The Raikage, A, stood upon the charred battlefield.
Beneath his feet was the massive crater blasted out by the Tailed Beast Bomb.
With his arms crossed, he watched the Hidden Leaf ninja fleeing in panic through the distance, yet he gave no order to continue the pursuit.
He muttered:
"Hidden Leaf's northern front has already collapsed. Their remaining main forces are tied down in the northwest and southwest."
"If we drive straight into the northwestern battlefield and attack together with Hidden Stone, then the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi will have no escape!"
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the two thousand Hidden Cloud elites behind him.
"Leave behind five hundred men to continue plundering the Land of Fire while spreading panic along the way."
"The rest of you, follow me south at full speed. Our target is the Hidden Stone battlefield!"
"Yes!"
The ninja answered in unison, their voices shaking the surrounding lands.
...
Two days later.
The northwestern battlefield, within the hilly region where Hidden Stone and Hidden Leaf confronted one another.
The two sides had already fought fiercely for an entire day.
The slopes were littered with craters blasted out by ninjutsu and broken kunai.
Hidden Leaf's position was built upon the southern hillside, where several defensive lines had been established using the terrain.
However, after days of bitter fighting, those defenses were already on the verge of collapse.
Hiruzen personally stood at the front lines, wielding the Adamantine Staff, battling the Five-Tails Jinchuriki head-on.
The Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han possessed a massive physique and wore crimson steam armor, his entire body radiating scorching steam.
At this moment, he had entered a partial Tailed Beast transformation.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
Hiruzen formed hand seals with both hands, and a gigantic fire dragon burst from his mouth, carrying blistering heat waves as it lunged toward Han.
Han neither dodged nor retreated. His steam armor erupted with even greater waves of heat, forcibly tearing the fire dragon apart.
Without the slightest hesitation, he charged directly through the sea of flames and smashed a fist toward Hiruzen!
Hiruzen sidestepped the attack, sweeping the Adamantine Staff horizontally and striking Han's waist, knocking him back several steps.
But under the enhancement of the Tailed Beast cloak, Han's defense was astonishing.
The blow merely caused his body to sway slightly without injuring him.
"Enma!"
Hiruzen shouted in a low voice.
The Adamantine Staff in his hands suddenly expanded and thickened.
Hiruzen's attack power rose drastically as well. Every strike left deep dents in Han's Tailed Beast cloak.
Han roared furiously and completely transformed into his Tailed Beast form.
A gigantic white beast with five tails appeared upon the battlefield, its entire body snow-white.
A pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb condensed within its mouth and aimed directly at Hidden Leaf's position.
Hiruzen's pupils contracted–leaping into the air, he fiercely smashed the Adamantine Staff toward the Five-Tails' head!
Boom!
The Tailed Beast Bomb veered off course and shot toward a distant hillside, blasting out a gigantic crater.
The Five-Tails staggered backward from the blow, while Hiruzen was also sent flying by the recoil force. After flipping several times through the air, he landed steadily on the ground.
The two sides exchanged blow after blow, battling with such intensity that heaven and earth seemed to darken.
Although Hiruzen was old, his ninjutsu experience was vast. He wielded all five chakra natures with effortless mastery, and with Enma's support, he actually fought the fully transformed Han evenly.
Inspired by this, Hidden Leaf's ninja resisted Hidden Stone's assault with renewed determination.
Ninjutsu flew wildly across the hillside, kunai collided, and battle cries shook the heavens.
Right then, a sudden commotion erupted behind Hidden Leaf's position.
"Enemy attack! There are enemies behind us!"
"It's Hidden Cloud! Hidden Cloud ninja!"
Hiruzen's heart trembled as he abruptly turned around.
Behind Hidden Leaf's position, a sea of black-clad Hidden Cloud ninja poured out from the forest.
At their front stood the Fourth Raikage, A.
Lightning crackled across his body, making him resemble a golden war god.
Behind him, Killer B carried several swords on his back while humming an off-key tune and striding forward.
"How is this possible..."
Hiruzen's mind went blank.
Wasn't Homura supposed to be holding back Hidden Cloud on the northern front?
How had Hidden Cloud's forces appeared here?
Nonetheless, the battlefield gave him no time to think.
A's gaze swept across the battlefield and instantly locked onto Hiruzen.
A savage grin curled across his lips as his figure flashed forward, golden lightning leaving behind an afterimage.
"Lariat!"
A's speed was unbelievably fast.
Hiruzen had just begun to evade when the Five-Tails Jinchuriki seized the opportunity to attack once more.
Hiruzen could only respond defensively first.
The Adamantine Staff swung through the air.
But after forcing back the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, A's attack was right before him!
Hiruzen only had time to twist his body aside.
A's palm crashed into his left chest with overwhelming force!
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed everywhere.
A savage wound was torn open across Hiruzen's left chest.
Flesh split apart, exposing faint glimpses of white bone beneath.
If he had not instinctively shifted aside at the last moment, the strike would have pierced directly through his heart.
Hiruzen groaned painfully as his body flew backward before crashing heavily onto the ground.
Blood poured from the wound, instantly dyeing the Hokage robe red.
"Old man!"
Enma's voice was filled with panic.
Transforming into humanoid form, he punched toward A to force back the pursuing attack.
A reacted before Enma could even blink and struck him with another Lariat.
The moment Enma's body was hit, he dispersed into smoke and returned to the Summoning Realm.
A shook out his hand while staring at Hiruzen lying on the ground.
Just as he was about to attack again–
"Big Bro, I'll help you!"
Killer B had already circled around behind Hiruzen.
The brothers formed a pincer attack from both sides at once.
A and B exchanged a glance. Their years of teamwork allowed them to understand one another's intentions right away.
"Double Lariat!"
The two attacked simultaneously, one from the front and one from behind, like twin bolts of golden lightning converging toward Hiruzen!
This was their combination ninjutsu. Its speed was too fast for the naked eye to follow, and its power was enough to split apart a small mountain.
Even Hiruzen in his prime might not have been able to withstand it, let alone now while heavily wounded.
As the two closed in before his eyes, Hiruzen knew that if he were struck, death was certain!
At that moment–
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Massive smoke exploded in front of Hiruzen.
A gigantic toad larger than a house descended from the sky, landing firmly upon the battlefield and kicking up clouds of dust.
Standing atop the toad's back was a man with long white hair. He wore a red outer robe, wooden sandals, and a forehead protector marked with the kanji for "oil."
"Toad Flame Bomb!"
The white-haired man formed hand seals. The gigantic toad spewed a torrent of toad oil, and immediately afterward he unleashed Fire Release. Oil and flame fused together, transforming into a towering sea of fire that surged toward A and B!
A and B had no choice but to abandon their attack and dodge to either side.
The sea of flames exploded before them, scorching the ground black.
As the smoke dispersed, Gamabunta crouched upon the battlefield, a giant pipe clenched between his teeth, his eyes filled with disdain.
On his back, the white-haired man planted his hands on his hips and struck an exaggerated pose, his booming voice echoing across the battlefield:
"The white-haired youth of Mount Myoboku, the Toad Sage Jiraiya, has arrived!"
For a moment, even the sounds of slaughter across the battlefield seemed to freeze.
Everyone stared at the man standing atop the giant toad.
Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, a ninja who existed only in legend.
His long white hair fluttered in the wind, his red outer robe snapping loudly, wooden sandals beneath his feet and a gigantic scroll hanging at his waist.
A carefree smile rested on his face.
Sweeping his gaze across the surrounding Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone ninja, his voice carried a trace of mockery.
"So many people bullying an old man? That's not very nice, is it?"
---
If you want to support, please consider Patreon and read advanced chapters! Your support keeps this series going! [Patreon.com/RedZTL]