"Boom!"
A violent explosion suddenly erupted on the left side of Shimoku and his two companions—the position where the Sunagakure forces were stationed.
From afar,
a giant brown raccoon dog suddenly rose into the air.
There was no doubt about it—Shukaku, the One-Tail, had gone berserk.
Moreover, one could vaguely see
tiny figures surrounding Shukaku, launching frenzied attacks at him.
And large numbers of White Zetsu soldiers were entangled in battle with the Sunagakure ninja.
Shimoku: "Looks like they've already started fighting."
Konan: "Can we make our move now?"
"Has Black Zetsu entered yet?"
"Not seeing him..."
"Then there's no rush. Let's wait a bit longer. Besides, Konoha hasn't acted either. We can watch the situation unfold a little more."
Shimoku spoke unhurriedly.
Konoha's "shut the gate and beat the dog" strategy—a tactic meaning to lure enemies in before attacking—had barely let the vicious hound Akatsuki inside.
They hadn't even properly exerted their strength yet.
The Konoha forces hadn't even appeared on the battlefield.
If they wanted to reap the benefits of this fight, they should wait until the beast was already dying anyway.
Jumping out too early...
could result in a painful bite.
It would be far better to sit back and watch them wear each other down.
Of course, it'd be better if they could observe while staying relatively close.
...
Akatsuki's attack was fierce.
Far fiercer than Sunagakure had anticipated.
Kakuzu had split into four masked clones, working together with his real body to pin down Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage.
Rasa's [Magnet Release: Gold Dust Jutsu] was indeed formidable.
It was even powerful enough to suppress the rampaging One-Tail.
However, Kakuzu's immortal physical form was simply too bizarre,
making him an extreme headache for ninja facing him for the first time.
Thus, he successfully held back Raikage Rasa.
Meanwhile, the newly joined Akatsuki member Shimon Hiruko
was attacking the out-of-control One-Tail alongside Maki White Zetsu.
Shimon Hiruko, who had absorbed four Kekkei Genkai, possessed overall strength absolutely not inferior to that of ordinary Kage-level fighters.
Moreover, since Maki White Zetsu had attached itself to his body, his power was significantly enhanced.
He could now unleash force approaching the peak of Kage-tier strength,
even subtly suppressing Shukaku, the One-Tail.
After all, the currently rampaging One-Tail couldn't compare to a perfect jinchuriki.
It couldn't display its full power, much less exceed the might of a tailed beast.
That's why it was at a disadvantage.
But most importantly, there were also massive reinforcements from the White Zetsu Army around.
Over a thousand White Zetsus.
On average, ten Zetsus surrounded every Sand ninja.
This greatly hindered these hundreds of Sunagakure ninjas, making it difficult for them to reinforce their Kazekage and the tailed beast.
Otherwise, Kakuzu and Shimon Hiruko wouldn't have stood a chance at solo combat.
They'd have been swarmed and beaten to death by hordes of Sunagakure ninjas long ago.
Indeed, before reaching the level of surpassing Kage-tier,
ordinary Kage-level individuals could still be overwhelmed numerically.
Just like the Third Raikage once was.
However, such a strategy came at an enormous cost, so few great hidden villages were willing to go through with it.
Clearly, the White Zetsu Army was extremely valuable in battles like this.
Nearby, a certain Run Tu wearing a mask stood atop a ruined tower,
overlooking the entire battlefield and ready to intervene at any moment.
This forced Kazekage Rasa below to divide his focus and remain alert, preventing him from going all out.
Bottom line:
At this moment, Akatsuki clearly held the upper hand, completely suppressing the shinobi of Sunagakure.
...
The battle raged on as both sides fought with everything they had.
Over twenty Sand ninja had already fallen, and White Zetsu's body count had surpassed two hundred...
Two of Kakuzu's Heart Clones had also been blown up.
Now he only had three lives left.
As for Shimon Hiruko, he'd paid the price of one arm.
Finally, they succeeded in weakening One-Tail Shukaku enough to force it back into its jinchuriki form.
Looking at Gaara—who had now reverted to human form and lay unconscious on the ground—
Shimon Hiruko finally exhaled in relief.
He allowed Maki White Zetsu to peel away from his body.
"That was close! I didn't expect the One-Tail to be so troublesome…"
"You've got a great body. I really like it."
"Next time—if there is one—I'll ride you again!"
Maki White Zetsu left behind some flesh to stop the bleeding on Shimon's right arm and couldn't help but praise him.
You'd think he was still wanting more.
"Cough—"
Spitting out half a mouthful of blood, Shimon replied harshly.
"Shut up! Just keep your promise to me!"
If not for personal gain, why would he risk his life for Akatsuki?
The cost he'd paid this time had been enormous.
He could only hope these bastards in Akatsuki would keep their word.
And bring him a Uchiha ninja with the Sharingan!
"Stop chatting. Hurry and retrieve the Jinchuriki!"
Black Zetsu suddenly emerged from somewhere, urging coldly.
Afraid that delay might lead to complications.
"Tch! So boring."
Grumbling under his breath, Maki White Zetsu reluctantly did as ordered.
He leaped straight toward Gaara.
His right hand transformed into vines, preparing to wrap around Gaara and take him away.
"Gaara!"
Yashamaru roared and charged desperately toward Gaara.
Unfortunately, he remained trapped by countless White Zetsus and couldn't break free.
Meanwhile, Kazekage Rasa, filled with anxiety, was also trying to rush over.
But he too was tightly restrained by Kakuzu and unable to rescue Gaara.
...
However, just as Maki White Zetsu was about to succeed—
Whoosh—
Four brilliant orange light pillars suddenly shot up around the battlefield.
Instantly sealing off the entire area.
"This is… a Barrier?"
"Not good!"
Startled, Maki White Zetsu hurried to accelerate, quickly wrapping himself around Gaara.
But at that very moment—
Swoosh—
A streak of brilliant white blade light flashed through the air in an instant, slicing through it.
With a single strike, it severed Maki White Zetsu's right hand, rescuing Gaara.
"This speed... this blade light..."
"The Legend of the White Fang?"
"Sakumo Hatake!"
Stunned, Maki White Zetsu looked closely.
Sure enough, a white-clad figure stood there, wielding the famous Tanto "White Fang," blocking before Gaara.
"This is impossible! This guy was long dead?"
"Wait, those black eyes... what is this?"
"An Impure World body?"
"Did Konoha resurrect him using the Impure World Technique?"
Maki White Zetsu, being well-informed, immediately guessed the truth.
Meanwhile, with the appearance of Sakumo Hatake,
Inside the barrier on the right side of the battlefield,
A large group of Konoha ninja also appeared.
They held hands, connected to each other.
And standing at the very front was Tobirama Senju.
Obviously, it was he who brought the Konoha reinforcements here using the [Flying Thunder God Technique].
At the same time, the barrier wrapped around the battlefield's exterior had also been secretly set up by Konoha ninja.
It was clear now.
The reason Sunagakure was barely holding out was to buy time for Konoha.
To set up barriers and relocate forces.
This way, they could cut off Akatsuki Organization's retreat path and wipe them all out!
Moreover, to reinforce their own high-level combat strength,
Tobirama had quietly summoned famous Kage-level powerhouses like the Legend of the White Fang using the Impure World Technique.
All to capture every single member of Akatsuki here!
In an instant, with the arrival of reinforcements,
The battle situation completely flipped.
The Akatsuki members were suddenly on the ropes.
...
"Damn it! We really fell into a trap!"
"Retreat quickly!"
Shimon Hiruko's expression shifted instantly.
If at full strength, he could have tangled with Konoha for a while.
But now, already missing his right arm and drained of energy,
How could he possibly be their match?
If he stuck around any longer, he was a goner!
Before even thinking about whether he could escape this barrier,
The moment he considered retreating,
A sharp white bolt of lightning slashed down from the sky before him, directly aiming for his head.
It cut through the air with terrifying precision — bone-chilling and razor-sharp.
The Legend of the White Fang truly lived up to his reputation!
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