As red, blue, and green lights flickered faintly, Kazuyama's body began to emit a soft, eerie glow.
Seeing this, both Katsuyu and Tsunade were stunned.
"Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu..."
"He's so young... and he's already mastered Senjutsu?"
"My god... these three distinct natural energy signatures... are they from the Three Sages of Ryūchi Cave?"
With Sage Mode activated and the Coiling Serpent Technique unleashed, Kazuyama summoned all three Snake Princesses at once.
"Hmm... such rich natural energy. Kazuyama, have you perfected your Sage Body?"
"Huh? What? Why are you two here too?"
Tagitsuhime had been enjoying herself—Kazuyama's activation of the Sage Body meant her power had increased as well. But her satisfaction vanished the moment she spotted Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime.
Her expression soured instantly. The one she had all to herself was suddenly split into thirds.
"Why shouldn't we be here?"
"Kazuyama's Sage Body is complete, and his Coiling Serpent Technique is now perfect. It's completely natural for him to connect with all three of us."
"Stop dreaming about monopolizing this opportunity."
Tagorihime spoke with barely hidden delight, paying no attention to Tagitsuhime's darkened expression.
Outnumbered, Tagitsuhime had no retort. She turned her head with a huff—only to freeze at the sight of countless slugs. Her eyes went wide.
"Slugs ? Why are there so many slugs here?!"
"Kazuyama, attack! These filthy things—I want them gone!"
Her outcry immediately caught the other two Princesses' attention.
When they noticed the swarm of slugs covering the ground, their expressions also shifted.
In the next instant, three giant serpents bared their fangs, and Kazuyama's aura surged alongside them.
"Wait, wait, don't rush in, Snake Princesses."
"These are Tsunade's summons—yes, they're from Shikkotsu Forest."
"But for my sake, can we not jump straight to fighting?"
Kazuyama pressed his hands together again, suppressing the rising pressure from the Snake Princesses with his Senjutsu.
As the caster of the Coiling Serpent Technique, he had some control over them.
"Hmph! You three filthy snakes—what do you want?"
"Don't think I'm scared just because you've got Senjutsu. Slugs from Shikkotsu Forest don't fear snakes!"
The small Katsuyu on Tsunade's shoulder let out a disgruntled snort.
One slug faced off against three snakes in a tense standoff, neither side willing to back down.
Kazuyama could only sigh—there was no harmony among the three legendary factions.
Pythons eat toads, toads eat slugs, slugs eat snakes.
By that logic, Shikkotsu Forest actually countered Ryūchi Cave. But of course, no prideful snake would admit that a bunch of slimy slugs could overpower them.
"Kazuyama, I can't believe it... you've actually mastered Sage Mode..."
"Incredible..."
Tsunade was shaken. Senjutsu might seem like a myth to most ninja, but she was no ordinary kunoichi—she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage.
She understood better than anyone how difficult it was to master Senjutsu. Despite being under contract with Shikkotsu Forest herself, she had never succeeded.
In her mind, only her grandfather had ever truly mastered it.
Yet here it was again—Senjutsu, from one of the Three Great Sage Realms: Ryūchi Cave.
"Ah, it's nothing serious. The mission comes first."
"You four, save the arguing for later, will you?"
"We've got a job to do."
"Katsuyu, are all the explosive tags in place?"
Tsunade glanced at Katsuyu just in time, the message clear—now wasn't the time for bickering.
Clearly irritated, Katsuyu gave a small nod, indicating all her clones were equipped with explosive tags.
"Tagitsuhime, Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, I need your help next."
"Use Senjutsu to cloak all the Katsuyus in invisibility."
Invisibility was one of the core abilities of Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu. By channeling natural energy, it allowed the user to become invisible even to chakra detection—perfect for an ambush.
"Hmph, just this once. I can't believe you're asking me to use Senjutsu on these slugs."
"Ugh, disgusting."
Tagitsuhime spat in disgust. Katsuyu nearly lost it, but Tsunade managed to calm her down just in time.
"Since it's your request, Kazuyama, we'll lend a hand."
"Let's begin."
Ichikishimahime stepped in to ease the tension, her body beginning to glow blue.
Tagitsuhime let out another cold snort as a red light surged from her.
Tagorihime didn't say a word—she just gave Kazuyama a faint smile as green light blossomed from her body.
The Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave activated. As the three colored lights swept across the area, all of the Katsuyus were cloaked in invisibility.
Their figures vanished completely—even their chakra signatures were masked.
Kazuyama nodded in satisfaction at the sight and turned to Tsunade.
"Invisibility is done. I'll scout for the coordinates next. Tsunade, stay here and keep in touch with all the Katsuyus."
"Got it. It's all on you now. Don't mess up the coordinates—if they're off, everything will be wasted."
Tsunade nodded seriously. With the invisibility phase complete, the real mission was about to begin.
A surprise attack and detonation—whether or not they could cripple Iwagakure would depend on what came next.
Kazuyama casually tossed a kunai to Tsunade. In the next moment, he soared into the air.
Tsunade stared, dumbfounded.
"Heh, don't be shocked. With Senjutsu, flying's a piece of cake for me. Hahaha!"
"Snake Princesses, let's move!"
The Sage Body granted him flight—no need to rely on Chōmei's power. Combined with invisibility, he was now practically a stealth bomber.
"Katsuyu, get into position. Start climbing."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
On Tsunade's side, the operation began. Tens of thousands of Katsuyus started crawling up the terrain. Though invisible, the sound of their movement along the walls echoed clearly. Tsk... good thing they couldn't be seen—anyone with trypophobia would have freaked out.
"Chōmei, help me keep watch. As soon as you find signs of the Kamizuru Clan, let me know."
"I've got something big planned for them!"
Chōmei chuckled darkly. He was eager for the show.
Only someone like Kazuyama could come up with the wild idea of turning a swarm of Katsuyus into bombs.
"No problem! Leave it to me!"