Orochimaru was stationed to the west, Jiraiya to the east, Sakumo Hatake to the north, and Tsunade to the south.
Shen's communication relay, limited by the unique nature of chakra, was already stretched to its maximum range of thirty kilometers.
Yet Yi, who possessed high military expertise, managed to uncover this secret after only several probing attempts.
By throwing smoke bombs and faking an attack from the west while actually moving south, even if the three enemy commanders discovered the deception or requested reinforcements from the southern front, Kumogakure's main forces would have already seized victory through sheer numbers.
At that point, Kumogakure — which originally held numerical superiority in total ninja forces — would be able to confront the three reinforcement units rushing in from the west in a direct showdown with even greater advantage.
After hastily ending the communication, Tsunade crushed her earpiece in frustration.
Kumogakure was willing to go this far — how could she not see they were ready to win at any cost?
Once activating the Strength of a Hundred Technique, Tsunade's aura completely changed, becoming unlike her usual self.
[I've never lost a life-or-death battle!] she roared furiously, leaping into the air before crashing down directly in front of the Kumo ninja surrounding her left flank.
Empowered even further by the Strength of a Hundred Technique, the legendary superhuman strength of the Senju Clan let Tsunade take down four or five enemies with a single punch.
[One of Kumogakure's commanders?] Yi, standing halfway up a hillside, said with deep interest in the overwhelming presence she displayed.
After activating his full-body cells, he instantly appeared in front of Tsunade, who had just finished dealing with a group of enemies.
Tsunade crossed her arms to block Yi's flying kick, her beautiful face immediately twisting into a bitter expression.
It had only been one or two minutes since the battle began when both commanders clashed head-on — this was destined to be a swift and decisive fight.
Yi wore a look of confirmation.
Under the gaze of unwavering eyes, he pushed his speed forward another notch.
Tsunade immediately felt overpowered, desperately defending against precise attacks coming from every conceivable angle.
This was a battle between speed and power!
Neither side's ninja dared to approach the fight recklessly, instead forming a vacuum zone more than a hundred meters wide.
The grass, trees, and rocks atop the mountain had long vanished, leaving the ground cracked and shattered.
Ritora, a jonin from Yūgakure, stood out as someone struggling.
His lack of proficiency in taijutsu meant he relied solely on several C-ranked ninjutsu for defense until his chakra ran dry.
Surrounded by over a dozen similarly cornered teammates, they faced enemies outnumbering them several times over.
[I should've studied taijutsu harder back then…] Littered with regrets, Ritora got grazed across the abdomen while dodging a Lightning Release technique.
The six Kumo ninja surrounding him quickly scattered to target others, leaving only the one who had released the lightning technique.
A pitch-black kunai, gleaming under the sunlight, startled Ritora backward.
[Blood dripped steadily... Drip... drip...] The wound on his abdomen affected his movement.
His right arm pierced by the kunai, regret crashed over him even harder.
[Why can't you just die quietly?] The Kumogakure ninja raised the kunai again, thrusting it forward.
[Crack!] With his left arm now pierced as well, both of Ritora's arms were rendered useless.
[Why…?]
"We of the Hot Water Country have always advocated peace, so why is the Land of Lightning doing this?!"
The Kumogakure shinobi paid no attention to his words, continuing to advance slowly.
Ritora kept retreating, now filled with despair.
Massacre, murder, pillage—it was kill or be killed out there. That was the world, and ninja were its executioners.
"Are we the only ones who deserve peace?" Tears streaming down his face, Ritora froze in place.
A pitch-black kunai flew straight toward his heart.
"Don't give up on yourself! Hope has never truly vanished!" A figure dropped from the sky, cutting off the arm that held the kunai.
Ritora blankly looked upward at the seemingly stationary Hagoromo's Ship hanging motionless above.
The next second, scalding tears began streaming down his face.
"Hope..." Eyes blurred, Ritora turned toward the man with white hair.
"All units, commence counterattack."
Sakumo's voice wasn't loud, but the reinforcements descending from the Hagoromo's Ship roared as they charged toward the Cloud ninjas.
Then, hands clasped, fingers extended—the index and middle fingers of both hands together—he suddenly appeared behind the Cloud ninja who had lost one arm.
[Konoha Taijutsu Ultimate Art: One Thousand Years of Death.] Sakumo crouched low and jabbed forcefully between the enemy's legs.
The Cloud ninja, experiencing unbearable pain in a certain area, stood frozen for a moment before rocketing into the air.
To Ritora, those four fingers gleamed like savage animal fangs.
With his flowing white hair and fierce stance, the man exuded pure battle spirit.
"Commander Sakumo, please hold on!"
Sakumo turned around to look at him after deciding to move toward another location.
Hesitating momentarily, Ritora finally found the courage: "Thank you for saving me...Mr. White Fang of Konoha."
"White Fang?" Sakumo paused for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Just call me White Fang."
Jiraiya and Orochimaru leapt from the Hagoromo's Ship while simultaneously making hand seals.
In an instant, several giant snakes wrapped around Tsunade, pulling her away from the crisis atop the mountaintop.
Meanwhile, Yi—who had maintained a sword-striking posture—rolled sideways instantly, dodging countless silver-white steel needles raining down from the sky.
"It seems the plane's speed far exceeds my initial estimation," he thought as he eyed the three figures standing together, already slightly considering retreat.
Fast as he was, he'd still taken three solid hits when his opponent fought through the pain.
Looking back briefly, Jiraiya saw cuts on Tsunade's shoulder and calf before glaring angrily at Yi.
"A speed-type ninja whose weapon isn't his body, but rather a blade," Orochimaru calmly analyzed, noticing Yi's hesitation to attack recklessly.
Three against one—odds were definitely in their favor.
And against a speed-user like Yi, he even had a secret ace up his sleeve.
"Gosh, I nearly suffocated!" Gamata emerged from Jiraiya's chest, breaking the tense standoff among the four.
Yi quickly stepped backward.
Jiraiya, remaining in place, formed seals and slapped the ground with both hands.
Tsunade leapt into the air, hurling several shuriken.
Orochimaru's Extendable Kusanagi Blade snapped back to the ground as he lunged forward.
A massive wall shot up in front of Yi.
He twisted to the left the moment he sensed the threat closing in behind him.
After crouching down and rolling forward, he felt the threat right behind him again.
"Sssk!"
A silver-white blade slashed Yi's right flank—grazing just the less vital part of his lower abdomen—as he barely twisted away.
He quickly pressed his hand to the wound, surprised to find the cold blade had vanished instantly.
"The Extendable Kusanagi Blade of the Kusanagi Clan!!!"
Without hesitation, Yi flew through Hand Seals faster than ever before, then thrust his right palm skyward.
The blinding white light forced Orochimaru—who kept charging forward—to squint. His Extendable Kusanagi Blade, aimed straight at his opponent's heart, veered downward toward the shoulder.
In midair, Tsunade landed in a half-crouch, shielding most of her eyes with her raised hand against the unbearable glare.
Sidestepping, Jiraiya took the chance to tuck Gamata's frog head back into his collar.
Two seconds later, the intense glow started to fade.
Still on high alert, the three realized Yi had used the blinding light to vanish completely.
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