The next day, the Konoha forces were fully prepared for battle, but they waited for a long time and still didn't see any sign of Iwagakure's attack.
"I told you, they suffered heavy losses yesterday. Without the Kamizuru clan's poisonous bees as the vanguard, how are they supposed to launch an attack?"
"Hmph, and yet you all didn't believe me."
"If only we had the Nara clan here. They'd definitely back me up and mock you guys too."
Tsunade stood at the very front of the formation, arms crossed, a look of utter impatience on her face.
She had clearly seen with her own eyes when the Katsuyu bomb exploded inside the enemy's camp yesterday — entire swarms of poisonous bees had been blasted apart.
"Don't get too full of yourself. If I'm not mistaken, they should be coming soon."
Gekko Chizan popped the last dumpling into his mouth, his gaze fixed on the distance.
Through insect vision, he had already spotted a massive, dark wave approaching, and it made his heart jolt in surprise.
They had wiped out so many poisonous bees yesterday. Why were there still so many left?
Very soon, that black swarm appeared on the opposite end of the battlefield.
Tsunade froze on the spot, utterly confused. It was clear that yesterday…
Everyone else was just as shocked. They didn't doubt Tsunade's words, but what they were seeing was undeniably real.
As they all stared in confusion, the usually silent Aburame Sangai finally spoke up.
"Could it be they've found a way to rapidly breed the poisonous bees? Or maybe what we saw yesterday was only a small part of their swarm?"
Tsunade frowned deeply.
"That's impossible. When we attacked yesterday, all the poisonous bees were at the front. Even if I was wrong, that bastard Chizan was there too."
Gekko Chizan nodded.
"There's no mistake. What we destroyed yesterday was definitely their poisonous bee swarm. I even fought with the Kamizuru clan's leader myself."
"That's right. I agree with Sangai. They created those poisonous bees with forbidden techniques in the first place. It wouldn't be surprising if they had other forbidden methods."
This wasn't baseless speculation. Under the insect vision, Chōmei was the first to sense something was off.
"Chizan, those bees are reeking of death and blood."
"The stench is even heavier than before. That kind of aura… they can't live long. If the previous bees could survive for years, these ones will only last a few days."
Hearing Chōmei's voice, Gekko Chizan understood instantly. This situation was anything but normal.
Some kind of forbidden technique…
These Kamizuru clan people really didn't care about sacrificing themselves.
The poisonous bee swarm was already getting closer, and the droning sound was deafening.
"Prepare for battle. All fire release users to the front line!"
"We can't let those bees get near!"
Tsunade bit her finger and performed the summoning technique.
Katsuyu's massive body appeared on the battlefield.
"Katsuyu, get the acid slime ready."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama."
After appearing, Katsuyu even glanced at Gekko Chizan — clearly remembering him.
Gekko Chizan stared at Katsuyu, considering whether to throw her into the swarm to blow it up… but he quickly shook his head.
Even if he did that, there was no way he could wipe out all the poisonous bees.
Just then, Aburame Sangai led his clan members to the front. Countless black insects rose like a cloud.
"As fellow insect users, our kikaichū should be able to disrupt them for a while."
The kikaichū spread out like a black tide, forming a dark cloud above the Konoha camp to lessen the impact of the bees.
"Iwagakure's shinobi are coming out."
"Tsk, tsk. Looks like it's going to be a tough fight."
No one on the Konoha side panicked at the enemy's appearance — instead, they let out low chuckles.
In a head-to-head battle, mindset was crucial. And after last night's surprise attack led by Tsunade and Gekko Chizan, their morale was higher than ever.
Now, seeing the enemy, all they could think of was how to crush them.
"Uh, Tsunade-sama… I just remembered something. I'm not sure if I should say it…"
A jonin suddenly spoke up — it was Mizuno Kawa.
As a defense battle specialist, Mizuno Kawa had some reputation in the village. He had participated in many wars and was known for holding the line.
"Mizuno Kawa, what is it? The enemy's almost here. Speak up."
Mizuno Kawa sighed helplessly, then said something that left everyone at the front utterly dumbfounded.
"Last night's operation… we used up all the explosive tags in the camp."
"There aren't any explosive tags left."
Tsunade: ????
Gekko Chizan: Ah!!!!!!
All shinobi: !!!!
Everyone reached into their pouches in perfect unison, and then their faces all changed at once.
"Katsuyu! Where are the explosive tags you took back yesterday?!"
"What explosive tags?"
"Don't mess around!"
"They're gone… When I got back to the Shikkotsu Forest, they disappeared. Might've been digested by my stomach acid."
Tsunade and Katsuyu's exchange made Mizuno Kawa sigh heavily.
The enemy was right there, but they had no explosive tags. What kind of joke was this?
Without explosive tags as cover, this battle was going to be tough.
"Damn it! So what if we don't have explosive tags!"
"I refuse to believe we can't hold the line without them!"
Tsunade clenched her fists furiously, but soon her expression grew troubled.
She'd fought too many battles not to know the importance of explosive tags. Losing this tool could tilt the fight against them.
"But… if anyone can somehow bring me a pile of explosive tags right now, I swear I'll quit gambling on the spot!"
"Crash—"
The moment Tsunade finished her sentence, Gekko Chizan pulled out a scroll and unrolled it.
Ten thousand explosive tags appeared on the ground.
The battlefield fell silent in an instant. Tsunade stared wide-eyed at Gekko Chizan, and he stared back at her, trembling all over.
They just stared at each other, big eyes against small eyes.
Everyone else was also dumbfounded.
This wasn't just a miracle — this was divine intervention.
Explosive tags were here, but the situation was… awkward.
[Ding! The system has detected that the host successfully left Tsunade completely dumbfounded, burning out all her brain cells. The host's bold self-involvement move has earned this system's thumbs-up! Special reward: ninjutsu amplification +5%!]
As the explosive tags piled on the ground, Mizuno Kawa's mouth twitched, and he quickly stepped forward.
"Chizan, well done! These explosive tags are more than enough for us."
"I'll make sure your contribution is recorded. You'll be paid market price for these."
"Of course… after we get back to the village."
Thanks to Mizuno Kawa's interruption, everyone finally snapped out of their shock and began distributing the explosive tags.
Only Tsunade and Gekko Chizan remained frozen in place.