To keep Orochimaru from noticing them in advance, Ryūsetsuna, Chiyo, and Karin had maintained a certain distance from one another.
It wasn't especially far, but it wasn't close, either. At their speed, Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo could reach Karin in about ten minutes. And with Karin's current strength, she could easily hold out for ten minutes against any enemy, so the distance was perfectly reasonable.
What none of them had expected was that Karin would end up facing three Hokage at once.
By the time Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo hurried over, the battle had already reached its climax. The battlefield was riddled with craters and in utter disarray. As far as the eye could see, there was either a rapidly growing sea of trees or a giant sphere hovering high in the sky—sights rarely encountered under ordinary circumstances.
As for the underground laboratory that had served as the battlefield, not even its ruins remained. All that was left was a vast, chaotic crater.
"What on earth happened here?!"
Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo exchanged bewildered looks. Fortunately, their masks hid their faces; otherwise, the shock on their faces would have been plain to see.
On the other side,
Orochimaru's delight at the Fourth Hokage's escape quickly vanished when he saw Ryūsetsuna and Chiyo arrive.
Kabuto Yakushi grew tense as well.
There was certainly a gap in strength among the Akatsuki Organization's members, but even the weakest were at the level of elite Jonin from a major hidden village. So the arrival of two Akatsuki members was enough to turn the tide. What was more, they knew nothing about either newcomer.
Among the three Hokage,
The Second, whose Impure World Body had gradually recovered, said to the Fourth, "Fourth, we have you to thank for this!"
The Fourth hurriedly replied, "I'm sorry. I misjudged the