"So that's it… it's here!" Shigure said with a faint smirk.
"Shigure? Did you find something?" Neither Hizashi nor Hyūga Akane's Byakugan could detect anything unusual, but Shigure's expression showed that he had already locked onto their target.
"Terrifying sensory ability," Kakuzu muttered in quiet admiration.
Shigure nodded. "I've found it — the location of the Sand Village's main camp.
It seems Sunagakure established their main stronghold near the Hot Sand Wilds, also known as the Boneless Land, because of supply problems."
"Hot Sand Wilds? What's that?" Hatake Kusuo asked, scratching his head in embarrassment.
Akane immediately explained, "The Land of Wind is mostly desert and wasteland.
The Hot Sand Wilds is a barren region near Sunagakure, connected directly to the massive desert of the Land of Wind."
"The Land of Wind… is its environment really that harsh?" Kusuo frowned, surprised at how unforgiving another country's terrain could be.
"If we attack the Sand Village's main camp, won't we risk being surrounded?" Hizashi asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
Shigure's tone remained calm. "That's why now is the perfect time — while the Sand forces are completely off guard. We'll take them by surprise, strike their main camp hard, and then retreat from their tents before reinforcements from Ichiten can surround us."
"That's the plan!" Everyone responded with enthusiasm.
"Akane, Kusuo, and Hizashi-sensei," Shigure continued, "you three specialize in close combat — get in as close as possible. Kakuzu, you'll provide long-range support for them."
"You all charge ahead — leave the big fireworks to me," Shigure said with a grin. He bit his finger, pressed his palm to the ground, and called out, "Summoning Jutsu!"
A slug sage appeared before them — not overly large, but radiating immense vitality.
"This is… Lady Tsunade's slug sage, one of the Sannin's signature summons!?" Hizashi recognized it instantly.
"That's right," Shigure confirmed.
"Lord Shigure!" the slug sage greeted him respectfully.
"Slug sage, the temperature here is scorching — it'll weaken you.
So split into several forms, use my chakra to sustain yourself, and protect these four with your regenerative abilities. We're about to storm the Sand Village's main camp!" Shigure ordered.
"Understood!" the slug replied, immediately splitting into several smaller clones that slipped under everyone's clothing.
"This is… so gross," Kusuo grimaced, visibly uncomfortable.
"Move out! Destroy Sunagakure's main camp! The slugs will replenish your chakra without limit. I'll strike first — target their supply lines!" Shigure shouted, then sprinted ahead.
"Then let's give the Sand Village a gift!" Kakuzu followed, his stitches bulging as he unleashed Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot — a devastating three-element jutsu.
"Boom! Rumble!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!"
Panic spread instantly through the Sand Village's camp. None of their scouts had imagined that anyone would dare launch a surprise assault at the center of the Hot Sand Wilds.
"And here's another gift! Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!" Shigure roared, releasing a massive fire jutsu on par with those of Uchiha Madara himself.
The inferno swept across the Sand Village's encampment, igniting everything in sight.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
Some of the elite Sand ninja quickly reacted, using earthen barriers to shield themselves. Though the protection was partial, it saved a number of lives.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Shigure invoked yet another call — this time summoning a great serpent from Ryūchi Cave.
"Aoda! Destroy all surrounding supplies — if you can't destroy them, petrify them!"
"No problem. Leave it to me!" answered Aoda, whose body was larger even than Manda's. He surged through the battlefield, crushing tents and supplies, leveling the stronghold with unrelenting force.
"How… how is this possible!?"
"Enemies—here!?"
"Konoha ninja?! The Leaf Village is attacking!?"
Caught unprepared, the Sand forces were thrown into chaos, their morale collapsing. Many fell instantly under the initial barrage before they even saw their attackers' faces.
"Everyone! Look closely — there are only five of them! That massive snake must be Orochimaru's summon!
If we fight together, we can repel them! We're the main force of the Sand Village!"
A middle-aged woman shouted to rally her troops — it was none other than Chiyo, the respected puppet master.
By then, Akane and Hizashi had already surged deep into enemy formation. Even with the advantage of their ambush, there were simply too many opponents, and the two Hyūga soon found themselves surrounded.
"Akane, spin against my rotation!" Hizashi instructed calmly.
"Right!" Akane responded. The two Hyūga began spinning simultaneously in opposite directions. Twin orbs of blue chakra flared outward, forming a whirling shield that blasted the surrounding Sand ninja away.
"My chakra keeps flowing back! So this is the power of the slug sage!" Hizashi realized, feeling renewed strength.
Meanwhile, Kusuo fought dozens of Sand elites alone, swinging his blade in flashes of silver light.
His hatake-style kenjutsu cut through everything around him, but even his stamina couldn't last forever.
Just as exhaustion began to overtake him, a burst of cool chakra surged through his body. The slug's regenerative energy restored his stamina and even healed minor wounds instantly.
"It's like an endless well of chakra!" Kusuo marveled. Even if he was injured, his flesh mended within seconds — not unlike the ability of the First Hokage himself.
As for Kakuzu, his slaughter was merciless.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!" he growled, his hardened arm sending enemies flying.
"Fire Style: Searing Migraine!" The masks on his back spewed flames, engulfing entire platoons of Sand ninjas in scorching infernos.
The Sand Village's forces — already weak against Fire Style — fell in droves.
Kakuzu was unstoppable; corpses littered the battlefield wherever he moved.
"Earth Grudge Fear!" His tendrils lashed out, piercing through enemies and tearing their chakra networks apart. In mere minutes, Kakuzu had become a walking death god among the dunes.
"Enough! I, Chiyo, will deal with you myself!" The woman shouted furiously as she confronted Kakuzu.
With a snap of her wrist, she unfurled a large scroll and shouted, "Summoning Jutsu!"
Ten white puppets burst onto the field and hovered menacingly around her.
"This is… Lady Chiyo's White Secret Technique!?"
"Those are the Ten Puppet Collection! Crafted by the puppet master grandmaster Monzaemon!"
"Capable of controlling ten puppets at once — the height of puppet mastery!"
"Yes… these are the legendary Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets!" Chiyo announced proudly. "Leaf ninja— with these, I've conquered entire cities!"
Kakuzu laughed darkly. "That's got nothing to do with me. You're just in the way of my killing spree!"
He weaved hand signs. "Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
Chiyo reacted quickly. "Machine Light Shield Seal!"
A blazing barrier of light erupted, blocking Kakuzu's attack head-on.
"What a tricky old bat!" he snarled. "Fine, then — I'll make your heart mine!"
The battlefield trembled as Kakuzu and Chiyo clashed — her ten deadly puppets spinning through the air against his black threads and elemental masks.
Five shinobi from Konoha — against the entire main force of the Sand Village — thus began one of the most dangerous and legendary battles of the war.
--
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