Counterattack: The Sannin Squad

As a long-famous Konohagakure ninja, Torifu Akimichi had wanted posters in every major ninja village.

Torifu Akimichi looked at the Kumogakure ninja before him with some helplessness. Things had developed far beyond his expectations. They had been in the Land of Soup for less than a week, yet they had already caused such a huge commotion. It seemed this pleasant vacation would have to end early...

These three kids were still too young...

"Since you already know who I am, I definitely can't let you leave..."

Though he was frustrated by the impulsiveness of these three young men, matters had reached this point. Torifu Akimichi had no intention of letting any Cloud Ninja return. Jiraiya had already told him the general situation. He had come here precisely to prevent any Kumogakure ninja from escaping.

Dada's expression stiffened as he recalled the name Torifu Akimichi. The Second Hokage's guard, and one of the Third Hokage's teammates!

At the very least, he was an Elite Jonin!

How were they supposed to fight this...

What made Dada even more helpless was that his body had finally given out. He had forced his already "malnourished" body to produce something miraculous through sheer willpower, but now he was at the end of his rope, unable even to remain standing.

Dada dropped onto the ground. The lightning around his body gradually faded away, and the pulse-like influence that had filled his mind vanished completely.

Most terrifyingly, Dada, who had originally still carried a bit of baby fat, now had protruding cheekbones and sunken eye sockets. He looked utterly malnourished.

Meanwhile, Kawanishi Kyohei stared fixedly at Torifu Akimichi. The instant Torifu Akimichi appeared, Kawanishi Kyohei had already begun considering their escape route.

Anzai Mamoru was in terrible condition now, so he would be the only one left to cover their retreat.

"Anzai, take Young Master Dada and Young Master Qi and retreat. I'll cover you."

Anzai Mamoru raised his Short Sword with a slightly trembling hand. That was the aftereffect of using a secret technique to stimulate his acupoints. "You can't hold them off alone for long. Young Master Qi and Young Master Dada should retreat first. We'll delay them together. It won't be easy for them to step over my corpse."

Kawanishi Kyohei silently accepted the plan. He simply could not hold back four jonin by himself, especially not a famous ninja like Torifu Akimichi.

The situation was hanging by a thread.

Yotsuki Ki's fists clenched until his knuckles turned bluish purple.

Dada grabbed Yotsuki Ki's hand to steady himself.

"Huff... huff... Qi. If the two of us reveal our identities, do we still have a chance?" Dada asked Yotsuki Ki quietly.

The other side probably did not know that two of the four of them were sons of the Third Raikage.

Perhaps the Raikage's name, along with their fear of war, would make them hesitate.

Yotsuki Ki clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered. "We can't do that. If it fails, they might capture us, and the whole village could suffer enormous losses."

Dada opened his mouth, but he still lacked the awareness of a Kumogakure ninja. He had never considered things from that angle.

Yotsuki Ki stepped forward and said to Kawanishi Kyohei and Anzai Mamoru, "I am the Raikage's son. I am a man destined to inherit the name 'A.' An A only sacrifices himself for his comrades; he never sacrifices his comrades to survive. I won't let my companions die for me. Anzai, Kawanishi! The four of us will split up and run. Kawanishi, you're in the best condition. Take Dada with you."

There was another half of that sentence Yotsuki Ki did not say: Kawanishi Kyohei would have a far better chance of escaping with Dada than he would.

If something went wrong, Dada had to be protected. Not because Dada possessed the bloodline limit the Yotsuki Clan dreamed of, but because Dada was his younger brother.

At that moment, Yotsuki Ki no longer resembled a thirteen-year-old child. He carried the shadow of the Third Raikage.

You'll definitely become an outstanding Kage, Dada thought as he looked at Yotsuki Ki.

Kawanishi Kyohei and Anzai Mamoru were somewhat moved, and tightened their grips on their weapons...

On the other side, Torifu Akimichi had no intention of delaying any longer. He ordered, "Don't hold back. Take them all down. Don't let a single one escape."

After speaking, he formed hand seals. "Super Expansion Jutsu!"

Torifu Akimichi's body swelled rapidly, surpassing ten meters in the span of a few breaths.

Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya stood on Torifu Akimichi's shoulder.

For a moment, their momentum surged. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru wore confident smiles. At that moment, they dared to face any enemy!

Torifu Akimichi truly deserved his reputation as an old Strongman and the Hokage's teammate. Despite his massive body, he displayed speed utterly unsuited to his size, charging forward in only a few strides.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru began forming hand seals at the same time.

"Ninja Art: Toad Oil Bullet!"

"Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The high-spirited trio immediately unleashed a large-scale combined ninjutsu inherited from the Third Hokage. Their target was not Dada's group, but the area behind them. They intended to cut off the four's retreat. Within an instant, the area several hundred meters around them became a sea of flames, and the fire burning from the toad oil refused to die out for a long time.

"Earth Style: Double Earth Wall!" Kawanishi Kyohei and Anzai Mamoru had no choice but to join forces and unleash a defensive ninjutsu, sealing the blazing flames outside.

Before they could even catch their breath, Torifu Akimichi's huge fist smashed into the Earth Release: Earth Style Wall. Visible dents spread across the entire wall.

When Torifu Akimichi saw that his first punch had failed to break through the Earth Release: Earth Style Wall, he nodded slightly. Their strength truly could not be underestimated. No wonder they had sent Tsunade and Orochimaru fleeing in such a sorry state. Then he threw another punch!

With a boom, the Earth Release: Earth Style Wall shattered completely.

The instant the Earth Release: Earth Style Wall broke, a figure shot out from the smoke. It was Yotsuki Ki, activating Lightning Release Chakra Mode as he launched himself forward!

As the Raikage's son, he charged at the very front.

"Heavy Torrent Violent Wave!" A charged toward Torifu Akimichi, whose body was several times larger than his own, with all his strength. Torifu Akimichi deftly blocked Yotsuki Ki's full-force strike with one massive hand, producing a violent crash. At that moment, a single one of his hands was larger than Yotsuki Ki's entire body.

"Too weak!" Torifu Akimichi grabbed Yotsuki Ki and clenched him in his palm. He had intended to crush him to death, but discovered that Yotsuki Ki had erupted with unimaginable strength. He then changed from squeezing to slamming, viciously hurling him into the ground. The earth cracked apart, and Yotsuki Ki rolled his eyes back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Earth Release! Earth Prison Dome!"

"Earth Release! Earth Prison Dome!"

Facing the enormous Torifu Akimichi, Anzai Mamoru and Kawanishi Kyohei's timing could not have been more exquisite. The two once again chose to unleash a combined ninjutsu, and the Earth Prison Dome was far larger than usual.

A cage formed from rock and earth rapidly rose from the ground, attempting to trap Torifu Akimichi along with Tsunade and the other two inside. Just as it was about to succeed, Torifu Akimichi hastily used Super Expansion Jutsu again. His body grew even larger, preventing the Earth Prison Dome from fully sealing him in and leaving his head exposed outside.

However, Tsunade and the other two on Torifu Akimichi's shoulder were temporarily sealed within.

The opening Yotsuki Ki had won by risking his life had finally given Dada's group of four a sliver of a chance to escape.