In the Land of Fire, in a patch of forested land, dense clusters of ninjas from different villages roared towards the sky like a threatening tsunami.
"Damn, that guy back there, is he Han - the Five-Tails' jinchuuriki?"
When someone from Konoha said this, the rest spotted him among the Iwa ninjas.
"Iwa, those bastards!" Jiraiya gritted his teeth as he spoke, "They didn't even hold back, sending their Five-Tails jinchuuriki!"
"Of course. Oonoki, that old man." Tsunade scoffed, "With such a good opportunity, do you really think he wouldn't take advantage?"
It was already hard enough for them to face all five villages at once, and now, they'd have to deal with Han...
"Boom!!"
A terrifying explosion echoed. Under the nervous gaze of Konoha's ninjas, Han moved so fast, and then, with a powerful strike of his right leg on the ground, he created a spiderweb-like crack that expanded to the point of forming a crater. Several Leaf ninjas fell and were gravely injured.
His terrifying energy forced the steam from his body out, creating that frightening impact. The ninjas in the crater didn't even have time to stabilize themselves before they were surrounded by enemy ninjas.
Then, blood began to splash with their deaths.
"Damn... I couldn't get here in time!" Tsunade said through her clenched teeth, full of pain.
The difference in speed was enormous.
This also shook the confidence of the Leaf ninjas a bit.
Even though they were the most motivated initially thanks to Orochimaru, the opposition managed to turn the tide quickly, especially now with Han's intervention.
'If only Sakumo-senpai could be here...' Jiraiya thought.
But, that wasn't feasible. As the current Hokage, he couldn't just go to the front lines.
But he understood that only someone like Sakumo could handle someone like Han.
"Tsunade, let's take him on together," Jiraiya, who was just behind her, shouted.
"Yes!" Tsunade wasn't arrogant enough to think she could face Han alone.
She even wished Orochimaru could join them, but Hanzo, that bastard, was holding Orochimaru back at the moment.
The bright side was that, although Orochimaru was at a disadvantage against Hanzo, it hadn't reached the point where Hanzo could easily defeat him.
Manda, charging at Hanzo, said, "You better offer me good sacrifices later, or you'll pay, Orochimaru!"
"It's all right, there will be no shortage of sacrifices for you," Orochimaru spoke sinisterly. "If you want, you can swallow some of these enemy ninjas; I don't care."
"How does that count as a sacrifice?" Manda scoffed.
Orochimaru couldn't argue with that.
But seeing that, despite Manda's words, he was clearly more motivated made a smile curve on Orochimaru's lips.
Seeing the morale of the Leaf ninjas falling, a ninja from the Nara Clan shouted: "Leaf Ninjas, remember this: The Shinobi world is dark, but as long as we are united, there will be light. The great tree that holds the Leaf ninjas will never be abused!"
Then, someone shouted: "The Leaf ninjas will not be abused!"
The rest, who had been feeling pressured by the five ninja villages, came to their senses.
"Yes!!"
"We will not be abused!"
The speech from the Nara Clan ninja was met with spirited cheers. The words he spoke struck them deeply, making the morale of the Leaf ninjas rise once again.
Speaking of the Nara Clan, several members of this clan managed to restrain Han, but it didn't take long before Han freed himself.
However, Tsunade arrived before him just in time, delivering a punch with all her strength, her right hand glowing green.
Steam poured from Han's back—or more precisely, from the furnace on his back that emitted steam. It was somewhat similar to Majin Buu when he got angry.
"Ha, take that!" Tsunade yelled.
Han, in turn, didn't speak; he simply took the punch from Tsunade, who was airborne, using gravity to her advantage to increase the impact. He bent his body and came back to return with his own punch.
"Boom!"
The clash between the two blows was intense. Shockwaves were produced around them, spreading in all directions, strong enough to reach the nearby ninjas and send them flying.
"Ahhh! These two are real monsters!" exclaimed a Suna ninja, who was thrown back by the impact of the blow.
Those who were also thrown by the force felt that anyone caught between these two's attacks would be immediately crushed.
The confrontation between them was swift, and Han emerged victorious.
"Ahhhhh!"
Tsunade screamed as she was hurled backward, spinning in the air.
Jiraiya, who was nearby, was incredulous. 'Tsunade was defeated in a strength contest? And she had the advantage...'
Without time to think much, Jiraiya acted quickly, catching Tsunade in the air and helping her stabilize as she landed.
"Tsunade, thank you." Upon seeing who had caught her, she thanked him.
"Yes, as I thought, he is very powerful," Jiraiya said. "We need to fight him together, Tsunade."
"Yes." Tsunade knew her current limits well. In this battle, it became clear that she was no match for Han.
She shook her hand, which was slightly numb. If it weren't for the use of her Adamantine Strength, she was sure her hand would have broken in that clash.
"Watch out!" Jiraiya, noticing that Tsunade had been distracted for a moment and was almost struck by Han, wrapped her in his hair. "Needle Jizo!"
Han's hand collided with the barrier formed by Jiraiya's sharp, white hair, and he frowned slightly.
Though subtle, the needles pierced through his defense, which surprised him.
He stepped back, observing Jiraiya carefully, waiting for him to lower the barrier so he could strike again.
"You saved me," Tsunade said.
"Don't get distracted. We're at a disadvantage here!" Jiraiya exclaimed with a resigned sigh.
"Mm, I know," Tsunade replied, embarrassed for making such a basic mistake.
||- Note -||
If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to cast your vote with a Power Stone! Your support means the world and keeps me motivated to bring you new chapters.
Chapter 93 is already released on Pa treon!
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Next chapters: Chapter 73: Nawaki's Death?, Chapter 74: Capturing the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Chapter 75: Stolen Chakra, Chapter 76: The Arrival of the Uzushio Ninjas, Chapter 77: Silent Battlefield, Chapter 78: A New Member of the Organization, Chapter 79: Unexpected Escape, Chapter 80: Danzo Shimura, Chapter 81: I Found You, Danzo~!, Chapter 82: Indomitable Uzumaki, Chapter 83: The Fear Factor Named Tanaka Uzumaki, Chapter 84: The Name that Echoes on the Battlefield, Chapter 85: Fear in the Face of Tanaka's Power, Chapter 86: Several Days Later: Tanaka Enrages the Third Tsuchikage, Chapter 87: The Clash of Two Monsters, Chapter 88: Mass Destruction: The Battle That Shakes Nations, Chapter 89: The Confrontation Between Tanaka and Oonoki Continues, Chapter 90: Will Oonoki Retreat with the Stone Ninjas?, Chapter 91: Oonoki's Indecision and the Stolen Strawberry, Chapter 92: Tanaka Gets Serious!, Chapter 93: The Death of the Third Tsuchikage, Oonoki Kamizuru!