Following the Third's orders, the Anbu team didn't pause for a moment, rushing out of the village toward the location where the elite ninja army was stationed.
Halfway there, they encountered the elite ninja army—or rather, what was left of it, more accurately described as a routed force.
"Am I seeing things?"
"How… how could this happen?"
"What in the world happened?!"
The Anbu exchanged stunned glances.
Before them stretched a scattered, disorganized formation spanning several miles, with every shinobi wounded and morale at an all-time low. This was nothing like the elite ninja army led by the four Kage they had envisioned.
Quickly, they stopped a dazed Hidden Leaf shinobi and asked, "What happened? Where are the four Kage? Where are Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya?"
The intercepted shinobi opened his mouth, his expression pained as he recounted the elite ninja army's ordeal.
It turned out that at the same time Hidden Leaf was under attack, the elite ninja army, stationed at a secret camp ready to support the village, was also ambushed.
The first to strike was the Path of Heaven.
Before the elite ninja army could react, he unleashed a single Super Almighty Push on their camp!
Though not as devastating as the Super Almighty Push that destroyed Hidden Leaf in the original timeline, it was enough to demolish the camp in an instant, leaving the elite ninja army, including the four Kage, reeling.
Then, the Akatsuki launched a full-scale assault.
Undoubtedly.
Whether it was the deliberate leak in the Land of Demons about the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki to lure the Kage away, or Moryo summoning the 'Death Legion' to attack Hidden Leaf, these were all Akatsuki's feints.
Their true objective was to draw out the elite forces of the Five Great Shinobi Villages and wipe them out in one fell swoop.
In Nagato's view, compared to the One-Tail, Seven-Tails, and Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—three underage Jinchuriki protected in Hidden Leaf—the real threats were the adult Jinchuriki: the Fourth Mizukage, a Three-Tails Jinchuriki, and Hidden Cloud's Two-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
These three Jinchuriki were all Kage-level, nearly impossible to handle without a surprise attack.
Thus, Nagato's plan was to lure out the main forces of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, along with the three adult Jinchuriki, and have Akatsuki's main force encircle them. Meanwhile, Hiruko and Ranmaru would infiltrate Hidden Leaf to abduct the three underage Jinchuriki.
The elite ninja army, struck by the Super Almighty Push, suffered significant casualties. However, this army was exceptionally skilled, with even the lowest members being Chunin, and it was formed specifically to combat Akatsuki. So, when faced with Akatsuki's full assault, the elite ninja army, under the command of the four Kage, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, immediately counterattacked.
A massive battle erupted!
At the start of the fight:
Jiraiya activated Sage Mode and took on the Path of Heaven directly, while Tsunade focused on healing those injured by the Super Almighty Push.
The four Kage worked in sync.
The Fourth Raikage, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer Bee, and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki Yugito Nii teamed up to confront Moryo and Shinno.
The Fourth Mizukage, alongside his guards Terumi Mei and Kisame Hoshigaki, targeted Itachi and Juzo Biwa.
The Fourth Kazekage went after Sasori.
The Third Tsuchikage faced Deidara.
Initially, each front held its own, with the overall situation in a stalemate. After all, both sides were among the strongest in the shinobi world. Winning a fight was one thing, but deciding life and death took time.
However, when the Six Paths of Pain joined the fray, Jiraiya was the first to struggle. Even in Sage Mode, he couldn't withstand all six paths attacking together.
In the fight against Moryo and Shinno, the Fourth Raikage, Killer Bee, and Yugito held the upper hand. Seeing Jiraiya struggling, the Fourth Raikage rushed to support him.
But the moment the Fourth Raikage left, Obito, who had been lurking in the shadows, struck. Using Kamui, he ambushed Yugito and threw her into the Kamui dimension.
From there, the situation rapidly deteriorated.
Sasori used his puppets to wound the Fourth Kazekage. Just as the Kazekage thought Sasori would resort to poison, Sasori had secretly collected his blood and passed it to Hidan, who was hiding nearby.
Having taken an antidote and preparing to continue fighting Sasori, the Fourth Kazekage suddenly dropped dead on the battlefield, killed inexplicably by Hidan's Death Controlling Possessed Blood!
Similarly, cornered by the Fourth Mizukage, Itachi was forced to use Amaterasu to protect himself. Caught off guard, the Fourth Mizukage was hit by Amaterasu and left on the brink of death by the time Terumi Mei and Kisame arrived to help.
Since both could fly, the Third Tsuchikage and Deidara's battle took place in the sky.
Facing his master, who wielded Dust Release and had far more combat experience, Deidara, Hidden Rock's genius, was thoroughly outmatched.
However, Deidara's mobility was exceptional, making it hard for even the Third Tsuchikage to take him down quickly.
Seeing the dire situation below, the Third Tsuchikage abandoned pursuing Deidara to support the ground battle.
The experienced Tsuchikage didn't rush in blindly. Instead, he used his high-altitude vantage point to carefully assess the situation.
Soon, he identified the key to breaking the deadlock: the Preta Path, which could absorb ninjutsu and neutralize Jiraiya's techniques. Hiding in the Six Paths' blind spot, he launched a surprise Dust Release attack, instantly reducing the Preta Path, which couldn't activate its dojutsu in time, to a molecular state.
Without the troublesome Preta Path, the Third Tsuchikage used Dust Release to turn the Human Path and Naraka Path to ash.
But on the elite ninja army's side, the Fourth Kazekage was dead, the Fourth Mizukage was critically injured, and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki was captured, leaving the battle unsustainable. Meanwhile, Akatsuki's Path of Heaven remained formidable, and the giant summoned beasts of the Animal Path rampaged across the battlefield, reaping the lives of the Five Great Shinobi Villages' ninja.
Thus, the elite ninja army was forced to retreat.
Hidden Mist's ninja were the first to withdraw, with Kisame single-handedly holding off Kakuzu to cover Terumi Mei as she carried the gravely injured Fourth Mizukage out of the battlefield.
Under Chiyo's command, Hidden Sand's forces followed suit and withdrew.
Hidden Leaf, Hidden Rock, and Hidden Cloud—the strongest of the group—covered the rear and were the last to retreat.
Though sporadic fighting continued along the way, both sides had suffered heavy losses in the initial battle. With the Third Tsuchikage's Dust Release proving too intimidating—having taken out half of the Six Paths of Pain—Akatsuki didn't press too aggressively. Thus, the two sides gradually disengaged.