How could Hagoromo wield the Lightning Cutter so flawlessly without a Sharingan?
First, his dynamic vision was exceptional. It was a learned skill honed since childhood.
While not as outrageously broken as the Sharingan, it was highly practical. In the ninja world, you didn't need special eyes to get things done.
Second, his physical reflexes were superhuman. This was an innate advantage, a byproduct of his unique constitution.
Third, he rarely used the Lightning Cutter for simple, long-distance linear thrusts. No matter how fast you moved, a straight-line attack was easy to predict and counter.
But right now, he was about to make one hell of a linear thrust.
Currently, Hagoromo was channeling a weak Lightning Release to stimulate his cells.
He was pushing his speed to the absolute limit while maintaining his stamina, racing desperately back to the Konoha headquarters.
Numerous Konoha ninja were doing the exact same thing. Retreat and reinforce.
Konoha's intelligence department had completely dropped the ball. Or rather, the Sand had finally pulled off a brilliant tactical maneuver.
The intel was technically correct: 1,000 Sand troops had indeed been transferred to the Stone front.
But that wasn't an isolated move; it was part of a massive, coordinated operation. As those 1,000 men moved out, the Sand simultaneously pulled 2,000 elite troops from the Stone front.
To blindside Konoha, they marched these troops along the Land of Rain's border. After securing permission, they crossed through the Rain, slipped into the Land of Rivers, and launched a devastating surprise attack on Konoha's HQ.
Worse still, they had sacrificed 1,000 men on the vanguard just to sell the feint.
They attacked without pushing deep, purposely waiting to draw out Konoha's secondary defensive line!
Once Konoha's core mobile forces were lured away, the Sand's main army struck the vulnerable headquarters like a thunderbolt!
After the HQ fired its distress flares, the vanguard ninja quickly realized they had been played. They scrambled to disengage and fall back.
But it wasn't that simple. The remaining Sand ninja had already embraced death. They fought like cornered animals, dragging down as many Konoha ninja as possible.
Of course, this didn't concern Hagoromo. He was already sprinting frantically toward the HQ.
Though he tried to conserve his chakra, he continuously maintained his Lightning Release to sustain his maximum speed.
After forty minutes of this suicidal dead sprint, the headquarters finally came into view. His chakra reserves were practically running on fumes.
He was undoubtedly among the very first wave of reinforcements to arrive.
The faint sounds of slaughter reached his ears. But that wasn't the main issue.
The issue was the deafening, beastly roar.
A colossal monstrosity filled his vision.
Even the dark of night couldn't hide its towering frame. A massive tail swept back and forth, attached to a body made of sand adorned with eerie blue markings.
It looked like an oversized raccoon dog, radiating an ocean of sinister chakra.
It was an evil, corrosive energy that ordinary humans couldn't even stand near.
"The One-Tails... Shukaku!" Hagoromo involuntarily skidded to a halt, muttering the name aloud.
The Sand had truly gone all in. Not only did they sacrifice a thousand men, they had even deployed a Tailed Beast!
Their goal was crystal clear: eradicate the Konoha headquarters.
If the HQ fell, they could easily devour the remaining, disorganized Konoha forces. With a victory of that magnitude, the Sand could force a ceasefire.
Stretched thin across multiple fronts, the Fire Country wouldn't be able to refuse. Then, the Sand could focus entirely on the Stone.
Hagoromo paused for only a second before throwing himself forward again.
Most veteran ninja reacted the same way. You didn't just turn and run from a Tailed Beast. Death was death, whether by a giant monster or a stray kunai.
From this distance, Hagoromo immediately spotted Kushina.
It wasn't because of some deep, unspoken bond. It was because she was blatantly obvious!
She was physically restraining the Tailed Beast.
Dozens of silver chains glowed brilliantly in the night, binding Shukaku tightly in place.
It was the Adamantine Sealing Chains. And right at the focal point of those chains stood his teacher.
The unique chakra of the Uzumaki clan possessed a miraculous power capable of suppressing Tailed Beasts.
Others might be stronger fighters, but no one on this battlefield was better equipped to handle a Tailed Beast than Kushina.
However, this also meant her identity was completely exposed.
Hagoromo could see an endless swarm of Sand ninja converging directly on Kushina's position.
Shukaku's shrill shrieks tore through the air. It had been locked in a shrine for ages, finally let out to destroy, only to be instantly chained down again!
Glancing across the field, Hagoromo also spotted Commander Tsunade.
Her Hundred Healings Mark was fully released.
Covered in dirt and surrounded by the shattered remains of puppets, she was locked in fierce combat with her old rival: Elder Chiyo and her Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets.
These top-tier powerhouses were keeping each other busy. If Tsunade were allowed to wade into the regular infantry, she would obliterate them with a single punch each.
Hagoromo reached the edge of the battlefield. Standing on a tree branch, he took in the scene: Shukaku in the center, Kushina at its feet, Tsunade on the far side.
He let out a slow breath. He was running on empty. He had just enough chakra left for exactly one Chidori Stream.
He pushed off the branch, leaping directly into the chaotic battlefield.
While still in mid-air, blinding lightning erupted across his body!
Without a shred of hesitation, he charged headlong toward Kushina's position.
Viewed from above, it looked like a solitary ball of lightning was attempting to pierce through an entire warzone.
And very soon, he would pierce it.