Ten colossal figures stood like giants on the battlefield!
Each radiated icy killing intent, their massive shadows blanketing a large swath of the field.
A mere glance upward would make one's heart tremble with fear!
The ten Akimichi giants had no intention of stopping. After a brief pause, they turned and charged across the battlefield once more.
Linked together, these ten giants amplified the impact of their charge and created a terrifying visual effect.
More importantly, they prevented any single one from being isolated by Earth Style techniques.
After all, though these ten Akimichi were now as large as Tailed Beasts, they did not possess the beasts' terrifying strength.
If separated on the battlefield, they could be picked off one by one and their size advantage neutralized.
Simply put, they were showpieces.
But even so, the power and impact of their massive forms were still terrifying!
The Aburame Clan's insect sea, dark as storm clouds, surrounded the ten Akimichi giants, shielding them from ninjutsu fired from all directions.
The insects also eliminated those fortunate enough to escape the charge or survive with severe injuries.
The combination of the Aburame and Akimichi Clans left many shinobi on the battlefield utterly helpless.
More critically, the Akimichi had begun charging the moment they appeared and showed no signs of stopping, giving the Mist and Stone forces no time to prepare!
These were not the only clans entering the fight!
The Yamanaka, Nara, Kagashi, Yamashiro, Sarutobi, Shimura, Inuzuka, and other clans of varying sizes also poured from Konoha into the battlefield.
These clan shinobi quickly organized into clan-based units.
Two or even three clans fought as a single coordinated force.
The combat power of these clan shinobi far exceeded that of ordinary four-man squads, surpassing commoner shinobi several times over!
Compared to hastily assembled squads, clan shinobi knew each other inside and out, truly trusting their backs to their own.
The combat power displayed under such conditions was self-evident!
And Sasori, who had single-handedly held off Konoha's forces, naturally drew immediate attention. He became the target of Konoha's counterattack!
A massive swarm of insects surged toward Sasori.
Seeing this, Sasori withdrew from his fight against the Konoha shinobi and retreated.
Simultaneously, hundreds of puppets under his chakra thread control attacked the incoming insects.
Some puppets released poison gas, others breathed fire, and still others spun the blades in their hands.
Every manner of attack targeted the insects, but the results were negligible.
The dense insects swarmed past these defenses, latching onto the puppets.
The insects easily burrowed inside, chewing through every internal component.
Even the chakra threads shooting from Sasori's hands were severed by the insects!
Losing connection to Sasori's threads, hundreds of puppets rained from the sky like a downpour.
Seeing this, Sasori's heart lurched. His retreat accelerated.
Though Sasori had an immortal body, he was not truly invincible. If these insects entered his body, his core would likely be devoured.
Then he would die whether he wanted to or not!
In an instant, the battlefield's balance shifted dramatically!
The Mist and Stone forces, facing Konoha's fierce counterattack, were being pushed back.
Not just the ordinary shinobi!
Sasori, Uchiha Obito, Kakuzu, Momochi Zabuza, Kisame Hoshigaki, and other top-tier shinobi also began retreating under this intense assault.
Though powerful, Konoha's strength was not weak. Moreover, on a battlefield, individual combat was different.
Excessive chakra consumption would turn them into lambs awaiting slaughter.
Gradually, as time passed, the Konoha forces showed signs of a counterattack!
At that moment, behind the Mist forces…
Atop a hill's highest point…
"Lord Yuto, Konoha's offensive grows fiercer."
Terumi Mei watched the shifting battlefield with a grave expression, brow furrowed.
Yuto wore a calm, detached expression, seemingly unconcerned by the scene before him.
"Look at Konoha – nearly every clan has committed its full strength. But have you noticed which clan seems to have sent fewer members?"
Yuto's lips curved into a smile as he shifted to a different topic.
Terumi Mei blinked, momentarily at a loss for an answer.
Konoha had dozens of clans. How could she know which had not committed its full strength?
Though she thought this, she raised her gaze to study the battlefield carefully. After a long moment, her eyes blurred with strain, but she still could not identify which clan had sent fewer.
Just as she was about to ask Yuto, a thought flashed through her mind.
The key to Lord Yuto's question was which clan had the fewest present.
That meant he was not asking about the small clans.
And Konoha's so-called great clans were few!
Terumi Mei's eyes gleamed. She looked at the battlefield again, searching for those major clans.
Just then, a cool, detached voice came from behind:
"The Hyuga Clan."
As those words rang out, Terumi Mei indeed noticed that the Hyuga, called Konoha's greatest clan, had few presence on the battlefield!
Hyuga shinobi were easily recognizable. Even in combat, they wore white robes, perhaps with a flak vest over the upper body.
"Tsunade?"
Terumi Mei turned toward the voice.
Tsunade walked forward, her expression cold. She did not look at Terumi Mei, instead fixing her gaze on Yuto.
"You're not restricting my movements. Aren't you worried I'll escape?"
Tsunade's voice was filled with icy tones.
"Is that so?"
"If you can escape, that's your skill."
Yuto did not even turn his head, still gazing calmly at the battlefield, speaking indifferently.
Hearing Yuto's words, Tsunade knew it was the truth, but she still snorted coldly in dissatisfaction.
She walked forward, ignoring Yuto, and stood at the hill's highest point, gazing at the distant battlefield.
"Has the Hyuga Clan already split so deeply?"
Tsunade looked at the few Hyuga shinobi on the battlefield, her eyes flashing with cold light.
"My, my – Lady Tsunade doesn't look pleased."
"To think the Hyuga, called Konoha's greatest clan, would find itself in such a situation at this critical moment."
Terumi Mei wore a charming smile, her tone warm.
"Hmph!"
Tsunade snorted coldly at Terumi Mei.
"Heh heh heh." Terumi Mei chuckled at Tsunade's anger.
"Did you scheme this behind the scenes?"
Tsunade raised her head, eyes wide at Yuto.
"We wouldn't resort to such petty tricks."
"Also, you'd best watch your tone when speaking. Otherwise…"
Terumi Mei's voice turned cold at Tsunade's disrespect toward Yuto.
Tsunade ignored the threat. Her situation was already as bad as it could be; she had no care for Terumi Mei's warnings!
"The Hyuga's branch and main family policies have always harbored great hidden danger."
"Under normal circumstances, it's manageable. But when a major crisis arises, combined with special conditions, such policies create two opposing factions."
"This outcome was not difficult to predict."
Yuto crossed his arms, speaking in a relaxed tone.
"Hyuga Neji!" Tsunade's eyes flickered at Yuto's words, grasping the key issue.
She looked at the battlefield again, letting out a slow sigh.
Though Konoha appeared to be counterattacking, Tsunade's peripheral glance at the calm Yuto told her it was all an illusion.
Just as Tsunade had expected…
After gradually adapting to Konoha's attacks, the Stone and Mist forces had begun regrouping.
"With the Aburame insects, we can't get close to those ten Akimichi."
"If we don't deal with them, we'll remain at a disadvantage."
Uchiha Obito's tone was low.
Kakuzu, Sasori, Hidan exchanged glances, their expressions somber.
Their techniques were not particularly effective against the insects.
"In that case, leave the insects to us. As for the ten Akimichi, they're yours."
At that moment, Momochi Zabuza spoke from the side, his voice cold.
He turned and glanced at Ringo Yugiri and Chojuro.
Ringo Yugiri and Chojuro understood immediately.
Under the curious gazes of Obito, Kakuzu, and the others, Zabuza's trio stepped forward, forming a straight line.
Then, all three began forming hand seals at incredible speed. Sage chakra surged within them.
After roughly three breaths, Zabuza, Ringo Yugiri, and Chojuro completed their seals and let out a low shout:
"Sage Art – Water Style – Cutting Rain!"
"Sage Art – Water Style – Cutting Rain!"
"Sage Art – Water Style – Cutting Rain!"
Drip… drip…
Raindrops began falling from the sky. With their chakra infusion, the rain's range expanded rapidly, blanketing two-thirds of the battlefield in moments.
Each raindrop carried a specialized chakra that weakened any living thing it touched.
The Aburame insects swarming around the Akimichi began falling from the sky at a visible rate as the rain struck them.
The Aburame shinobi controlling them all changed expression.
"Watch out! This rain weakens chakra!"
An Aburame jonin shouted.
Cutting Rain was not as effective against shinobi as one might think, but for creatures like insects with minimal internal chakra, it was devastating.
The Aburame frantically recalled their insects, preparing to withdraw them into their bodies.
But even so, under the widespread rain, eighty to ninety percent of the insects fell to the ground. From a distance, the battlefield floor appeared coated in black.
Without the Aburame insects' protection, the Akimichi figures were immediately exposed.
In that instant, Uchiha Obito, Kakuzu, and the Stone jonin all moved!
A dense barrage of ninjutsu in every nature type bombarded them.
Under such an assault, the ten linked Akimichi were gradually forced apart.
In the distance, Tsunade watching from the hilllet saw this and her gaze darkened: "It's over…"
Without the Aburame insects' protection, the ten Akimichi were like walnuts stripped of their hard shells.
Once separated, their combat power would plummet.
Under Yuto and Terumi Mei's gaze, the separated Akimichi were cut down one by one by the battlefield shinobi!
With massive insect losses, the Aburame's combat power also dropped sharply.
They suffered a sneak attack from Stone forces, taking heavy casualties in an instant.
With the Akimichi and Aburame charge collapsing, Konoha's counterattack momentum naturally came to an abrupt halt!
Iwagakure and Kirigakure began their counterattack once more!
The battlefield echoed with collisions and explosions of ninjutsu. Countless shinobi from all three sides fell.
As time passed, under the relentless assault of the Stone and Mist villages, Konoha's forces began to crumble!
When the sun began to set in the west, a thunderous explosion shattered Konoha's main gate.
[
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