"Yoho? Using Earth Release to advance underground, huh?"
"You guys clearly don't know just how terrifying Tsunade-sama is."
Gekko Chizan used his insect vision to watch the enemy forces slowly seeping into the ground, and a wide grin spread across his face.
He instantly used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Tsunade, opening with,
"They went underground. Tsunade-sama, how about we have a little digging contest?"
This sentence left Tsunade completely confused.
She thought, This brat… what nonsense is he even talking about now?
"What do you mean? Stop with the riddles, just say it clearly."
"I don't get a word of what you're saying."
Gekko Chizan covered his face with one hand, clearly frustrated.
Why is communicating so hard? If it were his disciples or his teacher, they'd understand him the moment he said a single line.
But with Tsunade, it was like pulling teeth.
"They're using Earth Release ninjutsu to sneak attack from below. Are you going to do something about it or not?"
"I've told you already. Whether you do something about it is your call."
Leaving those words behind, Gekko Chizan vanished. Jinlin was still fighting up ahead, and as the summoner, he couldn't afford to slack off either.
With Flying Thunder God activated, Jinlin—who had been locked in a fierce battle with boulders—vanished on the spot.
This made the Iwagakure ninjas widen their eyes. The visual shock of a giant golden python suddenly disappearing was tremendous.
Observing the battlefield, they soon discovered Jinlin had reappeared at the front lines of Konoha's formation.
"Chizan, let me at 'em!"
"Those bastards threw rocks at me. I'll eat them alive!"
Jinlin's furious roar made Gekko Chizan chuckle.
"Easy, Jinlin. This is a battlefield. Keep it together."
"Their countermeasures are pretty clever. They must've trained specifically to deal with large summons."
Gekko Chizan looked at the collapsed ground ahead. Other pythons were in trouble; two had already been taken out.
A whole year of preparation—clearly, the enemy hadn't wasted a second. Their tactics against summons were very effective.
"But we're not just going to sit here and take it." Gekko Chizan quickly formed hand seals.
"Crystal Release: Living Armor Technique!"
Crack!
A layer of transparent crystal armor formed over Jinlin's once golden body.
The armor was solid but didn't restrict Jinlin's movements, and the python was thrilled.
"Chizan, this ability of yours is amazing! I like it!"
"I'm going to charge in again!"
As Jinlin celebrated, Gekko Chizan only shook his head.
"It just boosts your defense a little so you won't get hurt. Sure, your scales are tough, but if we don't limit their combo ninjutsu, you won't break through anyway."
Jinlin raised his head high, his voice filled with disdain.
"Hmph! Don't think such cheap tricks can stop me."
"So, Chizan, wanna try it with me?"
Gekko Chizan seemed to know what Jinlin had in mind, but he didn't object. Honestly, Jinlin's method might be their best option at the moment.
Just then, Tsunade leapt onto Jinlin's back. Feeling the transparent armor beneath her feet, she was momentarily startled.
Before she could speak, Gekko Chizan spoke first.
"Tsunade, I'm going to have Jinlin tunnel underground for a sneak attack. Can you send a team with him?"
"If we go head-on, the pressure will be too much for us."
"They've already started to bypass that area."
Tsunade glanced at the massive Jinlin and nodded.
"Fine. The assault unit is ready."
"Before both sides clash head-on, we can try a surprise strike."
"But what about the poison bees?"
Tsunade glanced toward the struggling frontline. Even if they managed to stall the spread of the poison bees temporarily, both chakra and explosive tags were finite.
If they didn't find a good solution, those bees would become a deadly threat.
"Tch! So annoying."
"Tsunade, if I help out here, you're not going to snitch on me, right?"
Gekko Chizan suddenly turned to Tsunade and asked.
She blinked. Snitch? On what?
"What are you talking about?"
"Literal meaning. I can suppress these poison bees for a while, but this concerns my reputation. If you can't keep it secret, I'm not lifting a finger."
Tsunade felt a vein twitch at her temple. This brat—this is a battlefield, what the hell is he thinking?
"Go ahead. I'll back you up. Even if you wipe out the whole enemy force, it won't be a problem."
"But only if you can actually do it."
Gekko Chizan gave her a sideways look but said nothing. Instead, he crouched down and patted Jinlin's head.
"Go, Jinlin. Dig deep and don't run into them. I'll cover you."
"Got it! Let's go!"
Gekko Chizan moved first, shooting up into the air despite the swarming poison bees around him.
"Get lost, you damn bees!"
Thousands of crystalline senbon scattered in every direction, clearing the bees nearby.
"Chōmei, lend me some chakra!"
"Got it!"
Chakra surged as Gekko Chizan rapidly formed hand seals.
Tsunade frowned when she saw the seals. Fire Release?
Since when is this brat good at Fire Release?
"Fire Release: Dust Concealment Technique!"
A massive plume of superheated smoke burst from Gekko Chizan's mouth.
The sheer scale of the smoke cloud was staggering—it engulfed the entire area in front of Konoha's defenses, both above and on the ground.
The intense heat slaughtered the poison bees en masse.
The swarm's assault was completely suppressed.
As the hot smoke spread, it also blocked vision.
Using the smoke as cover, Jinlin's massive body drilled into the ground.
"Assault team, ready up!"
"Follow Gekko Chizan's python underground and attack!"
Seeing the action begin, Tsunade immediately mobilized her forces.
"Sensor ninjas, locate the enemy's ambush squad!"
"I'm going to bury them all underground!"
Tsunade clenched her fist, radiating an intimidating aura.
The first to scowl at Konoha's sudden offensive were, of course, the Kamizuru clan at the front.
"Damn it, such a wide-range technique..."
"Could it be Jiraiya or Orochimaru?"
"Damn it, in this case..."
Yabachi's face darkened. Their insect-based ninjutsu was weakest against large-scale jutsu—especially Fire Release.
But the scale and power of this jutsu were ridiculous…
Still, the Kamizuru clan had no choice now.
"Everyone! Don't hesitate!"
"Lower the swarm's flight altitude and attack along the ground!"