Chapter 78: Sand's Decline
Nan had only just begun to show signs of faltering when the Third Hokage, watching from not far away, immediately took notice.
Yet Hiruzen felt no disappointment—on the contrary, he was quite relieved. The fact that Nan had the courage to stand against Pakura at all was already impressive. He had never expected the boy to actually defeat her.
Regardless of Nan's outcome, as long as Hiruzen and his two disciples could secure victory on their side, that alone would be enough to shift the tide of battle.
Nor did he suspect that Nan might be deliberately holding back. Nan's current level of strength already surprised him deeply. Originally, Hiruzen had only hoped that the boy could stall Pakura long enough to steady Konoha's morale. That Nan had dragged things out to this extent was far beyond his expectations.
Thanks to Nan's efforts, Hiruzen and his disciples were able to fight their own opponents without interference.
With their overwhelming edge in both skill and experience, the three Konoha elites pressed their advantage. The Sand's three top fighters were edging ever closer to defeat.
Seeing Nan's side struggling to hold out, the Third Hokage realized it was time to accelerate the endgame.
He discreetly signaled to Jiraiya and Orochimaru—finish your opponents quickly.
Jiraiya struck first. His foe, Elder Chiyo's brother Ebizō, had already been pushed to his limits. Though cunning enough to survive a few exchanges, his aging body and inferior strength left him increasingly hard-pressed. Each clash revealed the widening gulf between them.
Now, with his master's signal received, Jiraiya seized upon the brief opening when Ebizō faltered. Forming a quick seal, he slammed his palm onto the ground.
Bang!
A massive cloud of smoke erupted, and when it cleared, an enormous toad loomed over the battlefield. Towering dozens of meters high, its sheer size reduced the surrounding shinobi—Konoha and Sand alike—to mere insects scrambling beneath its shadow.
The toad was dressed in a yakuza-style kimono, a pipe clenched in its mouth, and a short blade strapped across its back.
It was none other than Gamabunta, boss of the toads of Mount Myōboku—Jiraiya's mightiest summon aside from the Great Toad Sage himself.
As Gamabunta appeared, Jiraiya leapt gracefully onto his head.
"Been a while, Bunta," he greeted, as casually as if he'd just met an old drinking buddy.
The giant toad rolled one massive eye upward to glance at the white-haired man perched above him.
"Oh, it's you, Jiraiya. What kind of enemy made you drag me out this time?"
His gaze shifted toward the battlefield, locking onto Ebizō, who was staring up at him in tense silence.
Gamabunta gave a derisive snort.
"This frail old man? You've gone soft. You needed me for this?"
Jiraiya, long accustomed to Gamabunta's gruff manner, didn't bother to argue. He simply explained, "Don't underestimate him. Ebizō's one of Sunagakure's strongest. I need you here to wrap this up quickly. Let's end it in one strike."
"Gamayu Endan!"
With a battle-hardened synchronicity that required no words, Jiraiya and Gamabunta unleashed their deadliest joint technique.
Jiraiya spewed forth a roaring stream of fire, while Gamabunta vomited torrents of viscous, highly flammable oil unique to Mount Myōboku.
The instant flames and oil converged, a colossal inferno surged forth, a towering pillar of fire aimed directly at Ebizō.
The toad oil not only amplified Jiraiya's Fire Release but also carried with it dense natural energy, giving the technique a Sage Art quality. Its destructive power was overwhelming.
The blazing torrent struck before Ebizō could evade, detonating into a sea of flames that washed across the battlefield. When the firestorm finally subsided, the ground lay charred black, reduced to scorched earth. At the center remained only a smoldering, half-incinerated husk.
But Ebizō was not so easily defeated. Gasping heavily, he emerged from another position nearby.
As one of Sunagakure's foremost strategists, he knew full well that Jiraiya's most dangerous asset was his toad summons. From the moment Gamabunta appeared, Ebizō had been on high alert.
A master puppeteer, Ebizō controlled three specially crafted puppets of his own design. Though they could not rival his sister Chiyo's legendary Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, they were nonetheless formidable.
The one Jiraiya had been fighting, the "Ebizo" standing before him, had in fact only been a puppet. All the while, Ebizō's true body had remained hidden underground, cloaked by Earth Release, manipulating the battle from safety.
Yet the sheer destructive scale of Gamayu Endan left him no place to hide. The flames obliterated his puppet, seared the earth, and forced him out of concealment.
Jiraiya smiled faintly as he spotted Ebizō finally surface—just as he'd expected.
A veteran shinobi like him could easily tell that the opponent he'd been trading blows with wasn't flesh and blood. The massive fire-oil combo had been designed precisely to flush out the real Ebizō.
And now, with one puppet destroyed and the others damaged, bringing down the true body would be child's play.
---
Meanwhile, on Orochimaru's side, the battle with Chiyo unfolded grimly.
Though once a legendary kunoichi, Chiyo was nearly sixty years old now. The decline of age weighed heavily on her—especially as a woman whose body no longer had the endurance it once did. Her strength was a shadow of what it had been during the Second Great Ninja War.
Orochimaru, by contrast, was in his prime. Barely past thirty, he possessed both experience and vigor, his arsenal of jutsu as eerie as it was lethal.
At first, the two fought evenly. But as the minutes dragged on, Chiyo's stamina waned. Her breathing grew ragged, her movements a fraction slower. Orochimaru's advantage grew sharper with every passing exchange.
Merciless as ever, he pressed the offensive without hesitation, exploiting every crack in her defenses.
Chiyo relied on her puppets to make up for her failing body. The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets, heirlooms of the first puppet master, shielded her from Orochimaru's relentless assault. Shifting from offense to defense, she barely managed to hold her ground.
But even so, Orochimaru noticed her hands—once precise and fluid—beginning to falter. The puppets' coordination grew sloppy, their formations leaving openings. It would not be long before she broke.
---
Elsewhere, Jiraiya's summoning of Gamabunta and the devastating strike against Ebizō had electrified the battlefield.
"Konoha's winning! Look—the Hokage-sama and his team are about to defeat the Kazekage himself! Everyone, forward! Victory is ours!"
A rallying cry rose among the Leaf shinobi, their morale surging. They charged together in a fierce wave, driving the Sand forces backward in disarray.
The sheer intimidation of Gamabunta's towering presence, coupled with the visible decline of Sunagakure's leaders, shattered the Sand's fighting spirit.
Hiruzen Sarutobi fixed his gaze on Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, and sneered.
"Looks like you're about to lose. Well, Kazekage-dono—do you have any trump cards left? If so, you'd best use them now… or it will be too late."
Rasa's expression tightened. He knew Hiruzen was right. Between himself and his dwindling forces, there was no salvaging the battle through conventional means.
Which left him with only one option. Risky, yes—but the only chance left.
After weighing the consequences, Rasa gave the order. A coded signal flashed to the rear guard.
The Sand's sealing squad, who had been monitoring and containing the One-Tail's jinchūriki, began moving toward the front lines.
Bunpuku, the elderly monk who bore Shukaku within him, walked at their center.
Seeing this, Bunpuku sighed softly, a note of resignation in his voice.
"So… it has come to this, after all."
From his concealed vantage point, Nan also noticed the Sand's shifting formation. His eyes narrowed.
So they're finally bringing out Shukaku. Then it's time for me to act as well.