Due to his meticulous strategy and sharp intellect in combat, Kato Dan had been selected as one of the operation's strategists.
After Tsunade issued the command, the order was quickly relayed across the entire assault force. Led by Orochimaru and the others, the two-thousand-strong Konoha unit advanced silently toward the Sunagakure encampment under the cover of the pitch-black night.
With all sentries eliminated, the rotation window between shifts ensured that Sunagakure remained unaware of Konoha's movements.
The reason Orochimaru was able to eliminate every hidden sentry without fail was thanks to the support of the Lord God.
Nawaki had deliberately shared a section of the real-time map interface with Orochimaru and marked all enemy positions within its range. That was the only way Orochimaru managed to execute the sweep with surgical precision.
Well, since Reincarnators were doing the heavy lifting, it only made sense to throw them a bone. Giving them some tools to boost productivity ultimately worked in his favor anyway.
But as Nawaki watched Tsunade and Kato Dan working together to revise the assault plan through his mental screen, he felt a heavy wave of jealousy settle in his gut. He could practically taste the sourness.
It wasn't like he minded Tsunade talking to men in general… but Kato Dan was a whole different matter. The guy was a certified rival in love! Nawaki couldn't help but see him as the ex-boyfriend of his older sister — the kind of awkward perception that made his eye twitch.
For the sake of his future happiness, Nawaki made a firm decision:
"Anyone trying to steal my girl? Must die."
As compensation, he silently promised:
"I'll burn incense for you on your death anniversary every year... wait, does the Shinobi World even have a Festival for the dead?"
Without further hesitation, Nawaki tapped decisively on his mission control interface.
In Orochimaru's mind, the voice of the Lord God echoed:
[New Random Bounty Issued]
"Random bounty?" Orochimaru blinked, curious. What could that mean?
Having fully accepted the Lord God's authority ever since becoming a bloodline-mutated vampire, Orochimaru quickly checked the interface and saw a new task listed:
[Bounty: Eliminate Kato Dan
Reward: 1000 Points
Time Limit: 1 day]
No fancy wording, no need for justification, no instructions on how to carry it out — and yet, it didn't matter. Nawaki was the Lord God, and Orochimaru was his Reincarnator. A single sentence was more than enough.
Seeing the bounty, Orochimaru casually glanced at Kato Dan trailing behind Tsunade, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"A thousand points... that's enough to rival taking down a Kage-level opponent. I could submit two S-rank jutsu with that…"
Then, as if he'd never seen the bounty, Orochimaru averted his gaze. He made no move, nor did he give away any signs of intent.
The group pressed forward swiftly and was finally spotted by a patrol of Sunagakure shinobi switching shifts.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru reacted instantly, taking them down before they could even scream — but one sand shinobi, with the last ounce of life, managed to launch a signal flare. A streak of crimson fire burst into the sky, dragging thick smoke with it as it exploded, sounding the alarm.
"No need to hide anymore! We go in now!"
Tsunade's voice echoed across the rain-soaked night sky.
She had long anticipated their cover would eventually be blown, and her composure didn't waver. She charged ahead without hesitation, leaving behind only a fleeting silhouette dancing through the rain.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru followed immediately, the three most powerful combatants forming an iron triangle. Like the head of a spear, they pierced straight into the heart of Sunagakure's camp.
Without hesitation, they unleashed waves of shuriken and jutsu on the enemy, cutting down everything in their path like death incarnate.
Once they broke deep into enemy lines and found themselves surrounded, the three of them didn't hesitate — biting into their thumbs simultaneously.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
BOOM!
With a burst of chakra smoke, three towering creatures, each seven to eight meters tall, materialized beneath them:
Slug. Toad. Snake.
At this stage, while the three had already formed contracts with their signature summons, the size of the creatures was still less than half of what they'd grow into later in their lives.
Even so, the sheer pressure of their appearance was overwhelming. Every move they made wreaked massive destruction. Just by arriving, they shattered Sunagakure's encirclement.
Following right behind them, two thousand Konoha shinobi charged in through the opening carved by the Legendary Three, their battle cries thundering.
"Kill!!"
Caught off guard, even the Sunagakure ninja who had just responded to the flare found themselves scattered and overwhelmed. The sudden attack threw their camp into chaos. Many hadn't even had the chance to activate their full power before they were badly injured, drastically weakening their fighting capacity.
By the time the Sunagakure jōnin finally rushed to the scene, the situation was already spiraling out of control.
Fires blazed across the camp, thick black smoke rising despite the rain. The sand shinobi were being divided and cut down.
"How the hell did Konoha sneak up on us like this without us noticing?! What happened to the sentries? Don't tell me they were all wiped out without raising a single alarm?!"
Elder Chiyo's younger brother, Ebizō, stormed out of his command tent, his face filled with disbelief. Known for his intellect, he simply couldn't accept that every one of his personally arranged sentries had been silently neutralized.
But how could he possibly understand how OP a biological radar system truly was? The kind of cheat that made stealth missions child's play.
"Ebizō, you need to get out of here! Konoha came prepared — we won't be able to hold the camp. We miscalculated badly this time."
A mature woman landed beside him, her short silver-gray hair swaying as she moved. Though already in her forties, she looked barely thirty, her presence commanding yet elegant. This was none other than Chiyo, renowned for her puppet mastery, taijutsu, and extraordinary medical ninjutsu.
"Sis, aren't you coming too?" Ebizō asked urgently.
Chiyo's eyes flashed with resolve.
"I want to see for myself who it is that broke through all my poisons and led this assault that shattered us so quickly. I refuse to be underestimated by the next generation."
With a flick of her fingers, ten puppets dropped beside her, each thread dancing between her fingertips. Proudly summoning her prized creations, Chiyo charged into battle, leaving only one final order behind:
"Ebizō, gather all non-combatants and retreat! I'll hold them off!"
Ebizō gritted his teeth.
"Understood!"
Without delay, he turned and began organizing the evacuation of uninvolved shinobi to reduce the loss.
---
Back on the battlefield, with two thousand Konoha shinobi pinning down large chunks of the enemy force, the Legendary Three were finally unshackled — and they unleashed hell.
Unless it was a jōnin, your average chūnin didn't stand a chance.
Tsunade's punches were monstrous. Even earth-style walls meant to block her attacks were obliterated in one blow — and the poor souls hiding behind them were crushed along with it. Her strength was devastating.
Her Monster Strength technique was an A-rank jutsu and could be upgraded five times. Each upgrade required 1000 points. (Buying just the technique scroll cost less, but learning it instantly required significantly more.)
Earlier that afternoon, Tsunade had spent her last 1000 points to upgrade Monster Strength once — gaining +30% explosive power and -10% chakra consumption.
Now, her blows were downright terrifying.
Watching her fight, Nawaki broke into a cold sweat.
"My sister's seriously a walking natural disaster... she's turning into One Punch Woman!"