"Oh? That kid Kazuyama turned into a serpent? Has he mastered Senjutsu?"
"Not bad—a blue-gray giant snake? Looks pretty powerful."
"Tch, the brat from back then has grown into a giant python!"
"But hey, if you're calling us out, you'd better have our rewards ready. Otherwise, I'm just showing up, not helping."
The four sisters glanced at the blue-gray serpent racing alongside them, tossing out teasing remarks, though they were secretly stunned.
After all, over the years, very few Ryūchi Cave successors had ever mastered Senjutsu.
And Kazuyama? In such a short time, he'd already grasped the Serpent Transformation Technique—and with all three Snake Princesses present, this was clearly the Coiling Serpent Technique as well.
Sage Mode, Serpent Transformation, Coiling Serpent—this kid was a monster.
"Damn, has this kid already surpassed Orochimaru?!"
Surrounded by a sea of flames, Hanzō wasn't consumed as Kazuyama had expected. He had used Water Release to shield himself and sustained it with chakra, weaving through the fire unharmed.
But when he saw the four massive snakes emerge, he made up his mind—no more fighting.
Ibuse was dead, and Hanzō was seething with rage. He wanted revenge.
But not now. He needed the right opportunity—one that would let him completely erase Kazuyama from existence.
Ibuse would not die in vain!
...
The five giant snakes charged through the forest, heading straight for the Five-Tails. Even facing a Tailed Beast, they showed no fear.
"We're taking over for Jiraiya. Taking down the Five-Tails is our mission!"
"Let's do this, sisters!"
Kazuyama clasped his hands together, channeling all his natural energy to keep the Titan Python active.
Responding to his call, Yulín, the eldest, was the first to act.
Her massive serpent body coiled, then launched into the air toward the Five-Tails.
Kinrin accelerated with a thunderous burst—born for melee as a golden python.
Seirin and Korin remained close to Kazuyama—one brewing venom, the other rhythmically rattling her tail.
Still roaring in fury, the Five-Tails, Kokuō, charged blindly after Jiraiya, completely unaware of the five predators closing in behind her.
"Hit her! Now!"
Kazuyama's roar marked the beginning of battle.
He struck first. Though smaller in size, the Titan Python—made entirely of chakra—soared into the air and lunged for Kokuō's massive head.
"What the hell?!"
"Damn it! Konoha's ghost—it's you again, you little brat!"
Kazuyama didn't hesitate. The Titan Python wrapped around Kokuō's neck and sank its fangs in.
Kokuō shrieked in pain and fury. Feeling the serpent constrict around her throat, she turned her focus from Gamaken and Jiraiya to Kazuyama—but as she spun around, she froze.
What was she seeing?
Snakes in the sky, snakes on the ground. Colorful serpents had her completely surrounded.
"Roar!"
Kinrin struck first—Spirit Serpent Thrust—slamming into Kokuō's side. Even the mighty Five-Tails staggered from the impact.
"Corrosive Fang!"
"Sonic Boom!"
Seirin and Korin followed up immediately.
A flash of green light—poisonous fangs—struck Kokuō, the venom burning into her flesh.
She tried to let out another furious roar.
But Korin's sonic boom exploded in her face, cutting her scream short and leaving her dazed.
Then Yulín came crashing down from the sky, delivering her own version of the "falling giant" technique.
She wasn't as heavy as Gamaken, but the sheer force of her drop slammed Kokuō into the ground.
"AAAAHHHH!"
"I'll kill you all! I'll kill every last one of you!"
Kokuō snapped. She was done. She couldn't take any more!
First a toad had squashed her—now a pack of snakes! What kind of cursed day was this?
"Stay down already!"
"Minato did his job getting the Four-Tails out of here. That monkey would've been way harder to deal with than you!"
Kazuyama's words dripped with disdain, and it nearly made Kokuō explode. Her eyes turned blood-red with rage.
Steam burst continuously from her body, but the Titan Python—being chakra-based—was immune to the scalding heat and kept its deadly grip on her throat.
The other four snakes surged in with their own attacks.
Kinrin rammed and bit. Seirin struck with venom-laced fangs. Korin wrapped around Kokuō's forelegs, unleashing wave after wave of sonic blasts.
Yulín dropped again from above, using her body to bind the struggling Tailed Beast.
Together, the five snakes had done the unthinkable—they'd pinned down a Tailed Beast.
Even Kokuō, in all her raw power, couldn't break free—her body battered from every angle.
...
"My god, am I seeing this right?"
"That brat Kazuyama... he's got the Five-Tails restrained?!"
Jiraiya blinked furiously, rubbing his eyes like he was hallucinating from the hits he'd taken.
He pinched himself, hard, just to be sure he was awake.
"Gamaken, tell me I'm not crazy—is the Five-Tails actually pinned?"
"Jiraiya... you're not crazy. That's really happening."
Even Gamaken, usually thick-skinned and slow to react, stared at the scene with his mouth agape.
It was brutal. These five snakes—if it had been him under that onslaught, he'd be shredded.
...
"Kazuyama, this beast has ridiculous stamina!"
"Got any tricks left?"
Korin's voice came through as a sonic signal, vibrating directly into Kazuyama's mind.
He had noticed it too. Kokuō's strength lay in her sheer physicality. Unless they had a being of equal power—or something even more overwhelming—hurting her would be nearly impossible.
"Sorry, everyone. I don't."
"We're not here to beat her—just hold her!"
Kazuyama's objective wasn't to defeat the Five-Tails. All he had to do was stall her.
Sure, he could've teleported her away.
But keeping her suppressed in the middle of the battlefield would throw Iwagakure's forces into psychological turmoil. That was why he chose to fight her here.
"You bastards!"
"Let me go!"
"I'll tear you apart!"
Steam gushed out in furious waves, but the five snakes only tightened their grip.
Kazuyama took it further—creating a horde of shadow clones, each wielding a Kusanagi Sword, hacking away at Kokuō.
The strikes didn't deal serious damage—but that wasn't the point. It was psychological warfare.
Sure enough, after being bombarded by waves of attacks, the enraged Kokuō finally triggered a new system prompt for Kazuyama.