"This little girl can use Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique) too?!" Tobirama and Minato were both taken aback.
But Tenten had no time to pay them any attention. She charged straight after Hiruzen.
She hadn't chosen her opponent at random—she had thought it through.
The red gourd on her was sealing Madara. She could not allow the enemy to steal it.
And since the Second and Fourth could both use Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique), she had no confidence she could outpace them.
So she could only pick the Third as her opponent.
Even if the Third was called the "Strongest Hokage," his threat level still could not be compared to someone like Madara—already sealed away.
Hiruzen wasn't foolish. He immediately saw what Tenten was doing and smiled kindly. "Tenten, you really are outstanding. This is the right decision. Come on—seal me with the red gourd."
Tenten wasn't about to be polite. She flicked out a large handful of formula kunai, carpeting the surrounding area, and then—whoosh—she flashed behind Hiruzen.
She swung out the Shichiseiken (Seven Stars Sword)—but Hiruzen slipped aside.
Tenten frowned at once. "Third Hokage-sama, can you please stand still? If I can't hit you, how am I supposed to seal you?"
Hiruzen was both amused and exasperated. "Tenten, I don't want to move either. I just can't control myself."
Tenten had no choice. She could only continue circling and probing, trading moves with Hiruzen.
Over here, Kakashi decisively lunged toward Obito—only to be intercepted by Minato.
Kakashi's expression was complicated, but his resolve didn't waver. "Minato-sensei, move aside. I'm going to knock sense into Obito."
Minato, clearly still missing crucial context, stared hard. "So you're Obito? You didn't die back then? And this outfit… and you have my Flying Thunder God formula on you. So Obito—you were the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails incident? Why would you do that?!"
"Heh. Minato-sensei, nothing we say now matters. Let's fight."
Obito couldn't be bothered to explain. He retreated at once, leaving Kakashi to Minato.
His Kamui (Divine Authority) intangibility was countered by Kakashi's Kamui (Divine Authority), and his Rinnegan (Samsara Eye) was being checked by Neji's Tenseigan (Reincarnation Eye). Now that both of those threats had separate opponents, didn't that mean he could finally do whatever he wanted?
But did he really think others wouldn't see through that?
Raikage A immediately activated his Raiton (Lightning Release) Chakra Mode and surged in, his Liger Bomb-like strike snapping toward Minato's neck.
Minato had to evade.
And Kakashi seized that instant to break through the line and re-engage Obito again.
Kakashi still remembered what Natsuki had said—use Kamui (Divine Authority) to defeat Kamui (Divine Authority). Which meant the only one who could reliably counter Obito's intangibility was Kakashi himself.
He had to carry that responsibility.
Kurotsuchi and Temari followed up without hesitation, providing support and pressure.
Minato, seeing this, did not continue protecting Obito.
Minato was an Edo body summoned by Orochimaru, meaning he belonged to the enemy side. But Orochimaru hadn't ordered him to guard anyone in particular—only to fight the enemy.
So now that Raikage A was on him, Minato simply accepted the match.
"A. I didn't expect we'd cross hands again," Minato said with a smile, as if recalling those old battles against A and Bee.
"Hmph! Today, my Lightning Release chakra will surpass your Flying Thunder God!" Raikage A bellowed, charging again.
His lightning-enhanced Body Flicker was blindingly fast—he reached Minato in an instant.
But Minato merely flickered away with Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Technique), reappearing off to the side.
When it came to speed, Flying Thunder God truly was in a league of its own.
Lightning Body Flicker might have "flicker" in the name, but it still involved motion.
Flying Thunder God had no motion at all.
It crossed space. It was true instantaneous movement.
If Raikage A wanted to beat Minato on speed, that would be difficult.
Fortunately, he wasn't fighting alone.
Ōnoki and Darui were already moving in as well, ready to join. With numbers on their side, ganging up on a powerhouse was simply more practical—and, frankly, more enjoyable.
That left Tobirama.
He was immediately surrounded by Tsunade, Jiraiya, Mei, Chōjūrō, and others.
But Tsunade barked an order. "Jiraiya—go help Tenten. Hiruzen-sensei is no ordinary opponent. Tenten alone might not be able to handle him, and more importantly, her gourd cannot be stolen!"
Jiraiya understood instantly and flashed toward Tenten's side.
Tobirama nodded approvingly. "Tsunade, your judgment is correct. Madara must never be released again. Now—work together and defeat me. During the fight, I'll tell you my weaknesses."
"Then Great-Uncle… forgive me!"
Tsunade didn't hesitate. She swung a monstrous-strength punch straight in.
Tobirama slipped away easily, then snapped a counter into Tsunade's midsection, sending her flying back.
Chōjūrō's twin blades—Hiramekarei—immediately fired chakra projectiles, aiming to blow Tobirama apart in an instant.
But Tobirama moved even faster, leaping high into the air and evading the blasts.
The result left Chōjūrō wide-eyed with disbelief. "How is he that fast?! I finally caught the perfect timing!"
It really was perfect timing. He had seized the opening cleanly.
If it had been anyone else, they would have been sent flying.
But the opponent was Tobirama—so of course it wasn't going to be that simple.
Tobirama formed seals at high speed and spewed a massive volume of water.
"Suiton: Suishōha (Water Release: Water Collision Wave)!"
Mei answered immediately with her own Suishōha (Water Release: Water Collision Wave). A Water Release clash erupted between Hokage and Mizukage.
But Mei was clearly being suppressed—and that was not a comforting outcome.
"Tch! You're a Hokage—how is your Water Release better than mine?!" Mei complained, genuinely finding Tobirama absurd.
Tobirama had no rebuttal. He was Hokage, yes—but he truly didn't excel at Fire Release. If anything, his Water Release was closer to "sea-style" in scale and consistency, and he had rarely lost in that field.
Still, Mei wasn't alone. With Tsunade and Chōjūrō striking at intervals, the two sides stayed roughly even overall.
In an instant, the entire battlefield collapsed into chaos—multiple high-level skirmishes overlapping at once.
Tens of thousands of allied shinobi watched, unable to insert themselves cleanly. All they could do was hold position and wait.
Fortunately, the allied ranks did not panic. Command remained intact, and units were poised to reinforce at any moment.
Asuma even dragged Shikamaru forward. "Shikamaru, watch closely. If we need to deploy, we deploy immediately. Numbers are our advantage—we can't just let a handful of people inside the ring bleed themselves dry!"
Shikamaru knew how urgent it was and began observing at once.
And it wasn't only him—other strategists arrived too, all trying to find a workable plan to support the front line.
Meanwhile, Natsuki fully engaged Hashirama.
He used Ranton Shunshin (Storm Release Body Flicker) to flash unpredictably, then chained light-speed kicks at Hashirama again and again.
Yet Hashirama dodged every single one—almost as if he were even stronger than Madara.
No wonder he was the Shinobi God who had made Madara concede. There was simply no comparison.
"Your name is Natsuki, right? A hero truly can emerge young," Hashirama still had time to chat mid-fight.
"First Hokage-sama, you flatter me," Natsuki replied calmly.
But inside, he was already thinking hard about the real problem.
How, exactly, was he supposed to bring Hashirama down?
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]