The battle between the Konoha ninja and the Iwagakure ninja began once again. Ever since the Iwagakure ninja had gradually adapted to the Explosive Cannons' bombardment, each battle had dragged on longer than the last. Neither side could defeat the other easily.
At first, the Konoha ninja still held a considerable advantage. But once Ōnoki, Roshi, and Han—three ninja whose power far exceeded the norm—entered the fray, things began to change. The Hokage could handle Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, but few could contend with the other two Jinchūriki.
Roshi and Han were both Jinchūriki capable of using part of their Tailed Beasts' power. Although they fell short of being perfect Jinchūriki, they were still beyond what ordinary humans could handle.
In later years, only the S-rank missing-nin gathered in Akatsuki, some of the strongest ninja in the entire shinobi world, could take on these Jinchūriki alone. Even they sometimes had to rely on specific counters, a testament to the Jinchūriki's formidable strength.
Otherwise, Jinchūriki could never have become a shinobi village's ultimate weapon. Though they had not become a collective force that kept the Five Great Nations in check as Hashirama Senju had envisioned, they had nevertheless become one of the most powerful assets on the battlefield.
As soon as the battle began, the Konoha ninja swiftly brought out their Explosive Cannons, sending a dense barrage of "ammunition" pouring toward the Iwagakure ninja. Already prepared, the Iwagakure ninja used Earth Release to build trenches and other fortifications to withstand the bombardment. At the same time, they channeled earth nature chakra underground into the Konoha Ninja Village's positions, intending to overturn them in one stroke.
However, the sensory ninja of the Konoha Ninja Forces detected it first and ordered the others to throw ninja tools based on Lightning Explosive Tags into the