The Sannin's Battle

"It seems we won't be needed for the time being."

Jiraiya retrieved the binoculars he had been holding in front of his eyes and handed them to Tsunade beside him.

"No need. I have Katsuyu to help me deliver messages. I don't want to touch your tools of the trade." Tsunade frowned in disgust.

"Hahaha, you really show no mercy!"

Jiraiya was incredibly thick-skinned; he said those words without even blushing.

A blue and white Katsuyu was perched on Tsunade's shoulder, its tiny tentacles trembling slightly. It was using the Secret Technique of 'Visual Sharing', which allowed Tsunade to see the entire battle between Kushina and Shukaku, even more clearly than Jiraiya had observed with his Tsunade.

"Since we don't need to lift a finger here, let's go have some fun with the Sand and Stone Ninja!"

Orochimaru licked his lips. The turn of events in the battle had caught him completely off guard. Kushina had actually unleashed such powerful strength, no less than that of Jonin, and an elite among Jonin.

"There shouldn't be any problems here for now, but it might be bad if we don't have our support on the other battlefields. Chiyo of Sunagakure and the son of the Tsuchikage of Stone Ninja are not easy to deal with."

"Ah... I almost forgot." Jiraiya patted his head, but his tone sounded somewhat insincere.

"Hmph, Jiraiya, always playing dumb, be careful you don't really become a fool yourself," Orochimaru said coldly.

He was truly exhausted by Jiraiya, this seemingly foolish but occasionally shrewd idiot, and had no way to deal with this bastard.

"Hey! Orochimaru, if you care about someone, just say so! Don't beat around the bush." Jiraiya said excitedly, nudging Orochimaru with his elbow.

"······asshole!"

Orochimaru's eye twitched, forcibly suppressing the urge to send Jiraiya flying. He repeatedly reminded himself that now was not the time to argue with this idiot; it wouldn't be too late to settle things after the battle.

"Alright, let's go. The Sand Ninja and the Stone Ninja have already taken over the entire Black Tail Mountain."

Tsunade gave a thumbs-up and pointed to Black Tail Mountain behind her.

Before the battle, she had deployed a large number of Katsuyu near Black Tail Mountain to act as 'monitors'. With the Senju Clan's abundant stamina, this level of exertion was not a problem at all. After all, Tsunade did not need to expend Chakra to maintain her appearance. In the prime of her life, she was in her best condition.

With these hidden eyes, all the attacks from the Sand Ninja and Stone Ninja fell into her sight; it was practically a different kind of Byakugan.

"Surrounding Black Tail Mountain... It seems the Sand and Stone Ninja are really prepared to fight to the death!" Jiraiya's lewd smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression that caught everyone off guard. His ability to change his expression so quickly was truly remarkable.

"Ah... Hmm! That's right. But should we go and support them? Kushina has held them off in the west. That leaves the north, south, and east. There are Sand and Stone Ninja forces in all three directions." Tsunade composed herself and said solemnly.

Black Tail Mountain has only one path, which should be a treacherous terrain where one man can hold off ten thousand. However, this is not a problem for ninjas at all. They can walk on steep cliffs as if they were flat ground. Therefore, any place can be a battlefield.

"Leave the North to me."

Orochimaru bit his thumb, and a bead of bright red blood slid down his thumb before slamming his palm to the ground.

"Summoning Technique!"

"Hey, at least give me a heads-up before you start!"

Almost the instant Orochimaru made his move, Jiraiya and Tsunade retreated rapidly to avoid being accidentally injured.

"Orochimaru, you bastard, you're disturbing my sleep again! You think I won't eat you?"

As a cloud of chakra smoke rose, a giant serpent, its body a deep purple, covered in black ring patterns, and with horn-like protrusions on its head, appeared on the ground. It arrogantly raised its head and spoke with extreme disrespect to Orochimaru, who stood on its head, acting all high and mighty.

"Wow, I've never liked this guy. His cannibalistic tendencies are really hard to like."

Jiraiya crossed his arms, shrank back, and showed a rather disgusted expression.

"Hmm... Although I'm very reluctant, it's surprising that I agree with you, you bastard... but I don't like this guy either." Tsunade frowned, her eyes filled with disgust as she looked at Manda.

"Ugh, that's so hurtful!!!"

Jiraiya's expression changed instantly, and he started acting silly again.

"..." Tsunade pressed her forehead helplessly. What sins had she committed in her past life that she had to be sent to torment her like this in this life?

"Manda, you can eat as much as you want today, but of course, the same old rules apply... only for Sand and Stone Ninja." Orochimaru smiled sinisterly, squatted down, and gently patted Manda's cold head, ignoring Jiraiya and Tsunade's conversation, and rode Manda at high speed towards the north of Black Tail Mountain.

They left as soon as they said they'd go, without any hesitation or delay.

Orochimaru's departure also broke the strange atmosphere between Jiraiya and Tsunade.

"Well, since Orochimaru went north, I'll take care of the east."

Jiraiya began to stretch his muscles. Unlike Orochimaru, he did not summon a summoning beast. Instead, he unleashed his full power and rushed back along the path he had come from. Black Tail Mountain was directly opposite his current location, and passing through it was the fastest shortcut.

Both sides had their reasons for their choices. The Sand Village and the Stone Ninja forces were stationed at the west and northwest of Black Tail Mountain, respectively. If they wanted to send troops to besiege Black Tail Mountain, they would have to prioritize different areas. The west and north were obviously the most convenient directions to attack, while the east was likely to receive reinforcements from Konoha. The two allied forces would probably send a strong force to the east.

In other words, setting aside the western front where the Tailed Beast are primarily attacking, the pressure on the north and east of Black Tail Mountain is likely to be greater, while the southern offensive is estimated to be weaker.

"Tch! They're all as cunning as monkeys... Do they really think I'm made of clay?" Tsunade glanced at the two figures disappearing from sight, snorted coldly, but after giving Kushina a deep look, she quickly ran south.

The enormous hole in the sky was slowly healing, while dark clouds churned all around, striving to reach the center of the void. The brilliant golden light, like a pillar, rapidly thinned until it disappeared completely.

At this moment, the battle between Kushina and Shukaku had entered a white-hot stage... or rather, it had been at a white-hot level all along.

The relentless bombardment of Wind Bullet and sand bullets caused the earth to hum, Shukaku's ferocious and bizarre roars echoed throughout the heavens and earth. It was determined to tear Kushina to pieces, but reality was not so smooth. Kushina withstood the ferocious attacks and used the Power of Sealing of the Tailed Beast Adamantine Sealing Chains to continuously suppress Shukaku's consciousness and power, gradually weakening its strength over time.

The battle situation is shifting in Kushina's favor!