The battlefield had fallen into a tense deadlock.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and their summons were unquestionably powerful, but facing a terrain advantage like the poison swamp, a giant summon with overwhelming defense, toxic attacks, underground mobility, and cunning intelligence, they couldn't find an opportunity to end the fight quickly.
Every blow that looked promising was either blocked by Ibuse's tough scales or avoided through its burrowing. The constant threat of poison loomed overhead, forcing them to fight cautiously and preventing continuous, aggressive attacks.
Tsunade wiped the rain from her face, her gaze sharp as she stared at the area behind the main tower, where Ibuse had once again submerged in the poison swamp surrounded by high steel fences.
"Focus your strength! When it surfaces again, Gamabunta attacks from the front. Jiraiya, cover the surrounding area with Fire Release to block its escape routes. Force it into a fixed position. Orochimaru, with me! We aim everything at its jaw or eyes. Only a critical hit will give us the chance to seriously injure it!"
"Understood," Jiraiya and Orochimaru responded in low voices. Gamabunta also gripped his short blade tighter. All of them, facing a harsh environment and a slippery opponent, gathered their strength and waited for the brief moment to strike.
At that moment, behind the main tower, within the steel-fenced swamp zone, the roar of battle and the beast's bellows peaked once more.
"Roar—!!!"
Ibuse surged from the bubbling purple-black swamp, its massive head rising high. Its vertical yellow pupils were bloodshot with rage. New wounds were slashed across its body, its scales cracked, and deep blue blood seeped from the gashes.
Gamabunta's short blade, slashed toward its vulnerable neck with a powerful gust. Tsunade charged from the side like a cannonball, her monstrous fist aimed at its left eye. Jiraiya's massive fireball sealed off its right flank, while Orochimaru slithered like a venomous shadow behind its rear leg, blade in hand.
But then, Ibuse's massive body trembled. Its bloodshot eyes suddenly swiveled toward the main tower. The rage within them shifted to agitation and alarm. It had sensed it—a familiar, chaotic, yet weakening chakra signature, rapidly approaching. Its master. And with it, a terrifying, unfamiliar chakra that made even Ibuse feel fear.
At almost the same time, a gray-green figure, drenched in blood, burst through the twisted swamp terrain at unnatural speed.
Hanzo.
His current appearance was a far cry from his so-called "Demigod" title. His breathing mask hung loose, his hair disheveled, his body covered in deep sword wounds. The injury on his left arm was especially severe. Blood had soaked through half his uniform, staining his gray-green Ame gear a dark crimson.
His face was pale, breathing ragged, and his eyes were filled with terror and desperation. The long-held dignity and calm of the "Demigod" had completely vanished. Behind him, the final screams of despair echoed faintly—Ame jōnin who had tried to delay Ryo's pursuit. Their lives disappeared like smoke under the flash of the crimson sword. Their sacrifice had barely caused Ryo to slow down.
"Ibuse!!!" Hanzo's voice came through the mask, hoarse and sharp, laced with pure panic. His usual composure was gone.
Sensing its master's voice and imminent danger, Ibuse went completely berserk.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
A deafening roar, overflowing with rage and protective fury, drowned out all other sounds on the battlefield. The massive beast didn't dodge. Instead, it used its thick back armor to block Gamabunta's incoming slash, bursting with sparks and shockwaves. At the same time, its huge tail swung out like a siege hammer, aiming to force back all threats.
Boom. The tail's sweep covered a wide arc and carried tremendous power.
Tsunade's fist halted inches from Ibuse's eye but was forced back by the tail's wind pressure and shockwave, leaving deep gouges in the ground as her feet dragged backward. Jiraiya's fireball was scattered by the blast of mud and wind. Orochimaru's blade, just millimeters from piercing a leg joint, was withdrawn in an instant as he slithered away like a snake, narrowly dodging the indiscriminate strike. Gamabunta's blade was deflected, and even his massive body was pushed back several paces, mud splashing in all directions.
Taking advantage of this brief chaos, Ibuse ignored the attackers, turned its head toward Hanzo's direction, and let out a deep, rumbling growl. It was a sound filled with both comfort and urgency. Its enormous body began moving through the swamp, clearing a path toward Hanzo.
Hanzo's eyes lit up with joy, like he had seized the final straw of salvation. He poured out the last of his chakra, activated Body Flicker, and darted forward, his flickering figure racing toward the protective shadow of the giant summon.
"Stop him!" Tsunade shouted, as Jiraiya and Orochimaru charged in.
But they were too late.
Seeing its master nearing safety, Ibuse turned sharply to face the incoming trio and Gamabunta. A sinister deep-purple light surged in its throat—the five-minute cooldown had ended early, triggered by its berserk state.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
With that earth-shaking roar, a pool of death erupted, more massive and toxic than any before. A purple sea of poison burst forth. This time, the mist, infused with Ibuse's fury and protective instinct, was thicker, faster, and more lethal. It instantly engulfed Ibuse and the just-arrived Hanzo in a swirling wall of death.
The purple mist rolled and screamed, like a living entity, sealing the path completely. At the edges of the fog, steel visibly melted and collapsed before their eyes. Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru-sama, and Gamabunta were once again forced to halt. Their faces turned grim as they faced this impenetrable wall of poison.
From within the mist came Hanzo's heavy, rapid, yet oddly relieved breathing. Faint murmurs echoed, unintelligible beyond the swirling death cloud.
Rain continued to fall cold and steady, washing blood and filth from the battlefield, but it could not disperse the poison mist or the heavy, stifling stalemate.
The hunted "Demigod" had finally returned to his summon's side, relying on the deadly swamp to gain a moment's breath.
(To be continued.)