At this moment, hundreds of ninjas gathered nearly a thousand meters away, remaining still. Judging by their attire, they were ninjas from the Sand Village.
"Elder Chiyo, are we really going to break our agreement with the Rock Village?" asked a Sand Ninja standing next to a short middle-aged woman among the Sand Village ninjas. The woman was none other than Chiyo, a high-ranking member of the Sand Village and the strongest puppeteer there. In terms of age, she was slightly older than the Sandaime Hokage.
Chiyo narrowed her eyes and replied, "Among the five major ninja countries, our Land of Wind, Sand Village, is the weakest. Now that we finally have this opportunity to reap some benefits, I can't let it slip away."
"Let them fight. Even though the Rock Ninjas managed to persuade that guy, the Konoha forces are not to be underestimated."
Back on the pile of rocks, the Konoha ninjas quickly regrouped. In the shock from the earlier attack, about forty ninjas had perished. This was an incredibly fortunate outcome—had it not been for the earlier flash of fire, the casualties would have been much higher. The Rock Ninja Corps cursed under their breaths as they observed this scene.
"Nawaki, are you okay?" Tsunade asked hastily, seeing Nawaki and the other two regrouped.
"I'm fine, sister. Just focus on the battle," Nawaki replied, his expression complicated. He felt a mix of gratitude for surviving the disaster, a hint of fear, and overwhelming anger and murderous intent.
"Yeah," Tsunade responded, retracting her gaze. Jiraiya and Uchiha Kai also checked on Minato and Uchiha Yoruki respectively. Once they confirmed their safety, they turned their attention to the Rock Ninja Corps, more than a thousand strong, their eyes full of murderous intent.
"You're actually okay. What a pity!" came a slightly regretful voice from the Rock Ninja Corps. It was the slightly fat man from earlier.
Tsunade glared at him, barely suppressing her rage, and said in a deep voice, "That really disappoints you, huh?"
Beside her, Sakumo, who was usually taciturn, raised his chakra short sword and said sternly, "So, Tsuchiguki, are you and the Iwagakure troops ready to face the wrath of the Konoha ninjas?"
Lightning crackled around the short sword, reflecting the furious mood of the Konoha forces at that moment.
The slightly fat man named Tsuchiguki shrugged and said, "Seeing your lineup, I must admit, I feel a little nervous."
He was an elite in Iwagakure, second only to the Sandaime Tsuchikage, with strength comparable to ninjas like Tsunade and her companions. However, compared to Konoha's lineup, it was clear they were outmatched. Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Sakumo, and Uchiha Kai—these five alone were enough to give the thousand-man Iwagakure force a serious challenge. Not to mention, there were nearly a thousand Konoha ninjas backing them up.
However, Sakumo noticed a hint of a grim smile on Tsuchiguki's face. At that moment, from the other side of the razed forest, concentrated black spots began moving toward them. The distance was still significant, so even Sakumo and the others didn't notice it immediately. However, the Hyuga clan ninjas in Konoha's ranks could see things within a kilometer radius using the Byakugan, so they saw it clearly.
There were hundreds of figures with strong chakra fluctuations—undoubtedly ninjas. What shocked the Hyuga ninja the most was the presence of one chakra that was stronger than any he had ever felt, comparable only to the Sandaime Hokage!
"Tsunade-sama, there are hundreds of ninjas approaching from the five o'clock direction, and one of them has chakra strong enough to rival the Sandaime Hokage," the Hyuga ninja reported with a trembling voice.
Upon hearing this, the five previously calm Konoha leaders suddenly turned to look in that direction. Straining their eyes, they could now vaguely see the dense black spots growing larger in their pupils. Among those black spots was a presence strong enough to rival the Sandaime Hokage. Could it be the Third Tsuchikage himself? But that seemed impossible; the Third Tsuchikage would almost never leave the village, especially with the Land of Lightning to keep in check.
Minato was also shocked and focused all his sensor abilities in that direction, trying to amplify his range. After a few seconds of feeling the chakra, his face changed drastically. He knew who was coming! With the Nine-Tails Chakra, he could even distinguish specific chakra characteristics.
The hundreds of approaching ninjas grew larger in everyone's sight until the unique uniforms of the Rain Ninjas became visible. Tsuchiguki and the Rock Ninja troops didn't seem in a hurry to engage, allowing the hundreds of Rain Ninjas to surround them. Though their numbers were far fewer compared to Konoha and Rock Ninjas, their arrival shocked Tsunade and the others.
At the forefront of the Rain Ninjas stood a man with a mask covering half of his face and a giant kusarigama at his waist. He looked down at Tsunade and the others as if he were an adult observing children. Although they had never seen him before, his unique appearance in the ninja world, coupled with his reputation, left no doubt about his identity.
"The leader of the Rain Village, Hanzo of the Salamander?" a Konoha ninja murmured, swallowing his saliva unconsciously, his pupils trembling with fear.
"Hehe, the little devils of Konoha," Hanzo chuckled lightly, but the overwhelming aura he exuded left some of the Konoha ninjas paralyzed with fear.
Seeing the situation unfold, Tsunade and the others finally understood why Tsuchiguki was so confident. He had allied with the Rain Village, and even the leader of the Rain Village had come in person. Hanzo was a true S-rank ninja, a powerful existence comparable to the Hokage!
"I didn't expect the leader of the Rain Village would actually join forces with a ninja village that invaded his country," Sakumo said, his gaze darkening as he looked at Hanzo. This was the first time he faced an opponent who made him feel utterly outmatched. The man before him was far stronger than he was.
"Hatake Sakumo?" Hanzo said once before turning to Tsuchiguki on the other side of the Rock Ninja camp and asking indifferently, "Where are the troops from the Sand Village?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone on the Konoha side, including Minato, was stunned. Not only had the Rock Ninja Village allied with the Rain Village, but they had also joined forces with the Sand Village?
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