Orochimaru laughed wildly:
"The Sand Shukaku of Sunagakure has already arrived in Konoha! How will your fragile ninja face a Tailed Beast's assault? Hahaha! Just thinking about that scene excites me!"
"You!!!"
"Damn Orochimaru! You despicable wretch!"
Jiraiya flew into a rage! He had never imagined that Orochimaru would resort to such trickery at such a critical moment!
"Orochimaru, you're truly despicable!"
"Orochimaru! You're nothing!"
"Orochimaru! And you used to be a Leaf Ninja!"
The ANBU also began cursing indignantly!
"Despicable?! I don't think so!"
"This is war!"
"Either you die or I perish! I have only one enemy, and that is Konoha! There is only one ending to this Konoha Crush Plan! Konoha will disappear!"
Orochimaru roared viciously, as though victory was already his!
"Stop 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 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 stupidly weak ninja. If Naruto Uzumaki is killed and the Nine-Tails takes the chance to escape, then the power of the Nine-Tails combined with One-Tail Shukaku... Hahaha! Teacher Hiruzen, even in your prime, you probably wouldn't be able to stop them!"
Upon 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 an enormous disaster for all of Konoha!
"This is bad!"
"We must head to the village entrance immediately and support Naruto!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke!
"Don't even think about it! With me here, none of you are going anywhere!"
Orochimaru snorted and summoned a swarm of giant snakes to block every opening in the arena!
"Damn... We truly don't have enough manpower! At a time like this... Zhi Ge! You're the only one who can go save Naruto alone!"
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 that obvious?! We can't spare anyone right now! The only one I can rely on is my prized disciple, you! Don't worry! Naruto was taught by me too! He's strong! Even if the two of you can't defeat Shukaku, escaping unscathed won't be a problem!"
"Damn it!!!"
Zhi Ge was on the verge of tears!
But he also knew that the situation was urgent, and there was no room for bargaining now!
"Fine! Lord Hokage! Pervy Sage! You two take care of yourselves! I'm going to save Naruto now!"
Zhi Ge said through gritted teeth!
He knew very well that Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi had placed the village's hope of salvation entirely 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 seniors echoed throughout the arena!
Zhi Ge nodded and transformed into a streak of lightning, shooting into the sky!
"Hehe! Kid! Let's see how you 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 being completely wiped out!
"Damn it! Those bastards from Sunagakure are so underhanded! They actually used a Tailed Beast as soon as the war began!"
Zhi Ge, Zhi Ge moved swiftly 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.
Thus, he could only follow their trail all the way.
"Roar~!"
Suddenly, a series of wild, violent roars came from the distant grass. Then, a massive black creature crawled out from the brush.
It was a gigantic Black Tiger, at least eight meters long.
This Black Tiger was exceptionally ugly, its blood-red pupils gleaming with ferocity!
Its jaws hung open, revealing rows of sharp fangs, while its claws were covered in razor-sharp talons.
A dense, eerie black mist radiated from its body. It clearly did not look like an ordinary wild tiger.
"Could it be a summoned beast?"
With that thought, Zhi Ge immediately became alert.
After all, a summoned beast would not appear alone. There had to be enemies hiding nearby.
"Roar~!"
The Black Tiger let out a low growl, then suddenly sprang forward and vanished from its original spot!
The next second, it appeared behind Zhi Ge!
"Ah!"
"This is bad!"
Zhi Ge's expression changed as he hurriedly dodged aside.
"Rumble..."
At that moment, the Black Tiger pounced again and directly knocked Zhi Ge to the ground.
"Damn it! My battle with the Second Hokage and Manda drained too much of my strength. I couldn't concentrate and let this beast exploit an opening! Damn it!"
Zhi Ge's face darkened, and he abruptly rose to his feet.
"Roar~!"
"Awooo!"
Seeing Zhi Ge get back up, the Black Tiger immediately growled and swung a claw at Zhi Ge's chest!
"Damn it!"
Zhi Ge quickly dodged and simultaneously drove a punch into the Black Tiger's 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 once more, their bodies colliding repeatedly.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo..."
Man and tiger battled fiercely within the dense forest!
Their figures seemed to cross and collide in the same spot without pause!
"Damn it!"
"Bastard!"
"Roar~!"
"Awooo~!"
They kept roaring, every attack carrying terrifying force that made the ground tremble.
Sweat appeared on Zhi Ge's forehead, while the Black Tiger's body was already battered beyond recognition.
"Damn it! I thought I could settle this in just a few moves, but it's so troublesome. 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 grew increasingly anxious.
"Die!"
With an enraged roar, Zhi Ge directly unleashed the power of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Before you continue