However, just then, Shukaku, pinned beneath Orochimaru's feet, angrily raised its head and roared.
"You bugs! Every last one of you wants to humiliate me? You'll pay for that!!"
As it roared, the vast expanse of quicksand beneath it began to churn. Waves of sand surged like a howling sea, rushing straight at Orochimaru and Rasa!
"Die, all of you!"
The towering waves of sand rose dozens of meters into the air. Anyone facing them would have to think twice about whether they could withstand their force.
Beneath the night sky, the dark sea of sand cast a massive shadow. Even the Konoha Ninja watching from afar gaped in astonishment, their faces frozen in disbelief.
Orochimaru and Rasa watched the oncoming attack with grim expressions, both dodging to the side.
"Boom—"
Tons of sand came crashing down from the sky like a spectacular waterfall.
Rasa had already flown far away, controlling his Gold Dust, while Orochimaru dropped from the air onto the roof of a nearby house and immediately moved farther away.
For the moment, Shukaku rampaged alone across the battlefield. No one could stop its fury.
"Ha ha ha! Tremble before me, you bugs! Ha ha ha!"
Shukaku saw Orochimaru and Rasa fleeing in opposite directions. A vicious, almost human grin spread across its face as it laughed wildly.
But its grin didn't last long. Its expression suddenly froze, then twisted with anger!
"It's that guy! I can feel it—that guy is nearby!!"
Far away, inside Konoha, a group dressed in matching clothes strolled casually through the streets.
"Has Konoha's security really grown so lax? We're walking right through the village, and no one's even tried to stop us."
A figure lying prone on the ground, its body covered by a white shell, spoke in a hoarse voice.