"Is this what a Hokage is?"
Uchiha Sasuke stared at the diary's contents, watching Tsunade stake everything to protect Uzumaki Naruto, to protect the village. Something inside him wavered.
Danzo, who had forced the Uchiha Clan into a corner and colluded with Uchiha Itachi to wipe them out, was part of Konoha's upper ranks.
But the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage, and now this Fifth Hokage, all high-ranking figures as well, had died or were prepared to die to protect the village.
What exactly was Konoha?
He couldn't understand it.
He truly couldn't see it clearly.
For a moment, his thoughts spun in chaos.
In his mind, the image of Konoha's leadership was fractured and blurred beyond recognition.
There was Danzo, a mortal enemy who seemed determined to eradicate the Uchiha Clan.
Yet he had also witnessed two Hokage sacrifice themselves for the village, and it was said the Fourth Hokage had done the same.
These clashing ideas twisted together, leaving him restless and bitter.
Why was he the one left behind to face a life like this?
Just then, the footage shifted again.
Tsunade, fully restored to peak condition, made up her mind to end the battle once and for all. She began forming hand seals.
Kabuto and Shizune recognized the opening stance immediately.
"That posture is…"
"Orochimaru-sama!"
Kabuto shouted urgently. Orochimaru leapt forward, and the two began coordinating their jutsu.
At the same time, Jiraiya bit his finger and prepared to summon again.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
The three Sannin activated their summoning techniques almost simultaneously.
Smoke billowed across the battlefield.
Then three massive figures, each as large as a small mountain, appeared before everyone.
The sheer presence and pressure they radiated made it hard to breathe.
The battle of the Legendary Sannin had truly begun.
Even if none of them were at their peak.
In this era, there were few who could push them this far.
"So we've finally come to this," Jiraiya sighed.
Their Summoned Beasts came from the three great sacred lands. At this point, it was a fight to the death.
If he hadn't been drugged, he could have killed Orochimaru outright.
When Orochimaru fled back then, had he truly lacked the ability to finish off a severely wounded man?
Only he knew the answer.
"Gamabunta… it's been a while."
Hatake Kakashi watched the massive silhouette within the smoke, a trace of nostalgia flickering in his eyes.
That had been one of Namikaze Minato's signature summons.
Then again, Minato's summoning contract originally came from Jiraiya, so it wasn't surprising.
"So this is the Legendary Sannin?"
Sasuke saw such colossal Summoned Beasts for the first time.
Within the Uchiha Clan, summons weren't uncommon. There were even distinct styles. The most common was the Ninja Cat lineage. Fewer followed the Ninja Crow lineage, like Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi.
Those summons enhanced combat ability.
But he had never imagined a Summoned Beast could be this enormous.
They were like living mountains.
The aura they exuded was terrifying, rivaling a Kage Level fighter.
In other words, each of these three Summoned Beasts alone could be considered Kage Level combat power.
The Sannin themselves stood at Kage Level.
Now each had a Kage Level summon at their side.
It was overwhelming.
Sasuke suddenly recalled the Third Hokage's summon from an earlier scene. Though not as massive, it also possessed Kage Level strength.
Was having a Kage Level summon simply standard for top-tier fighters?
He didn't know.
But he wanted one.
Much larger than the giant hawk he had seen himself summon in the future.
In the footage, Manda's enormous eye shifted, scanning the battlefield.
"Manda and Orochimaru. Katsuyu and Tsunade. All familiar faces. Planning a class reunion, Jiraiya?"
Gamabunta exhaled a thick cloud of smoke and spoke lazily.
"Idiot. I haven't summoned you in ages. Don't make stupid jokes." Jiraiya grinned faintly. "I'm settling old scores today. I'll defeat Orochimaru here."
Orochimaru had not yet responded when Manda hissed angrily.
"Hey, Orochimaru. Don't drag me into your troublesome mess."
His tone was violent and impatient.
"Watch it, or I'll swallow you whole."
"Please don't say that, Manda-sama. You'll be rewarded afterward," Kabuto said hurriedly, bowing his head.
"I wasn't talking to you, brat!" Manda roared. "Don't address me so casually."
He glared at Orochimaru.
"Have one hundred live sacrifices ready for me afterward."
Kabuto's heart tightened.
If Manda discovered Orochimaru couldn't use ninjutsu properly, it would betray him without hesitation. There were no other options, but summoning Manda in this situation was a dangerous gamble.
"Manda's temper hasn't changed at all," Jiraiya muttered outside the scene.
He knew that snake's foul disposition well.
Sasuke, watching for the first time, finally understood something.
A summon of that size and power might rival a Kage Level fighter, but it also carried terrifying risk.
Show weakness, and it would turn on you.
Just then, a comment from Kaede Kitahara flashed across the screen.
[Orochimaru's just too soft with Manda, letting it act so arrogant. No wonder it ended up getting taken down by Sasuke later.]
"Taken down by me? What does that mean?"
Sasuke frowned, unable to make sense of it.
The footage continued.
"Katsuyu, take that brat to Shizune."
Tsunade gave the order.
"Yes."
Katsuyu split off a smaller clone from her body and carried the unconscious Naruto away to Shizune.
Now, the battlefield belonged to the Sannin.
The real fight began.
Gamabunta, an old smoker to the core, deliberately blew a massive puff of smoke straight at Manda, nearly driving the already irritable snake into a frenzy.
"You bastard! I'll turn you into dried toad meat!"
"I've been wanting a snakeskin wallet," Gamabunta shot back, drawing the short blade strapped behind him.
Short was only relative to his mountain-sized body.
"Orochimaru, you've become truly evil. We're no longer comrades."
Jiraiya's voice turned cold.
"Comrades?" Orochimaru laughed, a chill running through his tone. "That gives me goosebumps."
Tsunade's fury was no less.
"The title of Legendary Sannin ends today."
She was done sharing a name with that man.
In an instant, the standoff between three masters and three beasts reached its breaking point.
Katsuyu struck first, spewing a stream of corrosive acid that nearly hit Manda.
Manda reacted swiftly, dodging and lunging forward to coil tightly around Katsuyu.
"I'll take one down first!"
Its jaws opened wide, ready to bite.
Before it could, Gamabunta rushed in with his blade. Manda clamped down on the weapon instead.
The three giant summons locked in a deadlock.
As Manda tightened its coils, Katsuyu suddenly split into countless smaller slugs, scattering and reforming at a distance. Gamabunta released his blade and leapt back.
"It's coming!" Jiraiya shouted.
"I know," Gamabunta replied.
In a flash, Manda spat the blade like a projectile. It slammed into the earth before Katsuyu, narrowly missing Gamabunta.
"Tsunade, get back. Bunta, oil!"
Jiraiya formed hand seals rapidly.
He and Gamabunta unleashed a combined Fire Release.
"Fire Release, Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
An inferno erupted, sweeping across an enormous area.
It had reached the level of an S-rank technique.
Sasuke stared, stunned.
The Uchiha Clan excelled at Fire Release, yet none of their techniques approached this absurd level of destructive force.
Fire Release was often used to restrict movement.
But when the coverage was this vast, evasion became meaningless.
Manda's colossal body couldn't dodge in time.
It was burned to a charred husk.
However, it was only a shed skin.
Using molting, Manda escaped the blaze.
Before Jiraiya could catch his breath, Manda burst from the ground, lunging toward Gamabunta.
Just as its jaws were about to clamp down—
"Shut your mouth!"
Tsunade descended from the sky, holding Gamabunta's massive blade high overhead.
She brought it down like a falling mountain.
The blade pinned Manda to the earth, ending it in a single strike.
Everyone outside the scene, except Tsunade herself, fell silent in shock.
They knew she was strong. They had seen her monstrous strength, each punch rivaling an A-rank technique.
But watching her lift that colossal blade and crush Manda in an instant still sent chills down their spines.
The impact was beyond words.