newbobooks Chapter 793 The Situation
Chapter 793 The Situation
Luo Sha was equally aware of the situation. He knew he couldn't be held back by Zhang Hai, much less be killed. He adopted a defensive tactic, using earth magic combined with gold dust to defend against Zhang Hai's deadly attacks. He occasionally unleashed a few wind blades, attempting to disrupt Zhang Hai's offensive rhythm, but the two remained evenly matched for a short time.
The Third Hokage, entangled with Shukaku, suddenly turned serious. He surveyed the various battlegrounds, glanced at the exhausted Konoha ninja, and quickly made a decision—attack Shukaku's eyes!
The Third Hokage's gaze sharpened, and with a muttered command, an eye appeared on his Ruyi Jingu Bang, meeting his eyes. Enma's deep voice echoed in the Third Hokage's mind: "Sarutobi, I understand. There's only one chance."
The Third Hokage's eyes were resolute as he replied, "That's enough, let's go!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Third Hokage wielded his Ruyi Jingu Bang with tremendous force, spinning through the air and unleashing dazzling staff shadows, instantly neutralizing the Wind Release technique that Shukaku was exhaling. Then, the Ruyi Jingu Bang suddenly lengthened, hurtling straight towards Shukaku's face with the force of a slash!
"Ouch!" Shukaku cried out in pain, its massive body struck by the Ruyi Jingu Bang, filled with rage. It had never imagined that such a small human body could contain such immense power.
Before Shukaku could regain its footing, the Third Hokage was already directly above it. To Shukaku's astonishment, a powerful staff-like shadow hurtled towards its enormous eye. Sensing the impending danger, Shukaku opened its mouth wide, attempting to block the staff's tip. However, just as it breathed a sigh of relief, a hand suddenly extended from the staff and pierced Shukaku's eye with lightning speed!
"Ah—! Ah—! Ah—! My eyes! They hurt so much! I'm going to kill you!"
Shukaku let out a piercing scream, driven mad by pain and rage. Several mouths of varying sizes suddenly appeared all over its body, and it roared as it unleashed "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent wind-style attack swept through the entire barrier like a hurricane. The barrier shook violently, and the four elite Jonin guarding it let out painful groans, spitting out blood. The surrounding puppets shattered under the immense wind pressure, turning into fragments. The barrier's light flickered, as if it might disappear at any moment.
However, more Sand Ninja joined in, gritting their teeth and performing hand seals, channeling powerful chakra into the barrier. Through the combined efforts of many Sand Ninja, the crumbling barrier was finally stabilized.
Under this indiscriminate attack, the ninjas on both sides were affected to varying degrees, and almost all of them were injured. In the chaos of battle, Zhang Hai and Luo Sha were forced to separate and return to their respective camps.
Seeing Shukaku's frenzied attack, which caused the battle to change drastically, Rasa roared at Shukaku, "Damn it! Don't you want to regain your freedom?! If you continue to go crazy like this, I will seal you in the antler jar forever!"
Upon hearing the words "Deer Antler Gu," Shukaku seemed to regain some composure, a flicker of struggle crossing its ferocious eyes, as if reason was returning. However, the intense pain in its eyes quickly overwhelmed its fragile sanity once more. It relentlessly increased its chakra, continuing its frenzied Wind Release techniques, as if determined to tear everything apart.
Zhang Hai returned to the Third Hokage's side, looking at him and awaiting instructions. The Third Hokage surveyed the ravaged battlefield, then at the berserk Shukaku, and finally sighed deeply.
"retreat."
Following the Third Hokage's order, the Konoha ninjas quickly retreated and left the Sand Barrier.
Inside the barrier, the Sand Ninja suddenly lost their opponent and, seeing Shukaku still berserk, were momentarily at a loss. They looked helplessly at the enraged Rasa.
After the battle ended, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, returned to the summit of Mount Kikyo. Looking down at the devastated battlefield, the once lush forest was now desolate, littered with traces of ninjutsu and the remains of puppets. A strong sense of unease welled up within him; he vaguely sensed that the next clash would be a decisive battle, and the fate of Konoha remained uncertain.
"Lord Hokage, I have a suggestion," Zhang Hai suddenly spoke, breaking the silence on the mountaintop.
The Third Hokage turned his head and looked at Zhang Hai.
“We…are giving up on Kikyo Mountain,” Zhang Hai said in a deep voice.
This proposal baffled the Third Hokage. Mount Kikyo was a natural barrier between Konoha and Sunagakure; abandoning it would mean bringing the battlefield directly to the entrance of Konoha, which would undoubtedly put Konoha in great danger.
"Give up Kikyo Mountain? Do you know what that means?" The Third Hokage's tone was tinged with confusion.
Zhang Hai didn't rush to explain. He pointed to the direction in which the Sand Village army was retreating down the mountain and analyzed, "Puppet masters have limited control range and cannot carry out long-distance activities. Although the enemy has a large number of puppets, the chakra load of the puppet masters is also enormous."
He paused, then continued, "In open terrain, the puppeteers certainly have ample opportunity to advance and leverage the advantages of their puppet army. However, if we move the battlefield into the village and engage in street fighting, the puppeteers' effectiveness will be greatly diminished."
“I even believe that the longer the battlefield drags on, the more advantageous it will be for Konoha.” Zhang Hai’s eyes gleamed with wisdom.
The Third Hokage frowned and said in a deep voice, "If Sunagakure releases Shukaku within the village regardless of the consequences, the entire village will be destroyed!"
A subtle glint flashed in Zhang Hai's eyes, and he replied meaningfully, "No way."
He emphasized, "Konoha has the Nine-Tails. As a Jinchūriki, its power is definitely stronger; the Nine-Tails' power far surpasses that of ten Shukaku!"
Zhang Hai's answer shocked the Third Hokage, his eyes filled with astonishment. He hadn't expected Zhang Hai to know about the Nine-Tails and to have such a profound understanding of the tailed beast's power.
Zhang Hai then explained, "The First Hokage distributed the Tailed Beasts to balance the power of the Five Great Nations, and the Nine-Tails was left behind precisely for this moment." He looked at the Third Hokage, his eyes resolute, "I believe that if the Second Hokage were still alive, he would have made the same choice. Because in war, we must seize the initiative. Retreating now means the initiative lies with Konoha!"
Looking at Zhang Hai now, the Third Hokage felt a vague sense of familiarity with his speech, behavior, thought patterns, and even certain fighting styles—it was as if he were seeing his former teacher, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. That calmness, rationality, and control over the overall situation were strikingly similar.