Jiraiya immediately rushed toward the center of the explosion. He had to make sure Chiyo was dead.
The other Sunagakure ninja saw this, and their morale instantly plummeted. Even Elder Chiyo had lost—how were they supposed to keep fighting?
"Retreat!"
With the shout of an elite Sunagakure jonin, the Sunagakure ninja immediately collapsed into a rout and fled in all directions.
"Chase them! Lord Jiraiya has gone after Chiyo—go after the other Sunagakure ninja!"
Seeing this, one of Konoha's elite jonin shouted and took the lead in pursuit.
The surrounding Konoha ninja immediately followed. However, not everyone went after the enemy. More than fifty Konoha ninja consciously stayed behind. Most of them were low on chakra, and even if they caught up with the enemy, they would not be much help.
Akiyama Shun was among them. After using Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, he immediately used Gentle Fist Art: Flying Leaf to shatter several ninjutsu attacks aimed at him. Then, he swiftly switched to [Haku], used Ice Release to leave the battlefield, and found a dark corner to rest.
The chakra expenditure in that battle had been terrifying. By now, weakness had begun to spread through his entire body.
"Captain Akiyama Shun, that was incredible! Quick, drink some water!"
A Konoha ninja spotted Akiyama Shun and immediately handed him a canteen. Akiyama Shun did not stand on ceremony. He took it and drained it in several gulps.
After drinking the water, Akiyama Shun felt much better. Only then did he see clearly who had handed it to him.
It was a chunin from Area C7 who had come here with him as reinforcements, Nagata Tomoyuki.
"Get some rest first. The rest of us haven't used up as much chakra, so we'll start repairing the damaged parts of the C8 Sector."
Akiyama Shun