Completely different from the situation on the Hidden Cloud side, where Akatsuki had successfully stalled their advance, on the Rock battlefield, the Hidden Stone forces had already decisively withdrawn and begun preparing to rendezvous with their reinforcements.
But on the Land of Rivers battlefield, Chiyo's team from Sand was far less fortunate.
After successfully sending out the crucial intel, Rengoku immediately led his men in pursuit of the Sand ninja.
"Everyone move faster! Cross over this upper path immediately!"
Among Rengoku's unit, the various team captains kept shouting orders loudly, their hands signaling constantly as they guided their squads forward.
Rengoku himself was at the very front, with Hinata at his side.
For Byakugan distance, Hinata's long-range vision was already quite impressive.
Since they had the opportunity, naturally she should get some training.
Hinata, though nervous because it was her first time on a battlefield, was a Hyuga. Acting as a scout was her original duty.
She continuously reported how far away the Sand ninjas were, whether scouts had appeared, and what the terrain ahead looked like.
Rengoku listened while calculating the best interception plan in his heart.
Naruto, although unable to help at the moment, still felt a faint pride watching the once shy and timid Hinata now contributing on the battlefield.
But on the battlefield, he had no chance to hold Hinata's hand, which made him feel itchy inside, a bit empty.
Sasuke followed right behind Rengoku. This was his first time realizing just how strong the Mangekyo's Susanoo truly was.
His eyes were full of longing, thinking only of when he could awaken his own Mangekyo.
"We still have time. We must cut off Chiyo's unit before the two Sand squads successfully meet up."
After fully understanding the intel, Rengoku immediately accelerated again.
At his order, the thousand ninja behind him shot forward like arrows released from their bows.
These thousand were definitely no weaklings. Even the weakest among them had at least chunin-level strength.
They were well-trained, quick in reaction, and could respond to their commander's orders instantly.
Combined with the powerful visual abilities of the Byakugan and Kagura Mind's Eye, Rengoku's side completely grasped control of the battlefield.
However, Chiyo's group remained entirely unaware.
Because Rengoku's unit had taken an extremely bold and unexpected route, actually bypassing Chiyo's squad entirely.
They went straight ahead to set an ambush between Chiyo's and Rasa's rendezvous path.
This was something Chiyo and the others had never imagined.
Normally, if Konoha took such a reckless approach and were discovered, they would be caught in a deadly pincer attack from both Rasa and Chiyo.
This kind of suicidal tactic was something only a madman would attempt.
But Rengoku just happened to be that kind of madman who could break common sense and strike unexpectedly.
At this moment, the Sand forces were still retreating in an orderly manner. Chiyo, unable to deal with the giant Susanoo's overwhelming power, was anxiously hurrying toward Rasa's location.
She would never have expected that Rengoku was bringing a massive "surprise" right to her doorstep.
Suddenly, a blinding flash streaked across the sky, followed immediately by a dense plume of smoke rising and rapidly spreading in the air.
It was the highest-level emergency flare used by the reconnaissance unit. That bright signal instantly plunged the Sand forces into tension and confusion.
"Enemy attack!"
With that cry, all Sand ninja froze, their faces filled with shock and bewilderment.
What was happening? Why were they being attacked from this direction?
Wasn't this supposed to be the route where their Kazekage Rasa would appear?
This completely defied their expectations.
Before the Sand forces could recover, Rengoku and his men appeared before them like ghosts.
Because the Sand squad had never expected Konoha to be bold enough to chase them down here.
By the time they recognized Rengoku's group, the distance between both sides had already closed dramatically.
"What is he trying to do?", Chiyo, upon seeing the flare, rushed out like a gust of wind.
Her eyes widened in disbelief at the scene before her.
Only one thousand people, actually planning to crash into her force of more than four thousand.
Such madness could probably only belong to Rengoku.
This charge was still led by Rengoku, but unlike before, this time he was not alone.
Standing beside him were three identical figures. A closer look revealed all three were his clones.
The four lined up neatly, like a sharp, deadly spear aimed straight at the Sand forces.
Seeing this, Chiyo's brows twisted tightly. Her Chikamatsu Ten Puppets had only been restored to eight.
And against Rengoku's devastating Susanoo, the Sand side lacked the strong mid-tier fighters needed to resist.
In this critical moment, Chiyo immediately unsealed the scroll for the Chikamatsu Eight Puppets and released them all.
At the same time, she quickly turned to whisper tactics to the person beside her, Yakura.
"In a moment you and I will hold Rengoku back. His Susanoo is powerful, but as far as I can see there is only one right now."
"We must focus all our attention and not give him any opening."
"Everyone else, listen! Attack Rengoku from long range!"
"Use puppets and exploding tags to keep chipping him down. Do not let him get close to our formation!"
But before she could finish her words, the sight before her changed drastically.
Rengoku's figure flashed like a phantom, instantly clashing directly with the Sand ninja in the frontline.
As he rushed into the Sand ranks, his blood-red Mangekyo Sharingan spun slightly, releasing a terrifying aura.
Susanoo erupted straight upward from the ground.
And the unbelievable part was that this time it wasn't just one Susanoo.
Instead, four giant Susanoo appeared all at once, each thirty meters tall!
Though not as tall as the fifty-meter one from before, these were four of them.
Two deafening booms thundered out one after another: BOOM! BOOM!
With earth-shaking force, the four massive Susanoo swung their gleaming light swords at the Sand forces without mercy.
In an instant, the puppets of the Sand village shattered like fragile toys under the destructive swings, scattering in pieces across the ground.
Those ninja who couldn't dodge in time were blasted into the air by the overwhelming shockwave, throwing the entire scene into chaos.
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