It was not just the Allied Shinobi Forces who wanted to find out exactly what condition Shihōin Naraku was in. Madara Uchiha wanted to know as well.
Only after confirming his opponent's condition could he decide what to do next.
And he had chosen Tsunade as his test!
"Let me take a good look at what unexpected trouble Shihōin Naraku has run into!"
Madara watched Tsunade rapidly retreat, his Mangekyō Sharingan narrowing slightly.
Boom!
Suddenly, Susanoo raised the Hundred-Meter Longsword and brought it crashing down.
The earth shook violently, splitting into enormous fissures that spread in every direction.
The sand Gaara controlled and the Water Release Mei Terumi unleashed were utterly destroyed, just like that.
Jiraiya let out a long breath, his expression rather grim.
Standing on his shoulder, Sage Fukasaku said, "The enemy... Madara Uchiha doesn't seem inclined to let us rescue the First and Second Hokage easily."
"Of course not," Sage Shima remarked from the other side. "The First Hokage and Second Hokage are powerful enough to keep Madara occupied. Of course he won't just let us rescue them!"
Jiraiya sighed. "We should have fought Madara with the First and Second at the center of our formation."
"Who could have expected the enemy to go straight for the two Lords Hokage, taking injuries just to seal them away?"
"There's no use talking about that now," Sage Fukasaku said. "Let's figure out how to keep him occupied first, then find a way to rescue the two Hokage."
Jiraiya frowned. That was all well and good, but Madara was watching them far too closely, giving them no openings at all.
And besides...
"There's something strange about the Black Rods stuck in the two Lords Hokage. I remember reading intelligence about them before."
"They apparently disrupt or block a ninja's chakra.