Yuto's smile deepened as he glanced at Ao. "From here on, just follow the plan."
Ao nodded once, then vanished with a single Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique).
Outside Konoha's main gate—
Thunderous booms rumbled without end.
In the clash between Jiraiya and Utakata, the Six-Tails' jinchuriki had the clear upper hand.
Jiraiya coughed up a mouthful of blood and didn't even have time to wipe it away before he was forced to leap aside.
An instant later, a bubble appeared exactly where he'd been standing and exploded.
Up against the full power of the Six-Tails' jinchuriki, even Jiraiya, who was thinking about entering Sennin Mōdo (Sage Mode), couldn't find the slightest opening for the moment.
Compared to Jiraiya's desperate battle, the fight between Tsunade and Orochimaru had fallen into a stalemate.
They exchanged blows back and forth; the battle was fierce, but neither of them had actually managed to inflict any serious damage on the other.
Tsunade's face was tight with anger, but there was a flicker of helplessness in her eyes.
No matter what opening she showed, Orochimaru refused to press the attack. He also avoided clashing with her head-on, clearly intent on just stalling her.
At this point, it wasn't only Tsunade and Jiraiya who wore anxious expressions—everyone on Konoha's side was on edge.
The barrier team stared at the web of cracks spreading through the barrier and all swallowed hard.
"Hokage-sama, the barrier might only be able to withstand one more Bijuu Dama (Tailed Beast Bomb)."
An ANBU operative flickered to a stop in front of Hiruzen, his voice tight with tension.
Hiruzen's face darkened. He was just about to issue an order when a panicked voice suddenly rang out from the side.
Hiruzen, Danzo, and the others all frowned at the same time. This was the worst possible moment to shake the morale of Konoha's shinobi.
They followed the sound with their eyes.
A member of the Hyuga main family hurried over, looking terrified and flustered as he approached them.
"What exactly happened?" Hiruzen asked in a low, steady voice.
"Hokage-sama, our clan members have spotted two shinobi divisions moving toward Konoha."
The Hyuga clansman from the main family spoke, his voice trembling.
"What?!"
Shock flashed across Danzo's face and he couldn't help blurting out.
"Did you see clearly which two forces they are?"
Hiruzen ignored Danzo's outburst, his expression taut as he looked at the Hyuga clansman.
"It's a Stone division and a Cloud division," the Hyuga said hoarsely after swallowing hard.
Stone. Cloud.
Hearing that, Hiruzen and Danzo couldn't stop themselves from trading a look.
"For Stone and Cloud to march on us with full divisions at a time like this… we'd better be ready for the worst," Danzo said, his face growing even gloomier, his voice turning cold.
And what Danzo feared most was exactly what Hiruzen least wanted to see.
Just imagining what might be coming made Hiruzen's heart give a little tremor. He immediately turned his gaze toward Inoichi.
Standing not far from Hiruzen, Shikaku had also heard every word the Hyuga clansman had just reported.
A flurry of thoughts flashed through his mind. He barely needed to think about it—he already understood: the four great villages were likely preparing to join forces against Konoha.
On the other side, Inoichi felt Hiruzen's eyes on him and quickly stepped forward.
"Notify Jiraiya and Tsunade immediately—tell them to pull back at once!" Hiruzen said, his tone a little rushed.
"Yes!" Inoichi replied respectfully, then spun on his heel and took off.
It wasn't long before Jiraiya, in the middle of his fight with Utakata, suddenly heard Inoichi's voice inside his head.
His expression shifted, and in that split second of distraction he almost took a hit from Utakata's attack.
Slamming his foot into the ground, Jiraiya retreated several steps in a rush, flying through hand seals as he glared at Utakata.
"Katon: Daiendan (Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet)!"
Several huge fireballs roared toward Utakata and exploded in rapid succession.
Using the gap created by the flames, Jiraiya sprang back at full speed, racing toward Konoha.
On the other side, Tsunade heard Inoichi's message at almost the same time.
"Orochimaru! I don't know what you're really after, but remember this—you're still one of Konoha's."
Tsunade shot him a complicated look. She had no idea why Orochimaru was half-heartedly going through the motions instead of fighting seriously.
But for her, that was actually a blessing. After saying her piece, Tsunade also turned and rushed back toward Konoha.
"So things really have gone beyond what I anticipated."
Watching Tsunade's retreating back, Orochimaru's eyes grew darker.
Inside Konoha—
"Hiruzen! We have to use the Nine-Tails. This is no time for soft hearts. One misstep today and Konoha could be wiped out."
Danzo's voice was nearly a shout as he glared at Hiruzen.
"No." A struggle flickered in Hiruzen's eyes, but his answer was as firm as ever.
On the other side, Homura and Koharu wore equally anxious expressions as they joined Danzo in pressuring Hiruzen.
"If you use the Nine-Tails, how do you plan to keep it under control? Have you even thought about what happens if something goes wrong?!"
Hiruzen stared Danzo and the others down, his gaze icy.
Danzo took a step forward and jabbed a finger at his bandaged right eye. "With this eye—the Sharingan of Uchiha Shisui!"
Uchiha Shisui?
Hiruzen's expression twisted as he looked at Danzo. "So Shisui's death really was tied to you. You even took his eyes, Danzo!"
"Hmph. Fool. An ability like this is far too dangerous in the hands of the Uchiha. And I only took his right eye. As for the left, it seems he destroyed it himself."
Danzo snorted coldly.
"I'm also rejecting Danzo's little proposal from earlier."
A calm voice drifted over, and the figures of Jiraiya and Tsunade appeared in the Konoha shinobi's line of sight.
"Jiraiya-sama! Tsunade-sama!"
The shinobi around them quickly stepped aside, calling out respectfully to Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Danzo's face twisted with displeasure. No matter what their status was now, in his eyes, the two of them were still just juniors.
"Sorry, old man. I didn't make it to that Three-Tails in time to seal it."
Jiraiya looked at Hiruzen with a hint of guilt.
Then he turned his head toward Danzo.
"Who said we in Konoha don't have any other way to deal with what's in front of us?"
The moment Jiraiya spoke, the heavy atmosphere seemed to freeze. Everyone stared at him in astonishment.
Even Tsunade, standing right beside him, looked at him in shock.
Four great villages were joining forces against them. Had this idiot suddenly lost his mind and started bluffing?
While everyone else was staring at Jiraiya, the only one whose eyes showed a complicated struggle was Hiruzen, who let out a quiet sigh.
Next to him, Shikaku caught that look in Hiruzen's eyes—and his own gaze lit up.
It seemed Jiraiya-sama wasn't just talking big after all.