The Front Line, Arrival

Rumble!

Trees were easily flattened, buried, and crushed as the quicksand rampaged through the forest like a flood.

Under Bunpuku's restraint, Shukaku and Rasa coordinated to launch a fierce offensive against Sen Chisato.

Sen Chisato wove through the forest, his expression remaining relaxed and composed even as he had to deal with the attacks from Shukaku and Rasa from time to time.

"Is this brat a monkey? How is he so agile?" Rasa, who was controlling his Gold Sand to launch continuous attacks, furrowed his brows.

Not only that, but the distance between them and this guy hadn't shortened at all.

If this continued, he would really escape to the main battlefield.

Rasa turned his head to look at Bunpuku and shouted, "This is a battlefield, put away your mercy! This brat is an enemy; if he is allowed to grow, he will absolutely be a disaster for Sand Hidden and the Land of Wind!"

This was by no means alarmist!

Given this brat's age and talent, once he grew up, he might just be the next "God of Shinobi."

They absolutely could not let Konoha produce another powerhouse like that!

Therefore, Rasa gave a very serious warning.

He had already tried his best, and since he still hadn't managed to catch the brat, it must be Bunpuku's fault!

Bunpuku must be letting his good intentions get the better of him again, causing him to hesitate.

Bunpuku sighed, "It's useless to tell me this. In fact, Shukaku has been the one leading the attacks all along."

Although he was Shukaku's Jinchuriki, he wasn't a ninja, and he really wasn't good at fighting.

Therefore, he hadn't been controlling Shukaku to attack; instead, he had left everything to Shukaku, letting the beast make its own decisions.

Rasa glanced at Bunpuku suspiciously, then looked at Shukaku.

Seeing this, Shukaku roared, "What, do you think this Great One is fooling you?"

"No!" Rasa said indignantly, ignoring the pair and focusing on his own assault.

This made it even harder for Shukaku to accept.

What was this supposed to mean?

If you don't think I'm fooling you, does that mean you're saying my strength is pathetic?

Thinking of this, Shukaku became angry as well, and his attacks became even more violent. Not only did he whip up sandstorms and bombard the area with ninjutsu, but he finally began to condense a Tailed Beast Bomb.

Boom!

With one Tailed Beast Bomb, another several kilometers of forest were razed to the ground.

The earth shook, and the brilliant light was even more dazzling than the sun in the sky.

Orochimaru, who was on his way, stopped once again. He jumped onto a treetop and stared at the location of the explosion, his brows furrowed. "Are they heading toward the main battlefield?"

He had already noticed that the battlefield where Sen Chisato was located was constantly moving; after all, the commotion caused by Shukaku and Rasa was too great.

Now that he was certain of this, he pondered for a moment before changing direction and heading toward the main battlefield instead of continuing to chase the moving conflict.

In such a situation, waiting at the destination was the optimal solution.

As for Sen Chisato's safety, he wasn't particularly worried.

That child had quite a few secrets hidden away, some of which even he didn't know.

Thinking of this, Orochimaru licked his lips and gave an evil, charming smile.

On the other side, the slaughter on the main battlefield was interrupted once again.

"What exactly is going on over there?" a Konoha ninja who had escaped an attack and retreated to a safe position asked in confusion.

A large-scale chakra explosion had occurred just a moment ago, and the sounds of battle hadn't stopped since. Although the scale didn't sound as large as the first one, it was getting closer and closer.

But now, an explosion of that magnitude had occurred again.

What was going on today?

Could it be that Sand Hidden had other plans?

The Konoha ninjas around him were equally puzzled.

Someone shook their head and urged, "Forget about that side. Don't get distracted; focus on dealing with the enemies in front of us. As for the rest, Lord Orochimaru will handle it!"

"That's true." The Konoha ninja nodded.

Looking up, he noticed that the Sand Hidden ninjas were equally bewildered, which made him feel more at ease.

On the Sand Hidden side, Chiyo's brows were furrowed so tightly she could have crushed a fly.

"What is Rasa doing?"

They had agreed on a surprise attack, but this was a total failure!

It was one thing for the surprise attack to fail, but why was he letting Shukaku head this way?

Could it be that Shukaku had lost control, and he couldn't even manage to suppress and seal it?

Sighing, Chiyo looked utterly disappointed.

Rasa was still too young; if the Third Kazekage were here, sealing a Tailed Beast would be easy.

"No matter what, we'll deal with this battle first!" Chiyo steadied herself and once again directed the Sand Ninja to attack.

Although the surprise attack had failed, they had to stall for more time.

The explosions ceased, and the aftershocks dissipated. Rasa lowered the hand shielding his face, his expression terrifyingly grim.

"What are you doing?!" He turned to Shukaku, roaring in fury.

Shukaku looked displeased. "Didn't you tell me to do this?"

It was because this human had questioned its strength just now... and it had controlled the attack range so they wouldn't be affected this time.

Looking at the indignant Shukaku, Rasa's teeth nearly shattered.

The Tailed Beast Bomb's power was indeed terrifying, but they had been blocked too! If that brat wasn't dead, he would definitely use this chance to put distance between them... Wasn't this deliberately giving the brat a chance to escape?

Just as he thought this, Sen Chisato's figure suddenly appeared in their sight.

Not only that, but Sen Chisato even waved at them, as if saying hello.

Rasa's eyes lit up first, then his face turned ashen.

What was this?

Mockery? Provocation?

Seeing Sen Chisato continue to flee forward, Rasa coldly spat out one word: "Chase!"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The muffled sounds were like a giant running, mixed with the sound of a river surging and crashing against its banks. The ground continuously shook, interrupting the battle on the main front once again.

These sounds grew clearer.

Something was definitely approaching!

Thinking this, a Hyuuga Ninja opened his Byakugan and looked in that direction.

The next second, his entire body trembled, and his face gradually turned pale. "Wh-what kind of monster is that!?"

What met his eyes was terrifying chakra and an enormous size. All of this made his limbs go cold, and cold sweat poured down his back.

"Quick, quick..." He tried to warn his companions with a trembling voice, but fear made him unable to speak clearly.

At this moment, a hoarse voice spread across the battlefield: "All Konoha Ninja, retreat immediately!"

Some Konoha Ninja looked up and were immediately overjoyed. "Lord Orochimaru!"

They decisively withdrew from the battlefield and simultaneously relayed Orochimaru's orders.

In an instant, the Konoha Ninja withdrew one after another.

Seeing this, the Sand Ninja immediately and excitedly pursued them.

This was a good opportunity to expand their victory!

Chiyo's expression sank.

These fools!

Lord Orochimaru had appeared, and they dared to charge forward?

She quickly gave the order: "Don't chase, come back quickly!"

But the order was ultimately a few seconds too late.

A figure suddenly shot into the battlefield from mid-air, the Konoha headband on his forehead flashing.

The Sand Ninja, who had intended to retreat, were all stunned. Their attention was drawn, and their retreating footsteps involuntarily slowed.

At this moment, the figure landed and, without stopping, moved at high speed away from the battlefield.

The next second, a huge shadow was cast.

The Sand Ninja instinctively turned their heads, and in an instant, their pupils contracted, their mouths gradually widening.

"Brat, stop for this Lord!" Shukaku accumulated chakra in its belly and then slapped its stomach.

Wind Release: Air Bullet!

The giant wind bullet instantly landed and then exploded.

Boom!

A violent explosion occurred in the center of the battlefield, and the surrounding ninja were blown away, screaming.