To the west of Konohagakure, a force of nearly 500 shinobi was gathering.
At the front of the formation stood Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin. At that moment, she looked anything but pleased, muttering under her breath.
"Damn old man… actually sending me to the battlefield when I clearly…"
She trailed off, sighing. "Forget it. I don't even know what's going on anymore… Hey…"
As she spoke, she glanced up at the cloudy sky, a fleeting look of contemplation crossing her face. It almost felt like two people were watching her from above.
A quiet murmur escaped her lips. "Nawaki, Dan… if you really are watching me, I won't let you down."
"Yo, Lady Tsunade, why so sentimental?"
The sudden voice made Tsunade tense. Her right fist clenched instinctively, irritation flickering across her face.
"You little brat Kazuyama… if you use that Transparent Escape Technique of yours to sneak up on me again, I'll punch you so hard you'll be having tea with all the previous Hokage!"
Kazuyama: …So violent! I'm hiding!
Tobirama Senju: Yes! Tsunade, send him down here—I swear he's asking for it!
Hashirama Senju: Tsunade! Quit messing around! How can you be so ruthless to your own people? What about medical ethics?!
"Oh dear, Lady Tsunade, calm down."
Kazuyama slowly revealed himself, a silly grin on his face. He didn't seem the least bit panicked by her threat.
"Hmph. I'm in command this time for our mission to Kumogakure." Tsunade crossed her arms. "Kazuyama Gekkō, go organize the team. We leave as soon as they're ready."
Kazuyama blinked. "Huh?"
He was instantly speechless. So that was it? She was just going to push all the work onto him?
The higher up you are, the more people you get to boss around…
With no way out, he resigned himself to the task.
The assembled force was formidable, with no weak links. The weakest among them was a Chūnin, and many came from renowned clans—including the Hyūga and Uchiha.
"Eh? Hizashi, you're here too?"
The Hyūga representative was none other than Hizashi Hyūga, one of Kazuyama's closest friends.
"Well, Hiashi went to the battlefield in the Land of Rivers, so I'm leading our forces to the Land of Hot Water alongside Lady Tsunade."
Kazuyama sighed as he took in Hizashi's composed demeanor. The guy looked full of energy, ready for battle. Meanwhile, Kazuyama couldn't help but roll his eyes.
If he had a choice, he'd rather stay in the village. War was dangerous. Everywhere you turned, someone was fighting.
"This time, we're clashing with Kumo in the Land of Hot Water," Kazuyama muttered. "Those guys are complete brutes—we'd better be careful."
He couldn't forget the image of the Fourth Raikage, A. That man was like a damn bulldozer, his monstrous physique enhanced by Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Terrifying. Not quite on the level of his father, the Third Raikage, but still a force to be reckoned with.
Kazuyama glanced down at his own frame. Yeah… he wasn't built for this. If he had to fight A, he'd probably only get one hit in before being flattened.
"Come on, that big oaf? You really think a mouthful of Scale Powder wouldn't take him down?"
"Hmph, Kazuyama, stop being so timid! This time, when we head to the Land of Hot Water, we'll teach that Eight-Tails Jinchūriki a lesson and show him what a real Jinchūriki is!"
Just as Kazuyama was lost in thought, Chōmei's voice suddenly rang out, snapping him back to reality.
It confused him. Why is this guy suddenly so fired up?
"Hmph, Kazuyama, you don't understand. Out of all the Tailed Beasts, I hate the Eight-Tails the most."
"That guy's always spewing ink, getting us all covered in black! I've been waiting for revenge for ages!"
"I never had the chance before, but now I have you, buddy! My good buddy! You have to help me settle this grudge!"
Oh? Chōmei actually had history with the Eight-Tails?
But thinking about it, the Eight-Tails did spew ink all the time. Tch, annoying.
Fine. We were bound to run into them sooner or later—so might as well settle things now!
With that thought, the 500-strong Konoha force advanced straight toward the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.
One Day Later – Land of Hot Water Border.
"Everyone, fall back to the defensive line! Don't engage them head-on!"
"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"
At that moment, Konoha and Kumo clashed in battle, with over a hundred shinobi on each side.
Leading Kumo's forces was Dodai, a trusted subordinate of the Third Raikage.
On Konoha's side, Torifu Akimichi, an elite guard of the Second Hokage and current head of the Akimichi Clan, commanded the troops.
"Hmph! Lava Release—Rubber Ball!"
As Torifu's fists suddenly enlarged, Dodai immediately chose to defend.
As a wielder of the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, his version of the technique was highly elastic, making it ideal for defense.
The massive fist struck his Lava Release barrier but failed to break through. Instead, the impact was absorbed and repelled.
"Damn it!"
"No wonder he's the Raikage's right-hand man."
Torifu was known for his overwhelming strength, but his opponent's technique countered him perfectly.
The battlefield was looking grim for Konoha. Most of Kumo's shinobi were Jōnin, highly skilled in their coordinated combat tactics.
Operating in groups of three to five, they specialized in synchronized attacks, combining their techniques to deliver devastating damage.
"Fire Release—Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
After defending, it was time for Tsuchidai to counterattack. His hand seals were executed with blinding speed, and in an instant, dozens of fireballs came whistling toward Torifu.
"Heck, that was a bit too fast."
As a powerful member of the Akimichi Clan, his strength was undeniable, but speed had always been a weakness.
Even with Clan Head Torifu's Partial Multi-Size Technique, using it recklessly now would only get him burned.
For now, he had no choice but to withdraw his arms and brace for impact.
The fireballs slammed into him, scorching his sleeves and searing his skin. Gritting his teeth from the heat, he endured the pain—until suddenly, a green light enveloped him.
"Huh? What's this?"
"Hmph, Uncle Torifu, you're letting someone push you around."
As he wondered about the sudden relief, a slender figure appeared beside him. Tsunade, draped in her signature gambling cloak, stood next to him with an air of confidence, her hands glowing with green light.
It was the Mystical Palm Technique—Medical Ninjutsu.
"Eh? Tsunade? You're on the front line?"
Tsunade nodded, then turned and shouted behind her.
"You little brat, why aren't you doing anything?"
"Hey, hey, hey… I thought we agreed I was just dropping you off. Why do I have to get involved…"
The voice was filled with helplessness.
Kazuyama sighed.
"Cut the crap! Hurry up and finish the battle! I'll handle the wounded!"
"I know, I know… What a nag… I'll scare you to death with my Senjutsu tonight…"
Kazuyama muttered the last part under his breath, making sure Tsunade couldn't hear him.
The reason they had managed to arrive so suddenly had to do with what had happened just five minutes earlier.
Their team had been advancing when they spotted a squad transporting wounded shinobi. From them, they learned that Kumo had launched a fierce assault on Konoha's position.
The situation was dire. In a moment of urgency, Tsunade remembered that Kazuyama had previously been on a mission in the Land of Hot Water. She immediately asked if he had left behind a Flying Thunder God marker.
And, of course, he had.
So, without hesitation, she dragged Kazuyama along and used the technique to teleport them straight into battle—just as it reached its peak.
Now, looking around at the chaotic battlefield, Kazuyama bit his thumb.
I have to fight, but that doesn't mean I have to do it myself!
Since he had learned the Summoning Technique, he might as well leave the heavy lifting to his snake sisters!
"Summoning Technique! Double!"
(100 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake