Konoha began a full-scale retreat, but Sunagakure's pursuit did not stop.
Many Konoha shinobi who had lost the will to fight were either slain outright or captured alive by Sunagakure during the rout.
Aburame Tōzan's failed support and the near-total collapse of the Kurama clan under Black Mist Shiraishi's assault left Nara Shikagawa utterly incredulous.
In his view, the Kurama clan—second only to the Uchiha in genjutsu—had long been an indispensable pillar of Konoha's illusion-based combat power. Though their bloodline had withered over the years and their genjutsu prowess had declined sharply, they were still irreplaceable.
The Kurama bloodline was notoriously difficult to awaken, and the clan itself was sparsely populated. From a mid-tier clan at the village's founding to their current state, their misfortune was evident.
Now, having been nearly wiped out on the battlefield by Black Mist Shiraishi, Shikagawa had no idea how he would explain this outcome to the Hokage.
At least Kurama Murakuma had awakened the bloodline and unleashed the clan's true genjutsu power. That terrifying ability—capable of fully manipulating and distorting the five senses—was something even the Uchiha treated with extreme caution.
"The amount of chakra he has… is far beyond expectations."
Shikagawa realized that he had made another grave misjudgment regarding the chakra consumption involved in Shiraishi's techniques. The lack of intelligence had directly led to errors in battlefield assessment.
There must be some secret technique enhancing his chakra reserves…
Yet among Sunagakure's known secret arts, very few could increase chakra to such an extent.
Could it be another technique he created himself?
The intelligence gap was now severe enough that Shikagawa could no longer accurately gauge Shiraishi's condition or limits. Still, he was certain of one thing: Shiraishi and the Sunagakure forces from the southwest would inevitably move south to reinforce that front.
The southern battlefield was where the elite Ino–Shika–Chō formation was stationed. Nara Shikagawa himself, along with his son Nara Shikaku, were both deployed there. Though Shikaku trusted his clansmen and his son, the Kurama clan's fate made him uneasy, so he specifically instructed Shikamaru to act with extreme caution.
In truth, even without Shikagawa's warning, Shikaku had already begun making arrangements the moment he learned of the southwestern front's collapse. Defensive measures were immediately put in place to prevent Shiraishi's forces from linking up with the Sunagakure troops advancing from the southwest.
As the current commander of Konoha's jōnin corps, Shikagawa had the authority to mobilize most of Konoha's high-level shinobi.
Indeed, Sunagakure's main force from the southwest did move to support the southern front, relieving pressure there—but Shiraishi himself did not appear on the southern battlefield.
After briefly treating his injuries, Shiraishi appeared alone in the forested outskirts of Kikyo Mountain, not far from the former southwestern front.
Due to Orochimaru's inaction, many large summoning arrays had already been erased. However, that did not hinder Shiraishi's plans in the slightest.
He soon arrived at one of the remaining arrays and activated a summoning technique.
As thick smoke dispersed, countless wolf howls echoed through the area. At the same time, the surrounding terrain abruptly shifted, transforming into a small desert zone.
Konoha had originally chosen this location for summoning beasts because of the rich natural energy beneath the ground. Their judgment in selecting summoning sites was always precise.
That was precisely why Shiraishi chose this abandoned Konoha summoning array for his ritual.
What he did not expect was the sheer number of wolves that appeared.
Over this period, Shiraishi had deliberately allowed Blood Wolf to roam freely, relying on its own strength to unify all wild wolf packs of this era. As a result, when Shiraishi activated the summoning technique, the number of wolves that appeared before him reached a staggering scale.
On Kikyo Mountain's main battlefield, when Jiraiya learned of Kurama Arashiyama's death, his expression shifted slightly.
"Who did it?"
"Black Mist Shiraishi."
Jiraiya's impression of Shiraishi had previously been limited to rumors about bizarre body-modification techniques. He had not expected such a young prodigy to grow so rapidly—enough to defeat and kill a Kurama clan genjutsu expert on the battlefield.
Although anything could happen in war, such a feat alone was enough to severely damage Konoha's morale.
"That kid isn't simple…"
Jiraiya's gaze was deep and contemplative. Unlike Orochimaru, whose brilliance was sharp and overt, Jiraiya often appeared carefree and foolish—but in truth, he saw further than most. He had been quietly investigating the hidden forces stirring chaos across the shinobi world.
Because of that, he paid close attention to figures like Black Mist Shiraishi, his former students from the Land of Rain, Namikaze Minato, and other exceptional talents—searching for the true Child of Destiny.
But on the battlefield, even if the enemy might be a chosen one, Jiraiya would show no mercy.
If Shiraishi survived like a novel's protagonist, that meant his luck was extraordinary.
If he died here, then he was not the true Child of Destiny.
Minato should be the one Jiraiya was searching for.
Black Mist Shiraishi, on the other hand, felt more like the great antagonist of the story.
Konoha was justice.
Konoha embodied the Will of Fire.
While Jiraiya wrestled with such thoughts, Orochimaru appeared remarkably relaxed inside the Konoha camp.
Though he had fought half-heartedly, that did not mean he was ignorant of the situation. News of Black Mist Shiraishi killing Kurama Arashiyama had already spread like wildfire through the camp, sending shockwaves through both Konoha and Sunagakure.
"An interesting little brat."
In less than a year, Black Mist Shiraishi had grown to this extent. Very few shinobi could defeat a Kurama clan jōnin head-on on the battlefield.
"…Hm? This chakra fluctuation…"
Orochimaru suddenly sensed an unusual disturbance from a summoning array. Compared to most Konoha shinobi, he was intimately familiar with abandoned summoning arrays—after all, they were originally meant for snake summons.
Instantly, as Shiraishi and the wolf pack moved, a small white snake emerged in the desert, coldly observing everything.
So the brat figured out how to use my abandoned summoning array… to call forth a massive wolf pack.
Among Konoha's forces, Orochimaru was the only one who detected Shiraishi's movements.
Soon, the legendary Sannin slowly rose from his seat and stepped out of his camp.
"Orochimaru-sama…"
Several Konoha chūnin guarding the perimeter turned pale when they saw him.
"It's nothing. I'm just going out to stretch a bit. I won't be joining the battle," Orochimaru said calmly.
His voice carried a faint chill beneath the smile—enough to make the guards shudder instinctively.
Stretch… a bit?
Before they could react, Orochimaru had already vanished.
"Where is that boy Shiraishi now?"
Though Chiyo was delighted by Kurama Arashiyama's death, Ebizō could not help but worry about Shiraishi's current movements.
Shiraishi had not followed the main force to the southern front but had instead acted alone. As a mobile-unit shinobi, he had that privilege—but it was still unsettling.
"He's probably planning something again."
"…As long as it's against Konoha."
Amid rolling sand and dust, Shiraishi led the wolf pack at full speed, clearly moving with a purpose of his own—charging toward another region where Konoha and Sunagakure were still locked in combat.
At the same time, Orochimaru was also heading toward the direction of the wolf pack.
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