The Kage and their guards kept a wary eye on one another as they half-heartedly threw kunai and low-powered ninjutsu Danzō's way while he continued to flee using his newfound sand powers. Committing to a powerful attack with so many rivals in close proximity was far too risky, and any hastily improvised strike was unlikely to pierce the Fifth Kazekage's impenetrable sand defence. With the grudges the five Kage bore each other, any attempt to intercept Danzō might just as easily have ended with a kunai in the back…
Under those circumstances, there was nothing anyone present could have done to stop Danzō as he burst through the ceiling on his cloud of sand and flew clear of the building— save the Tsuchikage, who had no intention of chasing him alone and leaving his guards at the mercy of his old rivals. In fact, he was already mulling over the idea of hiring the Akatsuki to exact his vengeance for him…
"He got away…"
In the end, it was inevitable that the four Kage turned their animosity towards Danzō's countrywomen, who sadly couldn't fly. As one, they turned their hostile gazes towards Tsunade, Shizune and Sakura…
"Don't you see? You're playing right into Danzō's hands! This is exactly what he wants! This is a power play! He wants to see us weaken each other and then take my place!" Tsunade shouted. "I'll say this one last time: the Akatsuki is the true threat! This isn't the time for us to be fighting one another!"
"That might very well be true, but after everything we've seen and heard here today, I'd wager there's not a soul present who'd put the slightest measure of trust in the word of anyone from the Hidden Leaf," Ōnoki said, rage tinging his gravelly voice. "So, what say you, my fellow Kage? Shall we put it to a vote?"
Mifune drew his sword and levelled it at Tsunade's throat.
"No need," he said simply. "I hereby revoke the Hokage's and her retinue's privileges as protected guests. The Land of Iron's samurai will join you Kage in eliminating this threat to the continent's peace."
Was this man a Kotoamatsukami magnet, or what? Danzō had really got him good!
Tsunade cracked her knuckles loudly and dropped into a fighting stance. Shizune drew back her sleeve, revealing the repeating poison dart thrower strapped to her arm. Sakura's Sharingan whirled, tomoe melting into the cherry blossom pattern as she pictured their escape route in her mind's eye…
"Orders, Milady?" Shizune asked grimly.
Armoured footsteps grew louder beyond the door. They were already surrounded, and soon they'd be buried in enemies— and in close‑quarters combat, a samurai's deadliness outmatched most shinobi's…
"Run," Tsunade replied simply. "Run and survive. No matter what happens to me."
"I'm afraid that's an order I can't accept," Sakura said with determination. "In the Ninja World, those who break the rules are scum, that's true... but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum!"
Without warning, Sakura suddenly began weaving hand signs, her fingers dancing through mudras one after the other with practised ease. Seeking vengeance for her dishonoured grandson, Lady Chiyo summoned a puppet from a scroll, but before she could do anything with it, Tsunade smashed it to splinters with one punch… in the process, leaving her back exposed.
In a flash, Mifune was on her, slashing her across the back and spattering hot blood across Sakura's face, nearly breaking her concentration. Faced with such a speedy opponent and with two companions to protect, Tsunade knew she had no choice but to grit her teeth and weather the next blow.
As Mifune raised his sword for a second strike, she pivoted and offered him her arm in place of her head. The chakra‑coated edge bit into the clenched muscles of her forearm, but after penetrating a few centimetres, it stopped, amazingly.
Mifune's eyes widened in shock. His sword was wedged in place through sheer muscle power!
"I've… got you!" Tsunade snarled, drawing back her other fist as Mifune tried to pull his blade loose.
Mifune wisely decided to backstep to safety, abandoning his sword.
"Milady! Shizune!" Sakura cried as she completed the final seal and threw her arms into the air, summoning a giant fireball over her head. "Stay as close to me as you can!"
"That's my jutsu!" Pakura cried in disbelief, recognising the seals. "Take cover, she's—"
"Scorch Style: Great Steaming Explosive Blast Jutsu!"
A flash of pure white light erupted as the incandescent sphere expanded to fill the entire room. The temperature rose to an unbearable degree, and the air filled with the agonising cries of the samurai who had just rushed into the room, cooking to death in their white-hot armours. Their metal suits of armour were insulated against the cold… the heat of the sun, not so much.
Little by little, the light faded, revealing that the Kage and their guards had somehow managed to survive the ordeal; Pakura by simply countering the heat bubble's expansion with her own Scorch Style chakra; Zabuza by trapping himself and his guards in his own Water Prison Jutsu with added cooling from Haku's ice mirrors; the Raikage by simply standing in front of his subordinates and weathering the attack using his Lightning Style Chakra Cloak, though he was looking more than a little charred; and the Stone by phasing into the stone floor… they were nowhere in sight.
"Hold your breath, Sakura!" Shizune hissed, tossing what appeared to be a smoke bomb into the middle of the room. "Now!" she shouted. "Run!"
A cloud of green smoke burst from the jade bead, rapidly filling the room with gas that prickled Sakura's nostrils. A hand slipped into hers, tugging her forwards; she followed, leaping over the ruined table and dashing for the exit under cover of the smokescreen.
"Don't breathe in!" someone coughed. "It's poison gas!"
Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura burst from the roiling smoke and dashed down the corridor they'd taken to the conference room. A few samurai approached from the opposite end, and realising that something was wrong, they drew their swords— but in a flash, Sakura and Tsunade slipped past their blades' effective range and struck simultaneously, sending them rocketing back the way they had come from, with deep fist imprints cratering their armour to remember them by.
"Oh, no, you don't! You're not getting away!"
In the blink of an eye, the now one-armed Raikage had sprinted down the length of the corridor and caught up to them. He was already upon them! Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Sakura's Sharingan spun; she reached for her mistress, but with a full corridor's length to accelerate in a straight line, she couldn't possibly catch up to A's speed.
Helplessly, Sakura could only watch in slow motion as the Raikage leapt forwards, his body twisting in midair as Tsunade began to turn and face him… thus presenting him with the perfect angle for him to hook his elbow around the back of her neck. With a grunt of exertion, he slammed her face-first into the ground in a brutal RKO, shattering the floor beneath them and sending them both crashing through to the level below.
"LADY TSUNADE!" Sakura screamed.
"Lady Tsunade will be okay, no matter what!" Shizune shouted, tugging her away from the hole. "Sakura, we need to move— shit!"
As one, Ōnoki the Third Tsuchikage, his granddaughter Kurotsuchi and his assistant Akatsuchi phased out of the floor before them, blocking their way out.
"Earth Style: Reverse Antlion Jutsu!"
The stone floor flowed upwards as if it were liquid, fusing around Sakura's and Shizune's lower halves and locking them in place. They looked like mini volcanoes!
"I had intended to use this on the Immortal Slug Princess, but no matter," Ōnoki said, weaving three hand signs one after the other, before pressing his palms together, slowly separating them to reveal a cube of light between his hands. "Now, I'd like to see you regenerate your way out of this, if you can…"
Oh, shit.