"Boom!"
As Gamabunta finished speaking, he stomped his legs fiercely into the ground among the mountainous terrain. Instantly, several towering mountains around them violently trembled.
The gust created by his leap sent over a dozen Sand Ninja flying before they even had a chance to attack. Even seasoned Jonin barely kept their balance.
Gamabunta had jumped!
With his massive body and explosive leaping power, in just a few breaths he had traveled hundreds of meters away, before crashing heavily to the ground when his momentum ran out.
"Thud!"
The earth shook violently again—this time even more intensely than before, causing rocks to collapse from the mountains.
The battlefield where Konoha's Reinforcement Squad had been ambushed by the Suna ninja was caught in the shockwave.
Hundreds were stunned—including both faction leaders, Hatake Sakumo and Chiyo.
At this moment, Sakumo looked rather disheveled, but still stubbornly held on. Though Chiyo had an advantage in raw strength, she was a Puppet Master specializing in physical attacks via her Puppets and techniques using ninja tools and mechanical traps.
For someone like Sakumo—who excelled in speed and partial physical combat—he could be considered the natural counter to Puppet Masters.
Chiyo hadn't used "Three Treasures Suction Collapse" again since that technique clearly required immense effort. More importantly, some desperate moves Sakumo had used earlier had already damaged parts of her Chikamatsu Collection.
That collection was her ultimate weapon—one that absolutely couldn't afford any damage. So naturally, Sakumo made her cautious.
Everyone turned sideways as another tremor rumbled from those distant mountains. By the time it reached them, its force had weakened significantly. Then at last, they noticed the colossal figure soaring across the sky.
"It's... one of the sacred toads from Mount Myoboku?!" Sakumo stared intently, joy clearly spreading across his face.
He could vaguely make out two figures standing atop the giant toad's head: Minato and Nawaki.
"So this kid Minato actually summoned a Summoning Beast of this scale?!"
It wasn't just Sakumo who saw the pair riding Gamabunta's head. Others on Konoha's side spotted them too, gasping in shock.
Summoning Jutsu was widely known among Jonin-level ninja, but very few had ever seen such an enormous Summoning Beast before.
The Sand ninja were equally astonished. Even Chiyo's operatives assigned to hunt down Konoha stragglers hiding in the woods—Chiyo herself included—stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"So this brat is the apprentice of Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin?" Chiyo mused inwardly. Minato destroying two of her puppets had already surprised her enough—but now he exceeded all her expectations.
Can a ten-year-old really summon and control something this massive?
Minato, unaware of the ripples his actions had caused on the battlefield, was fully focused on expanding his sensory abilities.
"My perception range has actually increased severalfold!"
Minato was astonished. He hadn't anticipated that after the Nine-Tails' chakra restored his physical strength, some of his physical attributes would surge so dramatically.
"Sempai Nawaki, we've got a chance!" he shouted with relief as he glanced at Nawaki beside him who had already lost consciousness.
Even if he couldn't sense Jiraiya's presence nearby, it wasn't an issue—Gamabunta's massive body made it impossible not to notice him once he leaped.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Each leap produced earth-shaking booms. Yet its success was undeniable—it was moving at a pace Minato could never have kept up with before.
...
Not long after, dozens of miles away from where Minato currently was, hundreds of Konoha ninja were sprinting through the rain, and at the very front stood the "Konoha Sannin"—Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru!
Everyone pushed forward with full effort. About ten seconds later, one Hyuga ninja near the front abruptly halted. Within his far superior visual system, an extremely tiny black dot appeared.
At first, he thought it might be an illusion, but within seconds, he sensed an incredibly powerful tremor emanating from that continuously rising-and-falling dot.
He stopped in stunned silence, staring intently and murmuring, "That is..."
His unusual behavior quickly drew surprised glances from those around him—including Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
However, before anyone could ask what was wrong, a clear tremor began to transmit toward them from the distance.
The Konoha Sannin immediately turned their heads in unison. In the distance, a shadowy figure repeatedly bounded closer.
From where they stood, the creature didn't appear that large—but even at this distance, they could unmistakably tell how colossal it truly was.
"Is it the enemy's jutsu?" Tsunade asked cautiously.
Upon hearing this, the surrounding Konoha ninja grew alert, fearing another ambush.
Jiraiya, standing beside her, recognized the general outline but remained uncertain. Only as Gamabunta's towering form began to take shape did he finally gasp in shock.
"Why is it here?" Jiraiya muttered in surprise, referring to a creature even he himself couldn't fully control.
He then waved his hands and declared, "It's not the enemies."
As the tremors intensified, the gigantic creature approached ever closer.
What had previously been only Gamabunta's blurry silhouette now revealed human figures atop its head.
"It's Minato!"
A Hyuga ninja identified him first, sending shockwaves among the gathered ninja.
Among them, the most astonished look naturally belonged to Minato's respected mentor, Jiraiya.
"Boom!"
Amidst flying debris and a powerful gust laced with rainwater, Gamabunta's enormous body landed right before the Konoha group.
When they saw the giant Gamabunta, everyone's face lit up with disbelief.
Swish! Swish!
In the next moment, two figures dropped down directly from Gamabunta's head. Minato carried Nawaki Sempai on his back as he rushed in front of Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama, Nawaki Sempai has been poisoned by Chiyo—please save him quickly!"
With no time to explain or acknowledge the stunned looks around him, Minato didn't stop for even a second.
"What?"
Hearing this, Tsunade's beautiful face instantly changed expression. She hurried forward and carefully took Nawaki Sempai off Minato's back.
She didn't even ask for details—she could see at a glance that Nawaki was severely poisoned and there wasn't a moment to lose.
"How could this happen?" Jiraiya couldn't help but ask when he saw the situation.
Minato didn't answer him. Instead, his face filled with anxiety as he urgently spoke to Jiraiya.
"Master, hurry and reinforce Sakumo Sempai! Our Reinforcement Squad is under attack by Suna Ninja led by Chiyo!"
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