Konoha's Genius is a bit Ordinary?

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Jiraiya looked at Kimimaro standing before him, his face showing admiration and regret.

The young man before him was the first he had ever seen with such strength and such obsession.

Even though his body was on the verge of collapse, he stubbornly continued to drive both his body and soul forward.

And all this was for a belief, a revered person, a god.

He had abandoned everything he had, including his life.

Jiraiya felt a pang of pity for the other, knowing that Kimimaro's god had been using him from the very start.

Jiraiya slowly stepped forward, using his hand to close Kimimaro's eyes, which had remained open until the very last moment of life.

Perhaps, in the young man's eyes, this act of being used was a form of acknowledgment.

Jiraiya sighed. Kimimaro hadn't posed a great threat to him, yet Jiraiya was still injured.

Kimimaro had entered a state that clearly placed a heavy burden on his body right from the beginning and had fought with reckless abandon, attacking and attacking…

Even for Jiraiya, facing such madness meant he was struck a few times by Kimimaro's unique bloodline abilities.

Kimimaro wanted to kill Jiraiya, but…

From the beginning, his mission wasn't to kill Jiraiya, because Orochimaru knew that was almost impossible.

Kimimaro's mission was simply to hold Jiraiya back, and from the looks of it now, he had done his job well. He held Jiraiya at bay until the crystal wall barrier faded away.

At the moment life slipped away, Kimimaro still seemed to feel apologetic, unable to do more for Orochimaru.

To him, achieving Orochimaru-sama's goals by killing both Tsunade and Jiraiya would have been ideal…

However, even after exhausting his last ounce of strength, he couldn't do it. He truly felt he was a useless person.

Jiraiya looked down at Kimimaro's body, then after a moment's thought, he used Earth Release ninjutsu to bury him.

For this warrior who had earned his respect, he would let him return to dust and earth.

Afterward, Jiraiya turned toward Manda and the newly appeared Katsuyu, a smile breaking across his face, as he bit his finger.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

In the next instant, a massive toad appeared on the plains—the mighty Gamabunta himself.

…

Kabuto relaxed a bit as the crystal barrier around him vanished, for he was already struggling to handle Tsunade and Naruto together.

Now, he was up against Naruto wielding Nine-Tails' power and a somewhat reinvigorated Tsunade, making it even harder to manage.

Though he had previously used her hemophobia to drastically weaken Tsunade's combat abilities, the second time he tried it, the effect wasn't as strong as the first.

Tsunade could still move, though her strength was down to a fraction of her full power. But even with just a tenth of her strength, Kabuto couldn't ignore her superhuman strength.

Fortunately, her long absence from battle seemed to have dulled her fighting instincts, allowing him to use his chakra scalpel to cut through some of her muscles.

Just as he was about to gain the upper hand, Naruto's sudden transformation disrupted his plans.

The figure enveloped in red chakra charged at him, taking him by surprise and sending him flying.

Kabuto had already found Naruto challenging to deal with, even though he thought he had severed the muscles in Naruto's legs and arms.

Now, looking at Naruto crouched on the ground, resembling a demonic fox, it seemed as though those injuries had completely healed, and his strength and speed had vastly increased. Kabuto muttered a low "monster" under his breath.

Watching the red chakra forming into an armor around Naruto's body, Kabuto realized his chakra scalpel was unlikely to break through that chakra armor.

At this rate, Naruto would soon defeat him. Kabuto decided to withdraw, retreating to Orochimaru's side, where he knelt on one knee.

"My apologies, Lord Orochimaru. I have let you down."

"Hmm, I do not blame you," replied Orochimaru, standing atop Manda's head, his gaze on Naruto encased in the blazing red armor. This Nine-Tails chakra was stronger than it had been during the Chunin Exams.

And Orochimaru also noticed that, although trembling, Tsunade no longer seemed completely paralyzed at the sight of blood—a surprise.

Looking over at Jiraiya and Kimimaro, Orochimaru let out a deep sigh, an expression of deep regret in his eyes.

"Kimimaro… what a pity."

If only the boy didn't have that cursed bloodline illness, he would have been an ideal vessel.

His bloodline was incredibly powerful for both attack and defense, not to mention his vitality. The fact that he held Jiraiya off for so long was proof enough.

But the bloodline illness turned it all into a tragic joke.

…

Tsunade, now receiving Shizune's healing, looked at Naruto before her, remembering how he had protected her from the start.

Earlier, he'd stood in front of her, fighting to protect her even when he'd been struck down and his muscles severed.

Yet, in her most perilous moment, he had still shielded her, cloaked in the power of the Nine-Tails.

Tsunade bit her lip, her vision blurring slightly. Her hemophobia hadn't healed from the very beginning.

Lately, she had been plagued by nightmares of Shizune standing in front of her and being killed by Orochimaru.

So, for the sake of Shizune, who had followed her all these years, someone so young who had always taken care of her—

She had to move, had to fight, had to overcome her hemophobia!

But in the end, all she could manage was movement. She was still gripped by fear, filled with dread…

A Sannin who needed a Genin to protect her—what kind of Sannin was that?

"Yo, you okay, Granny?" Naruto, his eyes red from the Nine-Tails' influence, looked over at her, a smile somehow breaking through.

In a flash, Tsunade saw a vision of Nawaki's face, with the same smile.

She suddenly recalled what Natsuro had said to her.

Naruto was a formidable, unpredictable ninja…

Maybe Natsuro was right. A small smile spread across her face, though if Nawaki ever dared to call her "Granny," she would have given him a good beating!

Now, however, she was about to become the Fifth Hokage. Always needing protection like this was too shameful.

With a deep breath, she took a steadying step, then bit her finger and formed the hand seals…

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Shizune watched in awe as a slug not much smaller than Manda appeared. Even in this state, Tsunade had summoned Lady Katsuyu at that scale…

"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune murmured in wonder, hope shining in her eyes. Did this mean Tsunade's hemophobia had healed?!

…

"Well, well, what's today—a day for reunions? The three Sannin, back together again," remarked Gamabunta in surprise.

"Orochimaru, you dare make me face foes of this caliber!" Manda growled, glaring at the familiar, foul toad and slug before him.

"After this, you can have all the live prey you want," Orochimaru said, licking his lips.

"Hmph!" Manda snorted but quieted down.

"It seems I've lost this time," said Orochimaru, looking over at Tsunade standing atop Katsuyu with Naruto beside her.

Orochimaru hadn't expected that this time his attempt would not only fail to kill Tsunade but would actually help her overcome her hemophobia.

Just now, Kabuto had given him a quick report on everything that had happened.

Orochimaru's gaze now fell on Naruto, still armored in red chakra. It was this brat he had once dismissed that had ruined his entire plan.

While Natsuro's strength had surprised him, it hadn't greatly affected his plan.

What he hadn't expected was that Kabuto would be held off by a thirteen-year-old Nine-Tails brat and Tsunade's assistant.

Otherwise, his plan should have succeeded by now!

Now, it was time to consider how to escape. Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Naruto, who had used the Body Flicker Technique to appear atop Gamabunta.

Orochimaru wasn't too worried. Although, without Kimimaro's strength, he couldn't hope to win, escaping was still within his grasp.

"Orochimaru, as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, I cannot forgive your attack on the village!" Tsunade's fists clenched as she glared at Orochimaru. At this moment, she felt that familiar strength surging back within her.

She wasn't sure if her hemophobia was truly gone, but she knew she couldn't hold back any longer!

"Surrender, Orochimaru. You have no chance left," Jiraiya added, his tone carrying only cold detachment. All his past complexities toward Orochimaru were gone; he had long given up any hope for him.

"Heh, surrender? You're giving yourselves far too much credit!" Orochimaru sneered, licking his lips with a smirk.

"Jiraiya-sensei, Lady Tsunade, hold Orochimaru off," Natsuro suddenly suggested, glancing at Orochimaru and Manda beneath him.

"Alright, leave it to us," Jiraiya nodded, fully trusting Natsuro.

Tsunade didn't object either, as she recognized Natsuro's strength—anyone who could hold off Orochimaru alone and emerge unscathed was indeed capable. Natsuro likely had some finishing move that required time to prepare.

"And me too! I'm in this!" Naruto called out.

Natsuro glanced at Naruto, noticing the faint Nine-Tails chakra tail trailing behind him. He couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration; Naruto's relationship with the Nine-Tails seemed better than expected. Maintaining this state required just the right balance of chakra, which showed that the Nine-Tails was willing to cooperate with Naruto to this extent.

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you."

With that, Natsuro leaped down from Gamabunta and landed on the ground.

Orochimaru watched, having heard the entire exchange, and his eyes narrowed, wary of Natsuro's abilities.

Although he hadn't used any particularly strong jutsu earlier, Orochimaru didn't believe he was incapable, he simply hadn't found the right opportunity.

So, what kind of jutsu would it be? Orochimaru felt both anticipation and a heightened sense of vigilance...

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