"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
With three booming impacts, the Sannin's contract beasts appeared on the battlefield—Gamabunta, Manda, and Katsuyu—towering over the landscape like living mountains.
"Hey, Jiraiya! What'd you drag me out for thi—wait, what the hell happened to you!?" Gamabunta's huge eyes blinked as he noticed Jiraiya's bloodied, battered form.
"Just got caught in a few explosions, that's all," Jiraiya said with a wry grin. "This time, I need you to help us cover the retreat."
"What? Cover the retreat? Don't tell me—" Gamabunta's gaze swept over the exhausted shinobi below him. The answer was obvious.
"Orochimaru," he rumbled, "the enemy's pursuit force will be here any moment. You can do whatever you want with them."
"Humph." Manda snorted, his scales still scarred from earlier battle, streaked with iron sand and burns. Of the three holy beasts, he looked the most enraged.
"You better run fast, Orochimaru. I'm not in the mood to distinguish friend from foe today—I'm killing everything that moves."
"Tsunade," Jiraiya muttered, turning to her, "don't worry. I can still—"
"Don't push yourself," Tsunade cut in sharply. "You're too injured. That last summoning nearly tore your chakra network apart. You won't survive another fight."
"I'm not the kind of man who fears death," Jiraiya said, forcing a grim smile. "Don't underestimate me."
"Enough!" Gamabunta's gravelly voice boomed like thunder. "Summoning me already drained what little chakra you had left. You're always talking about finding peace, finding that 'Child of Prophecy'—you sure you want to die here before that?"
Jiraiya faltered, lips tightening. "…That's—"
Orochimaru spoke coldly. "Jiraiya, you know better. You have the more important task. Take the surviving troops, regroup at the border of the Land of Fire, and establish a defensive line. If the enemy crosses into our homeland, we'll all be branded as failures."
"…Fine." Jiraiya turned away, his voice low but resolute. "You'd better come back alive."
He glanced up at his old comrade. "Sorry, Gamabunta. I'll be counting on you."
"Just get moving, idiot," Gamabunta growled.
Jiraiya's body trembled as he leapt away—every motion a stab of pain. His jaw clenched until blood seeped between his teeth, nails digging into his palms.
"At a time like this, I'm nothing but dead weight to them… Damn it—I hate this feeling."
Orochimaru's gaze followed his retreating silhouette. "Is he really going to be okay like that?"
Tsunade exhaled softly. "You know him. He'd never allow himself to be a burden. It probably took every ounce of courage he had to walk away."
Behind them, the scattered remnants of Konoha's army came rushing up the slopes—wounded, bloodied, but alive. When they saw the three great beasts looming ahead, a spark of hope returned to their eyes.
"Everyone, fall back to the main camp! Follow command orders once you're there!"
"Hurry! Move! Their pursuit force is right behind us!"
---
Not long after, the Suna pursuit arrived. The three giant summons charged forward like natural disasters.
"The Third Kazekage isn't here," Orochimaru noted coldly. "Looks like that last battle drained him more than expected. Manda—go wild."
A malicious grin split the serpent's face. "Good. I've been waiting for this."
Manda lunged, fangs glinting, and swallowed a dozen Suna shinobi whole in one strike.
"I'm in a bad mood today—guess you'll do as snacks!"
The Suna commander shouted, rallying his troops. "Formation A! Restrict their movement! The rest—aim for their eyes!"
"Earth Style: Vast Mobile Core!"
Dozens of shinobi slammed their hands onto the ground. Cracks spidered outward and widened rapidly, swallowing the area beneath Manda.
"Orochimaru, move him! Now!" Tsunade shouted.
But the warning came too late. The ground collapsed with a thunderous roar, forming a massive sinkhole. Manda dropped straight in, followed by a storm of kunai, explosive tags, sealing chains, and jutsu raining down on him.
Orochimaru deflected several volleys with hand signs, but not all. Inside the pit, Manda's roar shook the earth—half rage, half agony.
Meanwhile, Gamabunta was holding his own. Even without Jiraiya, his sheer power dwarfed most enemies. He vaulted into the air, belly swelling as he exhaled twin spheres of pressurized water.
"Water Style: Great Cannon Ball Jutsu!"
"Earth Style to block! Wind Style to counterattack!" the Suna commander barked, reacting instantly.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
Walls of earth erupted across the battlefield, absorbing the initial impact—but Gamabunta's blasts splashed outward, shattering several walls and flinging Sand shinobi into the air.
Countless wind blades retaliated, slicing deep crimson lines across Gamabunta's body. A massive gust slammed into him midair, and he crashed down with an earth-shaking boom. Several Suna shinobi who couldn't dodge were crushed beneath his weight.
"Guh—damn pests!" Gamabunta roared. Pain rippled through his half-numbed body. The lower half of his torso refused to move, so he swung one massive arm, smashing anyone within reach.
Nearby, Katsuyu spat sizzling acid that melted through Sand armor and weaponry alike. She rarely fought—her specialty was healing—but today, she had no choice.
Two smaller clones split from her body, burrowing underground to sneak toward her injured allies.
In the pit, Manda finally stirred. With a furious twist, he coiled up the crater wall, launching Orochimaru out of harm's way.
Several Suna shinobi screamed as the ground beneath them split apart and Manda's jaws closed around them.
"You filthy insects! You dare make sport of me!?"
With a single lash of his tail, he sent dozens of enemies flying.
Gamabunta, meanwhile, had two of Katsuyu's clones crawling over his back, dissolving the sand from his wounds. Still, his injuries were severe, and the enemy wisely kept their distance—bombarding him with jutsu from afar.
"Damn cowards!" Gamabunta snarled. "I'll roast the lot of you!"
"Toad Oil Bomb!"
He puffed up his chest and spat a flood of sticky oil, drenching the entire front line. The slick, glistening liquid spread quickly across the ground.
Several Suna shinobi staggered to their feet, covered in the strange substance. "Wait—this is oil!"
"Fall back! Everyone, get clear!"
Too late. From the distance, Orochimaru flicked a kunai wrapped with an explosive tag. It landed in the middle of the oil slick—
BOOM!
Fire erupted across the battlefield, the flames spreading faster than the Sand shinobi could react. Screams filled the air as the firestorm devoured everything in its path. Those caught ablaze collapsed, writhing silhouettes engulfed in orange light.
"Damn it… these summons are a nightmare," the Suna commander growled. "We're wasting time here! Split the force! Half will hold them, the rest will flank from both sides!"
The Suna army divided swiftly—one contingent staying to pin down the beasts, the other circling around.
"They're splitting up!" Tsunade shouted. "Orochimaru, stop their flank!"
But before they could react—
Another sound rolled through the rain like thunder.
"Wait… those aren't Suna shinobi…"
A new column of soldiers emerged from the mist. The sight made Tsunade's blood run cold.
"Those are Ame ninja… and—Hanzo of the Salamander!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The ground split open, and another monstrous salamander emerged—its size rivaling even Gamabunta's.
"You Suna shinobi," Hanzo's voice rang out through the downpour, "leave this battlefield to me. Join my men and circle around. This fight—"
He drew a breath, his tone turning deadly calm.
"—Belongs to me."