Principal Meritorious Officials

Never before had anyone seen Shen Ye use such a ninjutsu; in Tsunade's memory, only the Second Hokage was capable of mastering it.

Later generations would flip through ancient texts to learn the training techniques for the Flying Thunder God, yet not a single person could truly succeed.

"What kind of ninjutsu is this? Did he just traverse space? Am I seeing things?"

A succession of questions erupted among the Konoha ninjas, but they were quickly cut short by a roar from Wu Tian.

"Two pieces of trash who only know how to run! I know I can't get out of here alive today, but I'm taking at least two of you down with me to make it worth my while."

Wu Tian tapped his right foot lightly against the ground, spun his body in mid-air, and continued to chase in the direction where Shen Ye had appeared.

However, this had given Tsunade and Jiraiya ample time to react, and they would never let him get anywhere near Shen Ye and Minato.

Surrounded once again by the Konoha ninjas, Wu Tian was clearly struggling to cope; the prolonged burning of his chakra had left him feeling overextended.

"Earth Style, Rock Lodging Destruction!"

Wu Tian performed hand seals at lightning speed. The surrounding ground began to tremble violently, and massive boulders tore free from the earth, smashing toward every Konoha ninja.

"Sage Art, Needle Jizo!"

The long white hair on Jiraiya's back instantly grew, shielding all the Konoha ninjas beneath it, including Minato and Shen Ye.

The stones struck the hair, which was as sturdy as an iron plate, and were shattered into pebbles that rolled onto the ground.

Seizing this opportunity, Wu Tian turned and charged toward Shen Ye, the urge to finish off these two little brats never leaving his heart.

Shen Ye, who had been holding his breath, saw Wu Tian charging at him and was instantly filled with righteous fury.

"Do you really think I'm easy to bully? Now, let me show you what the wrath of a king truly feels like."

Minato sensed Shen Ye's mood, and his own desire for battle was instantly ignited. He pulled several shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and flung them at Wu Tian to buy a brief moment of time.

"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"

Shen Ye gathered all the chakra in his body into his mouth, took a deep breath, and exhaled a massive ball of fire that erupted just as it reached Wu Tian.

The sky was instantly illuminated. As the flames roared, Wu Tian pushed through, shielded by a blue glow, inching his way out of the inferno.

Seeing this, Jiraiya quickly exhaled a gust of wind toward the flames; the powerful gale combined with the fire to completely engulf Wu Tian.

"Earth Style, Earth Prison Dome!"

Scattered rocks fell from the sky into the flames, drawing together to form a protective shell that encased Wu Tian.

Shen Ye frowned. After that burst of chakra, this guy was actually able to perform ninjutsu several times stronger than his own. He had to find an opportunity to steal that technique for himself.

Time seemed to stand still. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the flames until they slowly dissipated.

Wu Tian leaped, shattering his own protective shell, and dove toward Shen Ye.

"Strength of a Hundred, Partial Multi-Size Technique!"

Shen Ye's fist grew massive in the blink of an eye and slammed toward Wu Tian in the sky, the force of his Strength of a Hundred tearing through the air with a deafening screech.

Tsunade stared blankly at Shen Ye, never imagining that the younger brother she had always wanted to protect had grown to such a level.

Even for ninjas of the Akimichi Clan, the Partial Multi-Size Technique required a long time to truly master, yet Shen Ye was already using it with such proficiency.

Wu Tian, caught in mid-air, had no way to dodge the massive fist and took the blow head-on.

"Success! I hope this hit severely wounds Wu Tian—it would be best to settle this trouble once and for all."

"You are all too naive. If I were defeated so easily by the likes of you, I would have wasted all that time lurking in the village for nothing."

Wu Tian's words stirred deep suspicion in Shen Ye's heart. If he had already defected from Iwagakure to become a rogue ninja, what was his purpose in lurking in Konoha?

If it wasn't to pass information back to his village, there would be no need to endure such humiliation here.

Jiraiya and Tsunade realized this as well. Without a word, they both ceased their movements and stared calmly at the Wu Tian before them.

"You've already become a rogue ninja, so what could you possibly want from Konoha? What is here that's worth you lurking for so long?"

"That is my secret. If I told you, I fear every single person here would betray Konoha to seek out that truth."

"Truth? What truth?"

"Find it yourself! Hahaha!"

Wu Tian's attitude was incredibly stubborn; he had no intention of revealing his true motives.

"Once we capture him, Ibiki has plenty of ways to pry his mouth open. We'll know everything about him then."

"Just try it."

"Shen Ye, Minato, be ready at all times to deliver the killing blow!"

"Understood!"

"Yes!"

Tsunade and Jiraiya lunged at Wu Tian simultaneously, while the other Konoha ninjas performed their duties, preparing to close the net.

After such a long entanglement, Wu Tian's body was already on the verge of collapse, struggling forward only by sheer force of will.

Shen Ye expanded his Chakra Perception. The figures of everyone appeared in his mind, their every movement slowed down several times over, allowing him to easily analyze their next actions.

Tsunade took the lead, engaging Wu Tian in close-quarters combat once more, inch by inch forcing him toward the ground.

Jiraiya coordinated with Tsunade to slowly maneuver Wu Tian into the prepared trap.

Although Wu Tian had no desire to follow the whims of these two, he found that he had already lost control over his own combat faculties.

"Shen Ye, now!"

"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"

Shen Ye's arm suddenly expanded to an immense size, catching Wu Tian in his grasp just as he was about to hit the ground.

At this moment, the blue radiance on the surface of Wu Tian's body was nearing exhaustion; completely unable to pry open Shen Ye's massive palm, he could only struggle in vain.

"Well done. We can finally bring this guy back."

Both Tsunade and Jiraiya wore expressions of relief.

Minato took a deep breath, already preparing to rest for a few days once he returned home, intending to fully process everything he had seen and heard during this battle.

Jiraiya laid the massive scroll from his back flat on the ground, then lightly bit his finger and pressed it against the parchment.

"Sealing Technique!"

A suction force emanated from the scroll, and as Wu Tian screamed, his body twisted and was pulled inside; Jiraiya then closed the scroll and secured it back onto his back.