Yagura respectfully bowed his head.
"Lord Mizukage, the two Jinchūriki have already entered Konoha's ranks along with the others. I will continue to send more people as cover."
Sending two Jinchūriki charging directly at them would immediately alert Orochimaru, even if he was reckless.
But sending the Jinchūriki in with the others? That was different.
At most, Orochimaru would think that Kirigakure had gone mad, sending the Jinchūriki into battle. It would look like they were fighting with their backs to the wall.
That's right—Orochimaru would indeed think that.
After all, the presence of a Jinchūriki was too significant.
"Attack!!"
The battle raged on, with countless Kirigakure shinobi storming forward.
But Konoha, well-prepared, still repelled their attacks like a car swatting away a fly—no real threat.
What exactly was Kirigakure trying to do?
Orochimaru wondered if Kirigakure had gathered all this momentum simply to bring their entire force down on Konoha.
Who could have guessed that after all this buildup, they would instead trickle their forces in one by one?
It felt like a half-hearted attempt.
Orochimaru's snake-like eyes carefully surveyed every corner of the battlefield; he couldn't afford to relax.
Wait, are those Jinchūriki?
Upon noticing two shinobi cloaked in a red chakra, Orochimaru frowned.
Kirigakure even sent in their Jinchūriki!
"Orochimaru, something feels off."
Bloodstained and fresh from combat, Jiraiya shook his head and hopped to Orochimaru's side, eyeing the rampaging Jinchūriki.
"I didn't expect Kirigakure to send in their Jinchūriki. Are they aiming for an all-or-nothing outcome?"
"I don't know."
Orochimaru shook his head.
"Whatever Kirigakure's plans are, we can only face them head-on. Jiraiya, those two Jinchūriki are yours to handle. Stall them."
"You really think that highly of me, huh?!"
Jiraiya gave a bitter smile.
The two Jinchūriki from Kirigakure were no pushovers—each had the strength of an elite jonin, and with the chakra of a Tailed Beast, they were killing machines on the battlefield.
Many Konoha shinobi had already met their end at their hands.
Jiraiya didn't consider himself weaker, but keeping both of them contained would be challenging.
He had already noticed that the Jinchūriki were ignoring him, instead heading for areas where Konoha's forces were concentrated.
"I trust you can handle it."
"Screw you! All you ever do is boss me around! And why haven't you brought Takuya here yet?!"
Jiraiya grumbled, flipping Orochimaru off before summoning Gamabunta.
"Jiraiya, seems like Konoha and Kirigakure's war isn't going too smoothly, huh?" Gamabunta remarked nonchalantly, smoking his pipe.
"Don't even mention it. Kirigakure's strategy is unclear. Bunta, I need your help—we have to contain those two Jinchūriki."
"I knew it! Every time you summon me, it's nothing but trouble."
Though he complained, Gamabunta put away his pipe, drew his massive ninja blade, and prepared for battle.
They've been targeted.
The two Jinchūriki, both shrouded in combat and chakra, turned to face Gamabunta and Jiraiya.
After exchanging glances, they ignored Jiraiya and continued to charge towards the denser concentration of Konoha's forces, their tails increasing in number.
"Step aside!!"
Jiraiya yelled, as Gamabunta swung his massive blade downwards.
But, surprisingly, the next second, the Two Jinchūriki, who had been fighting furiously, stopped.
Facing Gamabunta and Jiraiya, a smile of release appeared on their faces.
"Uh..."
Am I seeing things?
They're actually smiling—a smile of release.
What the heck is going on here?
"Bunta..."
Sensing something was off, Jiraiya tried to get Gamabunta to halt his attack, but it was already too late.
The real show was starting.
On the warship, Yagura watched as the Jinchūriki were slashed down, realizing the main act was about to begin.
With a sigh, Yagura stole a glance at the ship cabin.
"Lord Mizukage, what exactly is your goal with this kind of warfare?"
Everything seemed odd and suspicious.
Ever since the Third Mizukage had supposedly "recovered" from his madness, things had changed—so much so that even Yagura, one of his loyal supporters, felt something was off.
The Mizukage's actions seemed far too deliberate, almost as if he was determined to go head-to-head with Konoha at all costs.
He was seemingly willing to throw the entire village into the fray just to clash with Konoha.
"This isn't good. Jiraiya, I think we might be in deep trouble."
The massive ninja blade was caught by two giant red hands, each belonging to the Tailed Beasts. The intense chakra began to flare violently, and Gamabunta could only feel regret.
You summoned me to assist in battle, not to have me fight two Tailed Beasts at once!!!
One swing, and the Jinchūriki didn't even resist—it was as if they were seeking death.
Now things were really escalating—Gamabunta could already feel his panic rising.
"ROAR!!!"
The roar echoed across the battlefield, dazing everyone around. Red chakra surged violently, and two massive silhouettes began to appear.
"Orochimaru!!!"
Seeing the growing silhouettes, Jiraiya finally realized Kirigakure's plan.
Kirigakure wanted to use the rampaging Tailed Beasts to inflict massive losses on Konoha.
Madmen—they were all madmen!
A chill ran down Orochimaru's spine as his smile gradually faded.
He understood that Konoha was in deep trouble.
Kirigakure wasn't attempting a full-scale attack; they intended to use the Tailed Beasts to deal a crushing blow to Konoha.
And here he was, completely unaware, walking right into their trap.
"What's that?!"
Many were staring, horrified, at the massive silhouettes that continued to materialize. The terrifying chakra emanating from them made everyone's hearts pound.
"ROAR!!!"
Due to the injury to the Jinchūriki, the seal had broken.
The once-sealed Tailed Beasts now controlled the Jinchūriki, breaking free and appearing on the battlefield.