White Yaksha's Advent (VI)

Whether it was besieging Wei to rescue Zhao or making a feint in the east before striking in the west, Tsunade's strategy was simple: divert the Sand Ninja's attention and spread out their offensive.

They could not allow all the Sand Ninja to rush toward Kushina. Otherwise, even if she no longer had to restrain the tailed beast, there was no guarantee she would come through unscathed.

Tsunade did not truly intend to seize Shukaku from the Sand Ninja, either. Compared to the benefits of killing the Nine-Tails, the Sand Ninja could even less afford the consequences of losing Shukaku.

Killing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would weaken Konoha's fighting strength, while losing Shukaku would mean losing Sunagakure's greatest deterrent. They knew which mattered more.

"Big Sister, Konoha's Sealing Squad is moving in!"

Ebizo suddenly appeared behind Chiyo and spoke. The Sand Ninja immediately noticed Konoha's intentions.

Konoha had become somewhat bloodthirsty by this point. They had completely abandoned the protection of their command headquarters and certain non-combat personnel, turning instead to try to seize control of Shukaku.

Tailed beasts were vital bargaining chips in maintaining the balance of power among ninja villages. Whether in war or peace, no ninja village could bear the consequences of losing one.

In terms of top-tier combat power, the Sand Ninja had Shukaku, who had previously been difficult to control and was now unable to fight, along with Granny Chiyo and her younger brother Ebizo.

Konoha had Tsunade and Kushina.

By comparison, the two sides were unevenly matched. Tsunade could hold Chiyo back, Kushina could deal with Shukaku, and Ebizo should have been free to enter the battlefield.

Yet he could not. Shukaku had been difficult to control from the start, and Ebizo's duty was to keep watch over it, control it, and retrieve it promptly if necessary.

So he was more than busy enough. The Kazekage could not possibly have been completely brainless; if he dared deploy Shukaku onto the battlefield, he had to be confident that he could retrieve it.

That confidence was Ebizo. His assignment was Shukaku itself. Nothing else was his responsibility.

Kushina was currently Konoha's protected target, while Shukaku was the Sand Ninja's protected target.

Kushina still had the strength to fight, whereas Shukaku had already turned into a pile of sand.

The Sand Ninja charged at Kushina without regard for their lives, while Konoha's Sealing Squad assaulted Shukaku.

That was why Ebizo had warned Chiyo.

"I'll deal with Tsunade. Ebizo, immediately retrieve Shukaku. Once the mission is complete, leave the battlefield at once and withdraw to the village. You don't need to concern yourself with anything else. Make sure Shukaku is protected," Chiyo ordered decisively.

The most important thing now was to retrieve Shukaku before Konoha's Sealing Squad could do so. Ebizo did not waste another word. After nodding, he swiftly led a squad toward Shukaku.

After rushing to Shukaku's side at a speed utterly mismatched with his age, Ebizo immediately slapped both hands onto the ground!

Summoning Technique!

A massive sand jar appeared beside Ebizo. He then directed his subordinates to fend off Konoha's Sealing Squad while setting up their own sealing formula. They intended to reseal Shukaku inside the sand jar, then swiftly withdraw while escorting the tailed beast.

This was probably the only advantage of Shukaku having lost its ability to resist. There was virtually no obstruction when retrieving it.

Twelve Sand Ninja took their positions around Shukaku. Once the technique was set up, they formed hand seals almost simultaneously. Shukaku's scattered sandy body then flowed like water, instantly pouring into the sand jar beside Ebizo.

Ebizo then placed the lid on the sand jar. After affixing the final special paper seal, he formed the last hand seal, and the paper seal sank into the jar and vanished.

Ebizo's withered body immediately hoisted the sand jar onto his shoulder, and he swiftly began retreating from the battlefield!

Before leaving, he glanced back toward his sister. She was still locked in fierce battle with Tsunade.

No matter what, the offensive opportunity the Sand Ninja had created at such enormous cost had already failed. In truth, putting something as powerful yet uncontrollable as Shukaku onto the front lines had never been a particularly good choice.

Naturally, Ebizo's movements did not escape Konoha's notice. After he left, several dozen Konoha ninja pursued him. If they could reclaim Shukaku, it would be a devastating blow to the Sand Ninja.

However, that was basically impossible. Setting aside the guards Ebizo had brought with him, Ebizo alone could deal with Konoha's pursuing force.

Turning back to Hagoromo and Kushina, once Shukaku had been taken away, the Sand Ninja became even more reckless. Their attacks could only be described as frenzied.

"Teacher Kushina, Shukaku is gone." Hagoromo spoke to Kushina while taking down an enemy beside him.

"Yes, so these guys are even more unrestrained now. They're all rushing over here." Six tails had already emerged from Kushina's Nine Tails Chakra cloak. This was the limit of what she could control freely. Any further, and it might become difficult.

"I think we should make a run for it," Hagoromo suggested. With Shukaku gone, there was little point in Kushina remaining here. For her safety, it would be best for her to leave the battlefield as soon as possible.

It was not that Hagoromo and Kushina had no fighting strength left. In fact, they could still hold on for a while. But there was little meaning in persisting like this. The Sand Ninja surrounding them came in an endless stream; kill one batch, and even more would rush forward.

Moreover, because of Kushina, Konoha's ninja could not fight freely at this point. That was why Hagoromo suggested running. On one hand, it would ensure Kushina's safety; on the other, it would allow Konoha's ninja to fight with all their strength instead of having to devote enormous effort to protecting her.

"Make a run for it? You make it sound easy, but how are we supposed to do that?" Kushina looked at the enemy encirclement and spoke helplessly. In the Sand Ninja's eyes, Kushina's dark crimson Chakra cloak was far more conspicuous than Hagoromo's bright Lightning Glow—and drew far more hatred.

In this world, there really were ninja who could fight one against fifty and instantly defeat their opponents. But Hagoromo was not one of them, nor was Kushina.

There were also ninja who could fight one against ten thousand and make it a spectacular battle.

But there were no ninja who could fight one against ten thousand and still emerge victorious.

In fact, that formidable man who fought one against ten thousand had been beaten relentlessly for three days and three nights before being miserably beaten to death...

He could be called the most tragic figure of the Third Shinobi World War, and he could absolutely rank first among the ten middle-aged ninja who moved the shinobi world the most.

But their fighting styles were different, after all. In this kind of uneven battle against many opponents, no matter how strong Hagoromo and Kushina were, they could not reach that level. They could wear down the Sand Ninja, but neither of them had much faith in what the final result would be.

Unless Kushina went berserk...

P.S. Please vote on Monday. I want to squeeze closer to the top of the new book rankings; this book does not have much time left on the list.

Thanks to readers mt Empire and Clear Breeze Against the Bright Moon for their rewards, and thanks to reader Leak Outside for the 700 reward.