Chapter 162: To Catch the Thief, First Catch the Prince
While the Sand Shinobi each had their own concerns, the situation at the Chunin Exam arena took another unexpected turn.
The One-Tail Shukaku was simply too powerful at this stage, and Orochimaru had amplified its inherent rage. Once it reached its complete form, it became an unstoppable force of nature. Anyone who stood in its path, human or otherwise, would be killed. This was precisely why Ino was making a hasty retreat – the beast was too strong to defeat.
The One-Tail became the target of a barrage of attacks from Konoha ninjas. Shuriken, kunai, and various ninjutsu rained down upon it. It roared incessantly, using wind bullets to demolish nearby buildings. This was a complete repeat of the Nine-Tails' devastating rampage.
Naruto created a thousand shadow clones to rescue civilians, earning widespread recognition for his efforts.
Asuma and Kurenai led a portion of the Jonin to engage the Sand Village ninjas, while other Jonin, like Genma Shiranui, focused their attacks on the tailed beast, attempting to lure the massive creature away from the village. Regardless of the cost, the battle couldn't be allowed to continue within the village limits, as the potential for casualties was too great.
The appearance of the One-Tail and the subsequent widespread destruction diverted some of the Third Hokage's attention.
The fifty-year-old woman let out a sinister chuckle. First, she voiced her displeasure with the Third Hokage, the village's powerful elder, asking with indignation, "Why wasn't I even considered for Hokage? It's my decision if I don't want the title, but you can't just disregard me! You chose some young upstart to be Hokage, and I am not happy about it!" She then erected two coffins, intending to bring back the deceased First and Second Hokage to reason with him!
The Third Hokage's attention was partially occupied by the rampaging tailed beast, and combined with the fact that it was afternoon, his advanced age, and dwindling energy, his reaction was a fraction of a second too slow. As a result, not only did the First and Second Hokage emerge from their coffins, but even the Fourth Kazekage from the neighboring village was brought back to "reason" with him.
The situation immediately escalated into chaos. The First Hokage, known for his Wood Release, the Second Hokage, famed for his Water Style, plus the Fourth Kazekage from the Sand Village, who manipulated sand and gold dust, all ganged up on the Third Hokage.
The fifty-year-old woman stood at a distance, observing and laughing, seemingly wanting to see him defeated.
Upon hearing that Orochimaru had reanimated the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and the Fourth Kazekage, the Jonin from the Ino-Shika-Cho trio exclaimed in surprise. These two Hokage were simply too formidable for the Konoha ninjas to handle, and the Fourth Kazekage was also a legendary figure of his time. Shikaku, who had initially believed the moment was right and was preparing to lead his clan to provide support, immediately reconsidered his decision. This wasn't an act of cowardice, but one of prudent caution.
The enemy's strength was far greater than anticipated. Shikaku had long suspected that something was amiss with the previous "Fourth Kazekage" and had reported his concerns to the Third Hokage.
Orochimaru's appearance at the Chunin Exam arena, coupled with the Sand Village's deployment of another Jinchuriki with an unstable mental state this year, painted a concerning picture. With all this information combined, a small part of the enemy's plot had been revealed, yet the Third Hokage, for reasons unknown, had not acted upon Shikaku's warning.
Shikaku was left with no choice but to rely on the Yamanaka clan's intelligence network to contact certain Sand Village ninjas. The plan was that when Orochimaru launched his sudden attack, these ninjas would expose his murder of the real Fourth Kazekage. At that point, united by a shared hatred, they would persuade some of the Sand Village ninjas to join their side.
To have Sand Village ninjas turn against their own – this was the mark of a shrewd strategist.
Now that Orochimaru had reanimated the Fourth Kazekage, does that mean the Fourth is dead? Then who is the one using Magnet Release right now?
Suddenly, the situation became incredibly confusing, and the original plan had to be scrapped.
Shikaku was frantically considering alternative strategies.
At this critical moment, a series of alarming reports were relayed to the Third Hokage.
"The Third Hokage summoned his personal summoning beast, but the summoning beast is trapped by the Fourth Kazekage's gold dust."
"The Second Hokage's Water Severing Wave shattered the Third Hokage's Earth Style Wall."
"The First Hokage shattered the Third Hokage's Fire Dragon Bullet with a single punch."
The tide of the battle was rapidly turning. The First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and the Fourth Kazekage were fighting in unison. Although they couldn't unleash their full power due to the Impure World Reincarnation, and Orochimaru's control was likely cautious – powerful figures like the First and Second Hokage probably hadn't even displayed ten percent of their true strength – in a three-on-one confrontation, the Third Hokage's situation was becoming increasingly dire.
Shikaku remained remarkably calm. He distanced himself mentally from the immediate chaos to analyze the situation objectively and quickly identified the key to breaking the deadlock.
Is the Third Hokage truly the priority? While he holds a significant position, in the grand scheme of things right now, perhaps he isn't.
He looked at Ino and inquired, "If we use the Shadow Imitation Technique to control the One-Tail, can you use your family's secret technique to awaken that child named Gaara? Or perhaps seal the tailed beast once more?"
Everyone present was aware that Orochimaru had impersonated the Fourth Kazekage, and now he had reanimated the actual Fourth Kazekage. There was undoubtedly a deep-seated hatred between him and Gaara due to the murder of Gaara's father.
The immediate problem was that the limitations of the Impure World Reincarnation were not readily apparent, and they were too far away, separated by a barrier. The majority of the Sand Village ninjas were completely unaware of the truth. The Sand Village ninjas contacted by the Yamanaka clan earlier were of lower rank, and without concrete evidence, their words wouldn't carry enough weight. Shikaku decided to approach the situation through Gaara. Among everyone present, Ino had the most direct interaction with Gaara.
Asking Ino to confront the tailed beast alone was certainly not something she would agree to, but if dozens or even hundreds of ninjas joined the attack, with more than a dozen large members of the Akimichi clan leading the charge, she felt it was a manageable task.
It was common knowledge among the three clans that her family's mastery of their secret technique had surpassed even Inoichi's.
She paused for a moment, considering his question. "Actually, Gaara had already overcome that violent mental state before. I'm unsure why he's relapsed like this. If we can control the tailed beast's movements, I'm confident I can reawaken his consciousness. As for sealing the tailed beast..."
She hesitated briefly, "I can seal it while he's in his Jinchuriki form, but I'm uncertain about the fully transformed tailed beast state. The One-Tail Shukaku itself is a tailed beast highly skilled in sealing techniques, so I lack confidence in that regard."
Shikaku made an immediate decision. "We attack! The ninjas within the village, the civilians within the village, are the true foundation of Konoha. As long as we can stop the tailed beast, we will ultimately win this battle."
He made no mention of the Third Hokage whatsoever.
According to his strategy, they would first control the tailed beast, then awaken Gaara, and subsequently leverage Gaara's influence to sway the Sand Village ninjas to their side. With the combined strength of the two major ninja villages, Orochimaru and the Sound Village ninjas wouldn't be able to cause trouble for long. As for the Third Hokage, he was capable enough to handle his own situation.
"Naruto! Don't push yourself too hard!" Sasuke whispered a warning.
His usually carefree teammate's face was grim at this moment. He seemed tireless, constantly creating shadow clones only to have them be defeated in order to draw the One-Tail Shukaku's attention.
Gaara's past suffering clearly resonated deeply with him. To save Gaara from further torment, he was genuinely exerting every ounce of his strength.
All around them, ninjas and civilians continued to fall, and countless buildings were reduced to rubble.
Just as he was wondering if he should use the Summoning Technique to call upon Boss Gamabunta for assistance, the large members of the Akimichi clan finally arrived.
Choza Akimichi utilized his clan's Expansion Jutsu to transform into a towering giant over twenty meters tall. He wielded a long staff, and with a powerful swing, the staff collided forcefully with the tailed beast's left cheek.
Shukaku, enraged by the attack, spat a massive wind-style chakra ball directly at Choza.
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