Was that it?
Maki froze for a moment. He really couldn't figure out what this young man had actually done after having him bring Gaara all the way out here.
"Sir, about us Sand and the Mist…"
Snapping out of it, Maki hurried to speak, but before he could finish, Yuto waved his hand and cut him off.
"You're smart enough to know your place. So from here on, if you Sand want to get involved, you can. If you don't, then just sit tight and enjoy the show."
Yuto glanced at Maki, a faint smile hanging on his lips.
"What do you mean by that?"
Maki's brows furrowed at once. He had the distinct feeling he was being toyed with.
"You're thinking this war is about to be over, aren't you?"
Yuto turned to face Konoha, a chill in his voice as he went on, "No. This war is only just getting started."
"Orochimaru's with you Sand, isn't he? Go back and tell him to move. If he doesn't, I'll wipe him out myself."
The cold edge in Yuto's tone made Maki's body tremble ever so slightly.
Orochimaru had made his name long before Maki ever stepped onto the battlefield, but somehow… Maki actually believed the young man in front of him.
He swallowed hard, then turned and led the Sand forces away.
As Gaara was taken with them, he couldn't stop himself from glancing back at Yuto. Maybe it was his imagination, but the feral, violent presence of Shukaku inside him suddenly felt a little calmer.
Yuto didn't spare the retreating Sand-nin so much as a look. His eyes stayed locked on Konoha's direction.
I already said it: without a proper trump card, Konoha is doomed.
His figure flickered, and he reappeared on top of the Three-Tails Isobu's head. Sitting cross-legged, he patted Isobu's skull and said coolly:
"Let's begin, Isobu."
Roar!
At Yuto's words, Isobu, who had been lying flat on the ground, snapped his eyes open and slowly rose.
That mountain-like body once again filled everyone's field of view, and a terrifying wave of chakra swept out in all directions.
On the other side—
When Maki personally relayed Yuto's words to Orochimaru…
The furious outburst Maki had been bracing himself for never came.
Aside from his face turning even darker than usual, Orochimaru didn't say a word. He simply walked out of the Sand encampment.
He bit down hard on his thumb and slammed his hand to the ground.
Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Technique)!
Hiss—
Hiss—
The moment Manda was summoned, the first thing he saw was the Three-Tails Isobu, who had just finished getting up nearby.
"A Tailed Beast? Oi, Orochimaru, don't drag me out here for this kind of troublesome job!"
Manda's deeply displeased voice rumbled in Orochimaru's ears.
"He's not your opponent. Your target is Konoha, right in front of us."
Orochimaru's face was like ice as he spoke.
Manda paused, then turned toward Konoha. A disturbingly human smile flickered in his eyes.
"Interesting."
Yuto spared a brief look in Orochimaru's direction, then turned back to the front, his expression indifferent.
Roar!
Isobu let out a thunderous roar as a massive swirl of chakra began gathering at his mouth.
Boom! Boom!
At that moment, two loud detonations echoed from the direction of Konoha as well.
A gigantic toad and an enormous slug appeared within Yuto's field of vision.
The instant those two massive summons arrived, they charged straight toward Isobu.
Down below, not far from the Three-Tails, Utakata slid his flute back into his waistband and leapt forward.
Hanbijuu-ka (Partial Tailed Beast Transformation)!
A cloak of Tailed Beast chakra instantly wrapped around his entire body, turning him into a dark red blur as he rushed at Jiraiya's summoned toad.
On the other flank, Orochimaru moved at the same time, directing Manda to charge at the slug Tsunade had summoned.
Jiraiya looked at Utakata charging toward him, then at the Three-Tails in the distance, still forming its Bijuu Dama (Tailed Beast Bomb). His expression turned grim.
"Out of my way!"
Working in tandem with Gamaken beneath him, Jiraiya unleashed a barrage of ninjutsu toward Utakata.
But Utakata slipped past all of them with ease, using the bubbles he spat out as footholds in midair to flash right up in front of Jiraiya.
"Our last fight isn't finished yet. This time, there's no one here to save you."
Utakata looked at Jiraiya in the distance, his voice as calm as ever.
"Jump over him!"
Jiraiya didn't have time to trade words. He ordered Gamaken to leap clean over Utakata's head.
Seeing his move, the six chakra tails behind Utakata lashed out.
They stretched in an instant, turning into chains that coiled tightly around Gamaken's legs.
A moment later, a corrosive liquid began oozing from Utakata's chakra cloak in great quantities.
Before Gamaken could even jump, a wave of searing pain shot up from his forelegs.
The next heartbeat—
Poof!
Before Jiraiya could fully react, Gamaken vanished in a cloud of smoke, sent back to Mount Myoboku.
With Gamaken gone, Jiraiya plummeted from midair.
Thankfully, he was nimble enough to twist his body in time and land on his feet instead of eating dirt.
He landed smoothly, but his face was incredibly sour as he stared down Utakata.
"If I told you I wasn't going all out in our last fight… would you believe me?"
Utakata's tone remained as level as ever.
While Jiraiya was being held in place by Utakata, Tsunade and Katsuyu were likewise blocked by Orochimaru on the other side.
"Orochimaru! I can't believe you'd go this far against Konoha!"
Tsunade shouted, her face full of fury as she glared at him.
"Long time no see, Tsunade."
Hearing the anger in her voice, Orochimaru's expression didn't change. If anything, his tone carried a hint of nostalgia.
"After today, there won't be any 'Three Sannin' left in this world. Charge, Katsuyu!"
Tsunade's voice had gone ice-cold as she gave her order.
"Is that so? What a shame."
Orochimaru licked his lips, pulled out a kunai, and drove it straight through his own palm. Blood streamed down around the blade.
"Your hemophobia hasn't gone away yet… has it?"
Ignoring the blood pouring from his hand, Orochimaru yanked the kunai free and smiled faintly at Tsunade.
But in the next second, that smile froze on his face as a fist suddenly grew huge in his vision.
Bang!
He twisted his body at the last possible moment, barely managing to spare his head as Tsunade's punch slammed into his shoulder instead.
Orochimaru was blasted backward, nearly rolling right off Manda's body.
"Kh…!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, eyes wide with genuine surprise as he stared at Tsunade.
"My hemophobia hasn't gone away… but all I have to do is cast a genjutsu on myself so I don't see the blood."
Tsunade smirked coldly at him. But anyone really paying attention would have noticed the faint tremor in her arm.
She had cast the illusion on herself, so she couldn't see the blood—but it was still only a visual trick. Her fear was rooted deep in her mind, and that wasn't something she could overcome in a short time.
"I see. In that case, looks like we've got no choice but to fight this out."
Orochimaru licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, slowly getting back to his feet with a cold smile.
Elsewhere—
With Tsunade and Jiraiya both held back by Orochimaru and Utakata,
there was no one left to stop the Three-Tails.
Isobu completed the formation of its Bijuu Dama (Tailed Beast Bomb).
Boom!
The Tailed Beast Bomb launched straight toward Konoha.
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