"What?!"
Gamabunta stomped his legs fiercely, twisting his body in an attempt to break free from the golden sand shackles binding his hind limbs.
However, despite using all his strength, the golden sand chains remained unmoving, as if forged from the purest gold.
To make matters worse, more golden sand climbed up his legs, and as Gamabunta glanced to his left, he saw a surging wave of golden sand rushing toward him.
"Jiraiya, looks like this is as far as I can go!"
Gamabunta exhaled a thick puff of smoke before opening his mouth wide.
"Water Release: Iron Cannonball!"
A massive water sphere shot out from Gamabunta's mouth, hurtling toward the Third Kazekage in the air.
The Kazekage casually waved his hand, summoning a dark iron sand wall to intercept the incoming water sphere.
Bang!
The enormous water sphere was surprisingly powerful, leaving a large dent in the iron sand wall and nearly breaking through it.
After delivering his parting words, Gamabunta dispelled the summoning technique and returned to Mount Myōboku, as his Chakra reserves had been nearly depleted in the previous exchanges.
"Sensei!"
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Two voices shouted almost simultaneously.
Just as Jiraiya was about to fall from Gamabunta's head onto the golden sand below, a green blur swept in and caught him mid-air.
"Sensei, are you alright? Can you handle that white-haired guy?" Sōmi and Scorpion, standing on their golden cloud, flew to the Kazekage's side.
"Are you underestimating me? But I must admit, the title of 'Sannin' isn't just for show..." The Kazekage feigned irritation, though his steady breathing suggested he hadn't suffered much damage.
The green blur that had saved Jiraiya revealed itself—a massive, emerald-green toad carrying two giant blades on its back.
"Gamahiro, sorry to trouble you. Gamabunta just returned, so we'll need your help!" Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya stood atop Gamahiro's head, with Minato maintaining his usual polite and warm demeanor as he greeted the toad.
Gamahiro simply nodded lightly.
With remarkable agility, Gamahiro leapt dozens of meters away, landing in a dense forest. The impact of his landing crushed several small trees underfoot.
"Even you couldn't take down the enemy?"
"It seems these opponents are no ordinary foes!"
Jiraiya's expression was solemn. From the massive wave of golden sand earlier, it was clear that the other two Sunagakure shinobi were formidable adversaries.
"Indeed, Sensei!"
"That red-haired youth's puppet is incredibly peculiar. I can't tell what material it's made of, but its surface shimmers like liquid metal—almost as if it's alive."
Minato furrowed his brow, clearly puzzled by Scorpion's puppet.
"My Rasengan was directly absorbed by that puppet. Otherwise, I could have at least taken down the one using the golden sand."
"I see... Even you couldn't identify the puppet's nature?" Jiraiya stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"It seems I'll have to enter Sage Mode!" Jiraiya quickly made up his mind after a brief moment of consideration.
"Sensei?!"
...
"Sensei, should we continue pursuing them?" Sōmi asked the Kazekage.
"What's this?" The Kazekage raised a slender eyebrow. Given his understanding of Sōmi, who was both talented and diligent, and exceptionally committed to completing missions, he found it strange that Sōmi would even suggest retreating.
If the Kazekage knew that Sōmi's rigorous training was primarily motivated by self-preservation rather than any lofty ideals of Sunagakure's "Will of Wind," he would undoubtedly have mixed feelings.
After all, Sōmi wasn't just considering retreat—he was deeply inclined toward it!
"The Yellow Flash is too fast! Even if we manage to temporarily push them back, there's no way we can kill them!"
"If we keep dragging this out until Konohagakure's reinforcements arrive, the situation will completely turn against us." Sōmi squinted slightly, his gaze fixed on Jiraiya and Minato ahead.
He had already noticed Jiraiya clasping his hands together in a seal, the markings below his eyes suddenly extending.
Meanwhile, Minato was forming seals aimed toward the sky, causing the transparent barrier to expand diagonally downward, as if turning the area into a massive enclosed arena.
It seemed their opponents shared the same thought as the Kazekage—to eliminate the threat here and now.
The Kazekage stared into Sōmi's eyes, as if trying to peer into his soul. But Sōmi met his gaze with a calm expression, betraying nothing.
Looking up at the transparent barrier overhead, the Kazekage seemed to recall something. He spoke, "If they can use sealing techniques to restrict us, then we can use sealing techniques to restrict them!"
Hearing this, Sōmi wanted to retort. Minato Namikaze, with his mastery of sealing jutsu learned from Kushina Uzumaki, was practically at the pinnacle of the shinobi world in this field.
Although Sōmi had learned sealing techniques from Master Bunpuku, his skills were still far inferior to those of the Uzumaki clan.
However, seeing the Kazekage's determined expression, Sōmi knew any attempt to dissuade him would be futile.
After all, if they could eliminate these two iconic figures of Konohagakure here, Sunagakure could capitalize on the victory to carve out a significant portion of the Fire Nation's fertile lands, finally quenching the long-standing thirst of their citizens.
"Rasa, senior brother! Please..."
"Scorpion, you..."
Sōmi quickly composed himself and began issuing tactical instructions. After all, if they couldn't win, at least they could escape.
"Sensei, let's attack directly. That white-haired guy seems to be preparing some kind of powerful jutsu!"
Sōmi, Scorpion, and the Kazekage charged toward the massive emerald-green toad.
Rasa, however, discreetly landed in a concealed location, seemingly preparing something of his own.
Meanwhile, Scorpion's third scroll had quietly unfurled. Two puppets now stood beside him—one crafted from the remains of Fuguki Suikazan, the Samehada, and rare metals, and the other a surviving Iwa-nin puppet from his battle with the "Three Blades of the Mist."
The Raiga Kurosuki puppet, under Scorpion's control, emitted blinding silver lightning as it hovered above the group.
Having witnessed Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, they naturally prioritized bolstering their defenses.
The Kazekage's wide iron sand wings flapped, generating strong gusts of wind while simultaneously condensing into a dense ring of iron sand.
In the blink of an eye, the ring stretched and morphed into a series of sharp, gleaming black spears, which shot toward Jiraiya in unison.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The piercing sound of the spears slicing through the air echoed loudly.
Jiraiya, hands clasped in a seal, was clearly the most vulnerable target at the moment.
However, neither Minato nor Jiraiya moved. Instead, the massive emerald-green toad beneath them reacted swiftly, drawing the two giant blades from its back.
Crossing the blades in its hands, the toad spun them rapidly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two blades whirled like a massive windmill, effortlessly shattering the incoming spears.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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