Since Tsunade had already made her decision, Anya had no choice but to stay by her side. Earlier, she had planned to use a decapitation tactic to kill Chiyo. Now that the war had begun, Rasa would surely notice Tsunade's impact on the battlefield and likely make the same decision.
Rasa had saved Sunagakure with his own strength alone, successfully repelling Kumogakure's attacks twice. Though he benefited from the terrain, his power was unquestionably Kage-level. Even in her prime, Tsunade couldn't guarantee victory against him. Now, in her current state, facing an assassination attempt from him would be extremely dangerous.
Understanding Anya's concerns, Tsunade spoke plainly, "Don't worry about me. Go help the other ninja in the village."
Anya smiled lightly, "My Lightning-imbued Shadow Clones have already gone ahead. Focus on healing. No one will harm you while I'm here."
Hearing this, Tsunade felt warmth inside. Her usually serious face softened with a blush, and she said nothing more—their bond spoke louder than words.
Anya had already created two Shadow Clones the moment the Suna ninjas entered the village. These weren't ordinary clones; they were solid Shadow Clones forged using vast amounts of Lightning Release chakra. In terms of combat capability, they were more than capable unless they faced a Kage-level ninja. One carried [Blade of Indifference], and the other wielded [The Supreme Blade]. Each sprinted off in different directions.
The Uchiha clan compound also came under heavy assault from Suna ninjas. With many Uchiha away fighting in Kumo, the area had lost its usual vigilance. As soon as the enemy arrived, they launched a fierce attack. Mikoto Uchiha, who had been a housewife for years, now wore her ninja gear again and joined the fight with kunai in hand. Standing beside her, young Itachi Uchiha did his best to help. Unbelievably, despite his tender age, he had already awakened his Sharingan. Under the power of his bloodline ability, mother and son actually managed to take down several Suna ninjas together, drawing significant attention. Soon after, several powerful jonin targeted them directly, rushing toward their position. The situation instantly became tense.
These jonin clearly possessed rich combat experience. Upon realizing their opponent wielded a Sharingan, they immediately switched to long-range attacks—combining Earth Release with Wind Release, bombarding the pair relentlessly.
Though Itachi Uchiha was known as a genius, his small body lacked sufficient chakra reserves. He quickly found himself in grave danger. Mikoto desperately defended against wave after wave of attacks. She had already resolved herself to protect her son at all costs—even if it meant sacrificing her life.
Unfortunately, a Suna ninja locked onto Itachi Uchiha. Just as mother and son were blasted backward by a Ninjutsu, he aimed precisely at Itachi's vulnerable opening, smirking coldly as he formed hand seals, "[Earth Release: Earth Spear!]"
A sharp earthen spike shot straight toward Itachi Uchiha's throat…
At the very moment Itachi was about to perish, a shadow swiftly scooped him up, leaping out of the deadly spear's range in just a few steps.
"Who?!" The Suna ninjas had been certain Itachi would die, but unexpected interference enraged them deeply.
"Hmph! Try me—this is your worst nightmare!"
A fiery voice answered the Suna ninja's question. The first thing to come into view was her dazzling cascade of long red hair. The one who had come to save Itachi Uchiha was Kushina Uzumaki. As usual, she couldn't stay put when trouble struck. When she learned Konoha was caught in a major battle, she dashed out despite the two ANBU assigned to guard her—just in time to save Itachi Uchiha.
Behind the young Uchiha, cold sweat had already broken out across his back. For the first time, death felt like such a real threat. But the looming danger didn't stir much fear in him. He quickly regained his composure and murmured, "Thank you."
Kushina gave him a surprised look, seemingly not expecting him to stay so composed. She loosened her grip and gently set him down, speaking warmly, "It's alright. I'm close friends with your mother. You should go find somewhere to hide. Leave them to me."
Mikoto Uchiha's heart had leapt into her throat just moments ago. Seeing that her son was saved, she finally let out a sigh of relief and gave Kushina Uzumaki a grateful glance.
Itachi knew his chakra reserves were nearly depleted. Staying would only distract the adults, so without hesitation, he turned around and walked away, showing remarkable decisiveness.
Mikoto rarely displayed killing intent, but now a rare surge of murderous aura rose from her as she glared at those Suna ninja who nearly killed her son. Forming hand seals, she called out, [Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu].
Coordinating with her fire technique, Kushina also formed hand seals and announced, [Wind Release: Flower Scatter Dance].
A new clash erupted…
The massive uproar drew even more Suna ninja to the scene. The two ANBU assigned to protect Kushina Uzumaki also joined the fight. Although initially having the advantage in numbers, the Suna ninja soon realized they were surrounded by multiple copies of the red-haired woman. Understanding this was the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, they couldn't lay a finger on the real one. The battle became fierce, evenly matched.
After prolonged unsuccessful attacks, many Suna ninja exchanged glances before simultaneously retreating and forming hand seals toward the front, calling out, [Earth Release: Cracking Palm Reversal Technique].
All around them, the earth trembled from Earth techniques as if an earthquake had arrived, causing all the shadow clones summoned by Kushina Uzumaki to lose their footing.
Seeing this, Kushina controlled her clones to leap midair simultaneously. Holding hands, they formed tight circles while extending their legs straight down, spiraling into flying kicks.
[Earth Release: Earth-Style Return.]
The Suna ninja combined forces to summon a giant rock to block above.
The collision between the rock and the clones dissipated into countless puffs of white smoke.
Just as the battle raged fiercely here, increasing numbers of Suna ninja gained the upper hand and surged forward. This batch wore masks on their faces, standing tall with long blades in hand—clearly not ordinary ninja, but rather ANBU from Sunagakure. As they entered the battlefield, they swiftly began spinning around the four at the center. Instantly, centered around them, the surrounding ground transformed entirely into fine sand particles. Spun by their rotation, the sand completely engulfed the four individuals inside.
Kushina Uzumaki threw a full-powered punch and was immediately pushed back by the recoil. She could feel massive amounts of chakra gathering around the four people—a clear sign a deadly technique was being readied. If the enemy completed their technique, the four individuals trapped inside would certainly die.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Two Konoha Anbu attempted to throw multiple shuriken, but all of them were deflected by the spinning grains of sand, proving completely ineffective.
"Hmph! Die already! [Endless Sands: Devouring Bones!]"
A gale-force wind surged forward, swirling masses of sand into the air like a miniature sandstorm, blanketing everything and cutting off all escape routes for the four as it threatened to bury them alive beneath tons of sand.
A sudden red flash flickered in Kushina Uzumaki's eyes. She silently roared toward a shadowed corner within her consciousness: "Stupid fox, come out right now!"
Trapped within her body's seal, the Nine-Tails approached the iron gate that barred it and lazily replied: "Not interested."
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