Zetsu's sudden move instantly shattered the balance on the battlefield.
Everyone present immediately began fighting.
Minato faced Obito.
Rinko faced Mei Terumi.
Ryoha faced Zetsu and Karatachi Yagura.
However, Ryoha still kept a trick up his sleeve. After this battle, he'd have to discuss something with Aburame Shiken.
Maybe it was that saying... what was it again?
To subdue the enemy without fighting.
Karatachi Yagura was feeling mentally exhausted by this battle.
One of you is an Uchiha, and the other uses Wood Release.
Are you really my allies?
...
Outside Konoha,
Rasa and his two companions from the Hidden Sand Village could already see the towering Hokage Rock.
Rasa stopped walking.
Karura and Pakura quickly stopped as well.
"What is it? Is there a problem?"
Pakura asked.
"Something's wrong. This has gone too smoothly—far too smoothly. How could Konoha allow us to reach this place? During the Second and Third Shinobi Wars, we paid countless sacrifices and still couldn't get this far. Yet now we've arrived so easily."
Rasa's expression was extremely grim.
He felt as though he was stepping into an invisible web.
"Maybe Konoha's main force has all gone to the Hidden Cloud Village, so they don't have enough people left to stop us."
Karura suggested.
"Impossible. This may hurt morale, but the Hidden Cloud Village simply isn't worth Konoha mobilizing all of its strength."
"Retreat. We can't go any farther. Karura and I will use the Eye of Sand to observe Konoha. Pakura, protect us."
"Understood."
"Yes."
After assigning their tasks, the three immediately withdrew.
Not long after they left,
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade arrived together.
"What the hell? There's nobody here. What a waste of my time."
Tsunade complained.
"It's not that nobody was here. They've already left."
After speaking,
Orochimaru extended his right hand.
A Recording Insect suddenly crawled over and onto his palm.
A blue light screen appeared.
Displayed on it were the images of the three Hidden Sand shinobi.
"What should we do? Judging from their lip movements, it looks like they aren't planning to leave."
Jiraiya asked.
"When there's trouble at home, you can't keep letting the younger generation handle everything, right?"
Orochimaru stuck out his tongue and excitedly licked his cheek.
A strange light flashed in his eyes.
After spending so long conducting experiments, this was the perfect chance to relax.
"Get them. We absolutely have to get them. Orochimaru, Shiken said one matter is worth a hundred million ryo. There are three people here, so that should count as at least three matters."
Tsunade's eyes had already turned into the shape of money.
It was contempt for poverty and a longing for wealth.
"What hundred million ryo? Do I get a share too? We're all doing the same work, so I should have a portion, right?"
Jiraiya quickly asked.
As someone who traveled the ninja world constantly, he wasn't exactly wealthy either.
Looking at the two money-grubbers,
Orochimaru quietly took a step back.
Honestly,
Being called one of the Three Legendary Sannin alongside the two of you is the most embarrassing thing I've ever had to admit.
(Jiraiya, Tsunade: ???? If we had a disciple giving us a billion ryo every month, we wouldn't talk about money either. Hmph. Easy for you to say.)
At that moment, a blank slip of paper suddenly drifted down from the sky.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands."
Orochimaru transformed his right arm into a snake and retrieved the paper.
After opening it,
He immediately closed it again,
Afraid it might contaminate his eyes.
Seeing this,
Tsunade quickly snatched it away.
"Don't forget my share."
"Damn it! Someone else wants to steal my money? Orochimaru, who the hell is this bastard?"
Tsunade exploded in rage.
Wasn't she just trying to make a little money?
Why did one person after another keep coming out to steal her work?
Didn't they know that when too many people took orders, the price per job would drop?
"Who else could it be? That senior who stays at home all day."
Hidden in the shadows, Sakumo Hatake awkwardly rubbed his nose.
To be honest, when it came to protecting Konoha, he didn't care about money.
But then again, if someone wanted to pay him, he couldn't exactly refuse.
Wouldn't that be wasteful?
Besides, he needed to save more money for his son and future daughter-in-law.
Wedding expenses.
A house.
Future grandchildren's education...
Relying solely on Kakashi—
How many years would it take to save enough?
"Tsunade, we need to move quickly. We can't let them escape. Otherwise they'll continue threatening Konoha's safety."
The most important thing was that if they escaped, she wouldn't be able to collect her money.
"It doesn't matter. Do they really think entering the Land of Fire is that easy? The moment they stepped into the Land of Fire, their journey through life was already over."
Orochimaru said calmly.
Beneath Konoha,
There were far more than just insect nests.
There were also countless snake dens.
...
Near the Hidden Cloud Village,
Hyūga Hiyasu released the tenketsu he had sealed on Shisui Uchiha.
Shisui collapsed to the ground,
Gasping for breath.
"Hiyasu-niichan, why did you let him go?"
Kakashi asked.
It wasn't that he doubted the decision.
He just felt Hiyasu-niichan wasn't that kind-hearted.
At the very least, shouldn't he have toyed with Shisui for another hour or two?
"We've got work. Guy, Itachi, Shisui—come here. I've got a mission for you."
"Yes."
"YOUTH!!"
"Let me catch my breath first."
After giving a few quick instructions,
Hyūga Hiyasu led everyone away.
...
"ROAR!"
"ROAR!"
The Nine-Tails' claws and the Eight-Tails' fists locked together.
A fierce contest of strength began.
"Nine-Tails, after all these years, you've gotten a lot weaker."
The Eight-Tails said cheerfully.
Who would've thought that after only a few years, the gap between them had become so small?
What a pleasant surprise.
"Cut the nonsense. Have you ever seen me at my peak?"
"What do you mean? Haven't you reached mutual understanding with your jinchūriki? Then how was she able to use a Tailed Beast Bomb?"
The Eight-Tails was confused.
It had assumed the Nine-Tails had found someone trustworthy, just as it had found B, and that was why it had entered full Tailed Beast form to fight.
But now it seemed there was a problem.
"Shut up. I'll never become a human's lapdog like you."
The Nine-Tails snarled through gritted teeth.
The Eight-Tails was a disgrace to all Tailed Beasts.
How could beings as exalted as Tailed Beasts submit to mere humans?
Thinking that,
The Nine-Tails put even more force into its arms,
Driving the Eight-Tails steadily backward.
Inside the seal space,
The Eight-Tails was talking with Killer B.
"B, something's wrong with the Nine-Tails."
"Hm? What could be wrong with it? Looks like it's having plenty of fun beating us up. Fool, ya fool!"
"I don't know. But I get the feeling it didn't come out willingly. And its power really has weakened a lot."
"So what do we do? Fool, ya fool!"
"In a moment, I'll send my consciousness into its seal space. Go take a look at what's happening."
"Alright."
(Nine-Tails: Don't come in here!)