The silver blade that seemed to descend from nowhere plunged both Konoha and Sunagakure into a brief, stunned silence.
The Konoha side was the first to react—only to discover that the white-clad youth was no longer standing where he had been a moment earlier.
"Not good!"
The blade appeared behind the one-armed chūnin without warning.
The special jōnin spun around and hurled a kunai at an extremely tricky angle—but at that instant, Shiraishi rapidly formed hand seals and exhaled a mass of bubbles. As the bubbles detonated in rapid succession, he knelt and molded three small piles of mud on the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Three Talents Formation!"
With the technique activated, massive walls of flowing sand surged up from all directions, enclosing the Konoha squad completely.
"Shi—"
"Shiraishi."
Maki and Shikasa were exhausted to the bone, yet seeing Shiraishi arrive filled them with unmistakable relief. Meeting their gazes, Shiraishi felt a brief stir in his heart—but his expression remained calm and steady as he faced the Konoha shinobi ahead.
"A Doton battle formation…"
The special jōnin leading the unit specialized primarily in taijutsu. He had limited means to deal with formation-type techniques. At this point, there was only one option—break through the Earth Release enclosure and kill that silver-bladed brat directly.
Beside him, his comrade lay bleeding heavily from the severed arm. With no medical ninja present, his life was slipping away by the second.
A savage glint flashed through the special jōnin's eyes.
His figure lunged forward like a specter. The kunai in his hand pierced straight through the first mud construct, detonating it. A shuriken followed, slicing through the chakra connection between Shiraishi and the mud puppets.
Konoha shinobi, indeed.
Their battlefield instincts and combat rhythm far surpassed those of Sunagakure. But Shiraishi was never relying on the formation to kill them—it was merely a means of delay.
"Maki. Shikasa. Fall back—now."
All across Kikyo Mountain, Sunagakure had already begun a strategic withdrawal, pulling their defensive lines inward.
Just as the special jōnin destroyed the final mud construct, the desert blood wolf's eyes flared crimson. Its innate skill—Earth's Might—activated in full.
The entire formation trembled violently.
The ground shattered, the Earth Flow Formation collapsing into a roaring mudslide that poured down from all sides. The Konoha squad was caught completely off guard, swallowed by the torrent.
Shiraishi slammed one hand against the ground.
In an instant, the earth hardened—an attempt to bury the enemy alive.
Damn brat!
With a thunderous crash, several Konoha shinobi blasted their way free from the mud, crawling out in a sorry, dust-covered state.
Shiraishi's group was already gone.
The injured chūnin, having received no timely treatment, had died.
The pursuit continued, but Konoha's advance toward Kikyo Mountain was severely slowed by the large number of traps and mechanisms Sunagakure had left behind.
"You old fossil… I didn't expect you to show up."
At the core of the battlefield, Orochimaru stared coldly at Ebizō, who now stood beside Pakura. He flicked his tongue across his lips.
"You're still alive, huh?"
"Orochimaru," Ebizō replied calmly, "you're just as foul-mouthed as ever."
Ebizō had arrived at Kikyo Mountain to find the battle already underway. Seeing Pakura pinned down by Orochimaru, he split off from Shiraishi and personally moved to reinforce her position.
With Ebizō's appearance, Tsunade also stepped onto the battlefield.
Power gathered around her fists, making Ebizō narrow his eyes slightly.
Her presence alone was a deterrent.
In the past, Chiyo had suffered no small losses at Tsunade's hands. This woman was an exceptionally troublesome opponent—one whose presence drastically weakened Sunagakure's poison-based tactics.
"Let's go, Pakura," Ebizō said quietly.
Orochimaru sneered.
"You think you can leave?"
Countless venomous snakes shot forward.
Ebizō responded instantly, generating a storm of wind blades that shredded the serpents midair. Orochimaru's fingers then thrust straight through Ebizō's body—
Only to pierce an Earth Clone.
The clone detonated in a violent explosion. Using the chaos, Pakura and Ebizō withdrew together.
"Elder… I'm sorry."
Pakura lowered her head, guilt heavy in her eyes. Her mistake had nearly caused the entire Kikyo Mountain defense to collapse.
Though Konoha failed to take Kikyo Mountain, Sunagakure's puppet corps and medical units had been devastated. As overall commander, Pakura bore undeniable responsibility.
Her strength was unquestionable—but her temperament lacked the steadiness required. She had been too easily drawn away by Orochimaru, allowing Kikyo Mountain to suffer grievous losses.
"It seems Chiyo and I really are destined to fight for Sunagakure our entire lives," Ebizō said with a quiet sigh.
The words only deepened Pakura's discomfort.
After returning to camp, they saw Shiraishi, Maki, and Crow tending to wounded Sunagakure shinobi.
"Pakura-sensei!"
Maki rushed forward and hugged her tightly. Being separated earlier—knowing Pakura had been trapped alone by Orochimaru—had terrified her.
Pakura, unaccustomed to such displays, grew slightly awkward. Her attention soon shifted to Shiraishi.
"You've grown taller," she said.
He had indeed grown noticeably compared to before. Not only Shiraishi—Crow and Maki were also shedding the last traces of childhood, becoming visibly more mature.
With Kikyo Mountain's forces stretched thin, Rasa issued orders from Sunagakure for reinforcements from the Sand Release Three Lineages—the Yamanobe Clan.
Soon, Yamanobe Ryōko led several elite jōnin toward Kikyo Mountain.
Midway, Ryōko received word of Pakura's costly defeat.
She immediately stepped forward.
"Mother, Pakura's failure this time—once we reach Kikyo Mountain, should we take command?"
In Ryōko's view, Pakura had no background or backing. After such a blunder, seizing her command authority would be effortless.
"Ebizō is still there. Watch your mouth," her mother, Yamanobe Tachibana, said coldly.
Though Pakura had failed, stripping her of command required approval from Rasa and elders like Ebizō. A forceful grab would only bring enormous trouble upon the Yamanobe Clan.
Tachibana felt a wave of helplessness.
Why had her daughter still not matured?
Back in her academy days, Ryōko had obsessively pursued Sasori of the Red Sand—lowering herself so far as to become his disciple.
After Sasori's disappearance, most of his subordinates were purged. If not for her family background, Ryōko would have been dealt with by the Third Kazekage long ago.
After all these years—
How had she still failed to grow up?
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