"That's a little strange, Kakashi."
Jiraiya eyed him suspiciously for a moment before his gaze drifted between Roshi and Tenzo.
Shikaku, unfazed by the awkward silence, studied the special operations team that the Third Hokage had sent. His eyes paused on Roshi, brows raising slightly.
'That hairstyle and height… it's him, isn't it?'
Then, turning serious, Shikaku asked, "How can you control a Jinchuriki?"
"Both Mori and Tenzo use Wood Release," Kakashi replied.
Shikaku's eyes lit up immediately. "Two Wood Release users?"
Jiraiya grinned, clearly intrigued. "So the old man still has hidden cards after all. With that, we might actually have a way to counter their Jinchuriki."
Leaning over the sand table, Shikaku began rearranging markers, his mind working at lightning speed.
"The situation doesn't allow delay," he said firmly. "Iwagakure deployed their Jinchuriki to shatter our front lines, spread chaos, and convince Kumo that Konoha can't hold its ground. We can't give them that satisfaction."
He tapped the table, his tone decisive. "We strike back immediately—fast and hard—to break their momentum and expose their miscalculation."
His gaze moved to Kakashi. "Your arrival—and especially the presence of Wood Release—is a variable they couldn't possibly have anticipated. That's our secret weapon."
"Jiraiya-sama will continue to act as our visible main force, drawing their attention while the real operation unfolds in the shadows."
—
Meanwhile, at the Iwagakure command post.
The towering, broad-shouldered Kitsuchi stared intently at the shifting reports on Konoha's front line.
"Report!" a scout shouted. "Kitsuchi-sama, Konoha's defensive forces are mobilizing! We've detected troop concentrations at several points!"
Kitsuchi's heavy brows knit together. "A counterattack already? Faster than expected."
He folded his arms, expression grim. "Could it be Jiraiya? Or has the Third Hokage himself joined the battle? No matter—we've prepared for both possibilities."
"Pass my orders: consolidate all units, increase alert levels, and monitor Jiraiya's movements closely."
His gaze turned to his deputy. "Tell Rōshi and Han to stand by."
"Yes, sir!"
—
Konoha's counterattack came like a storm.
Blinding torrents of Fire Release and Wind Release techniques merged into a fiery web, while the thunder of explosive tags rolled across the battlefield like a drum of war.
This time, the home-field advantage was undeniable. Konoha's superior terrain knowledge and rapid reinforcement made Iwagakure's entrenched forces stumble backward under the relentless assault.
Even with their famously tough Earth Release defenses, Iwa's front lines were pushed back dozens of meters. Several forward outposts had to be abandoned entirely.
Just as Konoha's forces pressed their advance—
A guttural roar split the air.
From behind Iwagakure's formation, a wave of scorching heat blasted across the field.
The Four-Tails' Jinchuriki, Rōshi, cloaked in dark crimson Tailed Beast Chakra, slammed into the battlefield like a meteor.
"Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rocks!"
Enormous spheres of molten rock spewed forth, their heat so intense it distorted the very air. The ground blistered and melted beneath their passage. Trees disintegrated into ash, and the hastily raised Earth Release walls of Konoha shinobi sagged and collapsed like wax.
The offensive faltered under the infernal onslaught—
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
Two voices shouted in unison.
From the flanks, two masked Anbu unleashed vast torrents of churning water, pulling moisture straight from the atmosphere and even the soil itself. The twin deluges collided head-on with the descending fireballs.
"Ssshhhhhhh—!!!"
A sound like a thousand blades hissing filled the air. Steam exploded outward in a deafening burst, engulfing the entire battlefield in dense white fog. Visibility dropped to mere meters. The searing mist burned against exposed skin.
"What—?!" Kitsuchi's composure cracked, his eyes widening. "That kind of Water Release—without a river nearby?!"
On the field, Rōshi's enraged bellow rose again. His Tailed Beast Chakra flared violently, forming a massive outline in the blinding steam.
"Water Release: Raging Wave!" Tenzo's voice rang out. A pressurized torrent shot through the fog like a blade of water.
"Water Release: Water Shockwave!" Mori followed seamlessly, doubling the force.
Before Rōshi could counter, several Iwagakure shinobi threw themselves forward.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Thick slabs of stone erupted upward, barely blocking the twin assaults. The redirected waves flooded outward, churning through the battlefield.
Through the mist, lightning flashed.
A sharp, birdlike cry pierced the air as a streak of light ripped through the fog—Chidori.
Kakashi burst forth, his strike precise and lethal, cutting through the Iwa defenders.
Before he could press the advantage, another figure thundered out of the mist—faster, heavier, unstoppable. His body gleamed with metal armor, steam hissing from vents along his frame.
The Five-Tails' Jinchuriki, Han.
He drove a massive fist forward, the strike carrying enough power to pulverize stone.
Before impact, white hair whipped forward like a living rope, latching onto Kakashi's waist and yanking him backward.
Jiraiya landed between them, shielding Kakashi from the blow.
"Oh my, oh my," he drawled with a crooked grin. "Seems all our guests have arrived."
He pressed his palms together. "Then let's begin."
As the steam around Han surged and molten light began to glow in Rōshi's mouth—
Mori and Tenzo appeared silently behind them.
The ground trembled.
With a deep rumble, countless roots tore through the earth, bursting from beneath the scorched battlefield. Towering branches and gnarled trunks surged upward, lashing around the two Jinchuriki like living serpents.
Rōshi's lava seared through the first waves, sending charred splinters flying. Han's steam armor hissed, scorching the encroaching roots black.
But the Wood Release did not stop. More branches erupted from below, faster and denser, like a forest rising in defiance.
Just as the bindings began to tighten—
"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"
Kitsuchi, watching from afar, slammed his hands together.
The earth beneath Rōshi and Han heaved violently, lifting upward as though raised by a giant's hand.
A massive stone platform rose from the battlefield, carrying both Jinchuriki high above the raging sea of Wood Release.
The sudden upheaval shattered hundreds of roots, isolating the two from Konoha's advance—at least for the moment.
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