The Leaf Village forces stepped forward to engage in battle.
Although the Sand Ninja launched a full-scale attack, unlike ordinary soldiers who charge in a cluster, the ninjas attacked individually or in small teams, dispersing their assault.
If they were to cluster together, it would be like inviting a barrage of ninjutsu and explosive tags.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust!"
Countless grains of gold swept across the battlefield like a tidal wave, engulfing several Leaf ninjas who couldn't evade in time.
"Rasa!"
Danzo charged forward.
Specializing in Wind Release, he was tasked with holding off the opponent.
Boom, boom!
In a nearby area, a series of explosions erupted continuously.
"It's the Iwa Ninja demolition squad, led by Explosion Release Hunter!"
Shikaku Nara recognized the enemy.
Though Explosion Release Hunter was just an elite jonin, he posed a significant threat to ordinary ninjas.
"Let me handle it!"
Mitokado Shihiro, who had been quietly standing aside, volunteered.
"Alright!"
Shikaku Nara nodded.
As an elite jonin himself, Mitokado Shihiro was not weaker than the opponent and could indeed hold him off.
Soon, ten puppets clad in white robes appeared on the battlefield, and the Leaf side found themselves injured or dead upon contact.
"It's Granny Chiyo and Ebizo!"
Shikaku Nara felt a bit overwhelmed.
No matter how high his strategic acumen, without matching strength, there were no cards left to play.
Although the Leaf Village had a few Kage-level powerhouses, they were unable to break free, which is why they were being pushed back so hard by the full force of the Sand Village.
The good news was that if they could hold out for a while, the Sand Ninja, lacking logistical support, would have to retreat.
The bad news was that the enemy forces, with the participation of the Iwa Ninja, numbered over four thousand, while the Leaf side had just over two thousand, nearly half their number.
Worse still, they were also at a disadvantage in terms of powerful fighters.
"According to the plan, the two elders and we will handle Chiyo and Ebizo. Jihai, look for an opportunity to strike from the shadows!"
Shikaku Nara slightly adjusted the tactics.
The original plan was for them, along with Kushina Uzumaki, to take down the Chiyo siblings as quickly as possible and then support the others.
Unexpectedly, the enemy even deployed the One-Tail, causing a change in the plan.
In reality, the Leaf Village was in no position to criticize, as they had also sent the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
"Fire Release: Flame Cloak!"
Uchiha Takashi was suddenly covered in a thin layer of flames.
Because he saw Pakura.
There was no helping it; her presence was so striking that it was hard for him to pretend not to notice.
Whoosh! Flames erupted from his feet as he leaped.
Rocket Jump!
This directly maximized his jumping ability.
"Pakura!"
Uchiha Takashi 'roared' mid-air as he charged at Pakura, seemingly filled with rage, intent on settling the score and deciding life or death.
Boom! His right leg delivered a powerful flaming kick, utilizing the momentum of his descent to unleash a devastating blow.
"Scorch Release!"
Pakura fearlessly countered, crushing a fireball in her right hand to activate her Scorch Shield.
Boom!
The clash between them caused such intense heat that nearby ninjas quickly fled.
Uchiha Takashi, going all out, attacked while also keeping an eye on the situation.
As for his own safety?
Not only did he have a natural advantage over Pakura, but Hyuga Aotsuki was also just a few hundred meters away, engaged in a skirmish with a Sand Ninja squad, ready to intervene at any moment.
He was more concerned about his safety than anyone else.
"Uchiha Takashi!"
Pakura was extremely displeased with their previous stalemate, so she intensified her attacks with full anger.
However, quickly taking down Uchiha Takashi was out of the question.
The battlefield was divided into numerous zones.
Blood and bodies began to appear across the battlefield.
The fighting was extremely fierce!
But the Sand Ninja fought to the death without retreating.
They understood this was their only chance.
If they missed it, there wouldn't be another opportunity, no matter the cost.
However, no matter how great the losses among ordinary ninjas, unless one side gained an overwhelming advantage, it would be a slow grind.
Even though the Sand Ninja began to gain the upper hand due to their numerical advantage, capturing the Kikyo Mountain Fortress wasn't something that could be achieved quickly.
Soon, a change occurred that triggered a chain reaction on the battlefield.
"Damn fox!"
With Shukaku's sharp and angry cry, a terrifying chakra wave appeared on the battlefield.
"Tailed Beast Bomb!"
A massive purple-black sphere flew towards Kushina Uzumaki, who had several red tails unfurled behind her.
The Tailed Beast Bomb! The strongest attack used by all tailed beasts.
It's like a super version of the Rasengan, capable of easily destroying a city if it hits.
However, the target wasn't Kushina Uzumaki but Kikyo Mountain behind her.
Clearly, Shukaku knew that hitting a ninja with a Tailed Beast Bomb was difficult, so he chose to attack what the enemy had to protect.
Kushina Uzumaki had no choice but to block it head-on.
"Hold on!"
She gritted her teeth, using the Nine-Tails' chakra to catch the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Fortunately, with the Nine-Tails' chakra cloak, the Tailed Beast Bomb didn't explode but was forcibly redirected, propelling her into the sky.
"Kushina!"
Several panicked voices rang out. Only Uchiha Takashi remained silent.
It wasn't that he wasn't worried, but because someone had unleashed a true "ultimate move," a streak of golden light flashed by.
A fake ultimate move: Forbidden Jutsu!
A real ultimate move: The Yellow Flash!
Boom!!! An explosion akin to a nuclear blast erupted over Kikyo Mountain, even tearing apart the clouds. The intense gale forced everyone on the battlefield to instinctively stop and separate.
The might of a Tailed Beast is terrifying! The power of a Tailed Beast Bomb is on a completely different level compared to a regular attack.
However...
Uchiha Takashi noticed that several Konoha elders weren't happy about Minato Namikaze's appearance.
He quickly understood why.
Because both Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were nowhere to be seen. Damn! He was just here to save his "wife," not to provide support.
The reason for this was simple.
Insufficient chakra and lack of mastery over the Flying Thunder God Technique! The current Minato Namikaze was not yet the "Yellow Flash" of a few years later; he was merely Jiraiya's deputy.
At his peak, he could end the Third Shinobi World War single-handedly.
For now, the best he could do was escape with his wife over a distance of a thousand kilometers, which was already his limit.
The Third Hokage must have given him such a mission.
"No matter what, bring the Nine-Tails back to Konoha."
This explained his actions.
"Damn fox, where did you run off to!"
Shukaku angrily unleashed Air Bullets in frustration.
Except for the Nine-Tails, other Tailed Beasts couldn't use Tailed Beast Bombs consecutively, but Air Bullets, which only consume chakra, could be used continuously.
And each Air Bullet had the destructive power equivalent to a high-level A-rank jutsu.
Moreover, they could be used indefinitely.
War machines!
No wonder Tailed Beasts were the trump cards of the major ninja villages.
Without a way to counter or deal with them, a Tailed Beast could indeed destroy a city or a nation single-handedly.
However... Konoha's situation was awkward now.
With a gap in their forces, no one could stop Shukaku. At this moment, a voice echoed in Uchiha Takashi's mind.
"Uchiha Takashi, Jonin, Lord Danzo requests you to use your summoning beast to hold off Shukaku!"
It was the Yamanaka clan's "Mind Transmission Technique," allowing one-way communication to people in a specific area.
"??"
Uchiha Takashi was full of questions.
Did they really think he was some "old workhorse"?
Such a command could actually be given.
Taiichi, under his training, had indeed grown stronger.
But it depended on who it was compared to.
Currently, it was just a "baby" under five years old, making it difficult to take on the Three Legendary Summoning Beasts, let alone face Shukaku.
Just then.
"Moo!"
A loud bellow echoed.
A summoning beast with the body of an elephant and the claws of a leopard appeared on the battlefield.
It was the Baku! It was also Danzo's summoning beast.
To be fair, this summoning beast wasn't small, capable of smashing buildings and flattening the ground.
But compared to Shukaku, it was only a fraction of its size, like a child compared to a cushion.
Seeing Danzo make such a significant move, Uchiha Takashi had no choice but to bite his fingertip and smear it across the back of his right hand.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
His right hand, after forming seals, slammed onto the ground.
Fortunately, the earlier Tailed Beast Bomb had forced Pakura to retreat and avoid the aftermath, allowing him to use the Summoning Jutsu smoothly.
Bang! A massive cloud of white smoke appeared.
A three-legged crow with dark golden wings rose into the sky from the smoke.
Taiichi!
Officially entering the battle.
With a wingspan over twenty meters wide, it resembled the size of a passenger plane, drawing a lot of attention.
Whoosh, whoosh!
A continuous rain of fireballs fell towards Shukaku.
Each one was no weaker than a B-rank Fire Release.
But for a large summoning beast, this was merely a "basic attack."
Distraction!
Uchiha Takashi's plan was just that.
You want me to distract, so I'll distract, but don't expect me to fight to the death.
Countless yellow sands surged from the ground, blocking the falling fireballs.
Boom, boom!
The collision of fireballs and sand forced the surrounding ninjas from both sides to retreat.
Because Shukaku wouldn't "protect" the Sand Ninja.
Bang, bang!
One Air Bullet after another flew towards Taiichi in the sky.
Shukaku wouldn't just sit and take hits, immediately launching a long-range attack.
Although it could control sand, the sand couldn't attack too far, so Air Bullets were the only option.
The Tailed Beast Bomb had the greatest power! But even if it could be used consecutively, the charging time was enough for the target to easily dodge.
The advantage of flight!
That was Taiichi's greatest strength.
Even among the Tailed Beasts, only Chomei, the Seven-Tails, could fly, showing how precious this attribute was.
The Air Bullets were powerful and fast, forcing Taiichi to keep its distance.
The farther the distance, the more reaction time there was.
(End of Chapter)