Battle Against the Sannin

Chapter 10: Crossing Blades with the Sannin

At the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.

Yunqing led Pakura and twelve Sunagakure shinobi and successfully encountered the Sannin.

"Protect Lord Kazekage!"

Though Pakura was young, her status was the highest aside from Yunqing's. She immediately let out a sharp cry and stepped in front of him.

"What are you three from Konoha doing blocking the way here?"

Yunqing walked around Pakura and the others standing before him, smiling as he spoke to Tsunade's group.

Although he had anticipated this long ago, when he truly met them, Yunqing still could not suppress the anger in his heart.

If he could, he truly wanted to leave the three of them here for good.

What the hell? A snake, a toad, and a dairy cow dared block his path?

If he were not afraid that killing the three of them would draw out those watching the world from the shadows, he would have done it already.

"Konohagakure.

Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya challenge the Third Kazekage.

After this battle, the enmity between Konoha and Sunagakure will be wiped clean."

Tsunade stepped forward first and declared loudly.

"What a scheme. As expected of Hiruzen Sarutobi."

After a long silence, Yunqing said with a sigh.

During the peace negotiations, he had outmaneuvered Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha. Now, Hiruzen Sarutobi had outmaneuvered him in return.

Back and forth, neither side came out behind.

Sure enough, no one can be underestimated. Hiruzen Sarutobi truly deserves to be the man who held the Hokage's seat firmly in the original story and suppressed Shimura Danzō to the end.

Yunqing sighed inwardly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had accurately grasped his desire to focus wholeheartedly on development. Coupled with the fact that Konoha had suffered a loss this time, he had sent Tsunade's group here.

Their stance was clear—deal with it as he saw fit.

If everyone parted on good terms, then everything would be written off. But if he refused to cooperate, Konoha might not want a war, yet ambushes were still an option.

"Make your move."

Yunqing said coldly.

Since he had accepted it, then they would fight. He could not kill them, but injuring them and teaching them a lesson would not be a problem.

"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation."

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage."

Jiraiya and Orochimaru struck first, directly combining their ninjutsu to blanket a wide area.

"Addition: Water Release: Great Waterfall."

With a raised hand, Yunqing directly added the Great Waterfall to the air, blocking the flames that blotted out the sky.

"With just that, you won't be able to defeat me."

Watching the three who stood ahead of him without changing expression, Yunqing sneered. "I admit that the three of you together can hold off a Kage-level fighter without issue, but all you can do is hold one off."

"Addition: Heat."

As Yunqing murmured, the air instantly exploded, surging straight toward the three of them.

"Just as I thought, his ability itself isn't all that terrifying. But combined with his massive Chakra, it's enough to destroy heaven and earth."

In the sky some distance away, Ōnoki said with a grim expression.

He remembered this move, Yunqing's favorite, all too clearly.

"Summoning Technique: Triple Rashomon."

Orochimaru's pupils contracted. He bit open his finger and summoned three Rashomon gates.

At the same time, the three of them swiftly retreated.

The massive flames in the air blasted through all three Rashomon gates and still had enough force left to rush toward them.

"Summoning Technique!"

Jiraiya slammed a palm against the ground and summoned Gamabunta, who leaped into the sky with the three of them.

"What terrifying power. Is this the strength of a Kage? And that was only a casual strike..."

A bead of sweat slid from the corner of Jiraiya's eye as he spoke with a tremble.

"Hey, hey, hey, Jiraiya. What kind of monster did you people provoke?"

Gamabunta demanded, a pipe clenched in his mouth.

"Sacred Dragon's Claw."

A cold voice came from above Gamabunta.

"Needle Jizo."

"Evil Snake Burst Wrist."

"Monster Strength Fist."

Hearing the voice, Jiraiya and the other two reacted at once.

Jiraiya was responsible for blocking, Orochimaru covered from the flank, and Tsunade attacked head-on.

Looking at the hair blocking his path—hair that clearly had not been washed in a long time—Yunqing still sighed and struck.

His right hand smashed Jiraiya and Gamabunta down, his left hand crushed the giant snake Orochimaru had sent forth, and then he caught Tsunade's fist and flung her down.

It all seemed to take a long time, but in reality, it was completed in the blink of an eye.

Jiraiya and Gamabunta, who had taken Yunqing's punch head-on, carved a trench through the ground as they slid backward.

Tsunade, whom Yunqing had knocked down, now stood atop Gamabunta, her expression equally grim.

In a single exchange, all three had been driven back head-on. Looking at Yunqing floating in the air, their hearts sank to the bottom.

"What kind of joke is this? This guy's ninjutsu and taijutsu are both off the charts. How are we supposed to fight him?

"Genjutsu, maybe? Which one of you can use it?"

Jiraiya growled in a low voice.

"Idiot. Do you think a Kage-level existence would be afraid of genjutsu?"

Tsunade snapped.

"Summoning Technique."

Orochimaru and Tsunade jumped down from Gamabunta and summoned their Ninja Beasts, Manda and Katsuyu.

"Tsk, tsk, the Three Sacred Lands? How frightening. Konoha's foundation runs far too deep."

Yunqing's eyes were full of envy.

He could not help but envy them. Gamabunta could fight head-on, Manda was excellent at sneak attacks, and Katsuyu could heal an entire army.

On the battlefield, such power was already comparable to a weaker version of a Tailed Beast.

"But sorry, you ran into me.

"Severance."

Admiration aside, the battle still had to continue.

For the sake of showing off, Yunqing snapped his fingers, severing the connection between the three and their summoned beasts, indirectly dispelling the Summoning Technique.

In an instant, Tsunade and the others lost their contracts with their summoned beasts. Bunta, Manda, and Katsuyu were forcibly sent back to the Summoning Realm.

Not only were Tsunade and the other two shocked by this scene, even Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hatake Sakumo, hiding in the shadows, felt alarmed.

"Damn it. Against him, Ninja Beasts are useless."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth hatefully.

His Enma, Danzo's Dream Sable, and the Sannin's summoned beasts were all rare treasures of the world, providing an enormous boost to their combat power.

"Come on. The first round is over—I won. Now for the second round. Let me see what you're capable of."

Yunqing descended from midair and said teasingly.

The Sannin had yet to reach the peak of their strength. Their mindsets were unstable, and they were still immature. In his eyes, they were truly nothing more than little brothers.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet."

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet."

"Combined Ninjutsu: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."

Orochimaru and Jiraiya launched a combined ninjutsu attack, while Tsunade charged straight in, using the Monster Strength series of ninjutsu to clash head-on.

"Apply Hardening."

"Entangling Ribbon."

Casually drawing a Ninja Sword, Yunqing charged forward.

He cut apart every incoming ninjutsu with a single slash while controlling the ribbons he had conjured, constantly disrupting the three's attacks.

As time passed, the three had less and less Chakra, yet their attacks grew sharper and sharper. Their tactical coordination improved at a frightening pace, and they could unleash ninjutsu with a mere gesture.

Most importantly, there was the trust between them.

"Just as expected of the protagonists of this era."

Sensing their rapid improvement, Yunqing said helplessly.

He sliced apart the ninjutsu before him, suddenly erupted with Chakra and magical power to force the three back, then used Entangling Ribbon to bind them.