Within Sunagakure's army formation, the insect tide filling the sky was wantonly devouring the puppet masters whom Sunagakure regarded as treasures.
The surrounding Sand shinobi were somewhat at a loss.
The best way to deal with insects was naturally Fire Release.
As one of the Five Great Hidden Villages, although Sunagakure did not possess countless precious Fire Release ninjutsu like Konoha, they still had C-rank Fire Release techniques.
But how the hell were they supposed to burn them now? Were they supposed to burn the puppet masters along with the insects?
"Wind Release: Super Great Breakthrough!"
Just as all the Sand shinobi stood there helplessly, watching the puppet masters being swallowed by the insect swarm amid their screams, a voice rang out.
Boom!
Unlike an ordinary Great Breakthrough, if the Great Breakthrough used by ordinary Wind Release ninjas was a small whirlwind, then this terrifying Great Breakthrough was a violent gale!
"Attach chakra to the ground!"
As the black wind swept toward the puppet masters, that voice shouted loudly again.
When the puppet masters heard that voice, they hurriedly attached large amounts of chakra to the soles of their feet, firmly sticking themselves to the ground.
"Ah! Ah! Help!"
Although all the puppet masters did so, those second-level black-grade puppet masters could not remain standing under this terrifying hurricane at all.
Together with countless insects, they were blown into the air.
"Use Fire Release!"
The Sand shinobi who had used the Super Great Breakthrough shouted another order.
Sunagakure's Fire Release ninjas all revealed looks of reluctance. Among those insects were their own comrades!
But when they saw that lord's firm expression, these Fire Release ninjas gritted their teeth one after another and launched Fire Release ninjutsu toward the insect tide in the sky.
"Fire Release: Blazing Flame Technique!"
"Fire Release: Fire Run!"
Dozens of flames burned toward the insect swarm in the air. But compared to Konoha's terrifying Fire Release, Sunagakure's Fire Release was far inferior in both momentum and power.
Fire Release ninjutsu was the most precious among the five basic nature transformations. Aside from Konohagakure, even the other great hidden villages basically did not possess many Fire Release techniques above C-rank.
Sunagakure only had a few C-rank Fire Release techniques.
However, Sunagakure's Wind Release was indeed outstanding throughout the ninja world.
And wind could aid fire!
"Wind Release: Divine Wind!"
The Sand shinobi who had unleashed Super Great Breakthrough surged with chakra all over his body. His hands rapidly formed seals, and because his speed was too fast, afterimages actually appeared.
After this Sand shinobi finished casting his technique, countless terrifying gusts of wind swept down from the sky. Under the assistance of this half-step divine wind, the Fire Release ninjutsu suddenly accelerated, and those flames seemed to have swallowed some powerful tonic.
They swelled violently, their momentum soaring!
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
The flames burned across the insect swarm, producing ear-piercing sizzling sounds. Countless insects wailed in the sea of fire before being burned into ash.
And those second-level black-grade puppet masters who had also been blown into the air by the Super Great Breakthrough were burned into ash along with the insect swarm amid miserable screams by their own comrades. Not even their bones remained.
"It was all because of those despicable, shameless Konoha ninjas that our puppet masters suffered such heavy losses! Kill the Konoha ninjas! Avenge the heroic spirits of Sunagakure!"
That Sand shinobi saw that the surrounding Sand shinobi were all low-spirited and conflicted. After all, they had just seen their own people burn their own people to death.
So he hurriedly shouted loudly.
"Lord Horibe Ryuichi is right! It's all because of those Konoha bastards! That's why our comrades died so miserably! Kill the Konoha ninjas!"
Many Sand shinobi belonging to Horibe Ryuichi's faction quickly echoed him and shouted.
Horibe Ryuichi! A direct subordinate of the Third Kazekage. One could even say he was the Third Kazekage's disciple. His Wind Release ninjutsu could be said to stand at the very peak of Sunagakure, and even throughout the ninja world, he was famous.
He was known as Sunagakure's Wind Treasury!
When the surrounding Sand shinobi heard Horibe Ryuichi's words, they suddenly snapped awake. Their eyes filled with hatred as they looked toward the distant Konoha ninjas. Raising the weapons in their hands, they launched another attack toward Konoha's army formation.
As for the surviving puppet masters, many of them had countless tiny wounds all over their bodies. Those were all bites left by the insects earlier.
Sunagakure's few medical ninjas hurriedly began treating these puppet masters. After all, every puppet master was a precious asset to Sunagakure.
They killed all the insects still hidden inside the puppet masters' bodies, then began treating the injured puppet masters.
"Bastards! Our puppets!"
One of the four puppet masters looked livid as he stared at the Konoha ninjas in the distance who were destroying the puppets.
Just now, the insects had bitten through all of their chakra threads.
A puppet that had lost its chakra threads was nothing more than a pile of rotten wood. A single Chunin using explosive tags could destroy who knew how many of them.
Sunagakure's Puppet Corps had been defeated by Konoha's Aburame clan!
"Lords of the Aburame clan, please return to the army formation and rest quickly."
Several dozen Konoha ninjas suddenly flashed to the side of the Aburame clan members.
Just now, in order to defeat the enormous Puppet Corps, every Aburame clan member had used all their chakra to create insect cocoons.
Now, many Aburame clan members were already exhausted and had collapsed to the ground.
"Mm. Sorry for the trouble."
The Aburame clan head did not force himself. Acting tough on the battlefield was no different from courting death.
These Konoha ninjas hurriedly carried the exhausted Aburame clan members onto stretchers and protected them as they withdrew back into Konoha's army formation.
"That guy is called Horibe Ryuichi, right?"
At Konoha's central army, Yoru looked at Horibe Ryuichi, who had neutralized the Aburame clan's insect tide, and asked Orochimaru beside him.
"Yes. He is a Wind Release powerhouse known as Sunagakure's Wind Treasury."
Orochimaru roughly introduced this Sunagakure powerhouse to Yoru
"In that case, make your move, Orochimaru."
Yoru gave Orochimaru the order.
Since Sunagakure had begun deploying high-end combat forces, then Konoha would respond in kind.
Heh.
Orochimaru gave an eerie smile. With the Body Flicker Technique, he appeared at the front of Konoha's army formation.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram! Orochimaru bit open the index finger of his left hand, smeared blood across his right palm, and formed those five hand seals within two seconds. Then he slammed his bloodstained right hand fiercely onto the ground.
Bang!
A thick cloud of white smoke appeared on the battlefield. Its range was so vast that it briefly covered heaven and earth.
A bone-chilling hissing sound came from within the dense smoke. When the smoke dispersed, the Sand shinobi charging toward Konoha's army formation looked at the monsters before them in terror.
They were three terrifying giant snakes!