"I will absolutely not take a single step back!"
Seeing Shukaku charge like a derailed train, Akimichi Choza met the beast head-on. His chakra wings flared blindingly bright as he delivered a devastating punch that literally blew a small half of Shukaku's sandy torso to pieces.
"BWAHAHAHA! Idiot! You fell right into my trap!" Shukaku cackled. "Sand Binding Prison!"
Entirely unconcerned by the massive physical damage to its sandy avatar, Shukaku's remaining arm reached out and grabbed Choza's massive shoulder. Instantly, countless tons of sand surged up Choza's arm, rapidly expanding to form a colossal, inescapable cage around the giant.
"Sand Burial!"
The titanic sand construct continuously writhed and compressed inward with millions of pounds of pressure, seeking to crush Akimichi Choza's bones into absolute dust!
Inoichi is severely wounded, and Choza is caught. They cannot hold out much longer, Orochimaru calculated coldly from the rear. Akimichi Choza is too valuable a military asset; he cannot be allowed to die here.
Orochimaru had waited patiently for the Sand's true tactical trump card to reveal itself. Just as he prepared to intervene, his serpentine eyes narrowed. He suddenly leaped backward, simultaneously thrusting his pale right hand toward the dirt.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Several massive, venomous snakes with variegated patterns burst from his sleeve, baring their razor-sharp fangs. They plunged into the earth, immediately violently ripping a hidden Sand Ninja out of the ground. The assassin was bitten, poisoned, and crushed before he could even attempt to strike Orochimaru.
"So it's you. One of Konoha's Legendary Sannin... Orochimaru!"
Orochimaru landed gracefully and looked up. Standing a short distance away, surrounded by elite guards, was a beautiful woman with a deadly aura.
Shukaku had successfully drawn the attention and panic of the entire Konoha army, creating the perfect diversion. Pakura had used that chaos to dispatch her best Sensory Ninjas to pinpoint the Leaf commander's exact location. Upon finding him, she had bypassed the frontline slaughter to assassinate him personally.
Orochimaru's golden, slit-pupil eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a highly sinister, chilling smile.
"The Scorch Release user, Pakura of the Sand! So, you are the true tactical blade behind this invasion!"
Both sides' highest-value targets were now face-to-face. No more words were needed; only the brutal reality of combat remained.
"Scorch Release: Overwhelming Steam Murder!"
"Hidden Shadow Multi-Snake Hands!"
Compared to Pakura, who was now locked in a desperate, high-speed deathmatch with a legendary Sannin, Chisuke was currently living his best life. He was practically an entirely detached spectator on the battlefield, watching the horrific war unfold with great interest from his safe perch atop Shukaku's head.
Shukaku handled all the exhausting physical fighting and destruction, while Chisuke passively reaped all the glorious military credit. He was absolutely delighted with the arrangement.
Man, if only I had a video camera right now, Chisuke thought wistfully. I could record this insane battlefield footage, screen it in cinemas back in my past life, and make a fortune. This is a genuine, unfiltered war epic!
Under the watchful eye of the lounging Chisuke, a thunderous boom suddenly echoed across the plain. The giant sand cage violently exploded outward as Akimichi Choza burst free.
The current Choza was a terrifying sight. He was entirely enveloped in boiling red chakra. The butterfly wings on his back had expanded twofold, his muscles bulged to grotesque proportions, and his blood vessels stood out against his skin like thick tree roots.
"GO TO HELL!"
Choza threw a punch. Even before the colossal fist made contact with Shukaku, the sheer, compressed air pressure of the shockwave slammed into Chisuke. The boy was nearly blown off the beast's head, entirely unable to even open his eyes against the gale.
"You're the one going to hell, bug!"
Seeing Choza easily shatter its ultimate binding technique, Shukaku was absolutely furious. The beast reared back to counterattack—only to realize its massive legs were once again completely immobilized.
"Everyone! Attack the beast! Buy Choza the opening!" Nara Shikaku screamed, his nose bleeding as he forced his jutsu to its absolute breaking point.
"Shadow Imitation Technique: Black Spider Lily!"
From Shikaku's position on the ground, numerous thick shadows bloomed outward like the petals of a massive, dark flower. They soared into the sky, wrapping around Shukaku's limbs and torso, straining with all their might to bind the Tailed Beast and buy a split-second of opportunity for his dying teammate.
"DO IT, CHOZA!"
"RAAAAAAGGGHHH!!!"
Akimichi Choza roared, his voice tearing his vocal cords. A fist the size of a modern train carriage descended directly toward Shukaku's head.
This single punch concentrated all his remaining life force! This punch concentrated all his unwavering conviction to protect his village! This punch carried the desperate hopes of every Konoha shinobi on the field!
Time seemed to stand entirely still. Everyone on the battlefield widened their eyes, watching the apocalyptic grandeur of this single strike, praying for different outcomes.
Konoha Ninja: Please, it must connect!Sand Ninja: Please, Lord Chisuke, you must defend against it!
BOOM!
Amidst the silent prayers, the impact finally landed. Innumerable tons of compressed sand violently exploded outward like a bomb going off. In the chaotic, howling air currents, sand scattered across the entire battlefield, blinding everyone.
"YEEEAAAHHH!!!"
"He did it! He defeated the monster!"
Amidst the deafening, tearful cheers of the Konoha Ninja, the dust cleared to reveal that Shukaku had entirely lost its head. The beast's massive body rapidly lost its structural integrity, crumbling back into a lifeless, towering sand dune.
The suffocating monster of the desert was finally gone.
Seeing this glorious scene, Akimichi Choza's terrifyingly tense face finally relaxed into a gentle, relieved smile. His massive, expanded body immediately deflated like a popped balloon, rapidly shrinking back down until he became a frail, alarmingly emaciated husk of his former self.
With a heavy thud, the withered hero collapsed unconscious onto the blood-soaked grass.
"Choza! Medical Ninja! Where are the damn medics?!" Shikaku screamed, abandoning his jutsu to rush over and carefully cradle his best friend.
Remembering Choza's originally robust, heavy physique and feeling the terrifying, feather-light weight currently in his arms, Shikaku was absolutely heartbroken.
The remaining Konoha Ninja, however, were thoroughly re-energized. They had been chased, slaughtered, and humiliated all day, holding in a bellyful of terrified anger.
You Sand bastards had a great time hiding behind your giant pet monster, huh?! they thought furiously. Now that the beast is gone, it's our turn to have some fun!
"Shukaku really is unreliable!" a Sand Ninja cursed, falling back.
"I knew it all along! We could never trust that brat!" another yelled. "He acts arrogant and domineering in the village every day, but he's utterly useless at the critical moment!"
With the Tailed Beast gone, the Sand ninjas' morale plummeted, but they were seasoned killers. They didn't break rank. They engaged in fierce, bloody close-quarters combat with the surging Konoha forces.
Even after the brutal battle with Shukaku had inflicted massive casualties on the Leaf, the Sand still held a significant numerical advantage.
Fight it is then! Who the hell is afraid of you Leaf cowards?!
Both sides quickly plunged into a chaotic, visceral melee.
Meanwhile, at a spot safely distanced from the heaviest fighting, Chisuke very cautiously poked his head out from beneath the dirt.
After carefully scanning the battlefield and confirming his survival, Chisuke let out a massive sigh of relief.
Good. Akimichi Choza has burned himself out. I'm safe. I'm finally safe.
Chisuke had watched the anime. He knew exactly what the Akimichi Clan's legendary colored pills did. They drastically boosted combat power in exchange for burning the user's calories and life force.
The moment Choza had burst out of the Sand Burial glowing red, Chisuke's survival instincts had screamed at him. He had immediately submerged his true, physical body deep into Shukaku's sandy torso, leaving only a fragile Shadow Clone standing on the beast's head as a decoy.
Subsequently, when Choza's apocalyptic punch had shattered Shukaku's head and the clone, Chisuke had used Earth Release to burrow deep underground and hide.
That final, red-winged state of Akimichi Choza was truly terrifying. After all, Chisuke was merely the fragile human vessel, not the immortal Shukaku itself. Shukaku might not fear a pill-popping Akimichi, but Chisuke was deeply attached to keeping his internal organs intact.
For absolute safety, he had intentionally waited underground for several minutes, accurately estimating the time limit of Choza's pill effects before cautiously emerging to scout the area.
Hmph. Now that the only real threat to my life is unconscious, it's finally time for me to start showing off!
After fully emerging from the ground, Chisuke didn't immediately attack the Konoha Ninja. Instead, he sneaked up behind the Sand ninja who had just been loudly insulting him and rapped his knuckles hard against the back of the man's skull.
"Ow! Who the hell hit me?!"
The Sand ninja whipped around furiously, only to see Chisuke standing there with his hands on his hips, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
"L-Lord Chisuke?! You... you're not dead?!"
Chisuke glared at him fiercely. "You were just cursing my name, wishing I was dead, weren't you?!"
The Sand ninja immediately plastered a fawning, terrified smile on his face. "Lord Chisuke! You misunderstand! You are my absolute idol! Seeing you emerge entirely unharmed makes me so happy I could fly!"
"Hmph. Step aside," Chisuke ordered, waving him away. "Watch me show off—ahem—I mean, watch me slay the enemies of the Sand!"
The surrounding Sand ninjas quickly retreated, giving the Jinchuriki a wide berth. Chisuke looked across the battlefield at the densely packed Konoha infantry and confidently brought his hands together in a seal.
"Let's have a grand return ceremony, shall we? Quicksand Waterfall Flow!"
The earth shook violently. The ground beneath the Konoha forces continuously cracked and groaned. Under the influence of Chisuke's immense, Tailed Beast-enhanced chakra, the soil and bedrock rapidly decomposed into fine, flowing sand.
In an instant, the entire lush plain was forcibly terraformed into a raging, barren desert!
Standing atop a newly formed, high sand dune, Chisuke looked down at the absolutely stunned expressions of the Konoha Ninja, revealing his white teeth in a massive, predatory grin.
"Hahaha! No need to panic, Leaf bugs! The show is just beginning! Desert Imperial Funeral!"
The desert suddenly boiled like scalding water. The sand surged upward like titanic tidal waves, crashing down to crush and destroy everything in its path.
Hundreds of Konoha Ninja—whether they were fleeing, desperately trying to form defensive seals, or simply screaming in horror—were mercilessly swallowed by the churning desert, buried so deeply they left no trace of their existence.
Beneath the monotonous, beautiful yellow sand, countless lives were snuffed out in an instant.