Under the full-force assault from Hiruzen and Danzo, every enemy shinobi inside the village was wiped out.
The Sand division had also completely fallen back outside Konoha's main gate, now jointly holding the line with the Mist division.
On a raised platform,
Hiruzen and Danzo stood side by side at the very front, both silently contemplating.
"Next, we mobilize all of our strength and finish this fight with the Mist and Sand in one stroke."
Danzo's voice carried a chill, but his tone was rock-solid.
Hiruzen nodded. Although he and Danzo had their disputes in politics, when facing a common enemy, they were of one mind.
"We do need to end this quickly. With such a huge commotion, the Cloud and the Stone have probably already heard."
Hiruzen frowned slightly, a trace of worry in his voice.
Tap, tap—
Soft footsteps came from behind as Homura and Koharu walked over, their expressions slightly bitter.
"Hiruzen, we bear responsibility for the loss of Konoha's main gate. It was the two of us who were careless."
Koharu said with a wry smile.
On the other side, Homura also lowered the head that had once been proudly held high, the same bitter smile on his face.
Hiruzen's expression did not change. He didn't say a word.
Seeing his silence, Homura and Koharu exchanged a glance, then looked toward Danzo.
In everyone's eyes, this battle was basically decided. Neither the Mist nor the Sand had the ability to wage a protracted war.
Furthermore, this was Konoha's home ground. When it came to supplies, the Leaf shinobi had nothing to fear.
So Homura and Koharu had decided to seize the chance to admit their mistake before the war formally ended.
"The Mist's attack was far too sudden, and with the barrier destroyed, it's only natural the two advisors didn't have time to react."
Danzo's indifferent voice sounded from the side.
Hiruzen lifted his head and glanced over the three of them, his tone still level.
"We'll talk about this after the battle is over."
Danzo frowned slightly but said nothing more. He understood Hiruzen's temper. He had already spoken up for them; whether it worked or not was no longer his concern.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several sharp sounds split the air.
A few of Konoha's jonin appeared behind Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama, using the Hyuga clan's Byakugan (White Eye), we've completely scouted the enemy. In terms of manpower, we outnumber them by several times. We are fully capable of wiping them out."
Asuma cast a calm glance at Danzo and the other two, then focused on Hiruzen again, his voice brimming with killing intent.
"Mm. Shikaku, what do you think?"
After hearing Asuma's report, Hiruzen nodded lightly and turned his gaze toward Shikaku at his side.
"Asuma is right. The only real problem now is the Three-Tails. A single misstep could cause massive casualties among our shinobi."
Shikaku said quietly, worry faintly visible on his face. He couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't so simple.
"How about leaving the Three-Tails to us?"
A hearty voice rang out from the distance, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"Jiraiya-sama! Tsunade-sama!"
Shikaku froze for a moment when he saw them, then hurriedly bowed in respect.
Hiruzen was also taken aback for a heartbeat when he noticed Tsunade beside Jiraiya, but a smile soon spread across his face.
"Sorry, old man, got held up by some business."
Jiraiya glanced sidelong at Tsunade. Seeing that she no longer showed the slightest sign of hemophobia, he relaxed inside and laughed as he spoke.
Outside Konoha's main gate,
The Mist-nin and Sand-nin were encamped together, but the two forces remained clearly separated.
Maki's face was extremely ugly. Konoha's strength had far exceeded their expectations.
From Maki's current perspective, this whole "Konoha Crush" plan now seemed like a complete joke.
If not for the Hidden Mist, they probably would have already thrown up their hands and surrendered.
For the moment, the entire Sand division was under his temporary command. As for the Kazekage… Maki cast a glance in Orochimaru's direction but did not mention him.
This was not the time to bring that up!
What surprised Maki, though, was how abruptly obedient Orochimaru's group had become.
"Sir, what should we do next?"
A Sand-nin stood in front of Maki, a hint of panic in his voice.
Maki gave the shinobi a glance but said nothing for a moment. In their current situation, whichever way you looked at it, the Sand were in the weakest position.
"Select two shinobi to come with me to the Mist camp. Given how things stand, our only choice is to join forces with them."
The thought of surrender had crossed Maki's mind, but that was a last resort.
Soon, Maki set off toward the Mist forces with two Sand-nin in tow.
Just as the three of them were about to approach the Mist encampment, a sharp, tearing whistle cut in from the side.
The Kubikiribōchō (Executioner's Blade) came screaming through the air and plunged into the ground not far in front of Maki.
Zabuza crouched on the sword's hilt, a cold smile on his face as he glared at Maki and the others.
"Sand-nin, what do you want?"
At the sight of that unmistakable Executioner's Blade, Maki's eyes narrowed slightly.
Zabuza, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
But wasn't Zabuza supposed to be a missing-nin? Why was he here?
"On behalf of the Sand, I have important matters to discuss with the Mist."
Maki's expression did not change as he spoke in a low voice.
Discuss?
Hearing that word, Zabuza's face remained impassive, but his gaze swept over the three men with thinly veiled contempt.
Feeling Zabuza's eyes on them, the two Sand-nin beside Maki couldn't help the anger that flashed across their faces.
Just as the two were about to move, Maki turned his head and shot them a cold look.
"Zabuza-dono, since you Mist-nin are allowing us Sand-nin to hold a position right beside you, I doubt you're just here to laugh at us."
Maki said solemnly.
"What a pity. I was actually thinking of killing a few Sand-nin to see how you differ from Leaf shinobi."
Zabuza curled his lip, looking genuinely regretful, then said impatiently, "Wait here."
Not long after, Haku approached from the rear, a gentle smile on his face.
"Zabuza-sama," Haku said softly as he came to stand beside him.
Zabuza only snorted, hefted the Executioner's Blade up onto his shoulder, and walked off in another direction.
Watching him leave, Haku showed a trace of helplessness, then turned back to Maki and the others.
"You three, come with me."
With that, Haku turned and started back the way he'd come.
Maki was slightly startled, but quickly followed after him.
Once they entered the Mist encampment, Maki could clearly feel the murderous pressure hanging in the air.
So this was the Hidden Mist, the so-called "Village of the Bloody Mist"!
Maki's heart trembled slightly. An ordinary Sand division would probably be no match for this Mist force at all.
Led by Haku, it wasn't long before a massive silhouette slowly came into view before Maki.
A brutal aura mixed with terrifying chakra saturated the air.
Cold sweat immediately broke out on the foreheads of all three Sand-nin.
It was the Three-Tails.
Haku stopped there and lifted his head to look forward.
A young man in a blue robe, a flute tucked at his waist, appeared before the three of them.
In a flash, Utakata appeared right in front of Maki and the others, giving Maki a faint glance as he spoke in an even tone.
"The boss is currently sitting on top of the Three-Tails' head. If you want to see him, just go straight up."
On the Three-Tails' head? On a bijuu's body?
In that instant, an extra sheen of cold sweat sprang out across the brows of all three.
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