Kazuyama Gekkō was completely stunned. Why the hell wasn't she backing off!?
And that pile of slugs—had they fused together?
Yeah, though it was much smaller than before. A lot of them had already been blown to bits.
"Katsuyu, you've got explosive tags inside you! We can't back down just because it's a Tailed Beast!"
"Charge in!"
Tsunade knew exactly how important tonight's operation was. Even fully aware of a Tailed Beast's terrifying power, she didn't hesitate.
Instead, she led the charge.
Not recklessly, of course. The Five-Tails' intel was no secret in the Ninja World.
Its immense strength, amplified further by Boil Release, made it arguably the strongest of the Tailed Beasts. But precisely because of that overwhelming power, the Five-Tails lacked any real versatility—an opening Tsunade could exploit.
With nothing but brute strength and no ranged abilities, the Five-Tails left Tsunade and Katsuyu a real shot at pulling off the plan.
"Damn it!"
"She's lost her mind!"
Kazuyama understood what Tsunade was aiming for—but dealing with the Five-Tails Kokuō wasn't that simple.
If it were, she wouldn't have earned such a fearsome reputation in the Ninja World.
"Kazuyama, what are you doing?"
"Let that lunatic throw herself in if she wants. We're talking about a Tailed Beast here."
Tagitsuhime looked at Tsunade with disdain as she rushed forward. In her view, the heir of Shikkotsu Forest and the forces of Ryūchi Cave were natural enemies.
Charging in instead of retreating when facing a Tailed Beast? She must've lost it.
"Enough, Tagitsuhime. Kazuyama has his reasons. We just need to do our part."
Ichikishimahime spat back at her, then turned her eyes to Kazuyama, waiting for him to act.
"We can't just ignore her. She's the commanding officer here."
"If anything happens to her, the whole frontline will collapse."
"Damn it! Once the battle stabilizes, I'm making her eat Ryūchi Cave's Genjutsu again!"
"Summoning Technique!"
Kazuyama slapped both hands to the ground, frustration clear on his face—but he was still on the battlefield. There was no time to gripe.
Up ahead, the Five-Tails had already broken out of the forest, while Tsunade and the slug charged forward. The two sides were seconds from clashing.
"Big Hippo!"
"Your opponent's over here!"
"Water Release! Water Dragon Multi-Shot Technique!"
Kazuyama's roar echoed across the battlefield.
Three water dragons shot skyward, flying straight over Tsunade and the slug before crashing down onto Kokuō.
Right after, a massive golden serpent slammed into her. At the same time, a green serpent coiled around the slug and cracked its tail into the ground, lifting them both into the air.
The two snakes were Kinrin and Yulín.
Before Tsunade and the slug could react, they were already airborne.
"Hmph, if Kazuyama hadn't asked, I wouldn't lift a finger for you, damn slug."
Yulín's voice dripped with disdain. Tsunade didn't respond, and though the slug was clearly angry, now wasn't the time for arguments.
"Sage Art! Snake Saliva Technique!"
Senjutsu chakra surged. Kazuyama opened his mouth and spat out a wave of green smoke. The three Snake Princesses beside him followed suit, each releasing a puff of smoke—
Red, green, and blue.
Combined with Kazuyama's green mist, the four clouds twisted together and surged toward Kokuō.
Still soaked from the water dragons, Kokuō caught sight of the strange, swirling mist hurtling her way.
She twisted her massive body nimbly, trying to dodge the colorful smoke. But the mist moved like it had a will of its own, changing direction and chasing her relentlessly.
Just as it was about to engulf her, Kokuō opened her jaws wide and spewed out a blast of white steam. Fire and steam collided violently, flooding the battlefield with bursts of light.
Kazuyama's eyes narrowed. He switched his hand signs and shouted, "Sage Art! Snake Shadow Strangle!"
The mist scattered instantly. From within it, four snake shadows shot out toward Kokuō. Their bodies swelled in midair, thick like ropes, and coiled tightly around her.
Kokuō thrashed and lashed out with immense force, but the snake shadows held firm, binding her in place and refusing to let go.
The violent clash between sheer brute strength and Senjutsu made Kazuyama's expression turn grim—he could feel his chakra draining away at an alarming rate.
At that moment, Tsunade seized the opportunity. With Katsuyu on her back, she leapt from Yulín and shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Katsuyu!"
"Ready, Lady Tsunade!"
With a burst of strength, Tsunade hurled Katsuyu through the air, aiming directly at the Iwagakure reinforcements.
"Katsuyu! Blow them to pieces!"
"Yes, Tsuna—ah!!!"
Just as Katsuyu was about to respond, a massive red hand snatched her midair.
"Hmph, little bug. Don't think you can keep causing trouble."
A giant red monkey spoke in a human voice, looking at the trapped Katsuyu with disdain.
"Loaded with explosive tags, huh?"
"Brutal enough, using yourself as a bomb. Hmph."
Rōshi, now in his Four-Tails form, eyed Katsuyu coldly. One hand wasn't enough—he clutched her tightly with both.
The poor Katsuyu had already shrunk down, and now she was completely overpowered by the Four-Tails.
Tsunade was stunned to see the Four-Tails appear. Still airborne, she had no way to defend herself, and the beast clearly wasn't going to let her go.
"Princess Tsunade, one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin?"
"Hmph. Die here, and nothing will stand in our way anymore."
"Die!"
Four crimson tails lashed out at Tsunade midair. She couldn't dodge—those tails were coming fast.
Suddenly, a figure appeared beside her in a flash.
"Reckless as always!"
"Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
With that furious shout, a horde of snakes exploded into the scene, snapping at the incoming tails.
Snakes versus tails—long against long—who cared?
But reality hit hard. The Four-Tails' strikes shattered the wave of snakes instantly.
Still, that moment of delay was all Kazuyama needed to reactivate his Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Katsuyu!" "Kinrin! Yulín!"
"Bang!"
Just before the escape, Katsuyu, Kinrin, and Yulín all turned into clouds of white smoke and vanished.
Only the hulking forms of the Four-Tails and Five-Tails remained on the battlefield.
"Damn Konoha shinobi!"
"Roar!"
The Five-Tails' furious roar echoed across the sky.
Strike, then vanish without hesitation—this kind of maneuver was second nature to Kazuyama.
In a blink, the Flying Thunder God Technique returned the pair to the front lines of Konoha's base.
"Tsunade! Lady Tsunade!"
"How old are you?"
"Rushing in like that'll get you killed! Don't you get it?"
"You see a Tailed Beast and don't run? Who do you think you are!?"
"Hey! Stop hitting me! Fine, I'll shut up, alright!?"
"Stop!!"
As soon as they landed, Kazuyama launched into full-on nagging mode. He was furious, frustrated.
And there was no way Tsunade was going to take his ranting quietly.
Soon, the chase-and-smack fest began.
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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