Orochimaru did not want to abandon Kushina Uzumaki. At least, not yet. She was a valuable trump card he could use against Naruto Uzumaki in the future.
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
Tobirama Senju shot a blade of water from his mouth, slicing through the vines creeping toward them. Orochimaru and the others continued their escape toward the edge of the village.
However, the blond kid behind them refused to give up.
To ensnare Orochimaru's group, Naruto didn't hesitate to expend his chakra, creating a vast sea of trees in the Chunin Exam arena that was still expanding outward. Naruto ran across the canopy, a new vine appearing perfectly under his foot with every step, allowing him to launch himself into the air again and again.
He would chase them all the way to the Sound Village if he had to. He was getting Kushina back.
Atop the stadium, Jiraiya quickly scanned the battlefield. The Konoha ninja were finally gaining the upper hand. The Sand ninjas, having lost the reanimated Fourth Kazekage, were slowly being overwhelmed.
The strongest enemy force left was the One-Tail, Shukaku. However, the tailed beast also looked drained; its luck today had been terrible. It had always been at the center of the battlefield.
Right after it went on a rampage, it was pinned down and beaten by Naruto Uzumaki. After Naruto left, Shukaku found itself caught in the middle of a chaotic battle between Kakashi Hatake, Kushina Uzumaki, Might Guy, and Rasa.
As a tailed beast, Shukaku had a notoriously bad temper. It chose to attack indiscriminately. Unfortunately for it, every single one of the four ninja fighting nearby had the strength to seriously injure or even kill it.
"Kakashi, you take the ANBU and clean up the remaining enemies. Order the Sealing Squad to find a way to seal the First Hokage and Shukaku. Guy, you're with me! We're going after Orochimaru!"
Jiraiya gave the order, then led Might Guy in the direction Naruto had gone. He couldn't just let Orochimaru escape.
He knew Might Guy wasn't suited for cleanup duty. Only someone with Kakashi's sharp mind and reputation could handle it.
Of course, the most important reason was that Kakashi was putting on a great show of being completely out of chakra. He'd be useless in a pursuit anyway.
"The sacrifice was too great..."
After Jiraiya and Guy left, Kakashi looked gravely at the battlefield. Dead civilians and ninja were everywhere. Even some of the Konoha candidates had died in the attack.
It was unavoidable.
A kid like Shikamaru Nara was insignificant in a war of this scale. But his death would also mean the loss of the new generation's Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Just as Kakashi was mourning the loss, he saw Shikamaru's "corpse" suddenly roll over to dodge a stray shuriken.
Kakashi's eyebrow twitched.
Everyone else was fighting for their lives, helping the ANBU and regular ninja surround the enemy. And this kid from the Nara clan was playing dead and slacking off.
Truly... he takes after his father.
However, Kakashi knew that Shikamaru really didn't have the ability to fight in this war and would only be sacrificing himself for nothing. By preserving himself, he was preserving a spark for Konoha's future.
Still, the white-haired Jonin tugged at his mask, a little displeased. His own student was fighting for his life against three Hokage. This kid could at least be secretly throwing a shuriken or something, right?
He decided he would settle the matter after the war was over.
With Orochimaru gone, Kakashi and the other ninja cleared out the remaining enemies. The Sand ninjas, led by their Jonin Baki, all chose to surrender. They were used to this sort of thing.
Neither Baki nor the genin Temari seemed to think there was anything wrong with surrendering to Konoha. It was an old tradition for the Sand Village.
Another matter caught Kakashi's attention. His student, Sasuke Uchiha, had killed the Sound ninja Dosu and driven off Kabuto Yakushi, who had been trying to capture him. The price was that Karin had to be hospitalized due to weakness.
It was less of a battle and more of a contest between medical ninjas. Apparently, Kabuto's medical jutsu was no match for Karin's unique blood.
For Kakashi, the only remaining trouble was the reanimated First Hokage. As Naruto lost control of his Wood Style, Hashirama Senju also broke free from its restraints.
Fortunately, he had also broken free from Orochimaru's control.
In the center of the arena, Hashirama Senju paid no attention to the wary looks from Kakashi and the Sealing Squad. He just looked up at the still-resisting Shukaku and said softly, "Hmm, the Sand Village's One-Tail? I believe this is the first time I've seen it."
And it was true. He had never seen it back in his day. The Sand Village had captured the One-Tail themselves. Of all the tailed beasts Hashirama sold, only the Sand's own Shukaku and Konoha's Nine-Tails were not on the list.
Shukaku glanced down at Hashirama on the ground and furiously sent a wave of sand surging toward him. "First Hokage Hashirama Senju! You're the guy who caught that idiot Nine-Tails, the one they say is as strong as the old man Six Paths?"
"Lord First Hokage, it's dangerous!" Kakashi took half a step back. "Please step back for now and stay with the Sealing Squad. We will control the One-Tail. We must also remain vigilant in case Orochimaru regains control of you!"
"Don't worry." Chakra exploded around Hashirama. He turned and smiled at Kakashi. "Rest assured, as long as that curse mark from Orochimaru is gone, it's simple for me to break free from his control."
Then, Hashirama turned back to the rampaging tailed beast, the smile on his lips growing wider. "Hahahaha, speaking of which, it's a real pity. To avoid causing a war between the Sand and Konoha, I gave up on capturing the One-Tail back then!"
"You bastard!" Before Kakashi could say anything, Shukaku swung its claw, and countless streams of sand poured down. "You want to catch me? Do you think I'm as weak as that idiot fox?"
"...No, the Nine-Tails is too strong. That's why it needs to be sealed." Hashirama dodged the surprise attack, his eyes fixed on Shukaku. He suddenly clapped his hands together. "As for you, your chakra is a bit lacking, isn't it? I never understood why Lord Reto of the Sand Village didn't want the other Tailed Beasts..."
The Reto he mentioned was the First Kazekage. At the first Five Kage Summit, he had rejected the idea of buying a tailed beast precisely because his village already had the One-Tail. Hashirama didn't know that Shukaku alone had already given the Sand Village a hell of a time. Another tailed beast probably would have caused the village to collapse.
Kakashi scratched his head, listening. "..." The idea that a tailed beast's chakra was "lacking" was certainly a new one.
"You bastard!" Compared to the other tailed beasts, Shukaku did have the least amount of chakra. Its mood instantly became even more furious. Hashirama's words had hit a sore spot. Only that idiot fox thinks strength is measured by chakra!
"Wood Style: Laughing Buddha Jutsu!"
Hashirama extended his hand. A giant wooden hand appeared beside Shukaku, slapped it to the ground with one palm, and firmly pressed down on its head.
In one second... Shukaku was caught.
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Bonus:
Shukaku: Heh, can't even beat a human!
Nine-Tails: Heh, fool, get lost.
Shukaku: Look at that Hashirama. He's nothing special!
Hashirama: Wood Style: Laughing Buddha Jutsu!
Nine-Tails: Useless. Can't even take one slap...
Shukaku: This guy is too strong! Is he even human?!
Nine-Tails: He's not even using a tenth of his power...