Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!
Chapter 547: Battle in the Land of Iron

Chapter 547 - 547: Battle in the Land of Iron

"It's been a long time since the three of us fought side by side, hasn't it?"

Jiraiya moved swiftly through the forest, glancing at Tsunade and Orochimaru beside him.

For a moment, it felt like they had returned to their younger days.

"It's been over ten years," Tsunade mused, unable to pinpoint the exact time.

"Fourteen years," Orochimaru stated calmly, giving the precise answer.

Though he appeared indifferent, he had always been the most meticulous of the three.

"Haha, I knew it had been a while, but I didn't realize it was that long."

Jiraiya's hearty laughter startled a flock of birds into flight.

"When you three made a name for yourselves during the Second Shinobi World War, I was just a small-time nobody."

"I never imagined I'd one day fight alongside you."

Fugaku, who had been trailing slightly behind, smiled and joined the conversation.

"You're being too modest."

"You were the Uchiha clan's young heir back then—who would dare call you a nobody?"

"And now, you're the leader of the most powerful clan in the ninja world."

"Honestly, it's an honor for us to be fighting alongside someone of your status."

Having been friends for years, Jiraiya's teasing carried a casual ease.

"Please, don't flatter me like that."

"My constitution is too weak to carry such a heavy title."

Fugaku chuckled wryly, waving his hands as if regretting joining the conversation.

"Haha~"

Tsunade and Orochimaru laughed as well, their conversation carrying them into the Land of Iron.

Their mission was to protect the Five-Tails, Kokuō—the very same beast that Kawakaze had revived a few years ago.

As they advanced into the dense forest where Kokuō resided, their expressions grew serious.

"Kawakaze seems to know a lot of secrets."

"He's also defeated Madara once... is Madara's revival really that terrifying?"

Orochimaru was fixated on Kawakaze's warning: "His current strength is unfathomable."

He found it hard to believe that someone of Kawakaze's level could still fear another person's power.

Besides, Kawakaze hadn't actually fought Madara after his resurrection.

Judging Madara's strength based solely on Nagato's defeat seemed too rash.

Reevaluating the details he had previously overlooked, Orochimaru realized that Kawakaze knew far more than he had ever let on.

Hearing Orochimaru's question, Jiraiya and Fugaku instinctively turned to Tsunade.

They, too, were eager to understand just how powerful Madara had become.

"Although Kawakaze can sound a bit mysterious at times, everyone has their secrets."

"And he has never done anything to harm us."

"Isn't that enough?"

Tsunade paused for a moment, noticing Orochimaru and the others nod slightly before she continued with a smile.

"As for Madara's strength, Kawakaze told me a few things."

"He said that the Rinnegan could never reach its full potential in Nagato's hands."

"But now, with just a single Rinnegan, Madara is capable of taking down all nine Tailed Beasts at once."

"His strength has far surpassed my grandfather, and even Kawakaze himself isn't confident he can defeat him."

Tsunade didn't hold back any information, nor did she worry about alarming them.

She knew exactly what kind of people her comrades were.

"Is that even possible?"

Even Fugaku looked doubtful. As a fellow Uchiha, he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan himself, yet the idea of wiping out all nine Tailed Beasts in an instant was something he wouldn't even dream of.

"I believe what Kawakaze said."

Tsunade didn't answer directly, but her stance was clear.

"If that's the case..."

"Then this just got a lot more complicated."

Orochimaru's snake-like pupils gleamed sharply. The situation was worse than he had expected.

"Once we take care of the ones he revived with Impure World Reincarnation..."

"I refuse to believe that with our numbers, we can't take him down."

Jiraiya sounded completely unfazed by the Kage-level shinobi Madara had resurrected.

"Let's just hope everything goes smoothly."

Tsunade chuckled. Jiraiya wasn't wrong, after all.

"Wait, something's up ahead."

"It might be Madara's people."

"We need to hurry."

Just as Jiraiya was about to speak again, Orochimaru cut him off.

"I can sense it too."

"Move."

The group immediately picked up their pace, racing toward the source of the battle.

The closer they got, the stronger the chakra fluctuations became.

Three chakra signatures in particular stood out—one unmistakably belonged to the Five-Tails.

The other two felt similar to Jinchūriki, yet something about them was off.

"Chiyo and Hanzō of the Salamander are there too."

Tsunade quickly identified two of the four enemies—both of whom they had faced during the Second Shinobi World War.

"Neither of those two are easy opponents."

"Heh... I bet they never imagined they'd end up on the same team."

Jiraiya frowned at first but then let out a quiet chuckle.

Madara really had a knack for putting teams together.

Two bitter rivals suddenly forced into cooperation—if anything, that might make them even more dangerous.

"I can smell the Nine-Tails."

"If I had to guess, the other two must be Kinkaku and Ginkaku."

As they drew closer, Orochimaru finally confirmed the identities of the two unknown fighters.

Four Kage-level enemies against the Five-Tails—it was more than enough.

Madara had anticipated their move.

"The Five-Tails is barely holding on."

"Stop them."

Without hesitation, Tsunade spread her wings, soaring into the sky and leaving a crimson streak behind as she shot ahead of the others.

"Still as hot-tempered as ever."

Orochimaru sighed but immediately activated Sage Mode and followed.

"Since when did you get so eager?"

Jiraiya hadn't expected Orochimaru to go all out from the start.

Not wanting to fall behind, he and Fugaku unleashed their chakra and pushed their speed to the limit.

When the four arrived, Tsunade was already in action—shattering Chiyo's puppets and positioning herself in front of the Five-Tails.

Orochimaru had sent Hanzō stumbling back and clashed with Kinkaku before retreating to Tsunade's side.

With Jiraiya and Fugaku joining them, the battlefield instantly turned into a tense four-on-four standoff.

"It's you?"

The Five-Tails staggered to its feet, its furious gaze locking onto Tsunade.

Its hatred toward her burned even stronger than its grudge against Chiyo's group, who had just nearly killed it.

"Can't you tell we're here to save you?"

"Or would you rather be sealed inside the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and disappear forever?"

At first, Kokuō scoffed at her words, but at the mention of the Demonic Statue, its rage turned to reluctant gratitude.

Becoming part of the Ten-Tails was a fate worse than death for a Tailed Beast.

"You don't have to help us, but don't even think about running."

"If we run into more enemies, we won't have the luxury of saving you again."

Seeing the Five-Tails quiet down, Tsunade said no more and focused back on the battle.

"We meet again."

Hanzō brandished his scythe, his eyes filled with killing intent.

How could he ever forget the way he had died?

His true enemy wasn't here, but taking it out on these three would be just as satisfying.

However, he had severely underestimated just how much stronger Tsunade and the others had become.