Chakra Eruption

Shen Ye rubbed his chin. For Iwagakure's ninjas, the forest wasn't an ideal place to fight.

But Wu Tian had chosen this place, so he must have had his reasons.

"We're just in the way if we hang around. Let's go!"

Minato nodded and moved away from Shen Ye. He charged through the trees toward Wu Tian.

Tsunade and Minato flanked Wu Tian, trapping him between them. His only escape routes were forward and back.

Crouched on a branch, Shen Ye watched Wu Tian's movements in silence, ready to act at any moment.

Wu Tian shrugged and barreled down to the ground. At the same time, he sent chakra surging through his meridians without pause.

A rumbling sound rose from within Wu Tian as his chakra reached its absolute peak.

Shen Ye was a little surprised. Wu Tian must have had some kind of extraordinary encounter; otherwise, he couldn't possibly have such immense reserves of chakra.

Minato and Tsunade closed in on Wu Tian almost simultaneously, both driving their fists straight toward his head.

Wu Tian grinned. Suddenly, he looked up at Shen Ye and moved his lips without making a sound. Then he vanished from the spot.

He actually told me he'd end everything himself? What does that mean?

Shen Ye understood Wu Tian's silent words, but Minato and Tsunade's fists were about to collide.

"Lady Tsunade, pull your punch! Otherwise, you'll send Minato flying!"

"Got it!"

At the last possible moment, Tsunade tensed the muscles in her fist and sealed her chakra in her arm.

Their fists met without making a sound. Minato let out a deep breath, looking like he'd just escaped death.

If Tsunade had hit him with all her strength, Minato would probably have been sent flying. Half his body would have been crushed.

"You little brat!"

"Lady Tsunade, now's not the time for that. The most important thing is to take that guy down. Shen Ye and I will help you."

"Just don't get in our way. We don't have time to protect you two brats."

An ill-timed voice rang out among the group. Shen Ye looked toward its source and saw an Anbu member.

He couldn't help shaking his head. Bai Dun's death had bound him to the Anbu for good. Even if they confirmed that Wu Tian had killed Bai Dun, it wouldn't repair their relationship.

As long as Danzo was around, Shen Ye's reputation throughout the Anbu would remain poor.

"Then why don't you go bring him back instead of standing around and shouting?" Tsunade shot the man a glare, then plunged into the forest.

Anbu members could ignore some of the village's rules, but even they knew not to provoke Tsunade. The man didn't dare say another word.

Shen Ye pursed his lips and followed Tsunade deeper into the forest.

After weaving through the trees, Shen Ye caught sight of Wu Tian again. Pale blue light burned all over him, making him look incredibly strange.

"Did he use some powerful technique? Why does he suddenly look like this? It's as if he'll explode any second."

"The chakra inside him is in complete turmoil. He must have used a forbidden technique to boost his power for a short time."

Shen Ye nodded and assumed a fighting stance, watching Wu Tian closely.

From nearby, Minato hurled two marked shuriken at Wu Tian, but Wu Tian easily dodged them. They embedded themselves in a tree behind him.

"Strength of a Hundred!"

Shen Ye pushed off hard and charged at Wu Tian. Tsunade tried to stop him, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, Shen Ye was right in front of Wu Tian.

He swung a fist at Wu Tian's chest. Wu Tian snorted and didn't move, letting the blow land.

Even a blow as powerful as Tsunade's hit the blue light and failed to stir the slightest ripple.

A force of attraction appeared around Shen Ye's fist. He tried to pull his arm back, but found he couldn't muster any strength.

Seeing this, Tsunade hurried over and attacked Wu Tian the same way, trying to distract him.

Minato rushed behind Shen Ye and put all his strength into pulling him out of danger.

Shen Ye crouched where he stood, recovering. In that brief moment, a great deal of chakra had been drained from him, leaving him weaker.

Fortunately, Sage Mode was continuously absorbing the natural energy in the air, allowing him to replenish his chakra.

Watching Tsunade fight Wu Tian, Shen Ye finally understood just how terrifying a powerful ninja could be.

If he ran into Wu Tian alone and Wu Tian decided to kill him, there was no way he could escape with his current strength.

I'll have to wait for the right opening before I act. Otherwise, I could easily end up dead at his hands.

"There are only three of us here right now. The Konoha ninja forces haven't arrived as reinforcements yet, so this is going to be tough."

"Who says we're not here? Leave this to us from now on."

Jiraiya stood on a treetop with a massive scroll strapped to his back. He folded his arms and watched Wu Tian and Tsunade fight.

Shen Ye rolled his eyes at Jiraiya. Since he was already here, why not jump into the fight instead of just posing?

"Come on, Jiraiya. Lady Tsunade's about to lose."

Jiraiya scratched his head, then suddenly dove down from the treetop. In the blink of an eye, he landed between Wu Tian and Tsunade.

Seeing the pale blue light blazing around them, Jiraiya knew this would be a tough fight, one they wouldn't be able to finish quickly.

More and more Konoha ninjas joined the fight, surrounding Wu Tian with a dozen others.

Shen Ye and Minato exchanged a glance, then sat down against a nearby log. As they watched the dazzling battle, they committed the fighters' techniques to memory.

Suddenly, Wu Tian broke through the encirclement formed by Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others, charging straight toward Shen Ye and Minato.

"Shen Ye, look out! He's coming right at you two!"

"Let him come. We're not that easy to catch. Flying Thunder God Technique!"

Shen Ye grabbed Minato by the shoulder and used the Flying Thunder God Technique. With a whoosh, they vanished from the spot.

Even Tsunade was left staring in surprise, along with everyone else.