Behind him, the Kirigakure ninjas led by Yagura also moved simultaneously; layer after layer of Water Wall rose into existence.
Mud Walls erupted from the ruins while Wind Walls and countless Hidden Jutsus intertwined into a vast network.
At this moment, every defensive Ninjutsu they could possibly release was unleashed without regard for cost, forming one barrier after another before Hyakume Sosuke.
Rumbleeeeeee!!!
A world-shaking explosion erupted, as though heaven and earth had been split into two.
At the moment of impact, the golden lightning collided violently with the Village Hidden in the Mist's countless Ninjutsus.
The resulting flash blinded everyone, and for a second, the world became pure white.
The battlefield, the ruins, the sky, everything was swallowed by blinding white light.
No one could open their eyes, and no one could see anything.
Only the roar that seemed to originate from the planet's core continued to echo, overlap, and roll through the air.
The earth shook as though an invisible giant had stomped upon it.
A visible circular shockwave spread outward from the explosion's center in every direction.
Wherever it passed, rocks were pulverized into dust, ruined walls were uprooted entirely, and even the rain was blown into flying white mist.
The temperature at the center of the explosion rose to a suffocating level in an instant.
Rainwater turned into steam before it could even touch the ground, only to be torn into nothingness by the shockwave.
Even the ninjas from Konoha, who had already retreated a considerable distance, were forced back by the overwhelming shockwave.
Some weaker ninjas were directly thrown into the air, rolling several times through the mud before barely managing to stop, suffering wounds of varying severity.
En no Gyoja planted both feet firmly into the ground, yet he was still pushed back over ten meters before stabilizing himself.
Many others desperately stabbed kunai and various weapons into the ground, clinging to the ruins while waiting for the endless storm to pass.
"What happened?!"
Minato Namikaze's figure suddenly appeared beside Koharu Utatane. Then, raising a hand to shield himself from the still-raging storm and blinding light, he narrowed his eyes as he stared in disbelief at the golden lightning that pierced heaven and earth.
He had only just arrived at the battlefield.
Earlier, he had led a team to successfully destroy a logistics base in the Land of Waves.
Afterward, he continuously used the Flying Thunder God Technique, jumping between the kunai placed along the route at maximum speed in order to return to the main battlefield and launch the final offensive together with the main force, but the moment he landed, he was greeted by a blinding white light and a destructive storm powerful enough to vaporize ordinary ninjas on the spot.
He had even been swept away and was forced to teleport again before barely managing to appear beside Koharu Utatane.
"Did Shinichi do this?"
At this moment, Minato stared at the explosion's center, which was still churning, roaring, spewing golden arcs of lightning and residual shock waves from countless Ninjutsus.
The expression on his face was impossible to describe, somewhere between shock and confusion.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Eventually, the seemingly endless explosions and the vast clouds of smoke finally began to subside.
The wind still howled, and rain still poured down, but at least the scene on the battlefield could now barely be seen.
The Kirigakure ninjas stood unsteadily in place, gasping for breath.
Mud, rainwater, and blood covered their bodies.
Every face carried the dazed expression of someone who had narrowly escaped death.
At the front, Yagura stood with his hands empty; the staff that had always accompanied him had likely been completely destroyed while resisting that strike resembling divine judgment.
And the person standing before everyone, Hyakume Sosuke, was still standing.
Or, more accurately, rigidly nailed in place.
Beneath him lay a massive crater dozens of meters deep, while thin wisps of white smoke still rose from the charred black earth.
His enormous body was covered from head to toe in horrifying burns and cracks deep enough to reveal bone.
The Three-Tails shell, famed for its near-indestructibility, was now covered in spiderweb-like fractures.
Large sections of its armor had completely vanished, exposing the charred flesh beneath, with the most severe damage located in the center of the shell on its front.
There, a gigantic crack that nearly pierced through his entire body was clearly visible, and smoke still rose from its edges, leaving only blackened cross-sections behind.
"Senior?!"
Yagura immediately stepped forward and called out anxiously; however, Hyakume Sosuke did not respond, and his massive eye stared blankly into the sky, dim and empty, as though it could no longer see anything.
Yagura's heart tightened, and his voice became even more urgent.
"Senior!"
Only then did Hyakume Sosuke seem to finally hear him.
That enormous eye, which had nearly lost all light, slowly and painfully shifted toward him. The next moment, under the horrified gazes of the Kirigakure ninjas, Hyakume Sosuke's mountain-like body began to rapidly disintegrate.
Countless streams of chakra peeled away from his body like a receding tide, transforming into innumerable fragments of light that scattered into the wind as his body rapidly shrank.
The giant beast that had towered over the battlefield quickly reverted into a frail, heavily wounded old man.
Like a dried leaf blown by the wind, he gently fell downward.
Yagura rushed forward and caught the ruined body in his arms.
"Yagura..."
Hyakume Sosuke slightly turned his head, and those dim, clouded eyes, nearly devoid of focus, looked toward him.
His voice was so faint it resembled the final wisp of smoke from a dying candle, intermittent and fragile.
"Senior, I'm here."
The old man's lips moved slightly as he uttered the final few words.
"Ret... Retreat."
As those words fell, the last trace of light in Hyakume Sosuke's eyes quietly went out like the final flicker of a candle in the wind, fading completely into darkness.
"Senior? Senior?! Senior!!!"
Yagura's roar echoed across the ruins, yet no response would ever come again.
At the same time, on Konoha's side.
Shinichi staggered slightly as he walked to the front lines. His face was deathly pale, and the sweat on his forehead and temples mixed with the rainwater, continuously sliding down his face.
Every step seemed to drain the last of his strength.
Koharu Utatane immediately stepped forward and grabbed his arm.
"Shinichi, you!?"
"I'm fine, Elder Koharu."
Shinichi shook his head.
"But... From here on, I'll leave it to all of you."
Upon hearing this, Koharu Utatane immediately turned around and shouted sternly: "Minato! Take Shinichi to the rear immediately and let him rest!"
Shinichi opened his mouth as if he still wanted to say something, but Koharu Utatane gave him no chance to speak.
"Leave immediately! No mistakes are allowed!"
"Understood, Elder Koharu!"
Minato Namikaze stepped forward and took hold of Shinichi.
The next instant, the two vanished from where they stood.
Koharu Utatane watched them leave before turning around to face the fully prepared Konoha forces behind her.
After taking a deep breath, her gaze swept across every face as she loudly declared: "Comrades! We cannot waste the excellent opportunity Shinichi has created for us! Now! Charge with me!"
"Yes!!!"
A thunderous response exploded across the battlefield.
Koharu Utatane took the lead, and the ninjas from Konoha followed closely behind, surging toward the Village Hidden in the Mist like a flood breaking through a dam.