"Gamahiro, Gamaken, Gamabunta..."
When Jiraiya used the Summoning Jutsu to call forth the three mighty toads from Mount Myoboku—each capable of going toe-to-toe with a Tailed Beast—the Root organization's numerical advantage evaporated in an instant. Nearly a third of Danzo's forces were burned alive in the hellish inferno created by the combination jutsu—Toad Oil Flame Bullet—cast by Jiraiya and Gamabunta. And right before everyone's eyes, the once near-divine spiritual pillar of Root, Danzo himself, had no chance to escape and was burned to death, screaming.
This crushing blow to both morale and manpower utterly wiped out Danzo's original advantage, flipping the battlefield in an instant.
'Damn that Jiraiya... If it weren't for that bastard interfering, the Nine-Tails would've already been in my hands...' Danzo cursed bitterly. Thanks to Izanagi, he escaped death once again—but at the cost of his precious third Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Worse still, the chaotic situation meant he couldn't immediately cover up the fact that everyone had just witnessed his "death," which led to a collapse in morale that was hard to recover from. His expression, which had just begun to regain composure, turned ghastly and twisted once more, as if it could drip water. Subconsciously, he raised his hand to cover his hideously deformed right arm, embedded with Sharingan, and growled under his breath, gnashing his teeth:
"Of all times… that bastard had to show up right after Orochimaru finished my transplant surgery. If only I had full control over both the Sharingan and the First Hokage's Wood Release, this clown wouldn't even be able to bark on my turf!"
"Huff… Just as you said, Jiraiya. That bastard Danzo really does have a power that lets him cheat death," Gamabunta muttered. "I saw it with my own eyes—burned to ash by the Toad Oil Flame Bullet—yet now he's back, alive and kicking, yelling curses like nothing ever happened... What an annoying jutsu."
As he puffed out a long stream of smoke from the giant pipe in his mouth, Gamabunta frowned, glancing toward the source of a commotion. His eyes settled on the small, frenzied figure that had completely lost control, crashing through the Root encirclement with beast-like fury, destroying everything in its path with terrifying chakra. His expression turned complicated.
"This disgusting, familiar chakra... I see now. It's this kid. So that's what it is... That guy Minato—he really was one hell of a Hokage. Even his own newborn son was used as the container for the Nine-Tails... He's left us with quite the mess."
"Boss Bunta, now's really not the time to be chatting..." muttered Gamaken nervously. He shifted his stance slightly to better position his shield to protect his two brothers. His voice was low and hesitant as he continued, "If we don't stop that kid soon, he's going to get overwhelmed by the Nine-Tails' chakra and die..."
Noticing Gamabunta glance over, Gamaken shrank back and hurriedly added, "S-Sorry... I'm clumsy and never know when to speak. I didn't mean to interrupt, big bro..."
"Tch… Gamaken, you're strong enough to handle things on your own now. Can't you be a bit more confident?!" Gamabunta's eye twitched. He had an overwhelming urge to pin his brother down and beat some sense into him. But considering the current situation wasn't fully under control yet—just like Gamaken said—he held back his temper. With a grumble, he flicked the ashes from his pipe and carefully hooked it onto his waist.
"Fine. We'll talk later. It's been a while since all three of us were summoned—we're going to raise hell properly this time! So get fired up! Let loose and go wild! If any of you embarrass yourselves in front of Minato's kid, don't blame me for kicking your ass when we get back!"
"Ken, protecting that troublesome brat is your job now! Hiro, you're with me—let's clear out these annoying pests around us!"
As the eldest and leader of the three, Gamabunta wasn't just the strongest—he also knew exactly how to command his brothers based on their strengths and weaknesses. While giving orders with his usual gruff attitude, he confidently made the most suitable arrangement for the current battlefield. One of his webbed hands slowly gripped the hilt of the short blade at his waist. Narrowing his eyes, he pulled back the bloodlust within him, focusing it into a piercing, blade-like glare that locked directly onto Danzo, who was hiding among the chaotic crowd.
"And the rest of you—watch yourselves. Don't kill Danzo... He's mine. That bastard dared to lay hands on the kid of my student? He must think I'm some kind of pushover!"
"Goddamn it, I'm gonna rip that decrepit old bastard apart with my own hands!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Gamabunta's cheeks swelled violently. With each puff, the suffocating pressure around him intensified, reaching its peak within seconds. Then, with a thunderous roar, he fired a massive water sphere, condensed from physical chakra, straight toward Danzo like a cannon blast—ripping through the earth with a screeching roar.
Water Style: Water Bullet!
A signature technique of Gamabunta, its sheer power rivaled even the Wind Style of One-Tail Shukaku.
"Again?! You think I'll just let you walk all over me?!" Danzo shouted in fury. Being repeatedly underestimated—especially by what he considered a mere beast meant to be ordered around—had pushed him past the breaking point. Knowing his position had already been compromised, he stepped forward from the crowd, roaring his command:
"Defensive squad—up! Use Earth Formation Walls to block it!"
This was when the benefits of Danzo's brainwashing began to show. Though morale had plummeted earlier, his Root soldiers responded instantly—like mindless killing machines, executing his orders with perfect synchronization. As they rapidly formed hand signs and erected layer after layer of thick earth walls, even the previously wailing wounded forgot their pain and threw themselves into the effort, pouring all their chakra into the defense.
BOOM!
From Gamabunta's full-power attack to the Root members launching their defense, only about three to four seconds had passed. A deafening explosion echoed through the vast underground cavern. The Water Bullet blasted through the earth walls like they were paper, piercing more than half of the defensive line. But thanks to the experienced Root members subtly curving the walls upward, the blast was nudged just slightly off its original path.
In the end, the attack narrowly missed Danzo's head by just three inches, instead crashing into the rocky ceiling above and vanishing with a rumbling roar.
"Hmph... Hahaha! Hahahaha!" Though not severely wounded, the shockwave still made Danzo stumble backward several steps. As the final wall crumbled, he took the opportunity to hide his embarrassment with laughter, sneering smugly:
"What a joke. You talk big for someone who's just a pet summoned to fight—going on about loyalty and revenge. In the end, your best attack still couldn't even touch me!"
"Tch... Danzo, you're seriously shameless." Sitting cross-legged atop Gamabunta's head, Jiraiya had been conserving chakra ever since summoning the three toads. Upon hearing Danzo's gloating, he opened his eyes and stood up slowly, brushing off his knees with a sneer.
Crossing his arms, he added mockingly, "Oh, sorry—I forgot. Not only are you shameless… you're also missing something pretty important."
"Missing something important? Don't make me laugh." Danzo scoffed, his confidence soaring now that he had seemingly withstood Gamabunta's strongest strike. Trying to rally morale and buy time for his men to recover, he resumed his usual fake calm, hands behind his back as he declared:
"I am one of the three chief advisors of the Hidden Leaf's Elder Council—second only to the Hokage himself! Root is filled with elite talent! There's nothing I'm lacking!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Jiraiya tilted his head with a smirk. His gaze flicked briefly toward the Root soldiers who had been completely wiped out by Gamaken and no longer posed any threat to Naruto.
"Then open those dog eyes of yours and take a good look at the battlefield. Your so-called ace card—Naruto—that boy has long since escaped your trap. In other words..."
He pointed to his temple, grinning as he continued with a taunting glint in his eye:
"You've got nothing left to threaten us with."
"Gamabunta's Water Bullet can nearly crush Orochimaru's Rashomon defense... And you seriously thought a few Earth Walls would hold it back? Don't be stupid. That whole attack was a feint—just a way to draw your attention and give Gamaken the opening to clean house."
"And as for you, like I said earlier..."
"A brain is a good thing."
"Too bad you don't have one."