"How was it? Did you find out, Slug?"
As soon as Ren finished speaking, the two tentacles on Slug's forehead wiggled, and the eyes at their tips fixed on Ren.
"I understand, Ren. I'll go back and prepare then."
"Hehehe, alright."
With a burst of white smoke, Slug returned to Shikkotsu Forest, while Ren and the others rubbed their hands together, looking at the opposing side with ill intent.
"Lord Shiroyama, regarding Konoha's Three Ninja, what do you think…?"
A subordinate next to Shiroyama subtly pointed at the three and asked.
"For now, ignore them. Recovering the Four-Tails is the most important thing."
Although Shiroyama said that, he stood his ground and did not personally enter the fray precisely to prevent the three from causing trouble. After all, they were two of the Three Sannin and a capable young Ninja. If they really caused a ruckus, it was uncertain whether the Four-Tails could be captured today.
"Lord Shiroyama, they're moving!"
"Hmm?"
When Shiroyama saw the three begin to move, he prepared to step forward, but the subsequent actions of the three completely threw him off.
Tsunade came behind Ren and Jiraiya, grabbed their clothes, and then her arms began to bulge with muscles. With the enhancement of Super Strength Fist, she started spinning in place while holding the two. After several rotations, she suddenly threw them. Their bodies immediately shot into the air like arrows from a bowstring.
"This?"
Not just the Stone Ninja, even the Four-Tails looked a bit confused. But soon, they understood the trio's intention.
"Hiss, Lord Jiraiya, prepare!"
The wind howled. Although Ren was a bit dizzy, he hadn't forgotten their mission and shouted to Jiraiya, who was not far away, with air leaking from his mouth.
"I know!"
Jiraiya's voice came from afar. Ren steadied himself, constantly observing their positions in mid-air. After flying to the target location, Ren's eyes lit up, and he roared.
"Begin!"
Jiraiya didn't respond, but it was clear to see that both of them bit their fingers simultaneously and began to form hand seals.
"Summoning Technique x2"
The Stone Ninja and the Four-Tails, who were in battle, stopped and looked up. Two dark figures continuously grew larger in their vision. Seeing this, both sides' expressions changed simultaneously. "No way, again?!"
At this point, dodging was too late. A giant toad crashed onto the Sealing Squad, who were setting up a seal, directly crushing and injuring many, causing the nearly completed Sealing Jutsu to fail. In an instant, their half-day's effort was wasted. The other dark figure, however, landed on the Four-Tails. The immense impact once again knocked the Four-Tails to the ground. Just as it was about to throw off the thing on its back, the Four-Tails, upon touching the other's body, felt a slippery sensation. When it finally struggled to lift its head, it discovered it was a giant Slug, currently wriggling on its back, rubbing everywhere, covering its mighty and domineering red fur with disgusting slime. It sent a shiver down its spine.
"These guys!"
The fury in Shiroyama's eyes almost materialised. Looking at the two behemoths in front of him, he roared as he charged forward.
"Everyone, attack this toad! Protect the Sealing Squad!"
"Yes!"
The Commander gave the order, and many Stone Ninja formed hand seals. Various Kunai, Exploding Tags, rock cannons, earth spikes, and other attacks flew towards the giant toad. But Jiraiya didn't give them a chance to attack. He leapt up himself and dispelled the Summoning Technique in mid-air. The giant toad disappeared, and most of the attacks missed. However, as Jiraiya descended, some delayed Ninjutsu flew towards him. And given his position, they were simply unavoidable.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Jiraiya's expression remained unchanged. He quickly formed hand seals, and a huge fireball spewed out, colliding with the incoming Ninjutsu. Moments later, these Ninjutsu exploded in the air, and the powerful aftermath swept towards Jiraiya.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
With a low shout, Jiraiya's long white hair rapidly lengthened, then danced in the air, completely enveloping Jiraiya. Under the gaze of the Stone Ninja, the "needle ball" that Jiraiya had transformed into was swept away, finally drawing a graceful arc in the air.
It finally landed in the puddle Ren had created earlier. Not long after, Jiraiya swam out of the water. Under the stunned gaze of the Stone Ninja, Jiraiya quickly ran into the distance, sneezing and blowing snot bubbles as he ran. It seemed that taking a cold shower on a rainy day was indeed not a good idea.
"This…"
Before the Stone Ninja could recover, the huge commotion from the Four-Tails once again attracted their attention.
...
"Get off me, you bastard!"
The Four-Tails suddenly stood up. Before it could even throw the Slug off, it suddenly felt a lightness on its back, and the Slug, which had been clinging to it, had disappeared. If it weren't for its fur still matted together, it might have even thought it had just fallen.
"Four-Tails, look here!"
"Huh?"
As soon as the Four-Tails lowered its head, it had a bad premonition. The next second, its pupils gradually dilated. The two humans from before were rapidly charging towards its six-pack abs, and two incredibly small right fists, in its view, struck like lightning. They hit almost simultaneously.
Double Super Strength Fist, Burst!
The Four-Tails immediately felt a huge impact and intense pain in its abdomen. Its two standing feet began to uncontrollably retreat, finally collapsing to the ground under the horrified gaze of the Stone Ninja. As the earth trembled, it caused another wave of casualties for the Stone Ninja.
"You three, I'll remember this!"
Shiroyama looked at the fallen Four-Tails beside him and its incredibly crimson eyes. He cursed the three's ancestors eight generations back in his heart.
"Roar!!"
Listening to the roar from behind, the three, who had regrouped, didn't look back, their footsteps quickening instead.
"That felt great, Ren, your idea was brilliant."
Jiraiya looked at Ren, full of praise. Not only did they vent their anger, but they also shifted the blame. Considering how berserk the Tailed Beast would become, it was likely that a good half of the Ninja who returned with Shiroyama today would be lost.
"Hiss!"
Just then, Ren, who was running, suddenly felt his body go empty, and then his legs went weak, dropping to one knee.
"Huh? What's going on?"
The two stopped simultaneously. Seeing Ren's state, their expressions suddenly changed. Jiraiya asked somewhat anxiously.
Tsunade, after checking for a moment, let out a sigh of relief and said softly.
"He's fine. It's just a slight after-effect of using the Yin Seal. He'll get used to it after using it a couple more times."
After speaking, Tsunade came in front of Ren, turned and squatted down, saying irritably.
"Get on."
"Hehehe."
Ren didn't stand on ceremony. Under Jiraiya's envious and jealous gaze, he flopped onto Tsunade's back, hands resting on Tsunade's shoulders to keep himself from sliding off.
"Alright, let's go. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can rest."
Jiraiya yawned, a hint of drowsiness and fatigue in his eyes. Months of high-intensity work and combat had pushed his spirit to the brink of collapse. Now that Senior Sakumo, Tsunade, and Shikaku had arrived, he could finally get some good rest.