"Haseo, Haseo, are you okay?"
Jiraiya and the others called out anxiously, peering through the hole in the wall they'd just smashed through... Though the battle had been brief, the trio had lost sight of Haseo and were forced to drop down from their high position before running over to check on him.
"I'm fine.
You should keep your distance.
Forget it. Keep moving. Don't stay inside buildings."
Lowering their altitude meant risking getting dragged into chaotic combat and encirclement. In Haseo's opinion, even if he died, these people shouldn't have come down. But apparently, that wasn't an option — and now wasn't the time to argue.
If they got too close to the ground and the enemy, pulling back safely would be tough.
Looking past the three figures, Haseo indeed saw a group of Amegakure ninja chasing them closely.
Seeing that Haseo wasn't seriously hurt, the trio secretly exhaled in relief and followed his order, quickly pressing forward. Then Haseo himself burst out from the cramped building, falling behind the squad and continuously using area Ninjutsu like Water Release or Fire Release to slow the enemy pursuit.
But this was still Amegakure — the more they ran, the more enemies seemed to chase after them.
Haseo could run fast, but the other three were slower, sealing their fate of being surrounded soon. At this moment, Haseo didn't care about conserving Chakra anymore. He pulled out a Kunai, gently slid his thumb across its sharp blade, formed hand seals, then used the largest-scale Ninjutsu technique currently available to him:
[Ninjutsu: Summoning Jutsu]
Compared to those colossal spires of Amegakure, Katsuyu's body wasn't particularly large, but by human standards, she was already enormous.
Her round and plump appearance might not seem especially threatening, but she was more than just intimidating.
The moment she appeared on the battlefield, Katsuyu rotated her two front tentacles slightly, then without hesitation or mercy, sprayed a massive wave of acidic fluid at the densely packed Amegakure ninja chasing the group.
Katsuyu was a highly perceptive Chakra beast capable of speaking human language fluently, yet no matter how intelligent she seemed, ultimately, she wasn't human — expecting compassion for bipedal creatures like humans would be unreasonable.
With her unique nature and massive size, a summoned beast like her could definitely dominate even the most intense battlefield — let alone this one.
The Amegakure ninja who couldn't dodge in time, the steel pipelines, vertical walls, and flat ground — wherever Katsuyu's acid touched, loud sizzling sounds erupted and thick white vapor rose instantly.
Almost instantly, a sharp, unbearable stench filled the air.
A ninja's fragile physical body had absolutely no resistance to corrosion, so the summoned beast instantly created the most horrifying hell imaginable.
The sight of ninjas dissolving in acid was something one should avoid looking at if possible. In comparison, even the mosaics from Orochimaru's torture would seem like breathtaking beauty.
Katsuyu was a ruthless murderer, but for ordinary people, the blame wouldn't fall on the summoned beast itself—it would only be placed on Haseo's head... because he was the "master" of this summon.
Haseo wore a white mask and silently stood atop Katsuyu's head, watching the scene below. As Katsuyu slowly raised its half-reclining body like a cobra, its back began pressing against a nearby spire behind it. The immense strength radiating from the creature caused the entire tower to let out an ear-splitting groan.
Haseo's tiny figure was lifted higher into the air.
He intimidated the Amegakure ninjas on the battlefield, actually radiating a kind of domineering presence across the heavens and earth... though, truthfully, he was just borrowing another's power like a fox riding a tiger's prestige.
Yet regardless of whether it was real or not, his current appearance was undeniably awe-inspiring. Ninjas were still human after all—fearlessness was rare among the majority. Among the Amegakure ninja below, some simply froze in place while others had already begun fleeing.
Whoever dared take a step forward would definitely receive another deadly spray without hesitation.
Haseo bent down and gently patted Katsuyu's head once before sliding smoothly down its back.
"Adjust positions. Continue fighting."
While Katsuyu separated the battlefield, Haseo Squad quickly distanced themselves from the enemy. Then Haseo dismissed this large-scale [Summoning Jutsu], sending Katsuyu's clone back to Shikkotsu Forest... Although it looked menacing the moment it appeared, enemies would eventually organize effective counterattacks sooner or later.
Having great size came with both pros and cons. Though powerful against numerous small foes like ants, Katsuyu's colossal body would inevitably become the most noticeable target on the battlefield—a situation Haseo wished to avoid.
Therefore, even if Katsuyu wouldn't continue fighting, Haseo didn't want it surrounded either... Just as mentioned earlier, Haseo treated emotionally simple beings with equally straightforward emotions—he either liked or disliked them.
Humans were complicated; one couldn't possibly describe someone's feelings toward another using just a single word. But Haseo definitely liked Katsuyu... animals indeed were easier to love than people.
Haseo glanced backward. The enemies beneath the spire that had been toppled by Katsuyu's massive body hadn't chased after them immediately yet... At this moment, every corner of the village was filled with smoke and flames.
Even if it was a ninja village, once infiltrated by a few elite enemies, it would descend into such apocalyptic chaos. This showed just how hard peace was to come by in this world.
"Haseo, [Summoning Jutsu]..."
Quickly catching up with the other three ahead, Haseo naturally faced inquiries from Jiraiya and others, who had witnessed him using such a large-scale [Summoning Jutsu] for the first time.
"Borrowed," Haseo replied flatly.
As Haseo spoke, Tsunade wore a look of total indifference, apparently still unaware that she was the one who had lent out the item.
While leading the three back to a safer vantage point, Haseo kept a sharp lookout over the battlefield… Shouldn't the leader of Amegakure have already made an appearance by now, under these circumstances?
They've been humiliated right to their faces already. Normally speaking, under any circumstance, the enemy should have appeared by now—at least if he hadn't already decided to quit being a leader altogether.
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