HGBW: Ch. 138

The giant salamander puppet towered over the battlefield. Chiyo's shadow clone stood behind it.

Tanaka narrowed his eyes, activating his Byakugan to its full capacity, and penetrated through the puppet's exterior. He could see the complex mechanism inside, as well as tubes and chambers filled with questionable contents.

The salamander's enormous mouth began to open slowly, revealing a dark cavity. It was an unnatural sight.

"Fall back! NOW!"

Before anyone could react to his warning, the salamander's mouth expanded even wider, and released a massive purple-black cloud. The mist billowed outward with shocking speed.

Tanaka quickly created a ROOM field around himself and teleported backward 30 meters. From his new position, he watched in horror as the poison engulfed the frontline Konoha ninjas who couldn't react in time.

Several Konoha ninjas who had received Tsunade's antidote realized that it wasn't working. They began coughing violently, blood spattering from their mouths as they collapsed to their knees.

"Why is... it not... working!" a Konoha chunin gasped before collapsing face-first into the mud, his body convulsing briefly before going still.

Across the battlefield, Tsunade, still engaged with Chiyo's real body and her nine puppets, cursed under her breath.

"Damn it!!"

She smashed one puppet with her fist, sending splinters flying as she glanced toward the expanding poison cloud.

Chiyo smiled coldly. "You thought I wouldn't anticipate your countermeasures? This is a new blend, specifically designed to bypass your antidotes." Her fingers twitched, sending two more puppets toward Tsunade. "Your medical expertise is renowned, but my knowledge of poisons has been perfected over decades."

Tsunade dodged a poisoned blade from one puppet. "How many of your own people are you willing to sacrifice with that indiscriminate attack?"

Chiyo's expression hardened. "In war, sacrifices are necessary."

Meanwhile, Tanaka activated his Byakugan to its maximum range, analyzing the poison cloud's composition. His enhanced vision allowed him to see the molecular structure of the poison as it spread. He could track its movement through the air, watching as it infiltrated the lungs of its victims before attacking their nervous systems directly.

At this rate, we'll lose half our forces in minutes.

Ninjas were collapsing within seconds of exposure, their chakra networks flaring chaotically before dimming. He calculated the poison's spread pattern based on the wind direction and the battlefield's topography, while weighing the stamina cost of each possible response.

"Tanaka! Your orders?" Hizashi shouted from several meters away, knowing that despite the boy's age, his mind surpassed many seasoned jonin.

Tanaka made eye contact with his mentor.

Meanwhile, Ebizō, seeing that Tanaka had avoided the initial poison cloud, formed hand seals. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

A massive gust of wind erupted from him, not aimed at Tanaka directly, but at the poison cloud. The wind redirected the poison, accelerating it toward Tanaka and the main Hyūga forces.

Several Uchiha ninjas attempted to counter with Fire Release techniques, but the poison smothered their flames before they could fully form.

"It's no use! The poison is dampening our fire!"

"The poison contains chakra-absorbing components," Tanaka observed, his Byakugan identifying the unique particles in the mist. "Standard elemental counters won't work."

He quickly calculated his options. He didn't have the stamina to create a ROOM large enough to teleport all Konoha forces away from danger. His gaze swept over the battlefield, noticing several key clan members directly in the poison's path.

He quickly expanded the ROOM field around 40 meters in diameter, focusing on the area with the highest concentration of Hyūga clan members.

Within the ROOM, he rapidly swapped the positions of Hyūga elders and key fighters with rocks and debris from outside the poison's range. Ech swap drained his already depleted reserves.

"Tanaka! You can't save everyone, conserve your strength!" Hizashi warned, seeing the strain on his student's face. "We'll need your abilities for the counterattack."

Tanaka ignored the warning, teeth gritted as he continued the swaps. "Every Hyūga we lose weakens our position both in battle and back in Konoha."

Despite his efforts, the poison advanced relentlessly, covering more of the battlefield. A young chunin tried desperately to outrun the cloud before collapsing mid-stride. Two Inuzuka and their ninken attempted to shield each other, but both humans and dogs fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

The poison began to reach the edges of Tanaka's ROOM. I need more range...

Hizashi saw Tanaka's strained expression. He moved closer. "You're pushing yourself too far. Even with your genius, there are physical limitations to consider."

Tanaka was visibly straining to maintain the ROOM. If I had just a few more years... I could save everyone. But I don't have that luxury now...

He noticed more Konoha ninjas outside his ROOM falling to the poison.

"To me!"

The Hyūga clan members he'd saved formed a tight circle around him, responding instantly to his call.

With a surge of willpower, Tanaka channeled everything he had into the ROOM. The invisible sphere expanded dramatically, reaching nearly 100 meters in diameter.

"Now!"

Within this expanded ROOM, he performed his most ambitious series of spatial swaps yet. He prioritized injured Konoha ninjas still alive but trapped in the poison, experienced jonin, and then any other ninja he could reach.

The Hyūga clan members dashed out, grabbing disoriented allies and pulling them to safety.

"Focus on those who can still fight," Tanaka instructed.

"There's a group of chunin trapped near the northern edge," a Hyūga member called out, pointing to where three ninjas were huddled behind a partial rock barrier one had created.

"I see them," Tanaka responded, making three rapid swaps that brought the chunin to safety while sending three boulders into the poison cloud.

The strain became overwhelming. his vision began to blur at the edges, and the ROOM flickered, threatening to collapse. Every cell in his body screamed for him to release the technique before permanent damage occurred.

Hizashi noticed immediately and moved closer, ready to support Tanaka. "You've done enough," he said quietly. "Don't push further."

The ROOM collapsed. Tanaka staggered but remained standing through sheer will. His Byakugan deactivated involuntarily, chakra reserves critically low.

Hizashi caught his shoulder, steadying him. "You've done enough. More than enough."

---

Across the battlefield, Ebizō observed Tanaka's actions with calculating eyes. "So that's the limit of his space-time technique," he remarked to a nearby Suna jonin. "The chakra cost is clearly immense. Drain him further."

He began forming hand seals for another wind technique, his eyes fixed on Tanaka's position.

Meanwhile, Chiyo saw that while many were killed, Tanaka had managed to save a significant portion of the Konoha forces.

The poison supply is limited, but we have enough for one more concentrated burst. 

She directed her shadow clone to prepare the salamander puppet for another attack.

"Target the Hyūga boy!"

---

Tanaka, breathing heavily but composed, surveyed the battlefield. So, this is what war feels like... If I was alone, I wouldn't be in this state.

"Hizashi-sensei, we need to regroup. The poison has created a natural barrier we can use to our advantage." He pointed to where the purple mist had settled in a depression in the terrain. "They can't advance through their own poison without protective gear, which limits their movement options."

Hizashi nodded in agreement. "I'll coordinate with the others. You should rest, even briefly."

"And have the Yamanaka relay to Tsunade. We need to draw her back without Chiyo realizing our strategy," Tanaka added, ignoring the suggestion to rest. "Tell her to prepare for a two-pronged assault once the poison begins to dissipate."

A Yamanaka clan member nodded and began the mind transmission technique, his body going still as his consciousness reached out to connect with Tsunade.

Tanaka took a soldier pill from his pouch, consuming it to begin replenishing his chakra. The bitter taste filled his mouth as he swallowed it dry. Eating a devil fruit was far worse than this.

The Konoha forces began an organized tactical retreat. He stood at the center of the Hyūga formation, his posture betraying none of his exhaustion.

"Homon, take four members and form a perimeter. Monitor for any movement through or around the poison," Tanaka instructed. "They might attempt to use the chaos to infiltrate our position."

"Understood," Homon replied, gathering the requested clan members.

The salamander puppet moved forward through the poison cloud, unbothered by its own toxin. Chiyo's shadow clone made it release another, smaller burst of poison.

Hizashi observed this. "They're trying to force our hand."

"What do you see?"

"The puppet has a limited supply of poison, its movements change slightly after each release. Notice how the salamander's posture shifts? The weight distribution is different now."

Tanaka observed this with his normal vision, his Byakugan still inactive to conserve chakra. "You're right. The main reservoir must be nearly depleted."

"Exactly. And look at Ebizō's positioning. He's preparing to use a wind attack to direct the next cloud, but he's conserving chakra. Their initial attack was meant to be decisive—they didn't expect we'd save so many."

"What's your assessment?" Tanaka asked, deferring to his teacher's tactical insight.

"They've shown their strongest hand too early. Now we show ours," Hizashi replied, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the battlefield. "Have the Aburame prepare their insects—not to attack the poison, but to track the chakra strings. If we can sever Chiyo's connection to the salamander, it becomes useless."

After hearing his teacher's suggestion, Tanaka said, "We'll position them for a flanking maneuver once the wind changes direction. The rain is intensifying, and in approximately five minutes, the wind will shift northeast. When that happens, part of their formation will be exposed."

Hizashi raised an eyebrow. "You can predict the weather patterns that precisely?"

"I've been monitoring the barometric pressure changes through my Byakugan. It's a skill I've been developing."

As the two forces stood separated by the poison cloud, the giant salamander puppet loomed in the background like a harbinger of death.

The battle was far from over.

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Ok, this is way harder than I first thought cause I didn't have anything really planned. I can understand if you want to cancel your patreon membership if you are only here for HGBW. I'll try to continue, but my style is completely different than the OG author. I am not even pleased with this chapter here and it took me way too long.