The Hope of the Entire Village

Orochimaru laughed wildly:

"The Sand Village's tailed beast, Shukaku of the Sand! It has already arrived at Konoha Village! How will your fragile ninjas face a tailed beast's attack? Hahahaha! Just thinking about that scene excites me!"

"You!!!"

"Damn Orochimaru! You despicable bastard!"

Jiraiya flew into a rage! He had never imagined that Orochimaru would play such a trick at such a critical moment!

"Orochimaru, you're utterly shameless!"

"Orochimaru! You're scum!"

"Orochimaru! And you used to be a Leaf Ninja!"

The ANBU members also began cursing indignantly!

"Shameless?! I don't think so!"

"This is war!"

"Either you die or I die! I have only one enemy: Konoha Village! This Konoha Crush Plan has only one ending! Konoha Village will disappear!"

Orochimaru roared viciously, as if victory were already his!

"Quit bluffing! Where is this tailed beast? Why don't I see it?!"

Zhi Ge shouted coldly!

"You won't find it! How about this? Let me give you a hint! I had the Sand Ninja use the tailed beast's jinchuriki to lure Naruto Uzumaki into the forest outside the village! Think about it! Naruto Uzumaki is the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki! But he's a ridiculously foolish ninja. If Naruto Uzumaki is killed and the Nine-Tails takes the chance to escape, then the Nine-Tails' power combined with One-Tail Shukaku's... Hahaha! Teacher Hiruzen, even in your prime, you probably wouldn't have been able to stop them!"

Hearing Orochimaru's words, both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya's expressions changed!

They knew just how terrifying the Nine-Tails was!

If the Nine-Tails truly escaped, it would be a devastating disaster for all of Konoha!

"This is bad!"

"We must rush to the village entrance and support Naruto immediately!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke!

"Don't even think about it! As long as I'm here, none of you are going anywhere!"

Orochimaru snorted, then summoned a swarm of giant snakes to block every opening in the venue!

"Damn it... We truly don't have enough manpower! At a time like this... Zhi Ge! You're the only one who can go save Naruto!"

Jiraiya took a deep breath and looked at Zhi Ge!

"What!? Are you sure, Pervy Sage?! Saving Naruto means fighting One-Tail Shukaku, doesn't it?! Aren't you throwing your own disciple into a pit of fire?!"

Zhi Ge was instantly dumbfounded!

He simply could not understand Jiraiya's decision!

This guy was completely insane!

He actually wanted him to face One-Tail Shukaku!

"Isn't it obvious?! We simply can't spare anyone right now! The only person I can rely on is my prized disciple, you! Don't worry! I taught Naruto myself too! He's strong! Even if the two of you can't defeat Shukaku, you'll have no problem getting away safely!"

"Damn it!!!"

Zhi Ge nearly burst into tears!

But he also knew that the situation was urgent, and there was no room for bargaining!

"Fine! Lord Hokage! Pervy Sage! You two take care of yourselves! I'm going to save Naruto!"

Zhi Ge said through gritted teeth!

He knew very well that Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi had placed the hope of saving the village on him alone!

"Go!"

Jiraiya patted Zhi Ge on the shoulder!

"Don't worry! I'll be fine!"

"Hahaha! Don't worry! I'll be fine too!"

"Hahaha!"

The reassuring words of the two elders echoed throughout the venue!

Zhi Ge nodded and immediately transformed into a streak of lightning, shooting into the sky!

"Hehe! Kid, I'd like to see how you plan to save your friend!"

Watching Zhi Ge's departing figure, Orochimaru's lips curled into an evil smile!

At that moment, Orochimaru seemed to see Konoha Village being completely wiped out!

"Damn it! Those bastards from Sand Village are so underhanded—they even used a tailed beast in a war!"

Zhi Ge raced toward the forest while tracking Naruto's trail.

Although he knew Naruto could not possibly be faster than him, he still did not dare relax in the slightest.

After all, Naruto and those Sand Ninja had left a long time ago, and he had already lost the initiative from the start.

On top of that, he was not skilled in tracking techniques, so he had no way to lock onto them.

He could only follow their trail all the way.

"Roar~!"

Suddenly, wild, savage roars came from the distant brush. Then, a massive black creature crawled out of the grass.

It was an enormous black tiger, at least eight meters long.

The black tiger was incredibly ugly, with blood-red pupils radiating a ferocious glow!

Its jaws hung wide open, exposing rows of sharp fangs, while its claws were covered in razor-sharp talons.

Thick, eerie black mist seeped from its body. It did not look like an ordinary wild tiger.

"A summoning beast?"

At that thought, Zhi Ge immediately became alert.

After all, a summoning beast would not appear alone. There had to be enemies hiding nearby.

"Roar~!"

The black tiger let out a low growl, then suddenly lunged and vanished from where it stood!

The next second, it appeared behind Zhi Ge!

"Ah!"

"Damn!"

Zhi Ge's expression changed as he hurriedly dodged away.

"Rumble..."

Just then, the black tiger pounced again and sent Zhi Ge tumbling to the ground.

"Damn it! My fight with the Second Hokage and Manda drained too much of my energy. I couldn't focus, and this beast took advantage of the opening! Damn it!"

Zhi Ge's face darkened, and he abruptly rose to his feet.

"Roar~!"

"Awoo!"

Seeing Zhi Ge get up, the black tiger immediately growled and swiped a claw at his chest!

"Damn it!"

Zhi Ge swiftly dodged, then punched the black tiger in the abdomen.

After a dull thud, the black tiger was sent flying backward.

"Roar~!"

Yet less than two seconds later, the black tiger rose with an angry roar and charged at Zhi Ge again!

"Damn it!"

"Bastard!"

Zhi Ge clashed with the black tiger again and again, their bodies colliding relentlessly.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo..."

Man and tiger fought fiercely within the dense forest!

Their figures continuously crossed and intertwined in the same small area!

"Damn it!"

"Bastard!"

"Roar~!"

"Awooo~!"

They roared without pause, every attack carrying terrifying force that made the ground tremble.

Sweat appeared on Zhi Ge's forehead, while the black tiger's body had already been battered beyond recognition.

"Damn it! I thought I could finish this thing in just a few moves, but it's turned out to be such a nuisance. I don't have much time. I can't keep wasting it here!"

Thinking that Naruto could meet with disaster at any moment, Zhi Ge became increasingly anxious.

"Die!"

With an angry roar, Zhi Ge directly unleashed the power of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit.