"Bastard! Beat it!"
"Don't you dare laugh again! This is Dodai! Take back your damn laughter!"
A, the son of the Raikage, saw Killer Bee trembling nearby and immediately lost his temper, launching into a fight.
Killer Bee had been holding it in with great difficulty, but A's outburst pushed him over the edge.
"Hahahaha! Oops! Dodai! This is really tragic!"
"Hahahaha!"
A's anger flared even more. He barely restrained himself from punching his unreliable younger brother into the sky and instead grabbed a nearby Kumo ninja.
"Tell me, what the hell happened to Dodai?!"
The ninja, caught off guard, quickly recounted the battle with Konoha.
"Orochimaru? One gold, one green? Orochimaru?"
"Dodai was at the rear, and that was it?"
A furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
The snake had to be a summoned beast—there was no doubt about it. Orochimaru, one of the Konoha Sannin, was known for summoning snakes. As for why it was gold and green—who cared? It was definitely him.
Dodai's condition was grave. He had taken a severe blow and was still in a coma. Judging by the situation, the mental trauma might be even worse than the physical injuries.
Damn you, Konoha ninja!
"With the exception of the garrison, the rest of you, start heading toward the Land of Fire."
"If you encounter Konoha ninja, kill them if there are only a few. If there are many, signal immediately!"
"I want the Konoha ninja to pay for their crimes in blood!"
"Bee! Stop laughing! Follow me! Let's go hunt down those Konoha rats!"
As soon as Killer Bee heard they were going into battle, his energy skyrocketed.
"Yes! Yes, brother! Let's show Konoha how strong we are!"
A was hot-tempered—when one of his own was wronged, he would never let it slide.
Without hesitation, he dashed toward the Land of Fire, his fury blazing.
The rest of the Kumo ninja followed his lead.
Meanwhile, in Konoha's camp, their base had yet to be fully established. Kazuyama remained alone in the Land of Hot Water, closely monitoring the situation.
"Chōmei, do you think they found your decoy body in Takigakure?"
"Haha, are you kidding? The body I left behind was my own, packed with a ton of my chakra. They wouldn't dare go near it."
Kazuyama sat on a tree trunk, recalling the moment he first abducted Chōmei.
"Haha, Chōmei, if I hadn't taken you in the first place,"
"Would you have your own Jinchūriki? Or would you have chosen someone to take you out?"
This question struck a chord with Chōmei. He wasn't the type of Tailed Beast that could endure loneliness—otherwise, he wouldn't have secretly used his Scale Powder to mess with the ninja from Takigakure.
"I guess so. After all, being trapped there is really boring."
Kazuyama nodded, thinking of Fū from the original story—an optimistic girl who just wanted to make friends.
Just as the man and the insect were having a pleasant chat, Chōmei suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
"Kazuyama, something's not right. A lot of people are heading this way."
"And that chakra… We've encountered it before."
Hearing this, Kazuyama quickly focused his thoughts and activated his Hive Mind to observe.
"As expected, it's the Third Raikage's sons, A and the Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails."
"Good grief, there are quite a few of them."
"It looks like the Dodai group has returned to their base. Are they preparing to take revenge for Dodai?"
Chōmei chuckled at the mention of Dodai.
"What are you talking about? With your One Thousand Years of Death Rasengan, that guy was sent flying with a Rasengan Ascension."
"Both his body and mind were wrecked."
"But, Kazuyama, how did you even come up with that? How could you add chakra spirals to such a technique? You're a genius too."
Kazuyama laughed, pleased with the improvement of the One Thousand Years of Death.
But the situation wasn't looking good.
If these Kumo ninja launched a surprise attack, the casualties could be severe.
"Let's head back and report, then assess the situation."
Casually, he stuck a kunai into a tree and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport back to his camp.
At this time, the camp was still under construction, with trenches not even dug yet.
Tsunade and Torifu stood on a small hill overlooking the Land of Hot Water, while Shirakumo was nearby.
Kazuyama's sudden appearance startled all three of them.
"Kazuyama, why have you returned? Is there movement from Kumo?"
Kazuyama nodded.
"Kumo has dispatched a large force toward the Land of Fire, led by the Third Raikage's sons and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."
"The two of them are even known as Kumo's A–B Combo."
Hearing this, the three of them frowned.
Had Kumo's pursuit force just returned, only to immediately launch a second wave of attacks? They were well-prepared.
"The base isn't complete yet. If we start a war here rashly, the consequences will be severe."
"We can't let the battlefield be here."
"Let's attack. The three of us will lead the charge and hold them back."
"Even if it's the A–B Combo, we'll find out their limits in battle. As for the Eight-Tails, don't worry. If he goes berserk, Kumo will suffer even greater losses."
Shirakumo's intent was clear—rather than passively defending, it was better to strike first.
His words made Tsunade and Torifu nod in agreement.
"The enemy is moving in small groups and using dispersed formations. I suggest we counter in the same way."
"As for the A–B Combo, Lady Tsunade, shall I take you there?"
Kazuyama smiled at Tsunade, waiting for her response.
She was surprised. Kazuyama had always struck her as someone who would avoid a fight if possible, so his eagerness to volunteer was unexpected.
"Alright, Kazuyama boy, go get Hizashi, and let's go meet this A–B Combo!"
Kazuyama wasn't worried about his safety. With Tsunade around, he was in the safest position possible.
The A–B Combo was nothing.
Tsunade's team quickly assembled: Tsunade, Kazuyama, Hizashi Hyūga, and Tsume Inuzuka.
"Eh? Tsume? Why are you here?"
Tsunade was surprised to see her standing there with a black niken.
"Haha, Lady Tsunade, I've been in Shirakumo's ranks the whole time."
"When Kazuyama saw me, he said he was going on a raid, so I came along."
Tsume was a fellow ninja of Kazuyama, and her ninken, Kuromaru, had left a deep impression on him.
Back in their academy days, Kazuyama had once tried to pet Kuromaru—only to be chased halfway down the street...
Now, Kuromaru stared at him with eyes full of provocation.
"Alright, Kazuyama, your Flying Thunder God Technique should be able to take us all there together."
"Everyone, get ready—the battlefield is waiting!"
Tsunade clenched her fists, a sharp cracking sound echoing as a powerful fighting spirit surged through her.
Nawaki...
Dan...
Bless me…
(100 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake