Just as Orochimaru prepared to intervene and stop Kumogakure from capturing the Tailed Beast, a figure watched the Cloud shinobi fight from near the battlefield.
Half his hair was black and half was white. He looked drained, as though he had suffered no end of mental torment.
He was waiting for the Konoha shinobi who had infiltrated the village to make a move—whether Orochimaru or someone else.
The Two-Tails roared at the sky, but the surrounding lightning pillars continued to discharge. The numbing current pinned it firmly in place.
The Sealing Formation on the ground was complete. Chains extended from it and bound the Two-Tails' entire body.
The Thirty-Two Lightning Pillars kept discharging. Each time one set finished, new pillars rose to take its place.
Just then, a Cloud shinobi in the field bit his finger and used the Summoning Technique.
Three giant snakes appeared in the field once more and charged straight into the Sealing Formation. Their massive tails swept across it, tearing the newly completed formation apart.
The three giant snakes slithered rapidly, ignoring the shinobi attacking them. With a roll, they toppled the Thirty-Two Lightning Pillars one after another.
Then they turned toward the surrounding buildings, winding through them and smashing them apart.
Civilians who had not escaped screamed. Many were crushed beneath the giant snakes as they slithered past, their bones broken and their lives cut short.
The tormented Two-Tails let out a roar.
It charged forward as black-red energy gathered in its mouth, then spat out a massive Tailed Beast Ball.
A huge trench cut through the heart of Kumogakure, as stark as a line of ink drawn across the middle of a painting.
"Seal off the Tailed Beast and the three giant snakes! We cannot let Orochimaru escape again!"
The Cloud shinobi sprang into