One-Tail Jinchuriki

The Water Style unit moved out, demolishing the Sand and Earth City Wall. Joining forces with the Earth Style unit, they enhanced the power of Earth River Flow. The close-combat troops followed close behind, launching a charge that swept through the Sunagakure camp in one stroke.

As sand and earth mixed with water, they instantly became several times heavier, making it several times more difficult for Karura to control the sand. In the end, it was destroyed by the mudslide, which also washed away the Gold Dust wall at the rear.

Fortunately, Rasa and Karura still managed to hold back most of the Konoha Ninja's initial offensive.

However, all the traps and fortifications Sunagakure had set up were destroyed.

Next, it was time to engage the Konoha Ninja in close quarters.

"Jiraiya, Tsunade, let's go!"

Orochimaru looked at the Sunagakure Ninja waiting in strict formation ahead, called to his two companions, and charged out at the forefront.

"Magnet Release: Gold Dust!"

Facing the massive wave of Konoha Ninja surging toward him, Rasa raised a hand and sent out a vast cloud of Gold Dust, which transformed into sharp, pointed spikes.

"Summoning: Triple Rashomon!"

Orochimaru's cold, snake-like golden vertical pupils had been watching Sunagakure's most threatening ninja all along. He immediately summoned three Rashomon gates to block Rasa's attack.

Seeing this, Karura, standing beside Rasa, likewise summoned a huge mass of sand.

"Secret Technique: Sand Binding Burial!"

Countless grains of sand and earth transformed into sand snakes, writhing through the air as they flew toward Orochimaru.

Yet they were suddenly scattered by long strands woven from white hair.

"Hehe, pretty little Sunagakure girl, I'm your opponent~"

Jiraiya's glib voice rang out as he blocked Karura's attack.

"Boom!"

Tsunade smashed the ground apart with one punch, creating a huge crater as she looked toward Chiyo, who was charging at her while controlling puppets.

"Senior Kōtō, let's go!"

Dan Katō called out to Kiyomi Kōtō beside him. The two jonin joined forces, becoming the spearhead of the Konoha Ninja formation as they charged into the Sunagakure camp.

For a time, the battlefield shook with earth-shattering momentum.

Shuriken flew everywhere alongside ninjutsu, while battle cries mingled with ceaseless explosions.

A war involving thousands, nearly ten thousand people!

And this was a battle between ninja who wielded extraordinary powers, including powerful figures such as the Sannin and Chiyo, who stood near the top of the Ninja World's pyramid.

Anyone who witnessed such a sight for the first time would never forget it for the rest of their life.

"Gulp."

Meikyō clearly heard Inuzuka Ryo swallow beside him.

Honestly, a squad with a lineup like theirs could probably only barely protect themselves on this battlefield—and that was if they prayed they would not run into enemy jonin.

They might seem fairly strong now, but they were merely a reasonably well-equipped chunin squad. Across the entire battlefield, there were no telling how many teams like theirs.

Still, Meikyō did not belittle himself. At their current age, possessing such strength meant that, as long as they developed steadily from here on, they could at least become Special Jonin with some standing in the village. And if they maintained this rapid rate of progress, Meikyō felt that both his teammates could basically become the village's jonin before reaching adulthood.

But that was only if they survived.

As time passed, the Konoha Ninja, led by Dan Katō and Kiyomi Kōtō, advanced with unstoppable momentum.

But Sunagakure was not lacking in capable fighters either. Several powerful jonin appeared one after another, stopping Dan Katō and Kiyomi Kōtō.

Even so, Konoha still held a firm advantage in the battle.

Meanwhile, behind the Sunagakure camp.

Inside a room located at its deepest point.

A Monk with a long beard sat peacefully in meditation, rolling prayer beads between his fingers as he continuously chanted sutras.

He was praying for the young people of Sunagakure who had died in this war.

Suddenly, the heavy iron door was pushed open, revealing a Sunagakure Ninja wearing a white headscarf.

"Old Monk, it's time for you to take the field."

"Amitabha!"

Bunpuku uttered a Buddhist invocation and walked out with a hunched back.

Very soon, an earth-shaking roar suddenly rang out across the battlefield.

What appeared before the Konoha Ninja was a fat yellow Raccoon Dog covered in blue-purple markings.

However, this fat Raccoon Dog was absurdly enormous, as huge as a small mountain.

"Damn it, it's the One-Tail!"

Orochimaru's face darkened. He then bit his thumb and formed hand seals with both hands.

"Summoning!"

A cloud of white smoke rose, and a massive Giant Purple Snake appeared at once, coiling around Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru, this time I'm going to..."

"Shut up. Once we win, you can eat as many Sand Ninja on the battlefield as you want!"

Rasa gritted his teeth and silently increased his Chakra output, further controlling the gold dust as he desperately held Orochimaru back.

"I absolutely won't let you pass!"

Rasa stared resolutely at Orochimaru, whose expression was frighteningly grim.

"Sooner or later, I'll kill you!"

Orochimaru licked his lips and replied with killing intent.

Unfortunately, although Rasa was somewhat weaker than him, the gold dust controlled by his Magnet Release was everywhere. Even while being suppressed by Orochimaru, it clung tightly to him, preventing Orochimaru from attacking the One-Tail.

Orochimaru might not have had a free hand at the moment, but that did not mean Konoha had no one else capable of dealing with the One-Tail.

"Summoning Technique!"

With a bang, an enormous Red Toad appeared in the middle of the battlefield.

Jiraiya stood atop Gamabunta's head, directing him as he charged toward the One-Tail.

Meanwhile, Karura was intercepted by the promptly arriving Kiyomi Kōtō and Dan Katō.

"It seems Sunagakure's trump card is the One-Tail."

The Nara Elder, who was coordinating the battlefield alongside the Yamanaka Elder, assessed the situation before him and reached that conclusion.

However, he still had no intention of deploying the Reserve Force.

Sunagakure had only just sent out the One-Tail, yet Jiraiya had already stopped it. The battle was still not clear enough.

Judging from the current situation, with several powerful fighters holding the line, Konoha would not fall into a disadvantage. But if the battlefield reached a stalemate, that would be the moment for the Reserve Force to emerge and settle everything with a decisive blow.

Just then, another sudden change occurred on the battlefield.

A thick green mist had somehow spread through the field, leaving many fighting Konoha Ninja dizzy and weak. Quite a few were killed by the enemy during that time.

These Sand Ninja had taken antidotes before the battle began.

"Is this... poison?"

Tsunade flashed aside to evade an attack from the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, then precisely used the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique to remove Chiyo's poison from her body.

"To ensure it could be used over a wide area on the battlefield and keep costs down, they used this kind of nonlethal poison. Still, it really could have a considerable effect on the course of the battle."