The Black Mamba was incredibly fast, reaching the Konoha garrison in just ten minutes.
As for why it was swimming—well, it's a snake, of course it could swim!
Upon arriving, it immediately began searching for the "giant" Kazuyama had mentioned.
This one's too skinny.
This one's too short.
This one… not big enough!
The Konoha ninja soon noticed the black snake slithering through their base, carrying a scroll in its mouth. Alarmed by the unusual sight, they quickly moved to capture it.
However, the Black Mamba was far too slippery. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't catch it.
Undeterred, the snake continued its search for the so-called "huge one" within the Konoha base.
"What are you doing?"
A voice cut through the commotion. A blond-haired young man appeared—Minato.
"Huh? A black snake… could it be Kazuyama's summon?"
"And it's carrying a scroll—then it must be."
"Hey, I'm a friend of Kazuyama's. Hand over the intel."
Minato smiled warmly, exuding the reassuring presence of an older brother.
The Black Mamba glanced at him once… then slithered away without hesitation.
Minato stood frozen, completely baffled. What the hell? Why did it just ignore me?
News of a large black snake carrying a scroll spread quickly, reaching Tsunade and the others.
A snake… carrying intelligence. They immediately understood—it had to be from Kazuyama.
Without wasting a moment, several high-ranking ninja rushed toward the scene.
By this point, there was nowhere for the Black Mamba to run—not that it intended to. With Konoha's ninja surrounding it, the snake found itself trapped in the center.
But this was exactly what it wanted. Finding each person individually had been too much trouble—this way, they were all gathered in one place.
Now, it just needed to locate that "huge" presence in the crowd.
"Make way."
With the arrival of Tsunade, Torifu, and Shirakumo, the surrounding ninja quickly stepped aside.
"I'm Tsunade. Kazuyama sent you, right? Hand over the intel."
Tsunade strode forward confidently, a slight smile forming on her lips as the Black Mamba slithered toward her.
This kid Kazuyama is something else, training a snake to be this obedient.
He's already better than that bastard Orochimaru!
Just as she leaned forward to take the scroll from its mouth—
The Black Mamba abruptly bypassed her.
Without hesitation, it slithered straight to Torifu Akimichi and dropped the scroll in front of him.
The entire crowd fell silent.
Tsunade: …Why?
Torifu: Huh? It gave me the scroll? Something feels off about this…
Still, the information was crucial. Despite his confusion, Torifu picked up the scroll.
Seeing this, the Black Mamba gave a satisfied nod. Then, with a loud bang, it vanished in a puff of white smoke.
On the ground where it had just been, two large characters were scrawled: Huge!
It had drawn them using its tail hook.
Torifu stood dumbfounded. Tsunade's face darkened. Minato sighed, covering his eyes.
As a friend of Kazuyama, Minato knew him all too well.
"Lady Tsunade, actually, this intel from Kazuyama was meant for you."
"But the snake probably didn't understand what he meant… You know…"
Before Minato could finish speaking, he felt an overwhelming killing intent radiating from Tsunade.
She was smiling, but it was the kind of smile that made people's blood run cold.
Huge, huh? Very well, Kazuyama, I'll remember this.
"Uncle Torifu, give me the scroll."
"Oh, here you go."
Torifu handed over the scroll with an awkward expression, patting his stomach absentmindedly. Yeah… it was huge.
Tsunade's anger flared even hotter.
Suppressing it, she unrolled the scroll and began reading.
Her fury quickly gave way to shock, then excitement.
"Everyone! Prepare to attack!"
"Iwagakure has launched a large-scale assault on the Land of Rice Fields, and Kumo's base has already fallen."
"This is the perfect chance for us to strike!"
Her words took everyone by surprise, but within moments, their fighting spirit ignited.
Kumo had been putting immense pressure on them—now it was time to return the favor.
"Shirakumo, Torifu, Minato, each of you will lead a team and attack directly."
"In short—drive Kumo out of the Land of Hot Water!"
—
Meanwhile, on the eastern border of the Land of Rice Fields, Kazuyama soared through the sky with his Transparent Escape Technique, observing the battlefield below.
"Kazuyama, this Third Raikage is terrifying. Even if I fought him, I doubt I'd win."
"His speed and defense are on another level. He's practically a human Tailed Beast."
Chōmei was in disbelief. The man below was an unstoppable force.
Wrapped in lightning, every strike he delivered claimed an Iwa ninja's life.
"That's not right, Chōmei," Kazuyama teased. "Didn't the First Hokage subdue you back in the day? Are you saying this guy is stronger than Hashirama Senju?"
Chōmei shot him a look, his voice dripping with resignation.
"'Subdue' isn't even the right word. Do you know what happened that day?"
"I was just cruising along when suddenly—boom! A giant wooden man and a bunch of massive wooden snakes came charging at me."
"I was about to fight back when—bam! A rain of enormous wooden stakes fell from the sky and knocked me senseless."
"Later, I found out the guy who did it was called Hashirama Senju. And you ask if he was strong?"
"Even the Nine-Tails was nothing but a toy in front of him. And me? Just a little insect by comparison."
"Sure, the Raikage is strong, but he still can't beat me. At best, it'd be an even fight—after all, I can fly."
"But if I were up against Hashirama and thought flying would help? You think those big logs dropping from the sky were just for decoration?"
Kazuyama burst into laughter.
That was the First Hokage—someone who could suppress just about anyone at will.
Who besides Madara Uchiha could even hope to challenge him?
Even in the grand scheme of things, Hashirama's power had to be in the top five, right?
"But I have to admit," Kazuyama said, still grinning, "this kind of all-out brawl is thrilling to watch."
"And Chōmei, have you noticed? Even after hours of fighting, this guy's stamina and chakra haven't dropped at all."
"He's still going strong."
Chōmei nodded. That was precisely why he had called the Raikage's defenses ridiculous.
"His Lightning Release armor deflects most attacks, and his speed lets him dodge the rest."
"Kazuyama, honestly, even you couldn't beat him right now."
That was true. Even if Kazuyama transformed into a Tailed Beast, the Third Raikage would be nearly impossible to bring down.
"The strongest spear and the strongest shield…" Kazuyama murmured.
"A guy like that… should just die here."
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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