The Four Red Yang Formation held on for another ten seconds.
Jiraiya told the three of them to stop, as Shisui's Kotoamatsukami had been successfully completed.
Chiyo had transformed from being hostile towards Konoha to being friendly, and was willing to offer Konoha assistance within her capabilities.
Ebizo appeared to have been buried in the Iron Sand, but whether that old man could truly survive was hard to say.
Jiraiya used Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld to sink the square Iron Sand block deep into the ground, letting it become a living fossil.
There was no time to waste; they had to quickly take Granny Chiyo back to Konoha Village.
Kakashi used Earth Release to turn the ground over twice, erasing all traces of the battle.
Ino told Shisui to rest in the Soul Nurturing Wood. She could feel that by using his soul body to control the Mangekyo Sharingan, Shisui's soul body was on the verge of shattering and he was currently just forcing himself to hold on.
You cannot die, and your Mangekyo Sharingan definitely cannot be damaged.
She had gone through all this trouble precisely for that left eye.
She injected some Yin Style Chakra with the effect of the Mind Disturbance Technique into the Soul Nurturing Wood, telling Shisui to go in and rest well.
Even though Granny Chiyo had become Konoha's friend, they did not swagger over to direct the Sand Ninja.
Let them continue to be in chaos!
Jiraiya led the way, with Tsunade, Ino, and Chiyo in the middle, and Kakashi at the rear. The group followed their pre-arranged plan, bypassing the chaotic Hidden Sand Village, preparing to cross the desert and return to the Land of Fire.
"Wait! Look up!" Ino suddenly called out to them, making everyone look at the sky.
They saw the Akatsuki Organization's Deidara and Sasori riding on a giant clay bird, searching nearby.
Normal people wouldn't look up at the sky for no reason; it was only because Ino had experience in this area that she noticed Deidara immediately.
She saw Deidara, and Deidara, from his elevated position, had a much better view than her. Moreover, the area around Hidden Sand Village was a desert with few forests to obstruct the view, so Deidara had spotted her two seconds earlier.
Deidara observed the group through binoculars, then said with interest, "Sasori brother, your grandmother—"
Sasori was very displeased. Get to the point; why are you cursing people the moment you open your mouth, you unlucky child?
A Hiruko, of course, had no such thing as tact. Deidara, who loved clay but not Kurotsuchi, chuckled foolishly like a child: "Sasori brother, why is your grandmother mixed up with Konoha's Ninja?"
Sasori was extremely annoyed by his constant "your grandmother this" and "your grandmother that," but upon hearing the latter part, he also froze. That old hag Chiyo was with the people from Konoha?
He looked down.
Ino and the others didn't want to get entangled with the Akatsuki Organization at this moment, so they immediately activated Plan B.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
It couldn't be used during a proper fight because their neural reaction speed couldn't keep up with the speed of teleportation, making the Flying Thunder God Technique likely to turn into a head-delivery technique. However, as a means of super long-distance retreat, it was perfectly fine.
The group had already placed technique markers along the way. At this moment, Ino, who had the most Chakra, took Orochimaru and Chiyo; Tsunade took Jiraiya; and Kakashi flew by himself. The six of them instantly vanished from their original spot.
Sasori stood on the back of the giant clay bird and looked down. The ground below was empty; he didn't even see a ghost.
"Deidara, where is the old hag Chiyo you mentioned? Why don't I see her?" Hiruko's vision was problematic, and Sasori switched perspectives repeatedly but still didn't see anyone.
"Isn't your grandmother right down there! Your grandmother, she's mixed up with Konoha's Ninja, your grandmother, she..."
Deidara looked down, and three question marks appeared above his head too.
Strange, there were several living people just now, how did they disappear in the blink of an eye?
"Your grandmother was just here, how did she suddenly disappear? I don't think I saw wrong; that was definitely your grandmother."
Deidara's words made Sasori's head ache. He wanted to curse a few times but didn't know where to start.
Swearing loudly didn't fit his persona, so he was enduring it with great difficulty.
"Wow! Sasori brother, look over there, a Tailed Beast battle!"
Deidara's attention quickly shifted towards Hidden Sand Village. Sasori had long lost his humanity; what did "your grandmother" or "my grandmother" have to do with him?
At this point, he also looked over.
Without Miss Maki using Chakra cloth as the main sealing force, the remaining Sand Ninja simply couldn't seal the Four-Tails.
Left with no choice, Gaara could only transform into a Tailed Beast to withstand the Four-Tails.
Among the nine Tailed Beasts, the Nine-Tailed was the strongest, followed by the Eight-Tails; this was generally undisputed.
Who was in third place? Opinions varied, and they hadn't settled on a clear ranking among the Tailed Beasts themselves.
Factors like mood, environment, and state could all affect the outcome. The remaining Tailed Beasts had differences among them, but these differences weren't too significant.
Son Goku, the Four-Tails, due to his immense strength, had always been a strong contender for third place. Any Tailed Beast aiming for third had to get past him.
Relatively speaking, in a desert environment, Ichibi Shukaku was stronger than Son Goku, the Four-Tails. One had great strength, the other strong defense, their power was similar, and a real fight would depend on external factors.
Hidden Sand Village was surrounded by yellow sand, giving it a significant geographical advantage.
However, the Four-Tails was a perfect Jinchuriki, while Gaara was still a step behind. A Tailed Beast cannot unleash its full power through a Jinchuriki's body, and Gaara had constantly been holding Shukaku back, fearing Shukaku would cause great destruction to Hidden Sand Village. As soon as they clashed, Ichibi fell into a disadvantage.
The great ape grabbed Ichibi's head, found that the fellow's head was hairless and difficult to grip, so he used his knee to press against Shukaku's plump belly, leaned his body on top, raised his large fists, roared, and began a furious barrage of punches to its head.
The Four-Tails grabbed Shukaku's arm, executed an over-the-shoulder throw, and forcefully smashed a large hole in the ground. Countless buildings were reduced to dust in that instant.
Shukaku tried to create distance, continuously spitting out wind bullets, all of which were withstood by the Four-Tails.
Shukaku had long arms but short legs and a large belly. Once flipped over, he was no match for the berserk Four-Tails in close combat.
He also retaliated with all his might, but his legs couldn't exert force, so he could only rely on his butt and tail for support, making his counterattacks seem somewhat comical.
The Four-Tails great ape was completely a fighting machine, attacking with both hands, forcing Shukaku to retreat repeatedly.
Shukaku also grew enraged, and Gaara's restraints became utterly annoying. Hatred blazed in his eyes, and the Yin and Yang Chakra within him rapidly converged, compressing at a 2:8 ratio. Then, he opened his large mouth, and a super-dense, purplish-black Chakra sphere condensed.
It's just a Tailed Beast Ball. If you can use it, why can't I?
A Tailed Beast Ball also appeared in the Four-Tails' mouth, astonishing all the Ninja of Hidden Sand Village.
There was no fierce individual like Biwa Jūzō on site, who would use the kubikiribocho to cut a Tailed Beast Ball. Everyone's choice at that moment was the same: run!
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