Chapter 436: Battle of the Three Sannin

As Tsunade spoke, she strode out of the tavern. Given the destructive power of both her and Orochimaru, if they fought inside, it wouldn't just be the tavern that would be ruined—the entire town would be in danger. To avoid harming the innocent, Tsunade led the way to the outskirts of the town, heading into the wilderness.

"Lady Tsunade." Shizune, tense and alert, kept a close eye on Orochimaru and Kabuto while following Tsunade closely. Unlike Tsunade, who seemed unconcerned about a sneak attack from Orochimaru, Shizune couldn't afford to drop her guard. She knew Tsunade well—her fear of blood would severely limit her ability to fight at her full potential. 

Tsunade's hemophobia wasn't just a personal trauma—it was one of the reasons she had left the Leaf Village. During the war, if word had spread that one of the Leaf's strongest fighters and its top medical ninja had developed hemophobia, it would have crushed morale. Even for ninjas, morale was crucial during wartime. 

"Orochimaru." Tsunade clenched her fists, preparing to strike.

"Tsunade, I'm not here to fight you. I've come to make a deal," Orochimaru said bluntly. "I know you've always wanted to see those two again. I can bring them back. In return, all I ask is that you heal my hands."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She had already noticed that Orochimaru's hands were crippled, even before he mentioned it. As a medical ninja, it was something she could easily discern.

Her fists, which had been poised to attack, loosened. The mention of those two—her brother, Nawaki, and her lover, Dan—brought her to silence.

The deaths of Nawaki and Dan were wounds Tsunade had never fully healed from. The pain of their loss was so severe that she had even given away the First Hokage's necklace, said to carry a death curse.

"Lady Tsunade, be careful! This could be a trap," Shizune cautioned. She knew how much Tsunade wanted to bring Nawaki and Dan back, but coming from Orochimaru, it had to be dangerous. Shizune didn't trust him at all. To most Leaf ninjas, Orochimaru was evil incarnate—his experiments, his demeanor, everything about him screamed danger.

"You can think it over. I'll be waiting for your answer tomorrow," Orochimaru said as he turned to leave. "This is a one-time offer."

---

"I thought you'd push her to heal your hands right away," Daniel Davis remarked, appearing before Orochimaru and Kabuto with the scroll of sealing slung over his back. Daniel had tagged along to return the scroll to Tsunade, having already copied the contents. It was better to hand it back to the future Fifth Hokage rather than keep it, as the scroll was one of the Leaf Village's most prized possessions. Keeping it would only lead to further complications with the Leaf's ANBU constantly on his tail, which was more of a nuisance than a threat.

"She'll agree," Orochimaru said confidently. He knew how much Tsunade cared for Nawaki and Dan, and he was certain she wouldn't pass up the chance to bring them back.

Daniel nodded slightly in agreement but didn't say anything further. Under normal circumstances, Tsunade would likely have agreed to Orochimaru's offer. However, with Naruto involved, the outcome would be different. Naruto had a way of swaying people—eventually even Itachi Uchiha had been moved by him.

Daniel had already sensed Naruto and Jiraiya's arrival in Tanzaku Town. He had summoned four Shadow Clones and sent them to scout the area, confirming that Naruto was indeed here and that his relationship with Jiraiya seemed as close as ever.

---

"Have you made your decision yet? To show you I'm serious, I'll bring one of them back first," Orochimaru offered the next day when he met with Tsunade again.

"I refuse!" Tsunade shouted. As she spoke, Jiraiya and Naruto appeared behind Orochimaru and Kabuto.

"So that's why," Orochimaru muttered, realizing that Jiraiya's presence had likely influenced Tsunade's decision.

"Are you sure you want to refuse? This is your only chance," Orochimaru said, still trying to persuade her, though he knew it was likely a lost cause.

"I would love to see them again, but I know they wouldn't want to be revived like this. Orochimaru, as the Fifth Hokage of the Leaf, I won't let you escape today," Tsunade declared firmly.

Under normal circumstances, Tsunade wouldn't have accepted the position of Hokage. In the original timeline, it had taken Naruto's words to convince her. But this time, after hearing about the Leaf's recent troubles from Jiraiya, Tsunade had agreed to step up. She knew that only she, as the granddaughter of the First Hokage, could calm the unrest stirred by Daniel's revelations.

As one of the Legendary Sannin, and the founder of the Leaf's medical corps, Tsunade had earned immense respect from both the ninja clans and civilians alike. She didn't want to become Hokage, but she wanted even less for her grandfather's village to fall apart. As the last surviving member of the Senju, it was her duty to protect the Leaf.

"So you've already accepted the role of Hokage? What a shame," Orochimaru sighed. He knew that once Tsunade made up her mind, there was no turning back.

Without further words, Tsunade launched her attack. Chakra surged from her feet as she shot into the air, her right leg gathering immense power as she descended upon Orochimaru and Kabuto with a crushing kick.

Boom!

Orochimaru and Kabuto, who had been prepared, quickly dodged to either side. Tsunade's kick landed with devastating force, creating a crater several meters deep and sending shockwaves through the ground, making it tremble as if struck by an earthquake.

"What monstrous strength," Kabuto muttered in awe, raising his arms to block the debris flying toward him. He had long heard of Tsunade's legendary strength, but this was the first time he had witnessed it firsthand. A direct hit from her could easily be fatal.

The Sannin had once worked in perfect harmony on the battlefield. Jiraiya would lead the charge, drawing the enemy's attention, while Orochimaru would use his snakes to restrain them. Then Tsunade would land the finishing blow.

"That strength... there aren't many in the pirate world who could match it," Daniel observed from the sidelines. He had originally planned to learn Tsunade's super strength technique, but after seeing it in action, he realized he didn't need to. The Scroll of Seals already contained detailed instructions on how to achieve superhuman strength through chakra control.

In fact, Tsunade wasn't the only one who possessed such strength. Both the First and Second Hokage had also mastered it.

Training in super strength wasn't particularly difficult—it was all about precise chakra control. In theory, all ninjas had the potential for super strength because their chakra-enhanced bodies were far stronger than ordinary people.

Weapons like the Executioner's Blade, which were impossible for normal people to wield, posed no such problems for ninjas due to their enhanced physical abilities.

The power of super strength depended on the individual's control over their chakra. In this regard, Sakura had more natural talent than either Sasuke or Naruto.

While super strength didn't require much training, other techniques like Tsunade's Yin Seal and Creation Rebirth were still worth learning. These weren't included in the Scroll of Seals, likely because Tsunade developed them after leaving the Leaf.

"Striking Shadow Snakes!" Orochimaru retaliated by launching several snakes from his mouth, but Tsunade was too fast. She grabbed one of the snakes, yanking Orochimaru toward her and delivering a powerful punch to his body.

Tsunade's monstrous strength pummeled Orochimaru repeatedly. Daniel counted as she landed a total of forty-two punches on him. If it were anyone else, they would have been killed by now. But Orochimaru's body, modified over years of experimentation, absorbed the blows and quickly regenerated.

Tsunade, starting to grow tired, finally punched Orochimaru into the air, giving herself a moment to catch her breath.

"His body modification rivals the powers of the Gomu Gomu no Mi," Daniel thought. Orochimaru had taken dozens of hits from Tsunade without breaking, a testament to his inhuman durability. His snake-like body, which could bend and flex like rubber, along with his ability to absorb and disperse the force of her punches, explained his survival.

Of course, even with all his modifications, Orochimaru wasn't completely immune to damage. Tsunade's punches, strong enough to crack Susanoo, were no joke.

"Kabuto!" Orochimaru shouted as he landed on the ground. He couldn't keep taking hits like this, especially now that Jiraiya was about to join the fight. Orochimaru needed to counterattack before he was overwhelmed.

"On it!" Kabuto broke away from his fight with Shizune and rushed to Orochimaru's side.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade all summoned their respective beasts, and three massive creatures appeared in the clearing outside Tanzaku Town.

Manda, Gamabunta

, and Katsuyu—the Sannin's legendary summons—had reappeared on the battlefield after so many years. These three were the embodiment of the balance between the Sannin, each corresponding to the nature of the other.

"Ryuchi Cave, Mount Myoboku, and Shikkotsu Forest…" Daniel mused, recalling the three great summoning lands. Besides the mysterious Otsutsuki clan, these were the most mystical places in the ninja world. The Great Toad Sage had existed since the time of the Sage of Six Paths, already capable of wielding senjutsu chakra in that ancient era.

Orochimaru had the contract with Ryuchi Cave, and Daniel knew that if he wanted to sign it himself, it would be easy. After all, even someone from the Sand Village had once signed the contract with Ryuchi Cave.

Still, Daniel was hesitant. While the techniques of Ryuchi Cave were intriguing, he didn't need a summoning beast to boost his power. Moreover, summoning creatures were limited to the ninja world—they couldn't follow him into other dimensions.

As for Sasuke, he would likely be well-suited to Ryuchi Cave, but he needed to grow stronger before he attempted such a dangerous contract. Unlike the other two sanctuaries, Ryuchi Cave would gladly devour anyone too weak to survive.

In a way, Orochimaru's encounter with the white snake skin in his childhood had been fate. That skin had been the shedding of the White Snake Sage of Ryuchi Cave.

"Orochimaru, you snake! You better give me more sacrifices this time!" Manda hissed, immediately recognizing his old foes, Gamabunta and Katsuyu. While he could handle either of them one-on-one, fighting both at once was a losing battle.

"We need to get out of here!" Shizune quickly led Naruto away from the battlefield. The size of the summoned beasts was enormous, and even the slightest movement from them could be deadly to a regular person.

In the original timeline, the battle between Gamabunta and Shukaku had been so fierce that the ground itself began to crack and collapse, and their combined jutsu had summoned a powerful storm.

The Legendary Sannin's reputation wasn't just about their individual strength. Their summons were formidable weapons in large-scale battles. A single jutsu from one of these creatures could devastate an entire enemy army.

Daniel didn't interfere in the battle, knowing it was crucial for Tsunade to overcome her fear of blood. This fight was her turning point.

"We need to stop this! They'll destroy the entire town at this rate!" Seeing the tremors from the battle already beginning to collapse some of Tanzaku Town's buildings, Jiraiya quickly began weaving hand signs.

"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"

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