At that moment, the many Sunagakure shinobi present also reacted, retreating rapidly without the slightest hesitation.
BOOM! BOOM!
The entire building was instantly shattered by the surging waves of sand, reduced to rubble.
A terrifying, violent, and brutal Chakra presence appeared in the perception of every shinobi in Sunagakure.
"Ohohoho... you brat, I'm out again!"
The massive form of Shukaku, the One-Tail, appeared in Sunagakure, letting out a maniacal laugh.
After laughing wildly for a while, Shukaku seemed to notice that its appearance this time was not quite the same as when Gaara used the Feigning Sleep Technique.
"Oh? Wasn't I released by this brat? Whatever, you ants can all just die!"
Shukaku's tone carried a hint of surprise, but it was quickly dismissed. Who released him didn't matter to Shukaku at all.
Seeing the dense swarm of Sunagakure shinobi rushing toward it from all directions, Shukaku let out a roar. Already irritated, Shukaku launched its attack without hesitation!
Sand Buckshot!
A massive amount of sand rapidly gathered in the air, then poured out in all directions like a raging storm.
In the blink of an eye, the surrounding ground was pockmarked with craters.
Fortunately, Granny Chiyo seemed to have anticipated Gaara's instability, so she had placed him in a location away from the village center, which prevented significant casualties.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Obito, who had orchestrated all of this, had already disappeared into the Kamui dimension before Shukaku launched its attack.
With Shukaku's rampage, the civilians of Sunagakure were instantly plunged into panic.
Facing a colossal beast radiating such terrifying aura, even shinobi would feel fear, let alone ordinary civilians who possessed no combat skills!
Inside the Kazekage's office.
Granny Chiyo's once-composed expression had long vanished. She slammed her hand on the desk, her face contorted with rage.
"What the hell is going on! What is Baki doing? Why did Shukaku go on a rampage at a time like this!"
A string of questions laced with fury was shouted out by Granny Chiyo.
Unfortunately, at this moment, no one could answer her questions.
"Don't panic. Now is not the time to lose our heads. Send people to restrain Shukaku first, and make absolutely sure it doesn't leave the area."
Ebizō coughed softly and reminded Granny Chiyo from the side.
Granny Chiyo forcefully suppressed the anger in her heart and quickly issued orders, dispatching numerous Sunagakure shinobi to Shukaku's location.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from outside the Kazekage's office.
Following that, the sensory-type shinobi who had been sent to pursue Uchiha Obito strode in, wearing a troubled expression.
"Ryōsuke, what's the situation?"
Ebizō saw the expression on Ryōsuke's face and couldn't help but frown slightly, though he still asked patiently.
"Don't tell me you let the enemy escape again!"
Granny Chiyo spoke almost simultaneously, her tone hard and sharp.
"We didn't let him escape. We've killed him."
"But... the enemy who lured us away was not the shinobi who uses Space-Time Ninjutsu."
The sensory shinobi named Ryōsuke explained in a somewhat tense tone.
As Ryōsuke's words fell, both Ebizō and Granny Chiyo narrowed their eyes.
Both were wise individuals, and they instantly grasped the crux of the problem!
The enemy had deliberately thrown out bait to draw them in and make them give chase!
Granny Chiyo finally understood why Shukaku had suddenly gone on a rampage.
"Hehehe, truly remarkable juniors, aren't they."
Having figured out the cause and effect, unlike Granny Chiyo's grim expression, Ebizō not only showed no anger but instead chuckled softly, instantly dissipating the oppressive atmosphere.
Meanwhile, in the conference room on the other side.
Nagato, Kakashi, and the others also felt the violent Chakra presence of Shukaku.
From their position, they could even see the somewhat blurry but massive silhouette of Shukaku in the distance.
"From the looks of it, Sunagakure was caught off guard."
"But the good news at least is that the jinchūriki is still in the village. And what the enemy did has probably completely enraged Sunagakure."
Yamashiro Aoba gazed in Shukaku's direction, his voice carrying a hint of gravity.
They couldn't leave the conference room at the moment, so all they could do was watch from here.
"I didn't expect the jinchūriki to go on a rampage. Things are getting more interesting!"
Kisame bared his sharp teeth and laughed in a low voice.
Kakashi glanced in Kisame's direction, frowning slightly, then turned his gaze toward Nagato, who sat nearby with his eyes closed, looking calm from start to finish.
A thoughtful glint flashed through Kakashi's eyes. The people from Kirigakure seemed oddly unworried.
Just as Kakashi was speculating, a clear sound of footsteps came from outside the conference room, and the door was opened.
A Sunagakure chūnin walked in with a calm expression.
"Sorry for keeping you all here so long. Lady Chiyo requests your presence."
The chūnin bowed slightly to everyone and gestured for them to step outside.
Kakashi and Yamashiro Aoba exchanged a glance, their eyes flashing with understanding.
At that moment, Naruto, who had been slumped over the conference table looking dejected, suddenly heard they could leave. He jerked his head up, his face showing unmasked delight.
Outside the gates of Sunagakure.
Sand and dust filled the air everywhere, and a charred stench permeated the surroundings.
Hah! Hah!
Sasuke was breathing heavily, his face showing clear exhaustion. His once-neat clothes were now in tatters.
An earthen spear thrust out from the ground, aimed straight at Sasuke's chest.
Sasuke's pupils contracted. The Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly. At the instant the spear was about to pierce his chest, he twisted his body forcefully and dodged the attack, though a deep gash was still carved into his left arm.
"Kid, is that all you've got?"
A slightly mocking voice came from ahead, reaching Sasuke's ears.
The owner of that voice was none other than Kakuzu, standing a short distance away.
At this moment, Kakuzu had two bizarre mask monsters on each side of his body, continuously spewing various elemental ninjutsu from their mouths, bombarding the area ahead.
"Hmph!"
Sasuke let out a cold snort and intercepted a puppet trying to invade from one side.
In such a high-intensity battle, it wasn't just Sasuke who felt exhausted. Even Kakuzu's face showed signs of fatigue.
"Chakra is running low. What the hell is Uchiha Obito doing? Isn't he done yet?"
A cold glint flashed in Kakuzu's eyes as he thought to himself.
He had already made up his mind. If Uchiha Obito still hadn't made a move after a little while longer, he would take Sasuke and leave directly.
After all, if this dragged on any longer, he would be in danger!
Right at that moment, Shukaku's roar suddenly exploded from within Sunagakure, instantly drawing the attention of every shinobi present.
"Shukaku? Something happened to the jinchūriki!"
The moment the Sunagakure shinobi heard that familiar roar, the same thought flashed through their minds simultaneously.
At the same time, the Sunagakure shinobi's offensive paused briefly for an instant.
A perfect opportunity!
Kakuzu's eyes lit up. This was exactly what he had been waiting for.
Their mission was accomplished. The next issue was how to withdraw from the battlefield.
Time to retreat!
It might have looked like Kakuzu was suppressing the Sunagakure shinobi in this battle, but Kakuzu knew the truth all too well.
The leading Sunagakure shinobi had never intended to take them down in one fell swoop. Instead, they were steadily wearing down their Chakra and willpower.
As a shinobi who had survived since the founding of the great ninja villages, through the passage of vast ages, his situation had always been perilous. Kakuzu saw this more clearly than anyone!
Kakuzu's mind raced. The Earth Grudge Fear mask monsters around him rapidly transformed into black threads, surging toward Kakuzu's body and merging into him at high speed.
At the same time!
Kakuzu began forming hand seals in rapid succession without pause. Using the instant the mask monsters merged with his body, he consumed what little Chakra he had left and unleashed the ninjutsu he had already prepared toward the enemy ahead!
Composite Ninja Art — Earth Grudge Fear — Final Shot!
Three attributes of Chakra — Wind, Fire, and Lightning — rapidly gathered on Kakuzu's right arm in that moment. After a brief charge, he fired a terrifying Chakra cannon straight ahead!
The devastating attack instantly halted the Sunagakure shinobi who had been trying to press their assault!
[
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