If the squad is severely damaged by Roshi's desperate struggle, then this encirclement plan won't be so profitable.
It's better to retreat a little distance first to see if Roshi truly intends to recklessly fight or just bluffing.
If Roshi really wants to fight to the death, then interfere with the Hidden Rock's retreat while pulling back. If not, this bit of distance will make it possible to capture more Hidden Rock ninjas.
When the Tailed Beast Ball was fully formed, Roshi hesitated for just a tenth of a second before eventually spewing it at the closest ninja.
Mokgetsu mastered the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, making it extremely difficult to be hit by the Tailed Beast Ball. Since he couldn't kill Mokgetsu, it didn't really matter where it landed.
Seeing the black-purple Chakra ball oozing a terrifying aura approaching, both Konoha and Hidden Rock ninjas wished they had two more legs to escape faster.
"Jinchuriki are indeed madmen, using the Tailed Beast Ball like this." A Hidden Rock ninja couldn't help but rage inwardly at Roshi.
BOOM!!
The moment the Tailed Beast Ball landed, the blinding explosion dyed the entire battlefield white, and the merciless surge of energy swallowed the ninjas who couldn't escape in time.
At this moment, there was no distinction between Hidden Rock ninjas and Konoha ninjas; under the Tailed Beast Ball, all were as fragile as paper.
The enormous roaring triggered by the explosion even caused the ninjas who evaded the Tailed Beast Ball to experience bouts of ringing in their ears.
Now everyone realized that Roshi was serious.
After releasing one Tailed Beast Ball, Roshi immediately gathered another one, with another small black sphere rapidly appearing before his mouth.
No one doubt this time that Roshi was merely posturing.
Due to Mokgetsu and Namikaze Minato's orders, Konoha ninjas sprinted without hesitation to put distance between themselves and Roshi.
The command has been given to run, why risk under the threat of the Tailed Beast Ball to perish with the Hidden Rock ninjas.
BOOM!!!
Another Tailed Beast Ball hit next to the Hidden Rock and Konoha ninjas, triggering a huge shockwave.
Roshi quickly gathered a third Tailed Beast Ball, choosing not to attack the ninja squad this time, but targeted Jiraiya who was in combat with Han.
Han's fully transformed Tailed Beast body was originally pure white, but now large patches were charred black, looking completely battered.
It's easier for a Jinchuriki to withstand the damage of a Tailed Beast Ball than an ordinary ninja, so Roshi wasn't worried about killing Han.
Swoosh!
Namikaze Minato suddenly appeared beside Jiraiya, transporting him afar before the Tailed Beast Ball landed.
BOOM!!
A huge explosion erupted again; the already injured Han was blasted and knocked to the ground, exiting the complete Tailed Beast Transformation state, reverting to human form.
"So, you were just barely holding on all along." Roshi leaped beside Han, grabbed him, and continued to gather another Tailed Beast Ball.
Han shouldn't be this fragile, clearly, he's badly hurt to can't withstand the Tailed Beast state being knocked out.
When the fourth Tailed Beast Ball exploded, the originally picturesque forest turned into a desolate scene, with no fighting Konoha or Hidden Rock ninjas remaining on site.
"This time, the Four-tailed Jinchuriki was too crazy, his Tailed Beast Balls might have killed hundreds of Hidden Rock ninjas." Jiraiya couldn't help but marvel at the distant explosion's white light.
The most deadly was Roshi's first Tailed Beast Ball; it alone might have killed as close as two hundred Hidden Rock ninjas.
Fortunately, Mokgetsu ordered quickly, scattering personnel rapidly, Konoha ninjas' losses were significantly smaller compared to Hidden Rock, with the first Tailed Beast Ball causing only a few dozen Konoha ninja casualties.
"Even if he succeeded in leading some Hidden Rock ninjas to break through, things won't be easy upon returning." Namikaze Minato foresaw Roshi's future.
Logically, killing a fellow village ninja without surrendering or escaping results in being declared a traitorous ninja.
Roshi directly killed hundreds of villagers in plain sight, the magnitude of this crime is unimaginable even to Namikaze Minato.
"If Hidden Rock executes him and replaces the Jinchuriki, that would be the best for our Konoha; a new Four-tailed Jinchuriki would take a long time to reach top-tier strength." Mimura Hamaki nodded and said.
Although it's frustrating to witness the courageous leader successfully lead a breakout only to become a criminal, if it happens to an opposing force, Mimura Hamaki can only smile.
"There's no need to worry too much about Hidden Rock matters for now, we've won a hugely decisive battle this time!" Jiraiya said heartily.
Although they didn't annihilate the enemy, a 1200 to 2000 battle with such results is incredibly remarkable, enough to be written into Konoha's textbooks.
Hidden Rock not only lost their commander and a significant number of Jonin and elite forces, but also suffered severe losses in the mid-lower ranks. Apart from the Jinchuriki not being killed, Hidden Rock experienced an overwhelming defeat.
Not managing to kill a Jinchuriki is indeed a regret, but Jiraiya isn't too concerned. Leaving a Jinchuriki on the battlefield is difficult; fewer Jinchuriki die on the battlefield than Kage.
"Mokgetsu, you should write this summary report; after all, you're both the commander and the biggest contributor." Jiraiya placed his hand on Mokgetsu's shoulder and laughed.
This time, achieving such a great result, Mokgetsu's strategic plan was indispensable.
Initially, they were at a disadvantage, but Mokgetsu's plan turned it into an advantage.
On the battlefield, Mokgetsu's performance was outstanding, not only suppressing a Jinchuriki like him but also killing a large number of Hidden Rock ninjas.
Mokgetsu adjusted his glasses, although Jiraiya was right, Mokgetsu had the feeling that Jiraiya was too lazy to write and wanted to push it onto him.
However, Mokgetsu agreed, writing the report isn't hard for him; he can just let a Shadow Clone handle it later.
"Hidden Rock suffered heavy losses this time, after losing so many people they should recognize their strength."
"Master Mokgetsu is amazing, reversing the situation upon arrival on the battlefield."
Many Konoha ninjas felt the war had come to an end and relaxed as they began cleaning the battlefield.
"Is it really over?" Mokgetsu's eyes under his glasses continued to scrutinize the surroundings keenly with the Byakugan.
This is not an ordinary war.
To others, this war might not differ from previous ones beyond scale.
Only Mokgetsu, aware of White Zetsu's identity, understood that this war was not simple.
Although the main participants were Hidden Rock and Konoha, behind the scenes were Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu.
Since Uchiha Madara directly used White Zetsu as a Hidden Rock spy, Mokgetsu didn't believe he had no ulterior motives.
It's impossible that Uchiha Madara is a spiritual Hidden Rock ninja who, seeing the Hidden Rock losing, couldn't bear it and came to help. That would be too far-fetched.
To prevent Uchiha Madara from causing trouble, Mokgetsu prepared extensively.
Since he anticipated dealing with the Four-tails, Mokgetsu modified his Yang Seal stored with Chakra, switching to the Breath of Water Chakra Mode version of the Yang Seal.
Thus, while confronting the Four-tails, Mokgetsu didn't consume much Chakra due to the Breath of Water Chakra Mode depleting the Yang Seal's stored Chakra.
Even in the presence of additional enemies, Mokgetsu still had sufficient Chakra to respond.
With unforeseen adversaries not appearing, Namikaze Minato and Jiraiya called upon Mokgetsu to join them at White Zetsu's captivity site for interrogation.
Though White Zetsu doesn't look human, it can communicate with people, thus enabling interrogation.
However, upon their arrival, an unexpected situation unfolded.
Namikaze Minato strode forward with a solemn face; the two Konoha ninjas guarding White Zetsu lay unconscious on the ground, and the three White Zetsu under Fuinjutsu were nowhere to be seen.
PS: Still writing diligently, if the writing completes before two o'clock, there will be a second chapter; if not, I'll take time tomorrow to finish while loafing.
Managed to adjust sleep schedule a bit, can't stay up too late.