While the Uchiha were securing victory in the West, the Eastern Front had descended into a battle of kaiju proportions.
The terrain was a wasteland of shattered rock and boiling steam.
Han, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, had abandoned all subtlety. He had fully transformed into Kokuō, the Five-Tails—a massive, white creature resembling a cross between a dolphin and a horse. Steam erupted from its body with the force of a volcanic vent, scorching the air.
"Crush them!" Han's distorted voice roared from within the beast.
Facing him were the three students of the Hokage. They moved with a synchronization that spoke of decades of training.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Three clouds of smoke exploded simultaneously.
POOF.
"Gamabunta!" Jiraiya shouted, standing atop the giant toad boss who wielded a massive dagger. "Manda!" Orochimaru hissed, perched on the purple giant snake. "Katsuyu!" Tsunade landed on the giant slug.
"Katsuyu, divide!" Tsunade ordered immediately. "Support the infantry! Don't let anyone die!"
The giant slug split into hundreds of smaller clones, slithering out to the injured Senju ninja to apply remote healing. Tsunade, however, remained on the main body, her fists glowing with chakra.
"Let's go!" Jiraiya commanded.
Gamabunta leaped, clashing his dagger against Kokuō's horns. The impact shook the ground, but the Five-Tails was physically stronger. The steam propelled Kokuō forward, pushing the toad back.
"He's too heavy!" Gamabunta grunted, digging his heels into the rock.
"Now, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya signaled.
Beneath the struggling monsters, the ground cracked. Manda, who had burrowed underground moments earlier, erupted from the earth directly beneath the Five-Tails.
The giant snake coiled instantly, wrapping its massive body around Kokuō's legs and torso, binding the beast tight.
"Let me go, you worm!" Han roared, venting steam to burn the snake.
Orochimaru leaped from Manda's mouth, sailing through the air. His fingertips glowed with purple chakra.
"Five Elements Seal!"
He slammed his hand onto the Five-Tails' chest.
Zzzzt.
The seal disrupted the Tailed Beast's chakra flow. Kokuō shrieked as its massive form destabilized. The white beast shrank rapidly, forced back into the smaller, humanoid Version 2 form—a dark red chakra monster.
"Tsunade!" Orochimaru shouted, falling back.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
Tsunade dropped from the sky like a meteor. She didn't hold back. She slammed her heel into the chest of the Version 2 Jinchūriki.
BOOM.
Han was launched backward, crashing through three rock formations. He was airborne, defenseless.
"Finish it, Bunta!" Jiraiya yelled.
"Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
Gamabunta spat a massive stream of oil. Jiraiya breathed fire into it. The result was a firestorm that engulfed the airborne Jinchūriki, turning the sky orange.
The Sannin landed together, breathing hard.
"Did we get him?" Jiraiya asked.
From the smoke, a roar answered them.
The seal Orochimaru placed shattered. The red chakra expanded violently, and in seconds, the massive form of Kokuō the Five-Tails stood before them again. He was scorched, bleeding, and furious.
"You insects..." Han growled. "You will pay for that!"
Kokuō opened its mouth. Positive black chakra and negative white chakra began to gather. They spun, compressed, and formed a dense, terrifyingly heavy sphere of purple energy.
Tailed Beast Ball.
"He's destroying the whole sector!" Tsunade yelled. "Move!"
"We can't outrun that range," Orochimaru hissed. He stepped forward, biting his thumbs.
"Summoning: Triple Rashōmon!"
SLAM. SLAM. SLAM.
Three gargantuan steel gates, each bearing a demonic face, rose from the earth to shield them.
Han fired.
The Tailed Beast Ball crossed the distance in a blink.
CRASH.
The first gate disintegrated instantly. The second gate buckled and shattered, slowing the ball down but failing to stop it. The ball slammed into the third gate. The steel groaned, denting inward, heat radiating through the metal.
"It's not going to hold!" Jiraiya realized. "Jump!"
The Sannin prepared to bail, knowing the explosion would likely catch them in the blast radius.
Suddenly, a streak of white light cut across the battlefield.
A figure appeared in the air, right between the failing third gate and the Tailed Beast Ball.
Sakumo Hatake.
The White Fang didn't try to block the infinite energy. He gripped his white chakra saber with both hands.
"White Fang Style: Heavenward Deflection!"
He struck the base of the sphere. He didn't cut it; he applied kinetic force upward, altering its trajectory by a mere few degrees.
The ball skimmed over the top of the third gate. It sailed over the heads of the Sannin. It flew into the distant mountain range behind them.
KA-BOOM.
The horizon turned white. A mushroom cloud rose into the sky, the shockwave flattening trees for miles.
Sakumo landed gracefully atop the third Rashōmon gate, sheathing his saber. He looked down at the Sannin.
"Sorry I'm late," Sakumo said calmly.
Han, seeing the White Fang, froze.
He looked for the dust cloud in the West. He realized the explosions from the Suna front had stopped.
The White Fang is here, Han realized with dread. That means the Suna front has fallen. Chiyo and the Kazekage are defeated.
It was now him against the Three Sannin and Sakumo Hatake.
"Checkmate," Han growled.
He looked at his demoralized Iwa troops.
"Retreat!" Han roared, turning his massive bulk around. "All forces, fall back fifteen kilometers! Do not stop!"
The Iwa ninja didn't need to be told twice. They fled, leaving the battlefield to Konoha.
Jiraiya slumped against the gate, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Damn, Sakumo. You sure know how to make an entrance. That was too close."
Sakumo didn't smile. He didn't relax. His expression was grave as he looked at Tsunade.
"We have to reach the camp as soon as possible," Sakumo stated, his voice devoid of victory.
Tsunade froze, the color draining from her face. "Why? What happened?"
"It's Nawaki," Sakumo said softly. "He left the camp without authorization and got ambushed... he was caught in an explosion. His internal organs are damaged. The medics there can't stabilize him. He is in critical condition."
Sakumo locked eyes with her.
"Tsunade, you are the best medic ninja in the camp. You need to hurry, or he won't make it."
Tsunade didn't wait for another word. She didn't wait for orders. She launched herself toward the West, chakra exploding from her feet, tearing up the ground as she sprinted toward her dying brother.