Iwa shinobi continued their barrage of long-range ninjutsu. The wall Kazuyama had created earlier was on the verge of collapse, so Konoha's ninja rushed to reinforce it with another Earth-Style Wall.
The high-temperature smoke lingered for a while longer, burning the poisonous bees caught within into shriveled husks.
But the Kamizuru Clan's determination didn't waver. Under their control, the bees began to crawl low along the ground, moving fast. In the blink of an eye, they reached the outside of the Earth-Style Wall.
"Attack! Don't let those pests near the defenses!"
Tsunade charged ahead, unleashing her monstrous strength into the earth. The impact shattered the ground, sending debris flying in all directions.
Screams echoed from below.
"Hmph, trying to launch a sneak attack from underground like a bunch of rats?"
"Then I'll bury you right here!" This update ıs available on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
With sensor ninja guiding her, Tsunade went full excavator mode.
With her superhuman strength, not a single rock stood a chance—no, more accurately, no tunneling shinobi had a chance.
Brutal didn't even begin to cover it. Each punch left a gaping crater in the ground.
Her relentless blows decimated the Iwa ninja underground.
Still, they didn't back down. The survivors quickly changed tactics, spreading out in all directions to avoid her range. Some, bolder than the rest, even burst up from the ground.
Only to be turned into human pincushions seconds later. This was the Konoha front line—what were they thinking?
"Trying to run? Not that easy!" Tsunade shouted, slamming both palms onto the ground. A massive fissure ripped outward, throwing fleeing Iwa ninja off their feet.
At the same time, the rest of Konoha's forces sprang into action, taking full advantage of the chaos Tsunade had caused.
Some launched ninjutsu to wipe out the remaining poison bees in the air. Others rushed the disoriented Iwa shinobi who had been caught in the shockwave.
But Iwagakure wasn't a minor village.
Just when it looked like Konoha had full control, the elite Iwa troops finally arrived at the front lines.
A burly man surged forward, and his eyes locked on Tsunade.
"Princess Tsunade, your opponent is me!"
"Earth Release: Rock Fist!"
His fist, coated in thick stone, came crashing down like a cannon.
Against an average shinobi, that would've been devastating—but his target was Tsunade, the princess of Konoha.
"Hmph! You think a chunk of rock can challenge me?"
The instant their fists collided, the stone around his hand shattered, but Kitsuchi didn't flinch. His raw strength was just as much a weapon.
The stone had absorbed some of Tsunade's impact, keeping him from being sent flying.
That, of course, pissed her off.
"Heavenly Foot of Pain!"
Right after her punch came a follow-up kick. Kitsuchi instinctively leapt backward to evade.
The kick slammed into the ground, completely splitting it apart. With her strength, that strike rivaled—or even exceeded—Earth Release: Tearing Earth Turning Palm.
"No wonder they call you Princess Tsunade. That power…"
"You let your guard down, son of the Tsuchikage..."
Just as Kitsuchi backed off and caught his breath, a ghostlike voice whispered behind him.
The sound made his hair stand on end. He tried to react, but it was already too late.
"Ever heard of the Ghost of Konoha…"
"One Thousand Years of Death—Enhanced Pain Version!"
The strike stabbed through like a venomous fang, not just hitting his body but drilling straight into his soul.
Agony—raw, overwhelming agony. He couldn't think of a better word.
This wasn't just pain. It was pain that kept escalating.
What was this dizziness? Could pain really be so intense it made you faint? Apparently so. Kitsuchi had never felt anything like it. Now he had.
"You bastard! Konoha's Ghost!"
His entire face flushed red with pain. Veins bulged across his body as he forced himself to endure it and formed a hand seal.
Kazuyama raised an eyebrow. That was surprising. Most people who took that hit were out of commission instantly.
But Kitsuchi actually powered through?
Huh. Guess strength training really does pay off.
"Get Kitsuchi out of there!"
Behind Kitsuchi, countless Iwa shinobi surged forward. Seeing him heavily injured, Taiseki rushed to pull him back.
Kazuyama vanished the moment his strike landed. With his target's adrenaline already maxed out and fresh enemies pouring in, he made a clean exit.
Ninjutsu and tools rained from above like a storm, forcing even Tsunade to fall back.
"Kitsuchi, are you alright?"
Adrenaline hits hard—and fades fast. Without the rage and hormonal surge to keep him going, Kitsuchi's complexion shifted rapidly from red to purple to pale white. His strength was gone.
Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed.
Taiseki's expression darkened. Damn it. The battle had just started, and one of their key commanders was already down...
Damn that Konoha Ghost. What kind of attack was that?
"Taiseki-sama, what about Kitsuchi-sama?"
"Get the medics on him, now!"
By then, the two armies had already clashed—and the true horror of the poison bees began to show.
Even after suffering losses, the bees kept coming in wave after wave, swarming toward the front lines like they'd never run out.
Konoha's shinobi were overwhelmed. The formation began to fall apart under the relentless assault.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A ninja proficient in Wind Release tried to blow the swarm away. The bees scattered for a moment... then regrouped and charged right back in.
Just then, the black cloud that had been hovering above suddenly dropped into the fray. It was the Aburame Clan, led by Aburame Kagekuro, weaving their kikaichū through the enemy swarm to mitigate the bees' damage.
"Hmph. The Aburame Clan?" Taiseki scoffed at the sight.
But the bees were too numerous. Even the Aburame began to falter under the pressure.
"Tch. This better work..."
Seeing the front about to collapse, Tsunade pulled a small bottle from her coat.
Without hesitation, she tossed it into the ranks—followed by a stone.
It was a vial of insect repellent, specially developed by Orochimaru.
The bottle shattered, releasing the contents into the air.
The moment the repellent spread, both the poison bees and the kikaichū froze—then scattered in all directions.
It worked. It actually worked!
Tsunade lit up with relief.
Her rallying cry had just rung out when the ground at the center of Iwagakure's forces erupted.
A massive golden python burst from the earth.
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