Fierce Battle

The sight of the two monsters darkened the Third Hokage's face. He ground out, "The One-Tail and Five-Tails. Sunagakure and Iwagakure are going all in.

"All shinobi, listen up! Attack with ranged Ninjutsu. Those with the same Chakra nature, gather together and use combined techniques!"

As the Third Hokage laid out his battle plan, the chaos eased slightly. Two figures flashed past, and Orochimaru and Tsunade appeared behind him.

Relief crossed the Third Hokage's face. "Tsunade, tend to the wounded and support our shinobi."

"Yes, teacher."

"Orochimaru, keep the two Tailed Beasts occupied. Everyone else, prepare to attack. Drive them out of the village and keep casualties to a minimum."

White smoke billowed across a clearing in Konoha. When it cleared, an enormous Katsuyu and three somewhat smaller Giant Snakes stood there.

Orochimaru could not yet summon Manda. Every time Manda fought, he demanded dozens, sometimes even hundreds, of lives as sacrifices. Orochimaru was cold-blooded, but he had not sunk that far.

Katsuyu's body began dividing. Smaller Katsuyu slithered through the ruins, treating the wounded one by one.

"Heh, finally! Now I can have some fun. Die, you little Ants—especially those little snakes! Air Bullet!" Shukaku's arrogant voice echoed through Konoha.

Several blasts of compressed air shot from Shukaku's mouth, sweeping across most of the area ahead, particularly the Giant Snakes Orochimaru had summoned.

Air Bullets exploded one after another across Konoha, shattering buildings wherever they struck.

The Five-Tails' tails lashed behind him. Every sweep brought down swathes of buildings, while black-and-red energy gathered in his mouth.

The Third Hokage's face changed. "Get clear of the front! That's a Tailed Beast Ball!"

BOOM! The Tailed Beast Ball hurtled forward, and a vast stretch of buildings collapsed in an instant.

The Third Hokage formed hand seals. White smoke flashed, and a