Just relying on these few people, can they take down Hanzō and Jūzō?!
The answer: highly unlikely!
If we remove Jūzō and Fubuki Ryūya from the equation, that leaves Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Haruto Saito against Hanzō.
That doesn't sound too bad, right?
But that's not how it works!
Because ninjas cooperate!
If we calculate Tsunade's group based purely on individual strength, one plus one plus one equals three. That level of power wouldn't even be enough to defeat Fubuki Ryūya! But the reality is different—Tsunade's team is more like one plus one plus one equals ten!
That's the power of teamwork!
Likewise!
If Hanzō and Jūzō work together… and there's no doubt they will! Jūzō was personally trained by Hanzō. Their combat styles are similar, making their coordination seamless!
If they combine their power, their strength would double, and that would make them impossible for Haruto Saito's team to defeat!
However!
That's not the full extent of Haruto Saito's strength!
"Brat, if you want to die, don't drag us down with you, okay?" Tsunade sneered. "Even if we struggle against a demigod, it's already difficult enough, let alone with a powerful assistant by his side…"
"Relax, relax! You guys stay here and keep an eye on them. I'll go call for reinforcements! Just one more, okay?" Haruto Saito said.
There was still one more person!
Kakuzu was still in Furuta Village!
Although the village was several hundred kilometers away, Haruto Saito could teleport back instantly with the Flying Thunder God Technique. Traveling back with Kakuzu would take some time, but if he pushed his warrior techniques to the limit and dragged Kakuzu along, they wouldn't take too long!
Tsunade and the others exchanged glances.
One more person? Would that be enough?
Victory was uncertain!
But they didn't understand what Haruto Saito was really thinking. Jūzō's presence had given him an idea—a very bold one!
"Do you guys think we're going to lose?" Haruto Saito asked again.
"Hard to say," Tsunade replied.
"Alright! Let's assume we are going to lose. If we can't win and need to retreat, I'll stay behind…" Haruto Saito said quickly. "There's no doubt that I'm the Hokage's direct disciple, and I also carry billions in wealth. If I stay behind, Hanzō definitely won't chase after you guys. I'll make sure you escape safely…"
"That's easy to say, but brat…" Tsunade frowned. Haruto Saito was once again playing with fire, and it gave her a headache.
"Enough talking! It's decided! You guys stay here and keep watch. Once they start moving, follow them—I can track them…" Haruto Saito said before vanishing into thin air.
He didn't give them a chance to argue!
******
Furuta Village. Haruto Saito appeared out of nowhere in a palace bedroom.
This was where he had placed one of his Flying Thunder God kunai!
He flickered out of the room and quickly found Kakuzu in the command hall.
Kakuzu was in the middle of a meeting!
All the key members of Furuta Village were present—shinobi whom Haruto Saito had personally vetted for loyalty. However, they were all merely Jōnin.
"My lord!"
Haruto Saito's sudden arrival made them all stand at attention!
They knew who he was, understood his strength, and were aware that the powerful village they were building was backed by none other than Konoha—the strongest shinobi village in the world!
"You, come with me! Now!" Haruto Saito ordered Kakuzu.
"But here, I still—"
"It's fine! We'll be back by midnight at the latest…"
Haruto Saito wouldn't keep Kakuzu away from Furuta Village for long—at most a few hours. If they couldn't handle Hanzō in that time, they'd have to retreat anyway. A few hours wasn't enough time for spies to send crucial intelligence, so the village would be safe!
Moments later…
South of Furuta Village, deep in the forest!
Haruto Saito dragged Kakuzu at full speed! He was using a forbidden samurai technique, pushing his body to the absolute limit. His muscles and organs were taking damage, but he didn't care—he could heal it all with a single recovery card! No big deal!
They were moving at speeds of hundreds of meters per second!
Kakuzu, on the other hand, was merely being dragged along. Since he wasn't exerting his own power, his body wasn't under much strain. Besides, his physiology was special—he had multiple hearts!
Minutes passed!
Haruto Saito had dragged Kakuzu over a hundred kilometers. He had to stop for a moment to use a mid-level healing card. Kakuzu couldn't see the card, so he could only watch Haruto Saito perform strange actions!
"Hm?"
Just as his body recovered, Haruto Saito's expression changed.
He sensed it!
The Flying Thunder God kunai he had placed on Tsunade was moving! The coordinate was shifting!
That meant Tsunade and the others had started moving!
Which meant… Hanzō and Jūzō must have moved as well!
"Let's go!" Haruto Saito grabbed Kakuzu again and took off running!
Minutes passed again!
Haruto Saito had already consumed a second low-level healing card. He then noticed that the Flying Thunder God coordinate had slowed down—it wasn't stationary, but the movement was minimal.
The movement was too small for him to gauge the exact distance.
Tsunade and the others had stopped? Did Hanzō and Jūzō stop too?
Keep running!
More minutes passed!
The night sky was dark, but up ahead, the sky was glowing red—fires raged, and explosions thundered!
They were already fighting!
Haruto Saito's expression changed drastically. He skidded to a stop and turned to Kakuzu. "It's over there! Get there on your own—quick!"
Without another word, Haruto Saito vanished!
...
Battlefield. Flames burned wildly!
The surrounding forest had been reduced to ashes. Hanzō wielded his scythe like a raging storm, wreaking havoc across the battlefield. Jūzō moved like a shadow, seamlessly following Hanzō's every move…
Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Fubuki Ryūya were surrounded!
Yes, surrounded!
Two against four!
And yet, these four powerful shinobi were at an absolute disadvantage! All of them were already injured!
This shouldn't have happened!
Even without Haruto Saito, they shouldn't be in such a dire situation. They should at least be able to hold their ground! But the problem lay with Fubuki Ryūya—he was Haruto Saito's puppet! If he strayed too far from Haruto Saito, his strength was halved!
Because of that, he hadn't been fighting at full power!
He couldn't even hold his own against Jūzō!
Tsunade and the others were stunned!
Fubuki Ryūya wasn't as strong as they expected, making the battle incredibly difficult! Getting caught by Hanzō was already a nightmare. Having a weakened ally only made things worse!
If this continued…
In less than an hour, Orochimaru—who had been relying heavily on forbidden techniques—would begin suffering severe internal injuries, drastically reducing his combat effectiveness…