"Tsunade, Orochimaru!"
Jiraiya's voice rang out, his instincts flaring at the incoming danger.
All three leapt away as the kunai rained down.
Szzzt.
The moment Hanzo's kunai hit the ground, the explosive tags at their ends ignited.
BOOM!
A series of violent explosions shook the battlefield, raising a thick cloud of dust and smoke.
Hidden within the chaos, Hanzo moved swiftly.
From within the smoke, something crawled up Tsunade's leg.
Her eyes widened in alarm as dozens of detonating tags slithered along her body like parasites.
"What?!"
She struggled, but the tags clung tightly, refusing to be shaken off.
Jiraiya's gaze hardened.
"Needle Jizō!"
His hair grew rapidly, a silver-white shield expanding to wrap around Tsunade just before the tags could detonate.
BOOM!
The explosion was smaller than expected—more contained.
Instead of a destructive blast, a line of fire raced toward Tsunade.
FWOOSH!
The flames engulfed her instantly.
Hanzo paused, watching the inferno.
He did not press forward.
Instead, he observed—waiting to see the results of his attack.
Slowly, the flames died down.
Tsunade stood unharmed.
Jiraiya's hair shield had absorbed the worst of the flames.
Hanzo's eyes narrowed.
"Impressive."
Before he could react—
"Striking Shadow Snakes!"
Dozens of white serpents shot toward him from the left, their fangs bared.
"Tch."
Hanzo twisted, but the snakes coiled tightly around him.
A trap.
At the other end of the battlefield, Orochimaru knelt, his arms extended, directing the attack.
Jiraiya's voice rang out.
"Got it! Needle Hell!"
SHING!
Dozens of razor-sharp hair strands shot toward Hanzo, aiming to impale him.
At the last moment—
Hanzo vanished.
SPLASH!
His form melted into water, dispersing before Jiraiya's attack could land.
Above them—
A massive shadow loomed over Orochimaru.
"What?!"
He barely dodged as—
BOOM!
The Black Salamander crashed down where he had stood.
Above its head, Hanzo remained composed, looking down on them like a god.
"Too slow."
Jiraiya gritted his teeth, dropping to one knee.
His body trembled slightly.
Tsunade rushed to him.
"Jiraiya! Are you okay?"
Burns covered his arms and hair, remnants of the explosion.
He waved her off.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
Orochimaru approached, his golden eyes sharp.
"Our teamwork… it's useless."
His voice was cold, but not in frustration—just understanding.
Jiraiya clenched his fists.
"Damn it…!"
They had barely lasted a few rounds, yet all of them had suffered injuries.
Meanwhile, Hanzo had not even been touched.
In that moment, the weight of his title became clear.
The Demigod of the Shinobi World.
Far above the battlefield, Saigoji Youmu watched calmly.
"As expected."
Konan, standing beside him, could barely breathe.
The Sannin were losing.
"Brother Youmu… can they win?"
He didn't answer.
Then—
BOOM! BOOM!
The ground beneath Konoha's forces collapsed.
"AHH!"
Dozens of shinobi fell into sudden sinkholes, their formations breaking apart.
Rain Shinobi, once pushed back, suddenly regained momentum.
Konan's breath hitched.
"What… what's happening?!"
But Saigoji Youmu remained still, eyes locked on the battlefield.
His voice was eerily calm.
"It's starting."