Unlike the situation on Hiruzen Sarutobi's side, on the other side of the battlefield, several people were also engaged in fierce fighting, which was much more intense than the battle on Hiruzen Sarutobi's side.
It turns out that it was Sasuke and Naruto had separated from Gaara earlier to chase after Sasuke and the Hinata, along with Hinata who had come to protect them, though Hinata and Sasuke were unaware of this.
Sasuke and Hinata stared in terror at the enormous creature that had appeared before them. In their minds, shouldn't such a monster only exist in stories?
Indeed, what appeared before them was none other than One-Tail Shukaku. Gaara had used the Feigning Sleep Technique to fall into a deep sleep, allowing Shukaku a brief respite from the heat.
"Hehehe, finally out! I was about to suffocate in there."
Sasuke and Hinata stared at Shukaku, who was as big as a small mountain, and were momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Shukaku, of course, also noticed Hinata and Sasuke below. Gaara had already told him before he fainted to take down the black-haired kid below.
Although Shukaku found it troublesome, he still had to do what his Jinchūriki had ordered him to do, otherwise, who knew when he would be released like this again.
Without saying a word, Shukaku unleashed Ninjutsu at the two below.
Wind Release: Consecutive Sky Bullets.
Shukaku rapidly Hand Seals, releasing a massive gust of wind from its mouth, carrying Chakra and radiating a dangerous aura.
Yes, you read that right. Shukaku can Hand Seals to release Ninjutsu, and he is the only one among the Tailed Beast who can Hand Seals Ninjutsu. This is because the Sage of Six Paths was too biased when allocating Chakra, and our little Shukaku received the least amount of Chakra.
This is why Shukaku can Hand Seals to release Ninjutsu. There's no other way; he has too little Chakra and can only rely on technical skills. He simply can't compare to the Tailed Beast that rely on numerical strength.
Only Shukaku himself knew the bitterness and pain he had endured.
Faced with Shukaku's attack, Sasuke and Hinata were completely terrified. In their minds, shouldn't such a massive creature just pounce and kill them? What was the meaning of unleashing Ninjutsu right off the bat?
By the time they tried to dodge again, it was already too late.
Just as Shukaku's Ninjutsu was about to hit the two of them, a figure rushed out from the shadows and stood in front of them.
" Susanoo."
A red skeleton appeared, and flesh and skin quickly adhered to it with a thud.
Shukaku's Drilling Air Bullet collided with the huge red skeleton, only pushing it back a few inches before it could no longer budge it.
Upon seeing this, Shukaku's small eyes widened as he looked at Sasuke and Hinata, who were unharmed under Susanoo.
It turns out Itachi came to the rescue.
" Sasuke, are you alright?"
"Nissan? What brings you here?"
Itachi glanced at the two people in front of him, and only relaxed after making sure they were safe and sound.
"Alright, Sasuke, leave the rest to me."
Shukaku was still somewhat angry when he saw that his attack had been blocked, and he roared.
"Damn it, your eyes are so annoying, I'm going to kill you."
Shukaku's hand slammed down towards Itachi, but how could such an attack possibly break through Susanoo's defenses?
Sure enough, Shukaku saw Susanoo to dodge in time, Shukaku was caught off guard and took a huge hit.
The details dealt massive damage, Shukaku completely bewildered.
Had he just been beaten up? A surge of rage followed.
"Damn it, how dare you hit me! Get him!"
But such attacks were still too slow and couldn't hit Itachi at all.
At this moment, Gaara also noticed Shukaku's head like a dead dog. He narrowed his eyes and figured out something. It seemed that Shukaku was able to move because of the Jinchūriki's slumber.
In that case, Itachi began to gather Chakra.
Then he suddenly opened his Mangekyō Sharingan.
" Tsukuyomi "
Just as Shukaku was about to approach, he was hit by Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan's Tsukuyomi. In an instant, he felt dizzy and disoriented, and all the colors of the world around him disappeared. Shukaku couldn't find his way or where he was. He touched his head, and the sleeping Gaara had also disappeared.
"Damn it, where am Gaara? Where are you?"
This was the first time Shukaku couldn't sense Gaara's presence, and he panicked. He knew he was currently sealed inside Jinchūriki; if the Jinchūriki disappeared, was he going to die?
Shukaku panicked completely; he was terrified of dying.
After Itachi pulled Shukaku into the Tsukuyomi Space, he didn't waste Chakra to harm Shukaku. There was no need. He also realized that as long as Gaara, the Jinchūriki, was awakened, Shukaku would immediately disintegrate.
Outside the Tsukuyomi World, Shukaku stood frozen in place, as if someone had cast Body Binding Technique.
Itachi breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his Ninjutsu had worked.
He threw the Kunai in his hand, which stuck directly into Shukaku's head and Gaara's arm. The pain instantly woke Gaara up, and as he woke up, Shukaku beneath him also awoke from the Tsukuyomi Space.
"Damn it, no way! I just got out!"
As Gaara awakens, Shukaku's body begins to crumble inch by inch, slowly turning from its once solid form into yellow sand.
"No, I haven't..."
Gaara fell onto the sand, but before he could react, Itachi arrived and subdued him.
"Don't move around, little one, it might hurt a little now."
Before Gaara could say anything, Itachi struck him hard on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious. Gaara, who hadn't been awake for long, fell into a deep sleep once again.
Being young is great; you can fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow.
"Wow, Nii-san, that move you just used was so cool! When can I use it too?"
Itachi smiled and tapped Sasuke's forehead.
"Don't worry, Sasuke. Didn't Naruto say you'd awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan eventually?"
Afterwards, the group took Gaara to Konoha, unaware of Naruto's situation.
Elsewhere in Konoha, there were still giant pythons summoned by Orochimaru, and the Konoha ninjas were fighting them off until they heard this voice.
" The Toad Sage is merely a name concealed from the world. I, the White-Haired Toad Master, am invincible throughout the entire world, the Sannin Legendary Sannin..."
Then came a giant Toad, which was immediately suppressed by a huge python, eliciting cheers from the ninjas present.