While Minato was searching for any surviving intelligence documents, Makima was meticulously checking the pulse of the incapacitated Suna Shinobi to determine which ones were viable assets for disinformation. She approached a downed, mid-level Chūnin who was stunned but conscious, ready to begin her subtle work of psychological manipulation.
Kushina, still fueled by adrenaline, stomped over, her chains having retracted but her red hair flying. She was still fuming about the earlier struggle.
"You know, it's not fair!" Kushina ranted, not caring that Makima was actively assessing a prisoner. "They keep underestimating me just because I'm younger! They'll learn! I'm Kushina Uzumaki, and I'm the next Jinchūriki! They won't stand a chance when I learn how to really let loose!"
The stunned Suna Chūnin, his eyes wide with fear, instantly snapped into crystalline, terrified focus. Jinchūriki. The ultimate weapon. The highest-grade military secret. The information hit him with the force of a full-scale assault.
Makima stopped mid-crouch. The meticulous analysis in her golden eyes vanished, replaced by a sudden, intense flicker of disbelief and utter exasperation. Her usual flawless composure fractured.
She slowly brought her hand up, resting the heel of her palm squarely over her forehead, dragging it down her face in a gesture of profound, defeated resignation. It was the first time any of them had seen her display such a raw, human emotion.
"Kushina-san," Makima sighed, her voice dangerously quiet, muffled by her hand. "You have just volunteered the most protected national security secret of Konohagakure to an actively hostile enemy agent."
She removed her hand, her face returning to its cold mask, but the frustration lingered in her eyes.
"Congratulations. We no longer need to rely entirely on strategic deception. Now, the Sand Village knows exactly who you are, and that knowledge alone will elevate your personal threat level to S-rank on sight. You have needlessly amplified the danger to yourself and compromised our village's defenses in a single, emotional outburst. Control the chaos, Kushina-san. Every word is a weapon."
........
With the enemy command destroyed, Jiraiya turned his attention to the remaining vanguard pinned at the canyon entrance. He needed a decisive strike to ensure they scattered and did not regroup.
He leaped onto a high, stable plateau, his eyes still holding the golden glow of Sage Mode. Jiraiya drew on the nature chakra to enhance a massive elemental force.
SENPŌ: CHŌ ŌDAMA DAMA (Sage Art: Ultra-Big Bomb!)
Jiraiya focused his immense chakra and unleashed a terrifying barrage of intensified fire and oil—a massive, high-pressure elemental strike that was far beyond the scale of his earlier feint. It was a visible column of searing hot, burning fuel, impacting the canyon floor.
The resulting impact was not just fire, but a geological shockwave. The ground shuddered violently, and a massive, deep fissure opened up, isolating the remaining troops. The sheer destructive spectacle of the jutsu—a blood-boiling display of raw power—was enough.
The Suna ninja threw down their weapons, utterly defeated by the scale of the attack. They realized they hadn't been fighting a battalion; they had been fighting one man who could summon the power of the natural world.
"Makima," Jiraiya rasped, slightly winded. "Mission is now cleanup and extraction. No pursuit. Get what you need and then we leave."