The precision and destructive power of those shots went without saying. In short, Kamishiro had just publicly humiliated the enemy's national strategic deterrent.
Beating up a Tailed Beast looked incredibly shocking, making Kamishiro seem like an absolute badass. But in reality, more than half the credit belonged to Kushina.
Shukaku had been completely restrained by her Adamantine Sealing Chains. Under the suppression of Uzumaki chakra, the beast couldn't move, dodge, defend, attack, or recover.
It was the ultimate living target. Kamishiro had simply capitalized on a massive opening.
Otherwise, if Shukaku had been free to fire off a Tailed Beast Bomb, Kamishiro would have been instantly vaporized.
On the battlefield, the apex powerhouse Shukaku wouldn't be regenerating anytime soon. Furthermore, the Sand now faced the very real danger of losing it entirely.
With the right tools, a sealing master like Kushina—now freed from suppressing it—could permanently seal the beast away.
That was exactly why the cunning Elder Chiyo immediately issued two absolute commands to the Sand ninja. First, recover Shukaku. Second, annihilate the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
On this front, she was the supreme commander of the Sand.
With Konoha's massive reinforcements rushing back, the scales of power were rapidly balancing out. The Sand's momentum had been completely halted.
Soon, they would be the ones at a severe disadvantage. After all, the spectacle Kamishiro just put on had massively boosted Konoha's morale.
At this point, achieving their primary strategic goal—killing Tsunade and destroying the headquarters—was practically impossible.
Chiyo decisively altered their objectives. The highest priority was recovering Shukaku, followed by killing Kushina.
Of course, capturing Kushina alive would be ideal, but that was obviously a pipe dream.
"Does your Sand Village even have a clear objective anymore?" Tsunade mocked Chiyo from across dozens of puppets.
Tsunade's face was deathly pale. This wasn't just because of the brutal casualties Konoha had suffered.
More importantly, she was desperately fighting to suppress her crippling hemophobia. She was holding on by a thread.
Still, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Heavy casualties among the personnel were unavoidable during a surprise attack.
But with the vanguard returning, the headquarters was secure. As long as the command structure remained intact, Konoha's overall war strategy wouldn't suffer fatal damage.
No one had expected the turning point to be the kid following Kushina.
Kamishiro's actions over the last minute hadn't just turned the tide; he had single-handedly held the line.
Tsunade was shocked by his combat power, but it was undoubtedly a blessing. She couldn't afford to be picky. Every ounce of added strength increased their chances of victory.
With Shukaku incapacitated, the Sand ninja were in a state of panic. Upon hearing Chiyo's orders, they instinctively swarmed toward Kushina.
Desperate to kill the Jinchuriki, they charged forward with complete disregard for everything else. This left their backs entirely exposed.
The battlefield had formed into concentric rings. Kamishiro, Kushina, and a handful of Konoha defenders were in the innermost circle.
The Sand ninja formed the middle ring, attacking the center. Meanwhile, Konoha's reinforcements formed the outermost ring, easily harvesting the lives of the Sand ninja who had their backs turned.
Thanks to Chiyo's order, the casualty exchange ratio completely flipped in Konoha's favor.
Chiyo kept her arms extended casually in front of her. Invisible chakra threads connected her fingertips to the Chikamatsu Collection separating her from Tsunade.
She shot a quick glance at the slowly regenerating Shukaku. Seeing that Konoha hadn't moved to secure it yet, she turned her attention back to Tsunade.
"Your youth are quite impressive. The battlefield is always changing. It seems our primary objective is out of reach," Chiyo admitted calmly.
"But killing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki holds far more strategic value than destroying this headquarters."
The Sand's original plan was simple: wipe out the HQ, casually recover Shukaku, and then slaughter the leaderless Konoha army.
But the plan had derailed. Konoha's vanguard had returned long before they could secure the headquarters.
Chiyo had personally opposed deploying Shukaku. But the Fourth Kazekage had insisted.
Once the desperate decision was made, advisors like Chiyo had to fall in line to uphold the new Kazekage's authority. Looking at it now, bringing Shukaku was undeniably a mistake.
Fortunately, both sides had made tactical blunders. Aside from the HQ, a simpler, far more valuable target had presented itself: the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
And then there was the brat who had rushed in to save her. Chiyo didn't know what jutsu he used to blow Shukaku apart, but his strength was terrifying.
He reminded her of the White Fang during the Second Great Ninja War. Such a monumental threat could not be allowed to grow. He would die here today alongside the Jinchuriki.
"I must say, placing the Nine-Tails vessel here is so brilliant I want to praise you, yet so foolish I want to curse you," Chiyo noted.
Kushina had played a crucial role tonight. Her presence was the only reason Shukaku hadn't leveled the base.
Yet, as the Jinchuriki, she was an ultimate target herself. Dangling your most valuable piece right under the enemy's nose was a fundamentally foolish move.
The Sand had meticulously planned this assault. They hadn't failed yet, and they couldn't fail. They had sacrificed too much.
The Sand now faced two choices: preserve their remaining forces and retreat, or risk it all.
They chose the latter. The Sand was like a gambler who had just lost half their chips. With a clear path to victory still visible, it was only natural to go all-in.
"Regardless, you are on the verge of defeat," Tsunade shot back.
In reality, she was deeply worried about Kushina's safety. But killing Chiyo quickly was practically impossible.
So, Tsunade issued her own command. It was short and to the point.
"Sealing Squad!"
"Target: Shukaku!"