"Dammit! Bee!"
"Are you laughing again?! That was Dodai! Wipe that damned grin off your face!!"
The son of the Raikage, A, saw Killer Bee trembling with laughter and exploded with rage, immediately yelling at him.
Killer Bee had already been holding it in with difficulty, but A's shout broke his last restraint.
"Ahaha! Yo! Dodai-san! That was a total tragedy!"
"Ahahaha!"
A grew even angrier, barely holding himself back from punching his unreliable little brother into the sky. He grabbed a nearby Kumogakure ninja and dragged him forward.
"Tell me now, what the hell happened to Dodai!"
The ninja grabbed by A hurriedly explained the battle situation with Konoha.
"Snake? One gold, one blue? Orochimaru?"
"Dodai covered the rear, and then... this happened?"
A furrowed his brow, lost deep in thought.
A snake—clearly a summoning beast. That much was obvious. After all, Orochimaru, one of the Konoha Sannin, summoned snakes. As for the gold and blue colors? Who cared—if snakes were involved, it was definitely Orochimaru.
But Dodai's condition was serious. He had taken a heavy blow and was still unconscious. Judging from the situation, his psychological trauma might be even worse.
Damn those Konoha ninja!
"Everyone aside from the guards, begin advancing toward the Land of Fire."
"If you encounter Konoha ninja and they're few in number—wipe them out. If they're many, send a signal immediately!"
"I want the Konoha ninja to pay with blood!"
"Bee! Stop laughing! Come with me! We're going to pay those Konoha rats a visit!"
As soon as he heard there was going to be a fight, Killer Bee got excited.
"Yo! Got it, brother! Let's show Konoha how tough we are!"
A was the hot-headed type. When his own people were wronged, there was no way he wouldn't retaliate.
He immediately dashed off in the direction of the Land of Fire.
The other Kumogakure ninja quickly followed A's lead.
...
Meanwhile, on the Konoha side, the base had not yet been fully established. Gekko Chizan was alone within the borders of the Land of Hot Water, constantly monitoring the surrounding area.
"Chōmei, do you think Takigakure's noticed your decoy yet?"
"Hmph, what a joke. What I left behind was my discarded shell, infused with a good deal of my chakra. They wouldn't dare enter it."
Gekko Chizan sat atop a tree trunk, reminiscing about the time he abducted Chōmei.
"Haha, Chōmei, what do you think—if I hadn't taken you back then..."
"Would you have had your own Jinchūriki? Or would you have chosen one to lead you out?"
That question hit Chōmei right in the heart.
He wasn't the kind of Tailed Beast that could endure loneliness. Otherwise, he wouldn't have secretly used scale powder to torment the Takigakure ninja.
"Probably. Being locked up for so long is just way too boring."
Gekko Chizan nodded. He thought of Fu from the original series—that cheerful girl who just wanted to make friends.
While the man and the bug were chatting merrily...
Chōmei suddenly gave a soft "Huh?"
"Chizan, something's off. A bunch of people are heading this way."
"And that chakra... we've encountered it before."
Upon hearing Chōmei's words, Gekko Chizan immediately focused and activated his insect vision to observe.
"Sure enough... it's A, the son of the Third Raikage, and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Good grief, that's a lot of people."
"Looks like Dodai's group made it back to base. They're coming to avenge him, huh?"
When Dodai was mentioned, Chōmei chuckled.
"Well, obviously! That Thousand Years of Death of yours sent him spiraling into the sky!"
"Both body and spirit—traumatized."
"But seriously, Chizan, how the hell did you come up with that? Adding chakra spirals to a jutsu like that? You really are a genius."
Gekko Chizan chuckled. He was quite pleased with his upgraded version of the Thousand Years of Death.
But the situation at hand wasn't so optimistic.
If these Kumogakure ninja launched a sudden assault, the casualties could be severe.
"Better report back first and assess the situation."
He casually stabbed a kunai into the tree trunk, then used Flying Thunder God to teleport back toward his camp.
...
At that moment, the base was still under construction—not even the trenches were dug yet.
Tsunade, Akimichi Torifu, and Shirakumo stood on a small hill, watching in the direction of the Land of Hot Water.
Gekko Chizan's sudden appearance caught the three of them off guard.
"Chizan, why are you back?"
"Did Kumogakure make a move?"
Gekko Chizan nodded.
"Kumogakure's dispatched a significant force heading toward the Land of Fire, led by the son of the Third Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Together, they form Kumogakure's infamous 'A-B combo'."
Upon hearing that, all three frowned deeply.
Dodai's pursuit team had only just returned, and they were already launching a second offensive?
Kumogakure sure came prepared.
"The base isn't finished yet. If a battle breaks out here, the consequences could be disastrous."
"We can't let the battlefield be here."
"Let's move out. The three of us will lead a team to intercept them."
"So what if it's the A-B combo? We won't know until we fight. As for the Eight-Tails—if he goes berserk, Kumogakure stands to lose even more."
Shirakumo's intent was clear—better to strike first than passively defend.
His words earned nods from Tsunade and Akimichi Torifu.
"The enemy is moving in small teams. I suggest we also engage them with small units."
"As for the A-B combo, Lady Tsunade, may I accompany you?"
Gekko Chizan looked at Tsunade with a cheeky smile, awaiting her answer.
Tsunade was surprised that Gekko Chizan would take the initiative to volunteer for battle.
His reputation in the village was more like: run when you can, never fight unless forced. She never expected him to be the one to ask for a fight.
"Alright then, Chizan. Go fetch Hiashi—we'll go greet the A-B combo!"
Gekko Chizan didn't worry about his own safety at all—being with Tsunade was the safest place he could be.
The A-B combo? Nothing to fear.
Tsunade's squad quickly assembled.
The members: Tsunade, Gekko Chizan, Hyuga Hiashi, and Inuzuka Tsume.
"Huh? Tsume? What are you doing here?"
Tsunade looked at Inuzuka Tsume, who stood with her massive black dog, in surprise.
"Haha, Lady Tsunade, I've been part of Shirakumo's squad the whole time."
"Gekko Chizan saw me and said we were going on a sneak attack, so I came."
Inuzuka Tsume was one of Gekko Chizan's peers. Her ninja dog, Kuromaru, was a fierce black wolfhound that Gekko Chizan remembered vividly.
Back in school, Gekko Chizan had tried to pet Kuromaru and got chased down half the street...
Even now, Kuromaru looked at Gekko Chizan with eyes full of challenge...
"Alright, Chizan. Your Flying Thunder God jutsu is good to go, right? Take us with you."
"Everyone, get ready. We're heading straight into the battlefield!"
Tsunade clenched her fists, joints cracking as a fierce aura surged around her.
Nawaki...
Dan...
Protect me...
...
A/N: Inuzuka Tsume, mother of Inuzuka Kiba, first appeared at age 36 (during the Konoha Crush Arc). She's the same age as Namikaze Minato, meaning they were in the same graduating class.
Her ninja dog, Kuromaru, is the coolest-looking dog in all of Naruto. Seriously—one eye, one ear, looks totally savage!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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