Chapter 82: Tanuki Warriors
"Be careful!"
The Konoha Jonin at the front felt the overwhelming power radiating from the massive creature and instinctively stepped back.
Boom!
The several-ton tanuki warrior crashed down with earth-shattering force. The ground trembled violently, sending shockwaves rippling through the forest. Its enormous blade cleaved through thick trees, each as wide as two people embracing, slicing them cleanly in half.
Cold sweat trickled down the foreheads of the Konoha Jonin. If that strike had landed on them, they would have been split in two without a doubt. Fortunately, as elite shinobi, they had numerous techniques at their disposal.
"Leave it to me!"
One of the Jonin quickly stepped forward, fingers forming a rapid series of seals.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The ground beneath the tanuki warrior softened in an instant, morphing into a deep, viscous swamp. The creature's massive weight caused it to sink, rendering it immobile.
"It's over! Let's move o—huh?!"
Just as the Jonin was about to issue the next command, his voice caught in his throat. His eyes widened in disbelief at the sight before him.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
From the depths of the forest, a horde of massive tanuki warriors emerged, marching like an unstoppable army. Their towering figures filled the Jonin's entire field of vision. Then, without hesitation, they launched an all-out assault.
---
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The battlefield erupted into chaos. Trees shattered, the ground cracked, and the air filled with the roars of the colossal warriors.
Below the cliff, hidden in the shadows, Danzo furrowed his brows at the deafening commotion above.
"What's going on?"
By his calculations, Konoha's Jonin, outnumbering the Suna shinobi two to one, should have been able to overwhelm them with ease. His orders were merely to disrupt and divert Sunagakure's forces, not engage in an all-out war.
Yet, from the sounds of the battle, it was clear that something had gone terribly wrong.
Ryoma Aburame, standing beside him, was equally unsettled.
"I'll go take a look!"
"Forget it, we're going up together," Danzo ordered, stopping him before he could move.
At this point, there was no point in staying hidden.
With that, Danzo led Ryoma up the cliffside, leaping swiftly across the rocky terrain until they reached the Land of Fire's territory.
But the moment they stepped onto solid ground, they were met with a sight that even Danzo hadn't anticipated.
The once-thriving forest had been devastated.
Countless tanuki warriors, each towering like a giant, rampaged across the battlefield. Their massive blades and shields clashed against Konoha's elite shinobi, shaking the ground with every impact.
The Konoha forces fought back fiercely, unleashing a barrage of ninjutsu. Flames roared, wind blades sliced through the air, torrents of water crashed down, lightning arced across the battlefield, and earthen dragons surged forward. The sky and land alike were filled with a relentless storm of jutsu.
Yet, despite this relentless assault, most of their techniques barely fazed the monstrous tanuki warriors.
In close combat, the Konoha shinobi found themselves utterly outmatched.
Their only advantage lay in one critical weakness—the tanuki warriors' speed.
Relying on their superior agility, the Jonin desperately evaded the onslaught, looking for any possible opening to strike back.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Danzo stood frozen, his sharp eyes scanning the battlefield. Ryoma, equally stunned, suddenly noticed something.
"Danzo-sama, look! In the sky!"
"!?"
Danzo instinctively looked up. Suspended in the air atop a shimmering cloud of golden sand stood two figures. One was unmistakable—the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. Beside him floated a red-haired girl.
Danzo's eyes narrowed.
"That hair color… She's from the Uzumaki clan! And that's… the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure!"
---
Ten kilometers from the battlefield
A ripple disturbed the soil as White Zetsu emerged from the ground, a trace of lingering fear in his expression.
"Whoa, that was terrifying... Someone actually sensed me. Good thing I ran fast. Otherwise, Madara-sama definitely wouldn't have let me off easy."
Right now, Uchiha Madara was operating in complete secrecy, carefully enhancing the powers of the Sage Body and working toward the execution of the Eye of the Moon Plan. A single misstep could jeopardize everything.
"But what is that guy Danzo even doing here? Ugh, whatever. I just need to report this to Madara-sama."
With that, White Zetsu sank back into the earth, disappearing once more.
---
The Border of the Land of Fire
High above the dense forest canopy, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, and Danzo, Konoha's elusive elder, stood in silent opposition. Neither seemed eager to make the first move.
"Danzo-sama—"
"No rush," Danzo interjected calmly. "Things didn't go exactly as expected, but as long as the target hasn't escaped, we proceed as planned."
As he spoke, his right hand clenched instinctively.
"Heh!"
Meanwhile, down on the battlefield, Konoha's battle-hardened Jonin were finally adapting to the tanuki warriors' overwhelming presence.
"Don't waste chakra! Fire Style, Water Style, and Wind Style don't work on these creatures."
"Use Lightning Style to destroy their bodies and Earth Style to restrict their movements!"
With this realization, the shinobi swiftly adjusted their strategies.
However, while many possessed multiple chakra natures, not all specialized in Lightning or Earth Style. Among the twenty-five Jonin present, only about half could effectively counter the creatures, while the enemy's numbers stood at a staggering ninety.
"Danzo-sama, I'm going in to help!"
Ryoma Aburame assessed the worsening situation and made his decision.
"Proceed."
Without hesitation, Ryoma formed a sequence of hand seals. His chakra surged, and in the next instant, an ocean of insects poured from his body like a living tidal wave. The dark swarm moved as one, surging toward the tanuki warriors.
The Suna jōnin, well-versed in the Aburame clan's techniques, reacted instantly.
This was the Aburame clan's feared jutsu—Insect Deception Jutsu.
A tide of parasitic insects surged forward, a writhing black wave moving with deadly precision. If left unchecked, these insects would latch onto their prey, devouring chakra until nothing remained.
Realizing the threat, the Suna shinobi stationed behind the tanuki warriors wasted no time. They leaped onto the massive creatures' backs, forming hand seals in swift succession.
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Sunagakure's shinobi, predominantly Wind Style users, unleashed razor-sharp gales that split through the air with surgical precision. The few Fire Style users among them combined their flames with the wind, amplifying the destruction tenfold.
A deafening roar followed as the combined elemental assault tore through the battlefield. Trees were reduced to splinters. The ground cracked and burned. The very air shimmered from the heat.
The raging inferno met the oncoming insect swarm—obliterating thousands in an instant.
Yet the insects continued to pour forth, undeterred.
And so, the full-scale battle between Konohagakure and Sunagakure erupted completely.
The only ones who had yet to make a move were their leaders—Rasa and Danzo.
Hana, untrained in direct combat, hovered anxiously at Rasa's side. But Danzo paid her no mind. He remained motionless, standing atop the highest tree canopy, his lone visible eye cold and calculating.
He was waiting.
Having studied every piece of intelligence on the Fourth Kazekage, Danzo knew that only by restricting his movements could he stand a chance at subduing him. That was why, from the moment he had been assigned as Konoha's commander against Sunagakure, he had ensured his Barrier Squad was always close at hand.
They were already in position.
He just needed a little more time for them to set up the barrier.
But just as he was about to give the signal, a voice rang out, sharp and mocking, slicing through the battlefield's chaos.
"As expected of a rat lurking in the sewers—always sneaky, always scheming. So, how much more time do you need...?"