290. The Earth Branch Squad Joins the Battle!

Another battlefield.

The previously unstoppable Cloud Shinobi forces came to a halt as Shisui and Fugaku made their appearance.

"Damn it, is this the Leaf's reinforcements?" The Fourth Raikage's expression turned grim as he gazed at the two towering figures standing in the midst of the battlefield.

This meant that at least two Mangekyō Sharingan users, capable of posing a significant threat to the Tailed Beasts, had arrived.

What's more, if Shisui and Fugaku had already arrived, how far behind could the rest of the Leaf's reinforcements be?

The thought weighed heavily on the Fourth Raikage's mind. Although he didn't know how the Leaf had managed to deploy reinforcements to the front lines so quickly...

As the commander of the entire Cloud Shinobi forces, he had to seriously consider every possible dangerous scenario.

Of course, this could also be a delaying tactic by the Leaf.

Using Shisui and Fugaku to intimidate the Cloud forces and buy time for their main army to march.

But no matter what, they had to act quickly!

The Fourth Raikage quickly made his decision.

"Everyone, attack!"

"We must seize this fortress before the Leaf's main forces arrive!" Under the Fourth Raikage's command, the Cloud Shinobi forces erupted with astonishing momentum once again, launching a fierce assault on the fortress.

On the other side, the Leaf forces, seeing that their reinforcements consisted of only two people, felt their hearts sink.

No matter how strong Shisui and Fugaku were, they were still just two people!

Facing a Cloud Shinobi army of thousands, the power of two individuals was simply too insignificant.

Fortunately, Danzo's preparations didn't end there.

Just as the Cloud Shinobi forces were about to scale the fortress walls once more, a massive swarm of parasitic insects descended from the sky like a black fog!

"It's the Leaf's insect users!" Sharp-eyed Cloud Shinobi immediately recognized the secret technique of the Aburame clan.

But what they didn't know was that this time, the parasitic insects would be completely different.

As the insects reached mid-air, they suddenly dispersed.

Then, their tails abruptly released a burst of high-pressure steam.

With a dense whistling sound, they rained down on the battlefield like a spectacular meteor shower!

The next moment...

"Explode!"

From high above, Aburame Ryoma uttered a soft command.

The parasitic insects that had landed on the ground immediately erupted in violent explosions.

The Boil Release chakra stored within their bodies instantly transformed into high-temperature steam, engulfing the surrounding Cloud Shinobi like blooming white flowers!

In an instant, the area near the fortress walls was filled with agonized screams.

The dense, high-temperature steam formed a new "wall," firmly blocking the Cloud Shinobi from advancing!

"What the hell is this?"

The Cloud Shinobi looked nervously at the falling swarm of insects.

"Look, there's a giant bird in the sky!"

Someone shouted, and the Cloud Shinobi's attention quickly shifted to the sky.

A bizarre-looking giant bird was circling above the battlefield, and on its back stood a group of masked individuals!

Yes, these masked figures were the Earth Branch Squad assembled by Danzo!

Among them was Aburame Ryoma, who had just launched the steam missile attack, codenamed Horse.

As for the giant bird beneath them, it was naturally the creation of Snake, Hiruko.

This was a bird created using the Chimera Technique, capable of carrying people while also possessing considerable combat power.

"Now, let the shinobi world witness the strength of our Earth Branch Squad," Aburame Ryoma said with a cold gaze, looking down at the Cloud Shinobi below.

His words marked the official start of this surprise attack.

"I've been looking forward to this."

With a laugh, Oyashiro En jumped down from the giant bird's back.

In the next moment, crimson blood erupted from the blood pot on his back.

The blood quickly gathered behind him, forming a pair of tattered, blood-red wings.

Behind his mask, his Blood Dragon Eye revealed a shocking killing intent.

"Blood Release: Beelzebub!" As he completed his hand seals, the wings behind him flapped violently.

In an instant, thousands of blood-formed arrows rained down from the sky.

Like a storm, they covered the entire battlefield below!!

"Defend! Defend!"

"Watch out!"

The Cloud Shinobi, who had never seen such an attack before, were thrown into chaos.

Many Cloud Shinobi who couldn't dodge in time were easily pierced by the blood arrows, turning into lifeless corpses.

Fortunately, a Lightning Release shinobi stepped forward, releasing a burst of Lightning Release chakra.

The chakra spread like water above their heads, blocking many of the blood arrows.

But the Earth Branch Squad's assault didn't end there.

After Oyashiro En's attack, codenamed Dog, Kakashi, followed up.

"Raikiri!"

A dazzling flash of lightning surged from his hand.

Like a sharp sword, he descended from the sky, piercing through the "umbrella" created by the Lightning Release shinobi.

With the terrifying sound of a thousand birds screeching, he charged toward his enemy!

Next, Kakuzu and Ryoma landed on the ground. The former's body quickly sprouted numerous black threads.

This was the forbidden technique from the Hidden Waterfall Village—'Earth Grudge Fear'.

The black threads spread like a tide, forming tendrils that frantically strangled the surrounding enemies.

The latter released more steam-infused parasitic insects, continuously bombarding the Cloud Shinobi with steam attacks.

As for Hiruko, he remained on the chimera bird.

He threw down summoning scrolls from his hands, calling forth numerous chimeric beasts to join the battle.

In short, with the arrival of the Earth Branch Squad, the entire battlefield situation underwent a dramatic change!

"Monster, die!"

A Cloud Shinobi dashed across the ground, appearing in front of Kakuzu at incredible speed.

He swung his kunai, stabbing it fiercely into Kakuzu's body.

But...

It was completely ineffective.

Thanks to the hardness of the Earth Grudge Fear and the enhancement of the Earth Spear Technique, such an attack was utterly useless.

Not only that, but a mask with red patterns appeared on Kakuzu's shoulder.

The Fire Attribute Mask!

As the mask opened its mouth, a burst of flames instantly reduced the attacker to a charred corpse!

Another Cloud Shinobi, under the cover of his comrades, managed to get close to Aburame Ryoma, planning to finish him off in close combat.

But Ryoma didn't even glance at him, instead releasing a burst of high-temperature steam from his body.

The steam not only sent the attacker flying but also scalded him to death...

Oyashiro En's fighting style was even more sinister.

He first used blood bullets to continuously shoot at his enemies, creating wounds and allowing his chakra to enter their bodies.

Then, using his Blood Dragon Eye, he cast genjutsu on them, turning them into human bombs!

When other Cloud Shinobi tried to save their comrades, the genjutsu-affected shinobi would explode on the spot!

This dual torment, both physical and psychological, caused some Cloud Shinobi to break down completely.

"What kind of monsters are these..."

"We can't win this..."

One Cloud Shinobi, seeing his comrade explode, immediately thought of retreating.

But just as he was about to flee, the ground beneath him cracked open.

A grotesque, giant chimeric centipede burst from the earth, tossing the shinobi high into the air.

With a pair of scissor-like mandibles, it sliced him in half!

After the Earth Branch Squad landed, similar scenes quickly unfolded across the battlefield.

This left the Hyuga Hizashi and the other nine elite Leaf shinobi, who were lying in ambush on the other side, utterly stunned.

In just a few minutes, the previously one-sided battle had completely turned around.

And all of this was due to those few individuals on the battlefield.

Is this the power of the Root...?

"Everyone, we can't delay any longer. It's time for us to act as well."

Hyuga Hizashi activated his Byakugan and spoke in a solemn tone.

This elite squad of ten, led by him, aimed to take advantage of the enemy's chaos and inflict as much damage as possible!