Rasa, who had been watching the battle from the rear, noticed Chiyo's defeat, but he could do nothing to reinforce her. The Third Hokage's faint killing intent had already locked onto him.
Rasa was certain that the moment he moved to help, the Third Hokage would strike him with a fatal blow.
By now, Rasa had awakened from his dream of destroying Konoha. The deaths of so many Puppeteers had brought him to his senses. Sunagakure's two commanders, himself and Chiyo, had both defied their original strategic objectives-one eager to earn merit, the other desperate for revenge-and chosen to launch an all-out assault on Konoha. At this point, both sides had suffered heavy losses without gaining anything, and Sunagakure's losses were even greater.
But they had already come this far. No matter what, he had to give it a shot.
Rasa roared, "Shukaku of the Sand, come out!"
With his furious roar, the One-Tail, Shukaku, appeared once more. Able to reveal his entire body, he let out an exuberant roar, sending waves of air surging toward Konoha. The surrounding trees were blown crooked and toppled, and his enormous body drew the Konoha Ninjas' attention.
"Is that... a Tailed Beast?"
"Damn it, Sunagakure even brought the ultimate weapon of war."
"No matter what, we can't let that monster into the village."
Barely had they finished speaking when several transparent barriers rose out of thin air around Shukaku. The Third Hokage, who had remained hidden all this time, finally appeared. As his hands formed hand seals, a dazzling light flashed within the barriers.
Gradually, the light faded. Shukaku, who had looked so imposing moments before, vanished into thin air. At the same time, the Third Hokage also disappeared.
Just as Anyo had guessed, the Third Hokage had long since set up multiple