While Hinata Kaze and Mikoto were struggling, the battle below reached a fever pitch.
Caught between Orochimaru, Manda, Kakuzu, and Hidan, the Root and Anbu ninjas were overwhelmed and suffered heavy losses in the face of attacks from both sides. Many ninjas fell down bleeding from their seven orifices after being bitten by poisonous snakes, while others were killed by Kakuzu's elusive fists and the overwhelming raging winds and flames.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wanshe feasted, swallowing everything whole regardless of whether it was charred black or covered in venom.
Compared to Orochimaru, Manda, and Kakuzu, Hidan's killing efficiency was much lower; he wasn't suited to sacrificing large groups of enemies. He could only wield his gleaming three-moon scythe to reap the lives of Konoha ninjas. His scythe swung with powerful force and tricky angles, and his every move was quite methodical.
However, this guy kept muttering things like "What a waste, these should all be sacrificed to the evil god" while he was fighting, which was very annoying to listen to.
Under the brutal killing methods of these monstrous individuals, the Root and Anbu suffered heavy casualties. Faced with the prospect of being either devoured and bitten by snakes or tortured to death by two freaks, the remaining Konoha ninja could no longer hold on and fled in all directions.
However, due to the threat of the Tongue Calamity Root Curse Seal, they did not immediately scatter and flee. Instead, after running out, they hid on the outskirts to continue observing the situation.
Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame, seeing that things were not going well, called out to Naruto and then mingled with the fleeing crowd and left together.
Naruto, however, was stubborn. Instead of leaving, he continued charging towards the barrel where Sasuke was hiding. In the end, he was taken away by Hayama Shirakumo, who couldn't stand it any longer, using the Body Flicker Technique.
The most unfortunate of them all was the Root leader, who was pierced through the chest by Kakuzu's fist at the last moment before retreating. In the end, only about twenty members of the Konoha force managed to escape.
"Hehehe, so this is my ending. It's a pity I can't go back and see it."
The Root leader glanced longingly in the direction Shino had left, then with his last strength gripped the Earth Grudge tightly and roared, "Let's perish together!"
He then forced himself to merge the dark mass into the black lines that pierced his body, before finally collapsing in exhaustion.
"Ah, what have you done!"
Kakuzu initially dismissed the Earth Grudge without a second thought. The next moment, he felt as if countless tiny things were multiplying and being born inside his body, becoming tightly entangled with the Earth Grudge.
Before he could even properly sense what it was, Kakuzu found himself experiencing excruciating pain throughout his body. He could no longer control the Earth Grudge that was supporting him and collapsed in a sorry state like a limp piece of cloth.
"Kakuzu, what's wrong with you?"
Hidan, who was leaning on his scythe and staring at Orochimaru with wide eyes, rushed over to help Kakuzu when he noticed the unexpected turn of events.
"Don't touch my body, it's poisonous!"
Kakuzu roared and squeezed out a few words. He could sense that there were countless tiny, imperceptible insects entangled with the Earth Grudge within his body. These insects were both gnawing at the Earth Grudge and being absorbed by it.
These insects also seemed to be highly poisonous. Fortunately, after the leader at the root died, the insects died almost simultaneously.
However, those terrifying poisons had already become entangled with the Earth Grudge, but it seemed that the poisons were being gradually absorbed by the Earth Grudge, and Kaku could feel his control over his body gradually returning.
However, the intense pain during the fusion process was real. Despite having experienced many great battles, Kakuzu was still tormented by the pain, his face contorted in agony as he lay on the ground struggling in agony.
"Heh, looks like I've won today. Even immortality has its problems."
Although he didn't quite understand what had happened, Orochimaru was quite satisfied with the current situation. Just as he was about to say a few harsh words and leave, he heard a cracking sound coming from behind Kabuto Yakushi.
Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw that the wooden barrel that Yakushi Kabuto was carrying on his back had cracked slightly, and wisps of black smoke were billowing out from it. Then, with a bang, the barrel shattered completely, and a handsome young man wearing a black jumpsuit covered in black patterns emerged.
It was Uchiha Sasuke!
As soon as Sasuke emerged, he found himself in the center of a battlefield, surrounded by a horrific scene of fighting. Beside him stood Orochimaru and Kabuto, and the corpses of many Konoha ninja lay scattered about. A short distance away, a giant purple-striped serpent was devouring the bodies.
Sasuke was completely bewildered. He had only vaguely overheard some conversations while inside the barrel, and he never expected to emerge to witness such a bloody scene. He had simply left Konoha in pursuit of greater power; surely it shouldn't have caused such an horrific upheaval?
What's the situation now?
"Sasuke, you're awake! Congratulations on successfully awakening the power of the Cursed Seal."
Orochimaru ignored Sasuke's confusion and instead sized him up with greedy eyes. He thought to himself, "Such a youthful and energetic body; it will soon be mine."
"Wow, you smell so good!"
Before Sasuke could ask any more questions, Manda, who was happily devouring something nearby, seemed to have caught the scent of food and moved closer. It stared at Sasuke with its ferocious and terrifying snake eyes, which were practically spitting fire.
"Orochimaru," Manda stared at Sasuke, his gaze lingering on him. "Hand him over to Grandpa Manda, and I'll waive the 200 human sacrifices you owe me!"
As Manda spoke, it opened its massive mouth to swallow Sasuke, but Orochimaru threw out two long snakes that bound its vital points, making it impossible for it to continue.
Orochimaru spoke in a chilling voice, "Manda, Sasuke is one of my men!"
"You still owe me 200 people, so what's wrong with Grandpa Ten Thousand Snakes eating one of you!"
Faced with Orochimaru's words, Manda became arrogant and wanted to devour Sasuke.
Before Orochimaru and Manda could continue arguing or fighting, Kakuzu struggled to his feet.
"Don't even think about taking my Uchiha Sasuke away, he's worth a fortune!"
Spurred by the impending loss of a huge sum of money, Kakuzu felt the changes within his body abruptly cease. It seemed that the Earth Grudge had gained new power after merging with those deadly poisons, but he had no energy to pay attention to it at the moment.
"Whoever grabs this gets to keep it!"
Compared to Orochimaru and Kakuzu's standoff and vigilance, Manda was much more direct; it opened its blood-red maw and lunged at Sasuke.
Orochimaru and Kakuzu, seeing this, did not hesitate and each rushed towards Sasuke.
This overly enthusiastic greeting stunned Sasuke, and before he could react, he found himself surrounded by three forces.
Just as the three attacks were about to collide and Sasuke was in danger, Manda and Kakuzu suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky.
A white streak of light descended from the sky, nearly a hundred meters above the ground, yet it already exerted immense pressure on them. Not only were their bodies unable to move, but their hearts were also filled with repeated warnings of danger!
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