"Three Legendary Sannin" (Part 2)

"Summoning Technique!"

Bang!

A salamander-like summoned beast suddenly appeared. Before the Konoha forces could react, it spewed billowing poison gas in every direction with lightning speed. The gas was as black as ink, and wherever it passed, grass and trees withered instantly, as though their life force had been drained away. A pungent, rotten stench filled the air, making it hard to breathe and causing dizziness.

Seeing this, the Konoha ninja hurriedly took out antidotes and decisively injected them into their arms. Unfortunately, the poison spread with astonishing speed, and in the blink of an eye, they had lost their ability to fight.

Tsunade came to her senses. She first held her breath and focused, channeling chakra to dispel the poison in her body. Then she rushed toward Jiraiya and Orochimaru, gripping their arms tightly with both hands. Next, Tsunade activated her chakra. That powerful force gathered in her palms before flowing continuously into Jiraiya and Orochimaru's bodies.

With Tsunade giving it her all, the poison seemed to have encountered a powerful nemesis. It was forced back step by step until it was completely expelled from their bodies.

"Salamander Hanzo!" Seeing the ninja forces behind them completely wiped out, Orochimaru and the other two glared fiercely at the legendary demigod of the shinobi world.

Salamander Hanzo stared coldly at the three of them, secretly surprised. He had thought his sudden attack would succeed easily, but he had not expected anyone to resist so stubbornly. Looking at the three before him, Hanzo's killing intent surged.

Tsunade and the other two exchanged glances. The tacit understanding they had developed over the years showed itself at that moment.

The three quickly formed hand seals and used the Summoning Technique together. Three clouds of white smoke exploded with a boom, rapidly spreading around them.

The first to appear was a massive purple-red toad with a distinctive black U-shaped tattoo on its face, a pot-lid-shaped shield on its back, and a huge trident covered in barbs in its hand. Jiraiya stood atop its head and said,

"I'm counting on you, Gamakichi."

Gamakichi looked around and said in a steady voice, "Although I'm quite clumsy, I hope I can help."

A massive purple-red snake, around fifty meters long, with two long and two short pairs of horns on its head, stared at Orochimaru atop its head with emerald-green eyes. In a sinister voice, it said, "Orochimaru, prepare one hundred living human sacrifices for me after this is over."

Tsunade stood atop a gigantic slug with a blue back and white underside. The slug greeted her in a soft, squishy voice. "Lady Tsunade."

Hanzo's face darkened, his eyes icy as he stared fixedly at the three humans and three beasts opposite him. He let out two scornful snorts through his nose.

"Since you've all made your preparations, I must not be discourteous either."

The salamander beneath his feet cooperated, letting out two deep snorts from its throat.

Manda saw the contempt in Hanzo's eyes and flew into a rage. Opening his enormous maw, he charged straight at Hanzo. Gamakichi refused to be outdone. He forcefully pushed off with both legs, leaped into the air, and swung his trident down hard at Ibuse.

The chaotic melee began.

Hanzo flickered and leaped down from Ibuse's back first. Orochimaru drew a longsword from somewhere unknown and also jumped down to meet Hanzo in battle.

Seeing this, Jiraiya and Tsunade swiftly joined the fight. Hanzo, who had long stood at the pinnacle of the shinobi world, did not take the three seriously at all. The scythe in his hand flashed up and down, driving Orochimaru back step by step. Jiraiya and Tsunade waited for an opportunity at the side, searching for a chance to launch a sneak attack.

"Shadow Snake Hand!"

Seizing the moment, Orochimaru commanded a swarm of snakes to trap Hanzo. The instant Hanzo's movements were restricted, he thrust his sword straight at him.

Whoosh!

However, Hanzo used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the spot in an instant, reappearing behind Orochimaru. He put away his scythe and rapidly formed hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique."

The ninjutsu activated almost instantly. Seeing this, Jiraiya shouted at Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru, watch your back!"

But Hanzo's attack was too fast. Before Orochimaru could dodge, he was sent flying by the surging torrent. Hanzo did not spare him another glance. He bent down and slammed both palms against the ground.

"Fire Style: Explosive Flame Formation!"

The ground beneath Tsunade and Jiraiya collapsed, and several Explosive Tags instantly appeared on the ground.

"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"

At the moment of the explosion, Jiraiya shielded Tsunade. His white hair grew rapidly like wild grass, wrapping tightly around both of them and resisting the blast.

At the same time, Gamakichi's attack was nimbly avoided by Ibuse, but it accidentally struck Manda instead. Manda and Gamakichi began fighting, while Katsuyu tried to mediate from the side.

In the end, the mutually injured Manda and Gamakichi were caught off guard by Ibuse, who sprayed out three streams of poison. The three poisoned summoned beasts had no choice but to release the Summoning Technique and return to their respective territories to recover.

After the battle ended, Ibuse swiftly returned to Hanzo's side. Standing atop Ibuse's head, Hanzo stared at the site of the explosion.

To strengthen Needle Jizo's defenses, Jiraiya had continuously increased his chakra consumption throughout the explosion. When it ended, the battered Needle Jizo dispersed, and Jiraiya struggled to stand with Tsunade supporting him.

At some point, Orochimaru had already broken free from the Water Style attack. He once again used Shadow Snake Hand on Hanzo, who stood atop Ibuse's head.

"Needle Hell." Seeing this, Jiraiya immediately activated his ninjutsu. However, to everyone's surprise, the exceptionally powerful Hanzo used the Body Flicker Technique with Ibuse and easily evaded the attack.

Seeing Hanzo dodge his attack, Jiraiya's legs went weak, and he nearly dropped to his knees. Tsunade quickly grabbed his arm to support him as she said,

"I'm sorry, because of me..."

"What are you talking about? Burns of this level don't even count as injuries."