"Hmph. With that stinky fox following me around, even stepping out for some fresh air feels annoying."
Shukaku's sharp voice echoed as its towering body—dozens of meters tall—stood out like a beacon. Nearly every ninja in the Allied Shinobi Forces saw the two Tailed Beasts.
"Stupid tanuki. If you don't want to get erased by that man, you'd better behave."
Kurama didn't want to quarrel with Shukaku. Hyuga Mirai now felt even stronger than the Sage of Six Paths in his old age. Kurama didn't dare hold even a sliver of defiance. In front of Mirai, the Tailed Beasts' resurrection was a joke—completely meaningless.
If they went against him, they would truly die.
Hearing Mirai's name, Shukaku's arrogance faded a little, though it still grumbled, "Hmph. I know. But being surrounded by these ants is really irritating! When are we getting the signal? Just let me kill them already…"
The front-line Allied Ninjas instinctively stepped back two paces, fear creeping up their spines.
These were two Tailed Beasts—one of them the strongest, the Nine-Tails. And they had no sealing team. How were they supposed to fight this?
Behind them, A, Mei Terumi, Onoki, and the others had also learned that the enemy camp now contained Tailed Beasts. They froze for a moment. Weren't the intel reports saying the Sunagakure Federation's Jinchuriki were at the Chunin Exams?
But once they saw the massive barrier around them, they realized their ambush had already failed—yet they couldn't understand how the enemy discovered it.
"Damn it! How did the Sunagakure Federation rats learn our attack plan!?"
The Raikage's hair crackled with electricity from sheer rage. What was supposed to be a flawless operation, deploying over a thousand elite ninja, was now trapped inside an enormous barrier.
The size of this barrier… it meant the Federation had already mapped out their entire force.
"If they were able to counterattack this precisely, someone must have leaked the plan."
Tsunade's voice came from behind. A, Mei, and the others turned, ready to question her, but Hiruzen Sarutobi felt dread creeping in. He could never forget Danzo's warning—but he had never found proof. Tsunade lived a disciplined life, training or drinking and gambling—no sign of collusion with Hyuga Mirai. Hiruzen had been unable to act.
The Raikage turned around and snapped, "Hokage, what do you—"
A violent gust hit them from behind.
BOOM!
Tsunade slammed her fist into the ground. The earth shook like a magnitude-nine earthquake. Mei and Hiruzen almost toppled. A leapt away using Lightning Release Chakra Mode, while Onoki floated up and immediately retreated.
But before Onoki could escape far, he felt a deadly presence behind him. Before he could form a hand seal, a brutal kick smashed into his waist.
BAM!
He crashed into the ground, forming a deep crater.
Tsunade landed, formed hand seals, and shouted:
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Her chakra roared out like a tsunami. The ground quaked, and countless massive wooden branches burst upward, surging toward A, Mei, Hiruzen, and their guard squads.
As for Onoki—after that kick, he lay helpless in the crater. The growing trees wrapped him tightly, draining his chakra. He couldn't move.
"Lariat!"
"Lava Release: Dissolving Monster Jutsu!"
The Wood Release continued expanding. Aside from A, Mei, Hiruzen, and a few guards who escaped, everyone else was completely bound by the growing trees.
"Hokage, what are you doing!?"
A roared in fury, lightning sparking from his hair.
Hiruzen also shouted angrily, "Tsunade, are you betraying Konoha!?"
"I'm trying to achieve peace. Just like my grandfather ended the Warring States era. This is the final step."
Lifted high by the wooden vines, Tsunade stared down at them.
"The current ninja system is slowly recreating the same conditions that caused endless wars back then. If we want peace, we must abandon the ninja system entirely."
Hiruzen roared back, "That's your reason for betraying Konoha!?"
"Old man, I have never betrayed Konoha. Konoha's founding purpose was peace. The ones betraying it—are you!"
Tsunade stomped hard, and the giant trees surged again toward Hiruzen.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Hiruzen leapt back and summoned Enma.
"Hiruzen, what's going on? Wood Release? You're fighting Tsunade? And other villages' ninjas too?"
Enma quickly understood the situation, though confused why Hiruzen was fighting Tsunade.
"Time is short. Transform into the Adamantine Staff!"
Without explaining further, Hiruzen prepared to battle Tsunade's Wood Release.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Mei and A charged at Tsunade. It was obvious now—Tsunade had aligned with the Sunagakure Federation. Their failed ambush was her doing. Over a thousand Cloud ninja had marched straight into a trap. A was livid.
Acidic mist corroded the wooden giants, followed by A smashing them apart with his Lariat.
The two of them combined forces to clear a wide area. The corroded wood was fragile against A, and the leftover mist could not penetrate his lightning defense.
With Hiruzen joining the fight, and several guard squads who hadn't been captured, they barely managed to halt the Wood Release onslaught.
Meanwhile, Konoha's ninja were frozen in shock. Especially Nara Shikaku—everything finally clicked.
Tsunade had hinted at things before, but he assumed it was political tension with Hiruzen. He leaned toward Tsunade but didn't want to offend the Third Hokage.
Later, as Tsunade's behavior became stranger, he thought Hiruzen was restraining her. He never imagined she had already formed an agreement with the Sunagakure Federation.
"Not good—the village!"
Shikaku's eyes widened. He understood everything at once.
Most Konoha ninja present were neutral or opposed to Tsunade's faction. The ones loyal to her had not come.
The Police Force clans, Kakashi's unit, ANBU, Root, and several elite Jonin…
"Tsunade-sama's plan might be—"
Before he could finish the thought—
A thunderous crash erupted behind them.
A massive cloud of smoke—tens of meters tall—billowed up. When it cleared, the Allied Shinobi Forces saw a monstrous serpent-like creature. Its head bore two horns, its body four-limbed, its scales gleaming like violet jade, and its golden slit-pupiled eyes towered like twin mountains.
Any ninja it glanced at could barely keep hold of their kunai.
This wasn't a Summon.
This was a natural disaster.
BOOM.
BOOM.
In the distance, a colossal chakra avatar appeared—Susanoo, over a hundred meters tall. Shikaku recognized the silhouette from intel: this was the Uchiha clan's power.
But he had never seen one so enormous.
A hundred meters… ordinary ninja looked like ants before it.
Nearby, mechanical puppets assembled themselves, forming a metal golem over thirty meters tall. Small compared to the others, but still overwhelming for the Allied Forces.
"Hahaha… What is this? An illusion? Damn… I actually got caught in a Genjutsu…"
A Cloud Jonin laughed hysterically. Bloodshot eyes stared at the battlefield filled with:
Two complete Tailed Beasts.
A colossal purple serpent.
A towering Susanoo.
A massive weaponized puppet.
Facing even one of these created crushing despair—yet all of them appeared at once, surrounding them completely.
Break out?
Where?
How?
Some ninja at the rear had already noticed that the Four Kage were fighting each other. Tsunade's betrayal would soon spread through the army—then they would also face a Fifth Hokage who was said to rival the God of Shinobi.
Shikaku felt cold sweat pouring down. Even the brilliance of the Nara clan could not save them now.
"Shikaku-san, you look unwell. Even if you're sick, you still joined the battlefield. Konoha is lucky to have someone like you."
A voice behind him.
He spun around in shock.
A black portal had opened, and stepping out was the one who spoke.
Hyuga Mirai.
(End of Chapter)