BOOM!
ROAR!
The hand seals of all three sage combatants completed almost simultaneously, creating a devastating combination technique that had been refined through decades of practice. A powerful wind vortex erupted from Fukasaku Sage's mouth while Jiraiya expelled massive quantities of oil, and finally, the flames breathed forth by Shima Sage ignited the mixture with explosive amplification.
"Sage Art: Goemon!"
WHOOSH!
The raging inferno spread with terrifying speed, its intensity growing exponentially as the three components merged into a conflagration powerful enough to completely engulf the colossal eight-headed serpent.
Under the assault of such overwhelming flames, even Orochimaru's legendary Yamata no Jutsu temporarily lost its offensive capabilities, the coordinated attack that had been building toward Jiraiya coming to an abrupt and painful halt.
The massive body began writhing desperately within the firelight, producing hoarse, agonized wailing sounds that echoed across the battlefield as the flames consumed its form.
No matter how advanced Orochimaru's ninjutsu mastery had become over the years, the giant serpent created through his Eight Branches Technique remained fundamentally similar to creatures found in nature.
Snakes were cold-blooded animals by their very essence, making fire release techniques their most devastating natural weakness—a biological vulnerability that even Orochimaru's modifications couldn't completely overcome.
The flames ceased their expansion only after completely devouring the eight-headed serpent, having achieved their intended purpose with surgical precision.
While the appearance of the colossal creature had already caused significant damage to the surrounding buildings and infrastructure, Jiraiya had carefully controlled the fire's spread to prevent even greater destruction to the village he was sworn to protect.
Ring! Ring!
High above the battlefield, a pale white light began gathering ominously in the palms of the Second Tsuchikage Mu, the energy condensing into what promised to be a devastating Dust Release technique.
However, before the reanimated Kage could complete his preparation of the deadly jutsu, golden chains shot through the air like a metallic net, seeking to disrupt his concentration and prevent the attack's completion.
The Second Tsuchikage had been the teacher and mentor of the current Third Tsuchikage, and the Dust Release techniques that Onoki wielded with such devastating effect had originally been passed down from this legendary predecessor.
Dust Release was indeed one of the most troublesome and feared techniques in the shinobi world, capable of disintegrating matter at the molecular level. However, it possessed a critical weakness during its execution phase—the extended time required for proper chakra concentration and formation.
This preparation period provided just enough opportunity for Kushina to gather her own offensive forces and launch a disruptive counterattack before the technique could be completed.
With the tremendous boost provided by the Nine-Tails' chakra flowing through her body, Kushina's speed had reached truly astonishing levels, making her nearly impossible for the Dust Release attack to accurately target even if it were successfully completed.
Back at the center of the main battlefield, the flames that had enveloped the eight-headed serpent finally began to dissipate slowly, revealing the aftermath of the devastating sage technique.
The giant snake, which had originally gleamed with pristine white scales, was now completely charred and blackened, with wisps of smoke rising from its motionless form like incense offerings.
Crack.
Jiraiya was studying the apparently defeated creature when a crisp sound reached his ears—the distinctive noise of something hard breaking apart.
Before his eyes, the charred and damaged scales covering the eight-headed serpent began falling away like pieces of a broken shell, revealing what lay beneath.
"Molting..." Fukasaku Sage murmured with a mixture of admiration and concern. Snakes were notoriously tenacious creatures under the best of circumstances, and Orochimaru's enhanced Eight Branches Technique had taken that natural resilience to supernatural extremes.
As the last of the burned scales fell away, they revealed an eight-headed serpent with skin that still bore a slightly reddish hue from the recent flames. The creature's entire body glistened with a transparent, viscous liquid that made its appearance both disturbing and somehow more threatening than before.
From within the mouth of the central serpent head, Orochimaru's human form emerged, his tongue flicking out to lick his lips in a gesture that was both nervous and predatory. His serpentine eyes blazed with renewed viciousness and barely contained fury.
The realization that Jiraiya had mastered sage techniques that remained beyond his own capabilities, combined with the support of the two Great Sage Toads, meant that even his most powerful Eight Branches Technique was insufficient to gain any meaningful advantage in this confrontation.
Swish!
Just as Orochimaru was considering his increasingly limited options, Jiraiya suddenly launched himself forward, appearing directly in front of his former teammate with sage-enhanced speed.
CRACK!
Jiraiya's fist shot forward with tremendous force, and although Orochimaru attempted to mount a defense, the attack's true power manifested before physical contact was even made.
An invisible wave of natural energy preceded the actual punch, striking Orochimaru's body with crushing force that sent shockwaves through his enhanced form.
"An attack utilizing pure natural energy..." Orochimaru snarled through gritted teeth as his main body absorbed the impact and the eight-headed serpent was forced to retreat several steps, the ground cracking beneath its massive weight.
The expression on Orochimaru's pale, twisted features became increasingly ugly as he comprehended the full extent of the disadvantage he was facing.
Observing this exchange from his position nearby, Kisame's gradually grew more solemn as he witnessed Orochimaru's obvious struggles against his legendary opponent.
Clang!
Despite his growing concerns about the overall battle situation, Kisame had no choice but to continue defending against the relentless physical attacks being launched by the Third Hokage's monkey companion, Enma.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha's intelligence division had already thoroughly analyzed the capabilities of all seven legendary swords belonging to the Hidden Mist Village.
Samehada's primary strength lay in its ability to devour chakra and ninjutsu techniques, using absorbed energy to continuously enhance its own power and that of its wielder.
However, as a professor of ninjutsu who had earned his reputation through comprehensive mastery, the Third Hokage was proficient in far more than just chakra-based techniques and secret arts.
Working in perfect coordination with Enma, Hiruzen's taijutsu skills were formidable enough to pose a serious threat, and the monkey summon's own natural strength meant that Kisame couldn't afford to meet their attacks head-on, even with Samehada's assistance.
Combined with the Third Hokage's decades of combat experience that even someone of Kisame's caliber couldn't match, the situation had become extremely difficult for the Akatsuki member, forcing him into an increasingly passive defensive position.
The water technique competition between Nawaki and the Second Mizukage continued to rage with undiminished intensity, both combatants appearing almost evenly matched as massive torrents of water clashed repeatedly across their section of the battlefield.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
In front of the Hokage building, facing the overwhelming assault of more than a hundred puppets, even someone of Hatake Sakumo's legendary status couldn't afford to engage them in direct frontal combat.
However, his figure continued to flash and weave between the attacks with incredible precision, making it impossible for Sasori's puppet army to pin him down long enough to deliver a decisive blow.
As lightning chakra surged through his blade, Sakumo crushed another puppet to scattered pieces with surgical efficiency.
Sasori's innovation of simultaneously manipulating hundreds of puppets was indeed a revolutionary advancement that completely subverted traditional puppetry concepts and limitations. However, the need to control such an enormous number of constructs simultaneously meant that the individual strength and coordination of each puppet was significantly reduced compared to a smaller, more focused formation.
This type of overwhelming numerical assault might prove devastatingly effective against ordinary shinobi who could be easily overwhelmed, but it was far less successful against someone of the White Fang's caliber and experience.
Sakumo only needed to remain constantly aware of the various poisons coating the weapons that each puppet wielded. As long as he maintained proper caution regarding those toxic threats, Sasori found himself unable to land any meaningful attacks despite his numerical advantage.
CRASH!
Under Tsunade's extraordinary physical strength, Konan's paper-based attacks were being systematically destroyed through the most brutally direct methods possible.
Konan, suspended in mid-air above the battlefield, looked down at Tsunade with growing pallor and frustration. From the very beginning of their confrontation, no matter what type of injuries the legendary Sannin sustained, she had demonstrated the ability to recover with supernatural speed and completeness.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Tsunade's hands moved through a new set of seals as she employed water-style ninjutsu to diversify her assault options. While her water dragon technique wasn't quite as powerful or refined as Nawaki's version, it still packed considerable destructive force.
As one of the three legendary Sannin and a direct disciple of the Third Hokage, Tsunade's capabilities certainly extended far beyond just superhuman strength and medical ninjutsu mastery.
Konan kept adjusting her aerial position desperately, but the succession of large-scale techniques being launched by her opponent had consumed the majority of her chakra reserves.
Although she still had White Zetsu's support providing some assistance, she felt completely helpless when facing the seemingly invincible Tsunade and her overwhelming combination of offensive power and regenerative abilities.
"Nagato..." Konan's brow furrowed with worry as her thoughts turned to her companion, but she truly couldn't extricate herself from this increasingly desperate situation.
"Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan Barrage!"
Like an attack descended from the very stars themselves, multiple massive spinning spheres of sage chakra enveloped the damaged Susanoo construct once again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The enormous amount of concentrated chakra shattered the armor plating on Susanoo's surface yet again, sending fragments of the ethereal construct scattering across the battlefield.
Within the protective shell of the damaged Susanoo, both the masked man and the man in black wore expressions of deepening frustration and growing desperation.
In terms of raw power and technique mastery, the black-clad figure was arguably stronger than his masked companion. However, Minato's Sage Mode granted him the ability to withstand even techniques like Shinra Tensei and Universal Pull that should have been overwhelming advantages.
Without any effective means of protecting himself from Minato's incredible speed while launching his own attacks, the black-clad figure found himself unable to mount any meaningful offense, forced to remain purely on the defensive and passively absorb punishment.
He had attempted to use the shared vision capabilities of his Rinnegan to track Minato's movements by summoning various creatures, but each summoned beast was instantly and severely injured by the Fourth Hokage before it could provide any useful intelligence.
With almost no viable options remaining to them, both figures accessed their connection to the White Zetsu network to gather intelligence about how other members of the Akatsuki organization were faring on their respective battlefields throughout the village.
The reports they received were uniformly discouraging—none of their allies were gaining any meaningful advantages against Konoha's elite shinobi forces.
The two exchanged a meaningful glance before turning their attention back to Minato, whose location remained impossible to predict or counter. The same thought occurred to both of them simultaneously, born from growing desperation and the recognition that their current approach was fundamentally flawed.
"We must find a way to obtain Namikaze Minato's blood as quickly as possible!"