Chapter 252: A Ray of Light in the Darkness

With Rasa out of the way, Kazuyama and his clones launched a relentless assault on Shukaku.

Fire Release, Crystal Release, Snake Ninja Arts—every attack was unleashed without hesitation.

But for Manda, this was a nightmare. He had planned to retreat, but Shukaku refused to let him go.

Finally, under the intense blast of Kazuyama’s Great Fire Annihilation, Manda could hold on no longer.

"Kazuyama! Meeting you is the greatest misfortune of my life!"

"I'm done!"

With a burst of white smoke, Manda vanished, leaving behind nothing but endless resentment.

"Damn loach couldn't last. That means you're next, brat!"

Freed from Manda’s grip, Shukaku felt lighter, his vicious gaze locking onto Kazuyama.

But Kazuyama didn’t flinch.

"Come at me! You think I’m afraid of you?"

"Take this!"

With a fierce roar, he leaped high into the air, his entire body encased in crystal as his chakra surged wildly.

His three clones launched another wave of attacks, buying time for him to prepare.

"Hah! These puny attacks won’t do a thing to me!"

"Get lost!"

Annoyed by the barrage of fire, crystal, and kunai, Shukaku swung his massive hand, summoning giant sand arms to block every attack. In the same motion, he grabbed Kazuyama’s clones, crushing them under immense pressure until they disappeared.

But the time they bought was enough. Kazuyama’s technique was ready.

His entire body glowed within the crystal shell, a blinding white light bursting forth.

"Crystal Release: String of Glory!"

This was Crystal Release’s most devastating attack—a laser beam generated through the fusion of crystal and chakra.

Kazuyama had adapted it from the original technique used by Guren, but his version was even stronger, fueled by Chōmei’s chakra.

A thick, arm-sized laser blasted straight into Shukaku’s face.

"ARGHHH!"

Shukaku’s agonized screams echoed across the battlefield, sending a chill through everyone present.

The sudden outcry made countless Sunagakure shinobi, including Chiyo and Rasa, freeze in shock.

They stared in disbelief at Shukaku, who was clutching his face and howling.

"You bastard!"

"You little brat! How dare you hit me in the face?!"

"I’LL KILL YOU! I'LL TEAR YOU APART!"

Consumed by rage, Shukaku lowered his hand, revealing his face.

The sight left everyone stunned.

A fresh scar, still smoldering with black smoke, ran across his face.

It wasn’t deep and would heal with time, but the mere fact that a human had managed to wound him drove Shukaku into a frenzy.

His towering pride shattered—pushed into pure, uncontrollable rage.

"Die, you bastard!"

Kazuyama had barely recovered from using his technique when Shukaku’s right hand suddenly stretched out, seizing both him and the crystal encasing him before slamming them into the ground.

"Sand Waterfall Funeral!"

Endless yellow sand surged forward, forming a massive pyramid in the middle of the battlefield.

The next moment, the structure trembled violently as the overwhelming pressure inside exploded, enough to crush anyone trapped within to dust.

"Damn it! Kazuyama!"

Seeing his disciple in grave danger, Orochimaru’s eyes burned with fury. The three giant pythons immediately abandoned Rasa and charged at Shukaku.

Orochimaru himself tried to rush in as well, but Rasa blocked his path.

"Bastard! Get out of my way!"

No matter how enraged he was, Rasa only responded with a cold smirk.

"More loaches? Scram!"

As soon as the three pythons neared Shukaku, the sand around him surged up, locking them in place.

Then, with a swift swipe of his massive claws, Shukaku shredded them, reducing them to nothing but white smoke.

Just as he was about to burst into laughter, convinced that he had crushed Kazuyama, a taunting voice rang in his ear.

"Who the hell are you even hitting, dumb raccoon?"

Shukaku froze.

So did Rasa.

Even Orochimaru momentarily halted his attack.

Kazuyama was standing right on Shukaku’s shoulder, looking down at him with utter disdain.

A kunai twirled casually in his hand.

"Dammit... Flying Thunder God?"

"When did he... a clone...?"

Rasa was stunned at first, but realization hit him quickly.

During the earlier attacks, Kazuyama’s clones had already thrown marked kunai, embedding them into Shukaku’s body.

"Yulín is in position..."

"Shukaku, it's time you learned the price of pissing off a schemer..."

"Sensei! The rest is up to you!"

Kazuyama shouted to Orochimaru before activating the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Before the eyes of every Sunagakure and Konoha ninja, he and Shukaku vanished, leaving behind only the massive pyramid Shukaku had just created.

"Impossible! Shukaku is massive! Where the hell did he get enough chakra to teleport him?!"

Rasa’s mind went blank.

Shukaku was Sunagakure’s ultimate trump card—how the hell had it just disappeared?!

The shock spread through the ranks of Sunagakure’s forces.

"Shukaku's gone? Then how are we supposed to fight?"

"Without Shukaku… we’ll never break through Konoha’s defenses!"

Waves of panic rippled through the Sand ninja.

At the front of their forces, Chiyo’s expression darkened. Without hesitation, she shouted,

"Everyone, charge!"

"Shukaku or not, Konoha’s defensive line is already broken! If we push forward, victory will be ours!"

In an attempt to suppress the growing unease, Chiyo led the charge herself.

On the Konoha side, a wave of relief washed over many at the sight of Shukaku’s disappearance.

But not everyone was at ease.

Fugaku stood in silence, his gaze shifting from the ongoing battle to the massive pyramid dominating the battlefield.

A heaviness settled over him.

"Damn you, Kazuyama... Since when did you become this strong?"

"This kind of power... Damn it!"

His fists clenched tightly, teeth grinding in frustration.

As the Sunagakure forces launched another assault, Fugaku’s Sharingan spun furiously, his three tomoe whirling at incredible speed.

"Charge! Cut them down!"

The battle raged on...

Meanwhile, in the western desert, far from the battlefield’s chaos, a massive serpent hovered in midair, gazing down at a kunai half-buried in the sand below.

Its pupils contracted sharply.

A towering yellow tanuki had materialized in the desert.

"Round two, Shukaku..."

"You brat! You're dead! The desert is my domai— What the hell?!"