Chapter 437: The Fifth Hokage (Conclusion)

In the world of ninjas, giant summons played a crucial role on the battlefield. To counter these massive creatures, many jutsu had been developed, with Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld being one of the most effective. The sheer size of these summons made it extremely difficult for them to escape from the chakra-infused swamps created by the jutsu.

As the swamp expanded to a diameter of several dozen meters, Manda, the enormous snake summoned by Orochimaru, found itself trapped. Despite its struggles, it couldn't free itself from the bog.

With Manda immobilized, Gamabunta, the giant toad summoned by Jiraiya, formed hand seals and spewed a large volume of oil from his mouth. Unable to avoid it, Manda was drenched from head to tail in toad oil.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya called out as the oil splattered all over Manda.

"I got it!" Tsunade responded immediately, throwing a kunai wrapped with explosive tags toward the snake.

Normally, Gamabunta's oil would be ignited by Jiraiya's fire-style jutsu to create an even more devastating attack—Toad Oil Flame Bullet. However, since Jiraiya was busy maintaining the Swamp of the Underworld, he had no choice but to rely on Tsunade to light the flames.

In the past, during the great wars, the three Sannin had mastered these kinds of collaborative combat techniques. In battle, they didn't need to remind each other; they instinctively knew how to coordinate.

Boom!

The explosive tags detonated, igniting the swamp into a raging inferno. The flames consumed Manda's massive body, and with a final, agonized roar, the serpent vanished, retreating to the summoning realm. Most summoning creatures could return to their realm unless killed instantly, and Manda, ever the selfish snake, never hesitated to flee when the odds were against him.

With Manda gone, Jiraiya and Tsunade also sent Gamabunta and Katsuyu back to their realms.

"This time, Orochimaru, you won't escape," Tsunade declared, her resolve hardening.

"Speaking of the three sages, the Great Slug Sage from Shikkotsu Forest is the only one who has yet to make an appearance," Daniel mused. Unlike Ryuchi Cave and Mount Myoboku, which had a variety of creatures, Shikkotsu Forest was home to only one—a colossal slug. The slugs summoned by Tsunade were merely fragments of the Great Slug Sage's body, much like shadow clones. When summoned slugs returned to Shikkotsu Forest, they merged back into the original entity.

While Daniel pondered the mysteries of the Great Slug Sage, Tsunade's hemophobia triggered, halting the battle. Shizune and Naruto rushed to her side as Jiraiya and Orochimaru paused their fight, recognizing the severity of the situation.

Tsunade's fear of blood had been a well-kept secret. Only Shizune and the Fourth Raikage, whom she once treated, knew about it. Even her fellow Sannin, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, had believed she left the Leaf Village solely due to the deaths of her brother Nawaki and lover Dan.

"Unbelievable," Orochimaru murmured. Hemophobia was crippling for a medical ninja—how could someone afraid of blood treat others?

Kabuto, who had been fighting Shizune, took full advantage of Tsunade's condition. Unlike Orochimaru, who rarely bled during battle due to his modifications, Kabuto was different. After realizing Tsunade's fear, he took a blood pill and sliced open his arm, covering himself in fresh blood.

The ninja world didn't have pills that could boost chakra limits like certain magical items, but it had plenty of medical pills, like blood pills and soldier pills. Blood pills temporarily replenished lost blood, helping treat those who suffered severe blood loss in battle. However, the effects were temporary and came with a side effect: weakness. After using a blood pill, the user needed significant rest and nourishment to recover fully. Soldier pills, meanwhile, had a wide variety of recipes but generally restored stamina and chakra.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto quickly summoned dozens of shadow clones, swarming Kabuto. Though Kabuto wasn't at his peak, the sight of so many clones still made him frown.

Although Kabuto was already injured from his fight with Tsunade—his body suffering multiple fractures—he still fought with cunning and strategy. He wasn't nearly as resilient as Orochimaru, who could withstand Tsunade's blows thanks to his modified body.

"Naruto's grown a lot," Daniel thought, somewhat surprised by Naruto's performance. His impact on the world was clear—Naruto had learned to fight smarter, using fewer clones to conserve chakra rather than overwhelming his enemies with sheer numbers.

"Rasengan!" Using his clones to create an opening, Naruto landed a Rasengan on Kabuto. Unfortunately, due to the difference in their strength, Kabuto wasn't gravely injured by the attack.

"You think sheer determination can overcome the gap in our power?" Kabuto scoffed, easily dodging Naruto's next move. Though he refrained from killing Naruto, he gave him a harsh lesson.

But Naruto's relentless will wasn't without effect. Watching Naruto fight, Tsunade was reminded of her brother Nawaki. The resemblance between the two—both in appearance and personality—was striking. As Kabuto continued to attack Naruto, it felt to Tsunade like she was witnessing Nawaki's death all over again. Her fear and pain gave way to fury.

Breaking free of her fear, Tsunade's anger exploded. She lashed out at Kabuto, who had no choice but to retreat toward Orochimaru.

"How long are you going to keep watching?" Orochimaru suddenly shouted. His situation was becoming precarious as Jiraiya and Tsunade prepared to overwhelm him.

"Didn't want to interrupt your reunion," Daniel said casually, appearing next to Orochimaru with a nod. "Nice to meet you both. I've heard a lot about you."

"Is it him?" Tsunade turned to Jiraiya for confirmation, her eyes on Daniel.

"That's him. He's strong—be careful," Jiraiya warned, moving closer to Tsunade. Unlike her, Jiraiya had seen Daniel's strength firsthand.

"Return the Scroll of Seals," Tsunade demanded, noticing the scroll on Daniel's back.

"Sure, here you go," Daniel replied, tossing the scroll toward her. After all, returning it was one of his main reasons for being here.

"Wait!" Jiraiya quickly stopped Tsunade from grabbing it, using his Wild Lion's Mane technique to catch the scroll from a distance.

"Who are you really? What do you want from the Leaf?" Jiraiya asked suspiciously.

"I don't want anything from the Leaf. I just shared what I know. Why does everyone think I have some grand agenda?" Daniel replied with a shrug, his tone nonchalant.

Tsunade snorted in disbelief, clearly unconvinced.

"Seems like talks have broken down. Time to leave," Daniel said, turning to Orochimaru and Kabuto. They had come for Tsunade's help, but it was clear now that she wasn't going to aid them.

"Let's go," Orochimaru agreed. He had already given up on the idea of convincing Tsunade to heal him.

"Think you can leave that easily? Stay here!" Tsunade roared, her chakra surging as she dashed toward Daniel, her fist crackling with power.

"Perfect. Let's test it," Daniel murmured, meeting her punch head-on with his own.

Boom!

When their fists collided, the resulting shockwave cracked the ground beneath them, the force radiating outward. Orochimaru and Kabuto were forced to leap back to avoid the destructive energy.

Crack.

A faint cracking sound followed. Tsunade grimaced as her right arm twisted unnaturally, her body sent flying backward from the impact. Despite holding back, Daniel's strength was far beyond hers.

"I overdid it," Daniel thought, noticing Tsunade's injured arm.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya rushed forward, catching her in midair before leaping to safety. His heart raced in disbelief—he had never seen anyone overpower Tsunade's monstrous strength so easily, not even the Fourth Raikage.

"Are you alright?" Jiraiya asked, his concern clear.

"I'm fine," Tsunade replied, gritting her teeth as she pressed her hands together. Chakra surged around her as she activated her most powerful technique.

"Yin Seal: Release! Creation Rebirth!" Tsunade's injuries healed almost instantly, but her face began to show signs of aging—a consequence of using the technique.

Unlike Orochimaru, who stayed young by constantly switching bodies, and Tsunade, who used her stored chakra to maintain her youth, Jiraiya's appearance showed the passage of time.

"Storing chakra over time. That's quite the technique," Daniel mused. The Yin Seal allowed Tsunade to accumulate chakra when she wasn't using it, much like saving up unused strength for later.

The amount of chakra stored could be massive over time, especially for someone with Tsunade's talent. If Naruto or Sasuke had access to the technique, their reserves would be even greater.

But the Yin Seal wasn't something just anyone could learn. Despite years of training under Tsunade, Shizune had never managed to master it. It required an extraordinary level

 of chakra control, far beyond what most ninjas could achieve. Even Sasuke and Naruto wouldn't be able to learn it.

"Looks like I'll have to ask her about that another time," Daniel thought, making a mental note to revisit the idea later. Right now, it was time to leave.

"Let's go," Daniel said to Orochimaru.

Seeing them about to escape, Tsunade tried to stop them again, but Jiraiya intervened, holding her back.

"How are you holding up?" Jiraiya asked after the three vanished.

"It's just the side effect of the technique," Tsunade said, activating her Yin Seal again. Her youthful appearance returned, but the strain was evident.

"Wait, so you're actually an old lady?" Naruto blurted out, his eyes wide with disbelief. The next moment, Tsunade's fist collided with his head.

"What did you just say, brat?" she growled, her expression dark.

"Old… lady?" Naruto muttered, clearly missing the point.

"You little—" Tsunade started to raise her fist again, but Shizune quickly intervened.

"Please, Tsunade-sama! Naruto is still injured!" Shizune pleaded, hoping to de-escalate the situation.

"Fine. You're lucky this time, brat. But remember, I'm the Fifth Hokage now, so watch yourself!" Tsunade declared.

"Alright, let's head back to the Leaf," Tsunade announced.

"Tsunade-sama is back!" The two chunin guards at the Leaf Village gates shouted with joy upon seeing her return.

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