"Chizan, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"Matatabi's temper isn't actually that hot. She may look like she's all fire on the outside, but she's got a really nice personality."
Hearing Chōmei's attitude toward the Two-Tails, Gekko Chizan was slightly surprised.
"Oh? Chōmei, that's an unusual tone you're using for Matatabi."
"Hmph, of course! Matatabi isn't like Gyūki. She's incredibly gentle. I'd say, aside from those two bastards Shukaku and Kurama, there's no one who doesn't like her."
Tsk tsk tsk, love truly transcends species.
"The hell! What are you imagining? I see Matatabi as a little sister."
Gekko Chizan grinned mischievously and chimed in lewdly,
"Right, she's just your little sister~"
"Enough, Chōmei."
"Matatabi losing control once isn't a big deal. Let's pick up the pace!"
"We have to act before the main Kumogakure forces return."
Seeing that Gekko Chizan had a plan, Chōmei didn't press further and immediately began supplying chakra. Chizan's flight speed instantly accelerated.
...
Battlefield of the Land of Hot Water.
"Blond brat! Tsunade! Come on!"
"I'll show you the pride of Kumogakure shinobi!"
As the leader of Kumogakure, A went straight for Tsunade. Namikaze Minato, as the primary combatant, was in the same squad as Tsunade.
"Hmph, how many times have you said that line now?"
"Don't you ever get tired of it?"
"This time, we'll drive all of you out of the Land of Hot Water! Minato, hold him off!"
Tsunade bit her finger and leapt backward.
Minato instantly understood what she was about to do.
Special kunai flew in all directions, and he was already fully prepared for battle.
A let out a low growl, and lightning serpents instantly coiled around his body. His aura surged to its peak.
Minato's expression turned grim. After a few exchanges, he knew how tough A was.
His Lightning Release Armor had two stages: the normal one, centered on lightning energy—
—and the second, serpent mode, where lightning transformed into long snakes wrapping around his body. In this form, A pushed his chakra to its absolute limit.
His movements were overwhelmingly fast—so fast that even with Flying Thunder God Technique, a moment of distraction could prove fatal.
"Bring it on!"
A roared, activating Body Flicker Technique.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Minato, who simultaneously used Flying Thunder God.
The two of them began a high-speed cat-and-mouse game across the battlefield—one chasing, the other evading. Their clashes echoed all around, though neither could be seen.
Meanwhile, under Minato's cover, Tsunade pressed one hand to the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
With a puff of smoke, a massive slug appeared.
"Katsuyu! Disperse! Assist in combat!"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"
Tsunade's chakra spread through the slugs, which could help allied shinobi recover from light injuries—though only light ones, as Tsunade hadn't yet reached her peak at this time.
Still, in addition to healing, the slugs also had offensive capabilities.
With their support, the battlefield quickly became more chaotic and unpredictable.
On Kumogakure's side, despite their greater numbers, they could barely hold their ground against Konoha's highly motivated forces.
...
At that moment, a black mamba was darting across the battlefield.
Relying on its keen sense of smell, it deftly avoided wave after wave of enemy shinobi. Suddenly, a loud roar erupted nearby:
"Super Expansion Jutsu!"
Akimichi Torifu instantly transformed into a towering giant, several tens of meters tall.
The black mamba's eyes lit up. It thought: Finally found the target! Wow, he's huge!
It then sped up, heading straight for Torifu.
Upon reaching his massive foot, it began slithering up his leg.
Torifu, who had been fighting with enthusiasm, suddenly felt an itch creeping up his leg.
"What the heck?"
"That tickles!"
He reached down to scratch the spot. Bad move—just as he touched it, the black mamba coiled around his hand.
When he lifted his hand, the sight of the large black snake gave him a fright.
"Shit! What the hell is this thing?!"
His enormous body jerked upward, then slammed back down, causing a localized earthquake.
Everyone nearby—Konoha or Kumogakure—was thrown off their feet.
Once he calmed down, he noticed the black mamba staring at him like he was an idiot.
"Isn't that the snake that delivered a message earlier?"
"Huh? Delivering another one?"
"Man, I told you not to send stuff to me. Let's see…"
Torifu stopped and began looking around for Tsunade.
Before long, he spotted her not far behind him, punching a rubber-like shield.
Clearly, Tsunade was currently fighting Kumogakure's Dodai.
"There she is—go on, little snake!"
"Deliver the intel to Tsunade!"
Torifu used his right hand to hurl the black mamba toward Tsunade.
His throw was so strong the snake nearly got launched straight back to Ryūchi Cave.
...
"Hmph! Tsunade, your brute strength can't break my Lava Release!"
"As long as I'm here, you're not advancing an inch."
Though he'd lost an arm and couldn't form hand seals, Dodai was still a Kumogakure elite jōnin.
Relying on his kekkei genkai, he'd forced himself to learn how to use Lava Release with just one hand—though it was all he could manage.
"Hmph!"
"Hmm??? What is that?"
Suddenly, a black dot appeared in Tsunade's vision. It elongated into what looked like a rope.
Tsunade blinked in surprise, but Dodai sneered dismissively.
"Trying to distract me?"
"You think—ow!!"
His scornful words turned into a scream as something smacked him in the lower back, making him clutch his waist and collapse in pain.
"Hiss..."
Dammit! Scared the crap outta me! What kind of bastard weapon was that?!
"Hiss…?"
Huh? What even is this thing? A cushion? Not bad—kind of comfy.
Poor Dodai had no idea he'd just been used as a landing pad by a snake. Good thing he couldn't understand snake language, or he'd die of rage.
Tsunade finally realized the thing that had fallen was the snake from earlier.
It looked a little dizzy, swaying back and forth with a letter still clenched in its jaws.
"A letter from Gekko Chizan?"
"But why'd you come flying over here?"
"Oh well, anyone who delivers a message mid-battle like this is the bravest messenger I've ever seen."
Tsunade quickly walked over and took the letter from the black mamba's mouth.
Dodai, clutching his waist with his remaining arm, had his face twisted in agony.
"Damn it! Where the hell did that damn snake come from?!"
Hearing that, the black mamba got upset. Its venomous fangs gleamed threateningly, and its slitted pupils glared fiercely at the one-armed man before it.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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