasa wouldn't give Jiraiya the chance to prepare, and there was no nearby terrain to exploit for a delay.

"Let's call it a day. Next time the Sand attacks, Kikyo Castle will be your graveyard."

After saying this, Rasa used a sand waterfall to push Jiraiya back, then leapt away, exiting the battlefield.

The signal flare meant the Jinchuriki had been retrieved, and the massive explosion led Rasa to believe Shukaku had unleashed the Tailed Beast Bomb because Shukaku's host couldn't sustain the transformation and was withdrawn.

But with the Tailed Beast Bomb deployed, Konoha must have suffered greatly. The Sand's objectives for the day were achieved.

Chiyo, on another battlefield, also saw the signal flare and quickly led her forces to withdraw.

This time, Chiyo unveiled her true prowess—the Puppet Brigade Technique, an S-rank puppetry secret art, controlling ten intricate puppets in combat.

The puppets, strategically placed, forced Minato to deal with attacks from multiple angles. If Minato targeted other Sand ninja, Chiyo would counterattack Leaf ninja.

Without a new antidote, anyone wounded by the puppets would die. Minato had no choice but to engage Chiyo reluctantly.

As the Sand retreated, Leaf hastily tallied their casualties and reorganized their forces, with the medical team joining in the treatment efforts.

"What? It was Mina's summoned beast? That bear deflected a Tailed Beast Bomb?"

Jiraiya was shocked upon his return, fearing the worst for Kikyo Castle. But hearing Shikaku's report, he found the castle's damage less severe than expected.

Still, the news about the bear astonished him. How could such a powerful summoned beast be hidden without reporting to the village?

Jiraiya also wondered about Gamabunta and Gamaken's condition.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Summoning a small toad, Jiraiya inquired, "Kyosuke, how are Gamabunta and Gamaken?"

"The injuries are severe; they won't move for a month. Jiraiya, whom were they fighting against?"

"It was the One-Tail."

"That monster, no wonder they were so badly hurt. Alright, I'm returning. If you want to summon them for battle, best wait a month."

"Understood, Kyosuke. Tell Gamabunta and Gamaken to rest well."

After sending Kyosuke back, Jiraiya pondered, "Shukaku, the One-Tail's Jinchuriki, was injured?"

Shikaku shook his head. "We couldn't get close enough to check at that moment. By the time we arrived, the Jinchuriki had been taken away."

"Lord Jiraiya, we can't confirm if the One-Tail's Jinchuriki was injured. They might deploy the Jinchuriki again in their next assault."

Jiraiya felt a headache coming on, knowing the Sand wouldn't give up on using their Jinchuriki. But Konoha couldn't risk unleashing the Nine-Tails; it might end disastrously for them.

"Should we ask Mina? If the Sand uses their Jinchuriki, maybe her summoned beast could fight?"

Jiraiya suggested, recalling Mina's proficiency in the Adamantine Sealing Chains, an ideal technique against Jinchuriki and Tailed Beasts.

Shikaku agreed internally, having wanted to propose the same. It was better coming from Jiraiya.

"Who will persuade her?"

Jiraiya looked at Minato, who was Kushina's boyfriend and presumably familiar with her clan members.

But Minato shook his head, "Jiraiya-sensei, I'm not close to her at all. I almost angered Mina and Kushina once and haven't spoken to them since."

"Then, I'll go."

It was for the village's sake; there was no reason to refuse.

Deciding, Jiraiya then instructed Shikaku, "Quickly tally the numbers, arrange patrols, have Earth Style ninja temporarily repair the walls, and set up barriers. I'll report to the village about the situation soon."

"Understood, Lord Jiraiya."

Shikaku then went to make arrangements. The casualty count was nearly complete; around a hundred had died or were injured overnight, unable to return to the battlefield soon, some even needing recuperation back in the village.

With their forces diminished by a fifth overnight, despite killing seventy to eighty Sand ninja, the remaining ninja's combat strength was severely compromised, necessitating reinforcements from the village.

(End of Chapter)