The Hidden Rock Ninja deployed many ninjas this time, requiring supplies to be transported every few days; otherwise, shurikens and kunai would not keep up with the consumption.
Danzo, upon learning of this information, immediately passed it to Namikaze Minato and Jiraiya without hesitation; he would not waste any more Root Ninja lives on this task.
A lot of Root Ninjas have already sacrificed themselves to acquire this intelligence. Any further sacrifices would cause Konoha to lose essential protective forces, so it's better to let the battlefield commanders worry about it.
Danzo also wanted to know to what extent such a young battlefield commander could reverse the situation.
The Hidden Rock and Hidden Cloud Ninjas exchanged war status daily, and the war has lasted for two months since it began. Onoki, the Third Generation Raikage, Kitsuchi, Dodai, and A decided it was time to launch an attack.
Their intelligence confirmed that Konoha would not dispatch the Nine-tailed Jinchuriki, and envoys headed for the Hidden Sand and Hidden Mist had already been sent. Though the outcome was uncertain, it was worth a try.
Having settled on the attack time, A said to Kitsuchi, "We'll be counting on you, Mr. Kitsuchi."
"No worries, we have a common enemy."
Kitsuchi said to A that since the Hidden Cloud had lost even the Two-tailed after being defeated by Konoha, Konoha could gain the strongest Nine-tailed and a new Two-tailed Jinchuriki. If not punished, their strength might rapidly increase in a few years.
Plus, Konoha's Wood Release; the previous Chunin Exam promoted an alliance between the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock Ninjas.
The next day, A no longer showed weakness in the Hidden Cloud Ninjas and directly dispatched large reconnaissance squads of Hidden Cloud Ninjas. They soon collided with the Konoha Ninja Squads outside and commenced a fierce battle.
This time, the Hidden Cloud did not gain the upper hand, and targeted blockades occurred in many places in the Land of Hot Water, hitting the Konoha Squads heavily.
The information quickly reached Hatake Sakumo, and upon noticing the odd behavior of the Hidden Cloud Ninjas, he immediately sent reconnaissance ninjas to investigate their movements.
As the reconnaissance squads continued to operate and transmit information, the findings came as a surprise to Hatake Sakumo.
The Hidden Cloud Ninjas had fully emerged, with a large number approaching the Land of Fire, potentially invading within a few hours.
Hatake Sakumo promptly gathered all the Jonin and shared this intelligence with them, arranging strategies immediately.
"Orochimaru, if I'm not here, you'll take command. If Orochimaru is unavailable... Mr. Hayama, you'll be in charge. As for Mr. Yoichi, if the Eight-tailed appears, you'll handle it..."
Hatake Sakumo made numerous arrangements, believing the Hidden Cloud was easier to handle than the Hidden Rock Ninja in terms of similar numbers.
Having set up these plans, the Konoha Ninjas quickly gathered; most were determined to join the war, though its onset was rather sudden...
Soon, as the Konoha Ninjas prepared to face the Hidden Cloud, they saw the vanguard of the Hidden Cloud forces approaching.
However, just then, a Yamanaka Clan ninja monitoring with Ninja Eagles urgently reported to Hatake Sakumo: "Jonin Hatake, I see Hidden Rock Ninjas, and there are quite a few—at least dozens—on the left side of the Hidden Cloud army..."
Boom!
Before this Yamanaka Clan ninja could finish reporting the intelligence, three enormous monsters, tens of meters high, suddenly appeared before the Hidden Cloud troops.
A giant orangutan with red fur, horns on its head, ferocious fangs, and four tails slowly swaying behind it.
Another creature had the head of a dolphin combined with a horse's body, entirely white, and its five massive tails could block the sun.
The last was the Eight-tailed Gyuki, familiar to the Konoha Ninjas. Previously, it fought fiercely with Uchiha Yoichi on the battlefield, its destructive power enough to intimidate ordinary ninjas.
Once these three fully formed Tailed Beasts appeared on the battlefield, they instantly brought unimaginable pressure to Konoha's side, even surprising Uchiha Yoichi, who felt this was particularly troublesome.
Orochimaru's expression was replaced with seriousness, but his judgment was the quickest. Based on the Yamanaka Clan's report, he immediately advised Hatake Sakumo: "Lord Sakumo, prepare to retreat; this war is unwinnable..."
"Retreat... is difficult; the Hidden Cloud won't allow us to retreat."
Hatake Sakumo finished speaking and quickly searched for solutions in his mind, only to find no feasible options... With the Hidden Cloud concealing such crucial intelligence, how could they let them leave easily?
"No matter what, we need to fight first!"
Upon seeing the three fully formed Tailed Beasts, Uchiha Yoichi realized he couldn't keep his strength concealed today.
"Susanoo!"
The vast chakra surged out from within him, swiftly coalescing into bones, muscles, and armor.
A towering, seventy to eighty meters high deep blue Crow Tengu Susanoo instantly appeared on the battlefield; with enhanced pupil power, Susanoo was now much larger than before, surpassing the Eight-tailed by over twenty meters.
The deep blue Susanoo quickly advanced on the battlefield, swinging the chakra long blade to slash diagonally at the incoming Tailed Beast Ball, sending it skyward.
However, the Susanoo Long Blade only deflected one Tailed Beast Ball before splitting in two, and against the second and third Tailed Beast Balls, Uchiha Yoichi could only cross its arms over its chest in defense.
Orochimaru responded swiftly, forming the double-handed seal: "Triple Rashomon!"
Boom!
Intense explosion, scorching flames, and fierce blasts overturned the Rashomon.
It was fortunate that all Konoha Ninjas instinctively dispersed and hid underground early on; otherwise, the Tailed Beast Ball explosion could have inflicted heavy casualties on them.
Tailed Beasts are indeed the nuclear bombs of war; a random attack is enough to overwhelm dozens of Jonin, who are elite upper echelons of a Great Ninja Village.
"Hehe, you fools, blow you up~!"
Killer Bee, reveling in the impact of the Tailed Beast Balls, started rapping joyfully, then said to Roshi and Han, "Guys, how about we keep up the attack?"
"He's fine, Killer Bee, be careful!"
Slash!
A fierce slash suddenly surged out from the explosive smoke toward the three Jinchuriki, its terrifying power splitting the ground into a chasm.
Thanks to Roshi's warning, all three blocked it with their tails arrayed before them, obstructing the slash.
But the battlefield had already been utterly ravaged, and deep chasms stretched from Konoha's side to the front line of the Hidden Cloud forces. Furthermore, the smoke from the Tailed Beast Ball explosion facilitated the slash.
The deep blue Susanoo had a large hole blasted in its chest by the Tailed Beast Ball, but Uchiha Yoichi already mended it with chakra.
Upon the ground in front of Susanoo, a nearly hundred-meter-wide ominous pit appeared.
Seeing this, Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, and others weren't secretly shaken; had Uchiha Yoichi and Rashomon not resisted the bulk of the explosion's force, the Konoha Ninjas might have found it difficult to survive the Tailed Beast Ball's attack.
"Mr. Hayama, have Mr. Ima immediately help you relay orders: the First Battalion covers, the Second and Third Battalions, and the Medical Unit prepare to evacuate... Inform the village about the situation here!"
Hatake Sakumo decisively made this call, as failure to evacuate might result in losing these thousand ninjas.
Meanwhile, both Uchiha Yoichi and the three opposing Tailed Beast Jinchuriki considered changing battlefields.
Even Susanoo possessed the destructive power of a Tailed Beast; its random attacks easily split mountains and cleave the earth. Without a sealing technique, thousands of ninjas were mere fodder for them.
"Pure Susanoo seems insufficient to guard against continuous Tailed Beast Ball attacks. I'll have to reveal some strength..."
Having resolved in mind, Uchiha Yoichi pressed his hands together, his face abruptly donning the Sage Mode mask as a sharp horn slowly protruded from his forehead.
Even Susanoo underwent transformations; beside the Crow Tengu's armor, scales-like formations emerged, and a horn similar to Uchiha Yoichi's appeared at Susanoo's forehead.
"Sage Art: Woodman Jutsu!"