The collision between the two forces was absolute. The battlefield had been transformed into a literal meat grinder.
Roshi, the Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails, was a vision of hell. Lava surged around him in violent swells, the scorching heat distorting the very atmosphere. With a casual wave of his hand, he created vast lakes of molten slag, turning the earth into a volcanic nightmare.
Minato Namikaze flickered through the chaos using the Flying Raijin Jutsu. Gold light flashed as his kunai clashed against the lava. Though he successfully diverted Roshi's attention, he found it impossible to land a killing blow. Several times, the berserk Lava Release nearly caught him, leaving the "Yellow Flash" in a precarious state. He simply lacked the means to put down a monster with such an infinite pool of chakra.
Meanwhile, Han, the Jinchuriki of the Five-Tails, moved like a runaway steam locomotive. He tore through the Konoha ranks with terrifying momentum. The raw power and velocity granted by his Boil Release sent Konoha's formations into a shambles. Standard ninjutsu struck his steam-armor like a light breeze, failing to even scratch the surface.
High upon the jagged cliffs, Saiki stood like a statue. He watched the slaughter below as if it had nothing to do with him.
He had already received word of the Akatsuki's clash with Onoki. He knew Nagato had summoned the Gedo Mazo. This information pushed his wariness of Madara Uchiha to the absolute peak. That ancient monster lurking in the shadows possessed methods and strength that defied common sense.
If I reveal my full hand now and exhaust my energy, I'll be a sitting duck for that old ghost, Saiki thought.
However, some people were losing their patience.
Back at the command post, Orochimaru watched Minato. Seeing the younger man repeatedly evade the Four-Tails and even organize counter-strikes filled him with a poisonous envy. Minato's genius and mastery of space-time ninjutsu were a direct threat to Orochimaru's ambition for the Hokage seat. The jealousy in his heart fermented like a concentrated neurotoxin.
"I can't wait any longer... If the Saiki brat won't move, I'll force his hand. And while I'm at it..."
Orochimaru's golden slit-pupils glinted with a cruel light as his gaze fell upon the perimeter of the field. There, struggling against the Iwagakure main force, was Team Minato—Kakashi, Obito, and the medical ninja Rin Nohara. They were clearly overmatched and beginning to falter.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Orochimaru bit his thumb and slammed his palm against the dirt.
With a colossal explosion of white smoke, the massive, purple frame of Manda coiled into existence. The giant snake's cold eyes scanned the carnage with disdain.
"Orochimaru, where are my sacrifices?" Manda hissed.
"One hundred live tributes! Just tie up that steam monster for a moment!" Orochimaru promised without hesitation.
"Three hundred!" Manda countered immediately. The snake's greed was as bottomless as its stomach.
Orochimaru frowned but nodded. "Fine! Deal!"
"Agreed!" Manda lunged forward, his gargantuan body cutting through the air as he intercepted the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han.
Though Manda's raw strength might not match a Tailed Beast, his massive size, reinforced scales, and erratic striking patterns successfully stalled Han's advance. The two titans entered a violent, grinding stalemate.
However, while Manda and Han were locked in combat, Orochimaru used a secret art to transmit a hidden command to the snake.
Simultaneously, Orochimaru shifted his own position. He began weaving signs, appearing to attack the Stone ninja, but the explosions and Earth Style tremors he triggered were carefully calculated. He was subtly redirecting the shockwaves of the battle between Manda and Han.
Boulders launched by Han's steam-punches and stray blasts of high-pressure vapor began to "accidentally" drift toward the flank where Team Minato was positioned.
Orochimaru was a master of masks. His intervention was so stealthy that even Minato, locked in a life-or-death struggle with Roshi, failed to see the trap.
Kakashi felt the pressure spike. He swung his White Light Blade in a defensive blur, shouting, "Obito! Rin! Get back! The shockwaves are coming this way!"
Obito roared, using Fire Style to incinerate incoming debris, but his Sharingan was spinning wildly as he struggled to keep up.
Rin, as a non-combatant medic, was in the most danger. She retreated instinctively, her eyes darting toward the horizon. Deep down, a part of her she hadn't admitted to anyone was desperately wishing for him to appear.
BOOM!
A house-sized boulder, launched by the impact of Han's steam-fist, shrieked through the air like a meteor. It was aimed with terrifying precision at Team Minato.
Almost simultaneously, Manda whipped his tail around with crushing force, forcing Han to release a massive burst of Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength. A wall of scalding, high-pressure steam expanded like a physical barrier, sealing off their only path of escape.
"No!" Kakashi and Obito's faces went pale. It was a checkmate.
Rin looked up at the sun-blotting rock and the wall of lethal steam. She closed her eyes in despair.
In that heartbeat—
A silhouette appeared. As if tearing through the fabric of reality itself, a figure manifested in front of Team Minato, shielding Rin.
It was Saiki!
He didn't even turn his head. He casually raised his left hand and pressed it against the incoming boulder.
HUMMM... There was no world-shaking collision. When the massive rock was still several meters from his palm, it struck an invisible, absolute wall. It disintegrated instantly into fine dust, which the wind promptly carried away.
Simultaneously, Saiki drew the long blade from his waist and made a casual, horizontal swipe at the approaching wall of steam.
SHRED—! A line of white, hair-thin Sage Chakra tore through the air. The wall of steam that could melt reinforced steel was sliced in two like a piece of cheap silk. The energy dissipated and vanished, failing to touch a single hair on the children behind him.
The entire process was effortless, as if he were simply brushing dust from a sleeve.
Saiki lowered his hand, his gaze flat as he looked at Han and Manda. Then, his eyes drifted toward the command post. His gaze seemed to pierce the distance, locking onto Orochimaru's greedy, scheming eyes.
Orochimaru... Saiki sneered internally. So you finally lost your patience?
The terrified Rin opened her eyes to see the back of the boy standing before her. In that moment, Saiki's lean silhouette looked as tall as a mountain, radiating an impossible sense of security. Her cheeks flushed a deep rose, and her heart began to hammer against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Obito watched this, noting the way Rin looked at Saiki with total, unmasked devotion. He ground his teeth so hard they nearly shattered, but he was powerless to speak.
Kakashi stood with his sword drawn, his single visible eye narrowed. He felt a deep, chilling sense of dread at the scale of power Saiki had just displayed.
In the shadows, a white figure merged into the ground—Zetsu—carrying the report of Saiki's intervention back to his master.
Saiki's forced entry was the drop of water in a boiling vat of oil. It shattered the delicate balance of the field. The sharpest blade in the world had finally arrived... and it was time to clear the board.
Without a word, Saiki launched himself like an arrow toward Han.
Han felt the primal alarm of a predator being hunted. He barely had time to brace his arms in a block before Saiki's foot connected with his guard.
BAM!
The sound was a sickening, wet thud. The speed at which Han had been charging forward was matched by the speed at which he was launched backward, a human projectile flying away from the Konoha lines.